Another Predator Engine Swap

[MossRoad]

Yep, I plan to change it to synthetic after about 10 hours.

 

[MossRoad]

Got to use it for a couple hours today. Seems to run nice and smooth. No bogging down when hitting knots. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Other side of the pile...

 

[dragoneggs]

Well done on the swap! Nice when things fit without persuasion. Haven't ever purchased or used a Predator engine but keep hearing good things.

 

[MossRoad]

The ONLY thing I don't like about the engine is the location of the on/off switch. If your facing the engine where the pull start rope is, the switch is around the side to your right. All the other controls (throttle, choke, fuel shutoff) are directly to the left of the pull starter on the front. They should have put it somewhere on the front of the engine like all the other controls. So, its now tucked down about an inch from the side of the I-beam. Too tight for me to get in there with gloves on. Its not a bother enough to move it, just a bit annoying. Other than that, I got no complaints. Its got two oil fill locations, one on each side. One faces the right and the other left. Both have dipsticks. There's also two oil drain plugs, on the same sides as the fill holes. So checking, filling and draining of oil will be easy no matter how you'd have to mount it. :thumbsup:

 

[Oaktree]

The ONLY thing I don't like about the engine is the location of the on/off switch. If your facing the engine where the pull start rope is, the switch is around the side to your right. All the other controls (throttle, choke, fuel shutoff) are directly to the left of the pull starter on the front. They should have put it somewhere on the front of the engine like all the other controls. So, its now tucked down about an inch from the side of the I-beam. Too tight for me to get in there with gloves on. Its not a bother enough to move it, just a bit annoying. Other than that, I got no complaints. Its got two oil fill locations, one on each side. One faces the right and the other left. Both have dipsticks. There's also two oil drain plugs, on the same sides as the fill holes. So checking, filling and draining of oil will be easy no matter how you'd have to mount it. :thumbsup:

On my splitter it isn't too bad to get at. Biggest problem with it there is that it's kind of out of sight and I'll forget about it and wonder why it won't start. :mur: I like the way the recoil assembly mounting screws are symmetrical so it can be removed and rotated. The way it came from the factory you'd have to pull right into the beam.
As far as the oil drain, I ended up putting a 2" long pipe nipple & cap to extend it beyond the plate where the engine mounts, otherwise oil would dribble on the plate when it came time to change.

Has anyone had any experience with vertical shaft Predator engines? My local small engine guy agrees the horizontal shaft ones are good, but the vertical shaft ones are junk.

 

[JRobyn]

I retrofit one to an old "Scotts" mower and it's been terrific. Wife HATES a mower that she can't start easily and she LIKES the Predator! I did have to modify the keyway in the shaft a little (Dremel fiber disk).

 

[MossRoad]

On my splitter it isn't too bad to get at. Biggest problem with it there is that it's kind of out of sight and I'll forget about it and wonder why it won't start. :mur: I like the way the recoil assembly mounting screws are symmetrical so it can be removed and rotated. The way it came from the factory you'd have to pull right into the beam.
As far as the oil drain, I ended up putting a 2" long pipe nipple & cap to extend it beyond the plate where the engine mounts, otherwise oil would dribble on the plate when it came time to change.

Has anyone had any experience with vertical shaft Predator engines? My local small engine guy agrees the horizontal shaft ones are good, but the vertical shaft ones are junk.

Yeah, I pulled a third time before I remembered to turn it on! :laughing:

I will end up rotating the pull starter so it pulls to the upper left, but then the Predator logo will be crooked.... I think that will be funny, so no problem there.

Oil drain extension sounds like a good idea, to. Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[crazyal]

I have a HF water pump with a 97cc Honda clone on it. Works just fine. The only issue I have is it seams like the carb is made from different materials than my Honda generator. I once let gas sit in the carb for 6 months and it wouldn't start until I drained the carb and cleaned it out. My Honda has sat (unintentionally) for more than 2 years and just needed to have the bad gas flushed out of the tank, fuel line, and carb. Didn't require me to pull the fuel bowl and clean things up the like HF clone. I normally try to just run the carb dry but with a water pump it's kind of hard without having it pump water.

 

[MossRoad]

Bumping this up as I've seen some chatter on TBN about log splitters and Harbor Freight engines. Mine's still working great, by the way. :thumbsup: