Most lawn mower engines are governed at 3600 rpm. A snowmobile engine would not have enough torque at that rpm to turn the deck. Throw a honda on it. Surplus Center - 13 HP HONDA GX390 RS ENGINE What ever engine you get be sure it has the right shaft.
Snowmobile engine
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Eyecatcher
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2012
- Messages
- 367
- Location
- Pomona Park Florida
- Tractor
- Yanmar EX450, Ford 8N/2N, Case 580C backhoe, Massey 185
Look on Ebay - Honda GX390 clone. I bought one for $225 w/free shipping. Replaced an 18hp briggs vanguard, has much more power than the briggs.
I put it in a Utility Vehicle. Took some adapting, but it sure beats the Briggs. Have a 6.5 clone on my log splitter - works great. Honda parts fit the clone.
I put it in a Utility Vehicle. Took some adapting, but it sure beats the Briggs. Have a 6.5 clone on my log splitter - works great. Honda parts fit the clone.
LMan1967
Gold Member
when i was a kid I had a go kart, and when the 5 HP B&S died on it, I had a 21-HP (I think) Yamaha snowmobile motor to put in its place.
sadly, never got around to the swap, sold it. would have been fun, though.
sadly, never got around to the swap, sold it. would have been fun, though.
crazyal
Super Member
I'm sure you could do it. I think you could work around any heat issues. I think you'll find that you'll need to retune the carb for the warmer temps. You'll also need to figure out what to do with the exhaust pipe since 2 strokes pipes are a key part of how the engine runs. It's just a matter of how much you're willing to do. Of course you'll have to smell two stroke exhaust and it could be a bit louder.
Stonehaller
Platinum Member
As others have said, 2 cycle snowmobile engines are high speed engines. You would have to add an extra gear reduction to get the speed down and torque up for a real tractor application. You would have to re-jet the carburetor for warm weather. The intake and exhaust are also issues. Most snowmobiles do not really have an air cleaner. The use an air box to keep the noise down and the snow out of the engine. The exhaust system is matched (tuned) to the engine to ensure the proper flow through the engine. Change the exhaust and add an air cleaner and you would seriously affect engine performance. The other issue is engine life. The high power and high rpm of a 2 cycle snow mobile engine comes at price. Where as you may get 1000 hrs out of a small 4 stroke engine, you may only get a third of that from a snowmobile engine.
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