Harbor Freight Predator gas engines

[gregsolds442]

Does anyone have experience with Harbor Freight Predator brand gasoline engines? I need to replace the engine on a log splitter ( locked up ) that my father had for years and I don't want to spend a lot of money cause it won't be used a whole lot. Harbor freight has a 212 cc 7hp gas engine listed in an ad that I just received for$103.99 w/ coupon and I wondered if it would be worth the savings to use one or should I just invest in a Briggs or Kohler. Thanks.

 

[Pudmunkie]

I bought one for 99 on sale last month to replace the motor in a 70's craftsman snowblower. Bolted right in (every single bolt!).

Started right up, runs great. Time will tell if it has longevity issues, but I doubt it. My father and brother had Chinese built scooters they ran hard for years and sold running strong.

I also have a predator based generator that also has served me well. It however did not have the 'valve cover' on tight and weaped a bit until it was tightened down.

 

[svronthmve]

They are great engines. I put one on a little craftsman generator several years ago. Starts within 2 pulls every time.

And $99 is the price for that unit right now.

 

[kbs2244]

I used one to replace a 5HP B&S on a trash pump.
Everything lined up.
Mounting bolt holes in the same place and shaft was the same size and location.
The $100 was only $25 more than the B&S parts.
Worked great.
They do demand to be choked for starting.
Only problem I had was remembering it had an ignition switch.
I had to put a label on it to remind me to turn on the switch and set the choke.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Little things break on them, like gas tank mounting bracket, starter rewind, etc and you can't get parts (although some folks claim Honda parts are direct replacements).

If you keep oil in them and keep up with the other issues they are a good deal for the money.

 

[mharmon]

I put the previous generation on my Rototiller the year before last. They were clearing them out for the new model and I got two for $70ish each. It has done great. I did a lot of research before buying. They are great motors. I have replaced some parts on mine with Honda replacement parts. They are apparently made by Lifan who once contracted with Honda for manufacturing (I haven't been able to verify). People say that the spark plugs are terrible. I replaced mine with a Honda one first thing.

Do a google search for Honda clone go karts. These are the engines that those guys use.

 

[mharmon]

Hmm did some internet searching. Apparently they are no longer made by Lifan, but rather another company. They are still a Honda clone with some parts that don't interchange but performance parts can be ordered. Just because you should.

 

[rm31859]

Hello all, I found this thread while researching out the Predator engines. I have a Coleman Powermate pressure washer (model PW0872400) that needs a new carb and I can get a Predator 6.5 HP engine for just a few dollars more than a carb. The existing engine is a Sumec SPE175. Has anyone had any expierience with swapping an engine on a powermate pressure washer and these engines in particular? thanks for any and all help.

 

[JonBoehman]

I have had great luck with the predator series small engines from go karts to a tiller and a log splitter. all of them get a lot of use and haven't had an issue yet.

 

[G_P]

Hello all, I found this thread while researching out the Predator engines. I have a Coleman Powermate pressure washer (model PW0872400) that needs a new carb and I can get a Predator 6.5 HP engine for just a few dollars more than a carb. The existing engine is a Sumec SPE175. Has anyone had any expierience with swapping an engine on a powermate pressure washer and these engines in particular? thanks for any and all help.

Measure the shaft diameter on the old engine and see if its the same. If it's not, you will need to come up with a solution to couple the new engine to the pump.
Other than that it should be a simple swap. You may have to drill some new holes if the existing bolts dont line up with the mounts on the new engine.

 

[chris142]

They seem well made. I have an older 2 stroke generator with so many hrs on it I stopped counting @300 hrs. Put a good spark plug and oil in it and they will run a long time.

 

[turfgnome]

If you do not plan on ever repairing the engines they are fine. Just do not expect support or parts. Also mileage will vary as some of them **** and some are not bad depends on what factory the came from. I know of guys that bought 4 or 5 at the same time and none looked alike.

 

[cabin fever]

The carbs are the biggest issue with them IMO. They are ok, but after it starts surging, and needs to be chocked to run, its time to pull the carb, and clean it. Put it back on, and it will run like new again.

Keep the oil changed, and plug clean and they will last quite awhile. We race go karts, and they actually added a class just for this motor. They get run about 6500 rpms their entire life, and keep going.

 

[gungatim]

I have used several of the HF motors on karts, and a log splitter and few other projects. mine were all the blue versions, and are bulletproof. if you do a search on them you'll find sites dedicated to making these things scream for Kart racing and other applications. i've never seen one blown up that didn't have the governor removed without adding the HP parts to handle the increased rpm's. only issue i've ever encountered is the low oil shutdown switch can be finnicky if you have one (some do, some don't)

 

[Rickochet]

Reigniting on old thread... I installed a Predator 212CC 6.5 HP engine on my Troy Built Horse tiller. It replaced a 7HP Tecumseh engine that was original equipment. The old engine never started as easy as the Predator or had as much power. The Predator never bogs down and it takes on deep tilling like it's a piece of cake. I bought this one on sale for $99 about 4 years ago and liked it so much I bought another one just in case. Today I saw that Harbor Freight has them on sale again for $99... If you need a good horizontal shaft engine that will Git-R-Done, better go pick one up!!!

 

[PNWguy]

My dad bought one to replace the B&S on a 25 ton log splitter. Easy bolt on, and everything was awesome - until it died. He hadn't bought enough stuff at HF to know to buy the extended warranty.

He bought a second one, and a warranty. It works great. It clearly has more power, but also burns less gas then the original engine.

For the money, it can't be beat. Don't forget the warranty.

 

[James-W]

I bought a Predator engine to put on a go-kart and it worked great. It may not be as well built as a Honda engine, but it sure works good and for the price it would be hard to beat.

 

[lowrider2]

I put a 22 hp HF engine with a chain drive to power my 5' two stage snow blower. We got about 108" of snow this past Winter and most of it was moved on a 90' drive and 1/4 acre parking area with the blower. Started at -15F and was a little heavy on fuel use but it was also working pretty hard. Good so far.

 

[Motown]

I've repowered quite a few snow blowers with the 6.5hp. They have to have the jet opened up from .028 to .034, as they are jetted pretty lean. Even for you splitter I would try a .030 jet in it. I've read that when jetted properly, they are more like 8hp on a dyno. They are really big with the karting folks. A lot of aftermarket high performance parts available.

 

[larry4406]

I've repowered quite a few snow blowers with the 6.5hp. They have to have the jet opened up from .028 to .034, as they are jetted pretty lean. Even for you splitter I would try a .030 jet in it. I've read that when jetted properly, they are more like 8hp on a dyno. They are really big with the karting folks. A lot of aftermarket high performance parts available.

Out of curiosity, how do you know they are lean and when you achieve optimum?

 

[Motown]

Out of curiosity, how do you know they are lean and when you achieve optimum?

With the cold air in the winter, the air is thin. So the engine will hunt , rpms will go up and down. At the sea level I'm at the .034 seems to work best. Checking the color of the plug is helpful, also. But these engines are jetted lean right out of the box. And a lean engine runs hotter.

 

[redmondjp]

Out of curiosity, how do you know they are lean and when you achieve optimum?

You can tell if it is running lean by applying partial choke (or achieving the same effect by restricting the airflow into the carburetor with a shop rag) - if the engine smooths out, sounds quieter, and the RPM increases, then it is lean.

If you do this and it slows down, starts to smoke and stumble, then you are either OK or a bit on the rich side.

Lean engines have a sharp edge to the exhaust note - more of a staccato sound, which will mellow out once the mixture is richened up a bit. It's always better to be a bit on the rich side, for engine life - you can easily burn a valve running lean for too long.

 

[gearhead1]

I put one on a rototiller, no issues. Good deal for the money.