Predator Engines

[Kenskip1]

Well here is the deal. My riding mower a Murray is in good shape mechanically. However, the engine is a wreck. It is an 12.5 single cylinder Brigs.Now HF sells the Predator at a very reasonable price. My question is are these engines worth the risk? I have not even bothered to dive into the price for a new Briggs.I am sure that the cost is way out of comparison. Has anyone used this brand and if so any problems with it? Thanks Ken

 

[Tim37]

I have a friend who has been flipping mini bikes lately he is running the predators with good luck.

 

[Thumper68]

I got the 22hp for my garden tractor earlier this summer, and so far so good. No issues yet.

 

[morgaj1]

I would have zero issues putting a Predator engine on that mower.

 

[jwsia]

I've had 3 of them zero issues. they have all been the smaller single cylinder. I wish that 22 was out when I repowered my Deere a few years ago

 

[kctyphoon]

predator engines are basically honda clones.. many internal parts are interchangeable with factory honda parts. cart racing even has a division for Honda "clone" engines.. from what ive read online, honda basically liscences or sells the dies to other compnies to copy, and they use different alloys to cast their casing.. little things like carbs, fuel tanks, air intakes are replaced with cheaper versions to cut costs..

personally, i would have NO problem buying a predator for anything i wanted to keep running. most people have nothing but great things to say about these motors. if you want first hand reviews just go on the HF websites and read what people write about the engines, and the Predator generators that also get great reviews..

i think there are cart racing kits available that can get 20hp out of the 6.5hp engines

edit - heres something just to poke around in -
http://www.bmikarts.com/65-HP-Honda-Clone-Engines-Parts_c_14.html

 

[Loscaldazar]

I've HEARD that they are essentially Honda clones. HEARD being the important word. Can't verify it myself, others might have more info.

 

[gungatim]

I've HEARD that they are essentially Honda clones. HEARD being the important word. Can't verify it myself, others might have more info.

I have used A LOT of the 6.5's. couple of them I pulled apart to mod, remove governor, bigger carb, stiffer springs, etc. I can confirm, that many of the parts inside the motor actually had the Honda log on them. identical parts. These were the blue engines, the ones they sell now are black and I haven't had one of those open, but likely the same...yeah I know, Honda parts in a harbor freight engine for <$100...who'd a thunk...

 

[stihlntime]

I've had excellent results. I've run the 6.5 on water pumps and have put hundreds of hours on them under full load. Still start first or second pull. No hesitation recommending them. Just use 91 Oct no ethanol gas and run them dry if it will sit more than 90 days.

 

[jdcompman]

They are nearly identical in many aspects. There is a very good tear-down series on YouTube starting with the video below, to see for yourself.

Obviously this is the princess auto version but same thing, different costume.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I'd be curious if the predator would mount the same as the Briggs and how much savings you would expect. I replaced the 20 HP intek (Briggs) engine on my ZTR a couple of years ago, and a new one was about $500...that was obviously a bigger engine with electric start. I have no idea what the smaller B&S recoil engines cost.

Phil

 

[decableguy2000]

Have one on a log splitter for a couple of years with zero issues. best bang for the buck.

Jeremy

 

[Skin]

Pot metal everywhere. They corrode like crazy. Don't run them dry or you'll get a carb full of powder.

from what ive read online, honda basically liscences or sells the dies to other compnies to copy, and they use different alloys to cast their casing.. little things like carbs, fuel tanks, air intakes are replaced with cheaper versions to cut costs..

None of this is true. They're unlicenced copies and there are about 4 or 5 different plants manufacturing their own versions for varying OEMs. Honda tried to sue for licensing fees but that got nowhere. Chinese government is like the Russian government of old. Most of the patents are long since expired so they cant stop the sales.

Castings look okay and I haven't seen any failures but there are a few things to note.

They don't wash the blocks out properly so its definitely worth doing an oil change within the first few hours of run time.
Almost universally poor quality rubber and metal stamped parts. Keep them out of the elements and you should be okay. Always keep any metal fuel tanks topped off or don't be surprised when they corrode. Honestly you should probably try to wipe it down with WD-40 every so often if you plan on keeping it for years.
Plastic fuel caps with metal inserts like to crack so watch out for it.
Most things aren't rebuildable without buying "assemblies".

They look like Honda's. That's about where the similarities end.

 

[PossumJr]

Someone beat me to it, but they are basically Chinese made Hondas with the predator name slapped on them.

 

[hamma]

I've had one of the 5.5 hp Predators on my lawnmower for about 5 years with no problems.