Predator Engines, any experience?

[Greg]

I know these things have a huge following and people are putting them on everything... anyone on here have rear world experience with them? Concerned about longevity and build quality. I know they're a Honda replica, which is good & bad.

Looks like I'll be engine swapping my old Toro snowblower ASAP. The engine is OK, it's a little weak with the heavy snow, but the carb is leaking like crazy and a replacement is at least a week away. Rebuild parts too and I really don't want to shovel all this heavy, white s**t. The Toro is a mid-80's two stage, I believe it has a 7 HP Tecumseh engine and it looks like it has a 3/4" shaft.

I'm looking at the 6.5 HP Predator, sounds like they're rated quite a bit lower than actual horsepower.... people that have swapped these onto snowblowers are saying that they throw snow much farther.

 

[Greg]

Sounds like a jetting kit is helpful as the Predators are pretty lean from the factory to help with meeting emission standards. - https://www.ombwarehouse.com/Racing-Jet-Kit.html

 

[Hickey]

I say just go buy a Sportsman and plow kit. Or a tractor. Some say I'm biased.

 

[Greg]

I say just go buy a Sportsman and plow kit. Or a tractor. Some say I'm biased.

I'd rather just fix the snowblower that I already have, for $150.

 

[Pile of parts]

I put a 6.5 predator on an old Troy built horse tiller. It originally had a tecumseh. It was a direct bolt on and runs great! I don't use the tiller a lot but it tilled half my back yard a few times when I was redoing the lawn after building my shop. It was $99 at the the and time and the tecumseh was old enough it wasn't worth rebuilding. The predator engine didn't struggle at all.

 

[Greg]

I put a 6.5 predator on an old Troy built horse tiller. It originally had a tecumseh. It was a direct bolt on and runs great! I don't use the tiller a lot but it tilled half my back yard a few times when I was redoing the lawn after building my shop. It was $99 at the the and time and the tecumseh was old enough it wasn't worth rebuilding. The predator engine didn't struggle at all.

That's what I was hoping to hear! I'll be making an early morning visit to HF and see if they have one in stock.

 

[Hickey]

I'd rather just fix the snowblower that I already have, for $150.

BORING!!

 

[4x4_Welder]

I put a 6.5hp Predator on my air compressor when the original Honda burned up the coil. It was cheaper to just change the engine out.

Water and snow can get into the engine through the exhaust, mine actually rusted the rings to the cylinder wall, and locked up. I freed it up and have been using it another two years now. Make sure you put a cover over it when not in use, even just an old piece of plywood or baking pan.

 

[Gravy]

I've help swap about a half dozen of them into those little Coleman mini bikes. There is a LOT of hop up stuff you can do on them: big bore kits and high comp pistons among others. First thing is a bigger carb though. They're a little undersized.

 

[jeeper]

I vote snowplow on the jeep. Having a plow is amazing!

 

[Greg]

I vote snowplow on the jeep. Having a plow is amazing!

It's not an option, honestly.

 

[SLC97SR5]

A good friend built 3 drift trikes with Predator engines. They've gotta have at least 100 hours a piece on them running from idle to wide open with maybe an oil change thrown in. Pretty solid engines.

 

[Greg]

Thanks guys! I'm back up and running, breaking the engine in. The Predator dropped right into the mounting holes, the pulley and output shaft swapped over with no problem and the belts fit perfectly. I did upgrade to a Honda spark plug.

It fires right up, runs great and seems to have more than enough power at half throttle! The driveway is clear and I'm happy not shoveling snow.

How many snowblowers do you know of with dimple dies? Needed to space out the chute handle to clear the new engine. 😁

 

[Gravy]

Yeah! That's awesome! That old one probably needed rings and a valve adjustment. The valve tappets get out of adjustment and they make no power. Easier to swap a motor than do those two jobs IMO

 

[Greg]

Yeah! That's awesome! That old one probably needed rings and a valve adjustment. The valve tappets get out of adjustment and they make no power. Easier to swap a motor than do those two jobs IMO

Time was my biggest concern, wanted to get the driveway cleaned up before things froze solid with this coming cold snap. For $150 and some pretty straight forward work, I think the old Toro will last for another 20+ years.

 

[Greg]

I read online that people have found a decent amount of material while performing the first oil change upon break in. I've probably got about 2-3 hrs on it and decided to go ahead and change the oil just to be safe.

I was surprised at how much material there was after draining it, but knowing that's what others experienced, I'm not worried. No big chunks, just a decent amount of little shiny fleck.

I'm running a fully synthetic 5w40 (leftover from a previous car) and added just a touch of Lucas oil stabilizer. The synthetic should help cold start viscosity, since it's a snowblower and the Lucas should help it stick better.

I'll probably give the engine another 10 hrs and make a 2nd oil change just to be safe.

The oil drain location is a PITA, I pulled a tire off and leaned it over to drain it. Thinking about adding a oil drain extension, like this one.

And apparently my 6.5 HP Predator is a Hemi, which is the more desirable option, as the parts will interchangeable with the Honda engines. The Hemi has an aluminum valve cover and the non-Hemi has a Chrome plated valve cover.

 

[Gravy]

Nice score!