Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Anyone ever slum a Harbor Freight Predator Engine?

There has been an ancient Simplicity walk behind tractor at my Dad's place forever with a bad engine on it. I think someone gave it to him. It has a small turn plow on it and I figured I could have at it on the clay soil in my garden with it and give my old Troy-Bilt a break. My ground turns into concrete after a few rains and the tiller takes many passes to beat it back into submission....think tilling a parking lot. The game plan is to turn it with the tractor and then come back and break up the clumps with the tiller.

Anyway, I look at the motor on the old tractor and it is locked up, had parts missing, and I was not in a fixing mood. So I go to tools for fools, uh, I mean Harbor Freight, and pick up a little 3hp "predator" motor for $100. Yes, they are Chinese, but so are some Kohlers and Briggs these days. Looks like a Honda clone. The bolt patterns matched up and with a little ethnic engineering I had the motor mounted up fairly easily. Put marine gas and oil in "the predator" and she fired up on the first pull. I turned over half the garden and called it quits. I remember using one of these beasts when I was a kid and it worked the snot out of me so add 40 years to that.

The predator is a strong running, easy starting little rascal. For the price of a carburetor on a name brand, I'm impressed.

Anyone else ever try one?

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-hp-79cc-ohv-horizontal-shaft-gas-engine-epa-69733.html

yes the work. the kart racing boys were buying them like crazy

I'm torture testing a 5.5hp vertical shaft on my wood splitter right now. Last year I blew up the original Honda and needed a quick replacement. After the first month the air filter cover broke off, I have not replaced it and it has been sitting outside, uncovered with no air filter for almost 10 months. Fully prepared to do some wrenching on it, a couple weeks ago I gave her a few pumps on the primer bulb and in 3 pulls it fired right up..... stale fuel and all. I split about 2 cords with it and then let the neighbor borrow it and he split at least another 2 cords. It's cheap entertainment.

They have entire classes out here for the "clone" powered vehicles.

I put the 6.5 HP on a old Troy built tiller someone gave me with a locked up Tecumseh. I paid $79 for the engine.

My dad has been using it in his garden for 5-6 years. Im Impressed with it.

All i use on my rental equip. and you know how that stuff gets treated!!!! Lots of engine for the money who cares where they come from!!!

Loosen that clay up and make your life a lot easier, Add sand peat moss and composted horse manure.

A couple inches of the sand and peat and about 4 inches of composted horse manure will loosen it up and be a dream to work. it will also give you better plants.

Yes, the predator engines are pretty good engines.

I use the 6.5 hp Chinese clone of a honda engine on two sideroll watering systems and 1 on an 1800 watt gen set.

They all cost me under 90 bucks and it's been 7 years and i still use them.
They seem to start far quicker that the same size honda especially when it's cold.

I like them.

If you're fighting clay - put some loose gypsum on in, then till it in. That loosens our adobe up pretty well.

Yep, I have one on an old hydraulic splitter. I've been pleased with so far.

Been thinking about buying the 13hp model for an air compressor. Thanks for the comments.

Put one of the $99 dollar engines on a Troy bilt tiller. Works great after two seasons.

My brother works for a major small engine manufacturer. They make all types of engines in the US as well as China.

For the low end engines of nearly any well known manufacturer the name means nothing. They design an engine and then source the parts to meet their needs.

They use what are referred to as commodity parts. No name made by whoever meets their price in whatever country Those parts go into a bin that every engine maker buys parts out of if they meet a spec for one of their models.

Only real difference with off brands or low end models of name brands is engine life. Performance wise nearly every model of similar specs will perform the same. But the low end and off brands have a shorter expected and acceptable life span.

One of the engineering guidelines is motor lasts x number of hours. If lasts considerable longer then they see if cuts can be made, to save money and stay within lifespan guidelines.

Good buy for the money

From what I understand, a Predator engine is a Honda clone. Perhaps made cheaper somehow, but the one I have on a wheelbarrow air compressor has been good.

Thanks, MIKE 7 good stuff to know , from a known source!!!

A buddy has been running one on his log splitter for several years and it works great, fires right up without a hiccup.

The Honda engine on my lawnmower is made in china and I suspect is basically the same thing as the harbor freight engine. I don't do anything to winterize it, just turn the gas off and run it out of fuel. Over the five years I've had it, it's never failed to fire on the first pull after I pull it out of winter storage. No stabil, draining the fuel, or anything like that. Just turn the fuel valve on and go mow.

One of my tougher crews blew up their second Briggs and Stratton generator, I said screw it, they can blow up a cheapo generator this time. That's been two years ago! Seems to be no different.

My dad has been running one for a couple of years on a high-wheeled lawnmower at their cabin property. He mows weeds, vines, branches, rocks, you name it, and it has never given him a problem.