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HF Predator Engine
#1
M
motoman
M
motoman
Stumbled onto a home mail ad : 6.5 HP Harbor Freight Predator 4 stroke ,$99 in non CA and CA trim. About 40 reviews surprisingly good if you can believe them. Seems this is a drop in for many tiller, pump, apps. For your information.
#2
B
bertsmobile1
So go ahead and buy one of these cheap Chineese rip offs but don't complain when your kids/ grand kids can not get a job because the only jobs left are sales assistants at HF & Walmart.
B
bertsmobile1
Stumbled onto a home mail ad : 6.5 HP Harbor Freight Predator 4 stroke ,$99 in non CA and CA trim. About 40 reviews surprisingly good if you can believe them. Seems this is a drop in for many tiller, pump, apps. For your information.
So go ahead and buy one of these cheap Chineese rip offs but don't complain when your kids/ grand kids can not get a job because the only jobs left are sales assistants at HF & Walmart.
#3
N
nick9882
N
nick9882
So buy what?? A Briggs?? And you think none of Briggs parts are made in China?? You should do you research. Buy the HF engine. It a good engine and parts are readily available for it. We run them on a couple pieces of commercial equipment and they do just fine.
#4
Homer1
Homer1
I have a friend that dropped one into a tiller 3 years ago, still running strong. Apparently they are a close replica to a Honda engine. I'd buy one if I had a need. I plan on buying one of their "Predator" generators when they are on sale again. The 5500 watt got marked down to 300 bucks last year. I may never use it, but ****** I'm gonna have one in the garage just in case, lol.
#5
M
motoman
M
motoman
Much as one may hate to admit it the Chinese will eventually get to where the Japanes and Koreans are. Their big military parades this week should be full of fairly reliable equipment. At the rate the heat is rising in the China sea we may soon find out. (Woops, I think I just turned this into a front porch item)
#6
B
bertsmobile1
B
bertsmobile1
well if your post didn't , my reply most likely will.
At the very first trade conference I went to as a nice freshly minted Metallurgist way back in the 70's had the first paper given by a spokesperson for the government Department of Trade & Industry.
Their paper focused on how Australia was the answer to world manufacturing as we had an highly educated workforce, abundant resources , plenty of green field development sites, cheap export freight rates , the cheapest coal & electricity in the western world and no quotas on energy consumption. This paper did not get any responce from the audience.
The second paper was given by a spokesperson from the private Chamber of Manufacturers.
Their paper focused on how uncompetative local manufacturing was, how much overpaid the work force was and how troublesome unions were.
He preached that the only future for Australia was to outsorce all of our manufacturing to Japan while maintainnig the highly profitable design in Australia because the Japaneese did not have the capacity to develope quality products. This paper got a standing ovation.
5 years latter the same paper was presented only the country changed from Japan to Singapore , then it was the Phillipines , a bit latter it became Korea, then India , then Brazil , then Malaysia , then Indonseia and now China.
Being a bit peeved at blatant corperate racism and by having my time wasted listening to this drivel I once question one of the presenters as to weather he was being racist and drew his attention to 5 previous reguratations of essentially the same paper and perhaps it would be more prudent to invest in higher productivity equipment in order to get a better return on the "overpriced labour" . I was jeered violently by the other candidates and then ejected from the room.
Over the past 50 years I have watched this idiot racist mentality destroy the entire manufacturing base.
The danger is not from China pushing but from the local market pulling.
Businesses chasing way too much profit and consumers rewarding them by consuming every imported product with glee, regardless of the effect on the local economy and eventually the entire country itself .
China will not invade Amercia, it will use Amercians own greed to sent the country to the wall much the same way as mulitnational bought out most production in OZ then ofshored it the second they could get a better price elsewhere.
At the very first trade conference I went to as a nice freshly minted Metallurgist way back in the 70's had the first paper given by a spokesperson for the government Department of Trade & Industry.
Their paper focused on how Australia was the answer to world manufacturing as we had an highly educated workforce, abundant resources , plenty of green field development sites, cheap export freight rates , the cheapest coal & electricity in the western world and no quotas on energy consumption. This paper did not get any responce from the audience.
The second paper was given by a spokesperson from the private Chamber of Manufacturers.
Their paper focused on how uncompetative local manufacturing was, how much overpaid the work force was and how troublesome unions were.
He preached that the only future for Australia was to outsorce all of our manufacturing to Japan while maintainnig the highly profitable design in Australia because the Japaneese did not have the capacity to develope quality products. This paper got a standing ovation.
5 years latter the same paper was presented only the country changed from Japan to Singapore , then it was the Phillipines , a bit latter it became Korea, then India , then Brazil , then Malaysia , then Indonseia and now China.
Being a bit peeved at blatant corperate racism and by having my time wasted listening to this drivel I once question one of the presenters as to weather he was being racist and drew his attention to 5 previous reguratations of essentially the same paper and perhaps it would be more prudent to invest in higher productivity equipment in order to get a better return on the "overpriced labour" . I was jeered violently by the other candidates and then ejected from the room.
Over the past 50 years I have watched this idiot racist mentality destroy the entire manufacturing base.
The danger is not from China pushing but from the local market pulling.
Businesses chasing way too much profit and consumers rewarding them by consuming every imported product with glee, regardless of the effect on the local economy and eventually the entire country itself .
China will not invade Amercia, it will use Amercians own greed to sent the country to the wall much the same way as mulitnational bought out most production in OZ then ofshored it the second they could get a better price elsewhere.
#7
M
Mikel1
M
Mikel1
Yeah I have been looking at the same one to put on an old tiller. On sale for $99 right now.
Anyone else used this engine on here?
Anyone else used this engine on here?
#8
John R
Seems all the stuff we buy now is made poorly, even the B&S are throw away's unless you get their commercial ones, and they are questionable.
I know guy's that run the harbor fright engines without any problems.
John R
So go ahead and buy one of these cheap Chineese rip offs but don't complain when your kids/ grand kids can not get a job because the only jobs left are sales assistants at HF & Walmart.
Seems all the stuff we buy now is made poorly, even the B&S are throw away's unless you get their commercial ones, and they are questionable.
I know guy's that run the harbor fright engines without any problems.
#9
M
motoman
M
motoman
Behold the wheel and bow and arrow. Try to keep that from going 'round the world. And Detroit..it is a tragedy, but plenty of thought to go around. Management was greedy and uncaring, but unions had big chip and did not maintain quality. (I have worked for teamsters AND in the corporate world.) China is beginning to reap the whirlwind as some get rich and others now cannot find work. Remember, to do business in China foreign companies have to provide so called "technology transfer," or "show me how you make it"...So the stuff will get better like other Asian product.
JohR, Yep I used to think Briggs were throw aways, but once I fixed the quality lapses ole Intek is still doing its thing since 2004.
JohR, Yep I used to think Briggs were throw aways, but once I fixed the quality lapses ole Intek is still doing its thing since 2004.
#10
B
bertsmobile1
The problem goes like this.
Currently China is bending over backwards to develope a big manufacturing industry, offering all sorts of incentiveves that a non authoritarian government can match.
However once a local factory has closed down it will never reopen unless a rich benefactor can be found.( or you can convince the government to foot the bill )
This is because "shareholders money" can make a no risk return importing for almost no cost on a very quick turn around as comparred to the massive risk of setting up an expensive fatory to make a mower on the hope it will be successful in the market place and a long term turn around.
If you had $ 200,000,000 to invest which would you preferr to put your money into
1) a mower factory that might give you a return of 10% to 30% pa in a few years time which employs several hundred people, or
2) a lot of different items of trash products that will return you 200% profit in less than 3 months and employs a dozen or so people.
It is really a no brainer if your only motive is raw profit.
The long term outcome is falling employment and lots of unemployed on benefits.
Even worse is the "rip off" products steal the good will of main line companies who do the hard yards and maintain an inventory of spare parts in very expensive warehouses and distribution networks.
They do this by ensuring Honda consummable parts will also fit their engines so they make all the profit from selling the complete engine and Honda makes the loss by long term supplying the spare parts needed to keep the engine running.
When we had a regulated importing regime down here, distributors had to maintain adequate spares for eninges for a prescribed number of years. This put a brake on what was economic to import and basically better quality goods were imported to reduce the amount of "dead" inventory required to keep them running.
Both your government & our government run this idiot line about transferring to a "service" economy.
The problem with this is a "service economy" does not create wealth . just like a TAX it simply transferrs money from one pocket to another, there is no net increase in value.
Real wealth only comes from doing something to an item that makes it worth more money.
This can be writing code to make a computer do a job better or turning a lump of rocks into metal and metal into a mower.
Increasing quality of living can only be accomplished by inceasing real wealth, not by simple transferring of wealth from one pocket to another.
Had your current government not pumped billions into the motor industry Ric would not be salivating about the new Ford truck because Ford will be owned by Win Wan enterprises and be assembling Woo Hoo trucks that are too expensive to ship fully assembled.
While it seem great to save $ 500 on a motor for your plow that is not much of a saving whn comparred to the $ 60,000 your children did not make this year because they could not find a job for over 12 months. Or the $ 40,000 difference beteen what they made working at the mower factory and what they make flipping burgers at the local take away.
B
bertsmobile1
Behold the wheel and bow and arrow. Try to keep that from going 'round the world. And Detroit..it is a tragedy, but plenty of thought to go around. Management was greedy and uncaring, but unions had big chip and did not maintain quality. (I have worked for teamsters AND in the corporate world.) China is beginning to reap the whirlwind as some get rich and others now cannot find work. Remember, to do business in China foreign companies have to provide so called "technology transfer," or "show me how you make it"...So the stuff will get better like other Asian product.
JohR, Yep I used to think Briggs were throw aways, but once I fixed the quality lapses ole Intek is still doing its thing since 2004.
The problem goes like this.
Currently China is bending over backwards to develope a big manufacturing industry, offering all sorts of incentiveves that a non authoritarian government can match.
However once a local factory has closed down it will never reopen unless a rich benefactor can be found.( or you can convince the government to foot the bill )
This is because "shareholders money" can make a no risk return importing for almost no cost on a very quick turn around as comparred to the massive risk of setting up an expensive fatory to make a mower on the hope it will be successful in the market place and a long term turn around.
If you had $ 200,000,000 to invest which would you preferr to put your money into
1) a mower factory that might give you a return of 10% to 30% pa in a few years time which employs several hundred people, or
2) a lot of different items of trash products that will return you 200% profit in less than 3 months and employs a dozen or so people.
It is really a no brainer if your only motive is raw profit.
The long term outcome is falling employment and lots of unemployed on benefits.
Even worse is the "rip off" products steal the good will of main line companies who do the hard yards and maintain an inventory of spare parts in very expensive warehouses and distribution networks.
They do this by ensuring Honda consummable parts will also fit their engines so they make all the profit from selling the complete engine and Honda makes the loss by long term supplying the spare parts needed to keep the engine running.
When we had a regulated importing regime down here, distributors had to maintain adequate spares for eninges for a prescribed number of years. This put a brake on what was economic to import and basically better quality goods were imported to reduce the amount of "dead" inventory required to keep them running.
Both your government & our government run this idiot line about transferring to a "service" economy.
The problem with this is a "service economy" does not create wealth . just like a TAX it simply transferrs money from one pocket to another, there is no net increase in value.
Real wealth only comes from doing something to an item that makes it worth more money.
This can be writing code to make a computer do a job better or turning a lump of rocks into metal and metal into a mower.
Increasing quality of living can only be accomplished by inceasing real wealth, not by simple transferring of wealth from one pocket to another.
Had your current government not pumped billions into the motor industry Ric would not be salivating about the new Ford truck because Ford will be owned by Win Wan enterprises and be assembling Woo Hoo trucks that are too expensive to ship fully assembled.
While it seem great to save $ 500 on a motor for your plow that is not much of a saving whn comparred to the $ 60,000 your children did not make this year because they could not find a job for over 12 months. Or the $ 40,000 difference beteen what they made working at the mower factory and what they make flipping burgers at the local take away.
#11
M
Mikel1
M
Mikel1
I bought one so I will see how long it will last. Only use this tiller a few times a year for deer feedplots, where the Kubota tractor can't get to.
#12
reynoldston
reynoldston
The good thing about the cost of the Predator engine is you can buy 2 1/2 engines for the price of one another brand. I have to say never bought or worked on a Predator engine so don't know very much about them. I have worked on the Chinese ATV,s and are they under powered junk.
#13
M
My_guy99
Very true! But it's sad we got here and see NO end in sight...
M
My_guy99
The problem goes like this. Currently China is bending over backwards to develope a big manufacturing industry, offering all sorts of incentiveves that a non authoritarian government can match. However once a local factory has closed down it will never reopen unless a rich benefactor can be found.( or you can convince the government to foot the bill ) This is because "shareholders money" can make a no risk return importing for almost no cost on a very quick turn around as comparred to the massive risk of setting up an expensive fatory to make a mower on the hope it will be successful in the market place and a long term turn around. If you had $ 200,000,000 to invest which would you preferr to put your money into 1) a mower factory that might give you a return of 10% to 30% pa in a few years time which employs several hundred people, or 2) a lot of different items of trash products that will return you 200% profit in less than 3 months and employs a dozen or so people. It is really a no brainer if your only motive is raw profit. The long term outcome is falling employment and lots of unemployed on benefits. Even worse is the "rip off" products steal the good will of main line companies who do the hard yards and maintain an inventory of spare parts in very expensive warehouses and distribution networks. They do this by ensuring Honda consummable parts will also fit their engines so they make all the profit from selling the complete engine and Honda makes the loss by long term supplying the spare parts needed to keep the engine running. When we had a regulated importing regime down here, distributors had to maintain adequate spares for eninges for a prescribed number of years. This put a brake on what was economic to import and basically better quality goods were imported to reduce the amount of "dead" inventory required to keep them running. Both your government & our government run this idiot line about transferring to a "service" economy. The problem with this is a "service economy" does not create wealth . just like a TAX it simply transferrs money from one pocket to another, there is no net increase in value. Real wealth only comes from doing something to an item that makes it worth more money. This can be writing code to make a computer do a job better or turning a lump of rocks into metal and metal into a mower. Increasing quality of living can only be accomplished by inceasing real wealth, not by simple transferring of wealth from one pocket to another. Had your current government not pumped billions into the motor industry Ric would not be salivating about the new Ford truck because Ford will be owned by Win Wan enterprises and be assembling Woo Hoo trucks that are too expensive to ship fully assembled. While it seem great to save $ 500 on a motor for your plow that is not much of a saving whn comparred to the $ 60,000 your children did not make this year because they could not find a job for over 12 months. Or the $ 40,000 difference beteen what they made working at the mower factory and what they make flipping burgers at the local take away.
Very true! But it's sad we got here and see NO end in sight...
#14
reynoldston
You can cry about how bad Australia is but it isn't happing here in the USA. My children and grand children are all making more money then I ever made and all doing just fine. All you need is a will to find a job and willing to work.
reynoldston
So go ahead and buy one of these cheap Chineese rip offs but don't complain when your kids/ grand kids can not get a job because the only jobs left are sales assistants at HF & Walmart.
You can cry about how bad Australia is but it isn't happing here in the USA. My children and grand children are all making more money then I ever made and all doing just fine. All you need is a will to find a job and willing to work.
#15
M
My_guy99
Very true! I know I'm thankful that I'm making great money doing what I love and also this job cutting grass to which I love doing as well!
As my belief do something you love that way you do get up and dread going to work everyday... JMO
M
My_guy99
You can cry about how bad Australia is but it isn't happing here in the USA. My children and grand children are all making more money then I ever made and all doing just fine. All you need is a will to find a job and willing to work.
Very true! I know I'm thankful that I'm making great money doing what I love and also this job cutting grass to which I love doing as well!
As my belief do something you love that way you do get up and dread going to work everyday... JMO
#16
Carscw
I have two of them on gocarts. I like them.
All the local kart tracks have a class just for them. A stock class and a modified class. Very easy and cheap to get extra power out of them.
Carscw
The good thing about the cost of the Predator engine is you can buy 2 1/2 engines for the price of one another brand. I have to say never bought or worked on a Predator engine so don't know very much about them. I have worked on the Chinese ATV,s and are they under powered junk.
I have two of them on gocarts. I like them.
All the local kart tracks have a class just for them. A stock class and a modified class. Very easy and cheap to get extra power out of them.
#17
B
bertsmobile1
It is happening there,just as much as it is happening here, just not to you, right now.
And while some will always be able to find work. I have never been unemployed for more than a week since I was 12 for the exact reasons you stated. Others will not and when enough others are out there the economy collapses and the bottom 90% all end up in the poo.
It has taken 10 years of 0 and near 0 interest rates and trillions of borrowed dollars to get USA industry employing again.
Last year GM opened a new state of the art foundry , all financed out of various governement loans & grants and signalled the end of its world car programme and as we supplied nearly all of the alloy castings worldwide for GM , an exit from Australia where government interfearence has prevented any investment in higher productivity equipment. No bad feeling about this by the way the fault was with our governments idiot industry plan and party politics deliberatly trying to deunionize the workforce even it it means they end up on welfare.
Banks have been creating money out of thin air for decades with nothing to back it up which is why the WFC happened and will happen again because virtually nothing has changed.
The well educated elite, those with nepatistic benefits and some who will just do anything will always have jobs, However without value adding none of this creats wealth. Money yes, wealth no, there is a big difference.
An top attorney does not make $ 1,000,000 + a year. It gets transferred from elsewhere to them . Teachers do not make money it is transferred from somewhere else to them . Lawn & landscape companies do not make money, again it is mearely transferred from one pocket to another. I do not make money either, it is transferred from my customers to me. My landlord does, they grow produce and fatten cattle thus adding value to something even if that something is only short lived.
In order to hide the truth from Joe Public governments lie.
Currently the USA employment rate is the lowest it has been since 2000. But so is the productivity per capita and that is only after a subtle change in the definition of unemployed and productivity.
The cop who gave you a speeding ticket was not actually being productive and some one who worked 2 or more hours for a benefit in the past 14 days is hardly employed either.
We are currently trying to redefine "employed" so that our numbers will "truely" reflect the status of Australia camparred to the rest of the world as we still define a shift as being 4 hours of work .
So while the official unemployment rate in the USA is currenty 4.9 % which has gone down, the underemployment rate in the USA is currently 32% and rising.
The smart & strong will survive, but what of the say Veterians that are now quite ill but dennied the help they deserve, where do they find work ? let alone the 50% of the population with IQ's of 99 and under, people with a physical dissability who can be productive in low end jobs and would happily work making engines at Tecumseh, except Tecumseh have gone and the jobs have gone to China.
B
bertsmobile1
You can cry about how bad Australia is but it isn't happing here in the USA. My children and grand children are all making more money then I ever made and all doing just fine. All you need is a will to find a job and willing to work.
It is happening there,just as much as it is happening here, just not to you, right now.
And while some will always be able to find work. I have never been unemployed for more than a week since I was 12 for the exact reasons you stated. Others will not and when enough others are out there the economy collapses and the bottom 90% all end up in the poo.
It has taken 10 years of 0 and near 0 interest rates and trillions of borrowed dollars to get USA industry employing again.
Last year GM opened a new state of the art foundry , all financed out of various governement loans & grants and signalled the end of its world car programme and as we supplied nearly all of the alloy castings worldwide for GM , an exit from Australia where government interfearence has prevented any investment in higher productivity equipment. No bad feeling about this by the way the fault was with our governments idiot industry plan and party politics deliberatly trying to deunionize the workforce even it it means they end up on welfare.
Banks have been creating money out of thin air for decades with nothing to back it up which is why the WFC happened and will happen again because virtually nothing has changed.
The well educated elite, those with nepatistic benefits and some who will just do anything will always have jobs, However without value adding none of this creats wealth. Money yes, wealth no, there is a big difference.
An top attorney does not make $ 1,000,000 + a year. It gets transferred from elsewhere to them . Teachers do not make money it is transferred from somewhere else to them . Lawn & landscape companies do not make money, again it is mearely transferred from one pocket to another. I do not make money either, it is transferred from my customers to me. My landlord does, they grow produce and fatten cattle thus adding value to something even if that something is only short lived.
In order to hide the truth from Joe Public governments lie.
Currently the USA employment rate is the lowest it has been since 2000. But so is the productivity per capita and that is only after a subtle change in the definition of unemployed and productivity.
The cop who gave you a speeding ticket was not actually being productive and some one who worked 2 or more hours for a benefit in the past 14 days is hardly employed either.
We are currently trying to redefine "employed" so that our numbers will "truely" reflect the status of Australia camparred to the rest of the world as we still define a shift as being 4 hours of work .
So while the official unemployment rate in the USA is currenty 4.9 % which has gone down, the underemployment rate in the USA is currently 32% and rising.
The smart & strong will survive, but what of the say Veterians that are now quite ill but dennied the help they deserve, where do they find work ? let alone the 50% of the population with IQ's of 99 and under, people with a physical dissability who can be productive in low end jobs and would happily work making engines at Tecumseh, except Tecumseh have gone and the jobs have gone to China.
#18
reynoldston
reynoldston
You are speaking for Australia not USA. Yes there is unemployment now and always has been. We do take care of our poor over here, all they have to do is ask for it. We do have homeless people , but that is the way they want to live because of drugs etc. Your businesses are booming, car dealers selling new cars as fast as they can get them. My grand daughter had to go over asking price to buy a house because they are selling so fast. The malls are so full of customers its hard to find a parking space. As I say you most be speaking for Australia, never been there and never will.
A very proud US citizen :thumbsup:
A very proud US citizen :thumbsup:
#19
Z
ziti
Z
ziti
I don't think I would buy an engine from Harbor freight. If I were in the market to buy a multi-purpose utility engine, I would go with a Yamaha. Then again, they are made in China. So, who knows? It's all kind of a shot in the dark. Isn't it?
#20
M
motoman
M
motoman
The current state of US employment is a radical change from one or two decades ago. Despite pockets of good paying jobs the middle class IS disappearing. The employment figures released by the feds bear scrutiny because they typically ignore a huge sector of people who have simply stopped looking for work. When, occasionally, that sector is included, it pushes the unemployment into the 15%17% range.
(still ranting) Ads that appear on TV showing happy couples in new homes and talking to their financial advisors are red flags to those underwater with home equity, those again beginning to abuse their credit cards (got to eat) and those seriously looking at 700 ft wooden play houses to be used as permanent homes.
I see this situation clearly as my wife and I were fortunate enough to work when good paying jobs were plentiful and did not necessarily depend upon union membership. Now we are having to constantly bail out our daughters who, with college degrees, nevertheless cannot seem to save enough or sustain adequate cash flow even with both spouses working ( yes, one is a spendthrift). Factoid: One is now seriously looking a US Postal service mail carrier job which is a "high" paying job ($50K).
(off rant) Let's hear more results from the go cart race guys. That would give a good look at reliability. I watch bike mag tests of Chinese product. It lags but none I can remember fails during journalist testing.
(still ranting) Ads that appear on TV showing happy couples in new homes and talking to their financial advisors are red flags to those underwater with home equity, those again beginning to abuse their credit cards (got to eat) and those seriously looking at 700 ft wooden play houses to be used as permanent homes.
I see this situation clearly as my wife and I were fortunate enough to work when good paying jobs were plentiful and did not necessarily depend upon union membership. Now we are having to constantly bail out our daughters who, with college degrees, nevertheless cannot seem to save enough or sustain adequate cash flow even with both spouses working ( yes, one is a spendthrift). Factoid: One is now seriously looking a US Postal service mail carrier job which is a "high" paying job ($50K).
(off rant) Let's hear more results from the go cart race guys. That would give a good look at reliability. I watch bike mag tests of Chinese product. It lags but none I can remember fails during journalist testing.
#21
reynoldston
I am going to get out of the political part of this because in my mine we live in the best country in the world USA so cry how the Chinese are going to take over all you want, which ISN"T going to happen.
Now back to the Predator engine. The only thing I do know about the engine is. I have a friend that races go carts that buys Predator engines for his racing. He takes the governor out of them and he said that he can get two racing seasons out of a engine. Now that is running the engine to its extreme RPMs. He never wins anything but does it only for his own pleasure/ entertainment and its a cheap engine to destroy.
reynoldston
The current state of US employment is a radical change from one or two decades ago.
(off rant) Let's hear more results from the go cart race guys. That would give a good look at reliability. I watch bike mag tests of Chinese product. It lags but none I can remember fails during journalist testing.
I am going to get out of the political part of this because in my mine we live in the best country in the world USA so cry how the Chinese are going to take over all you want, which ISN"T going to happen.
Now back to the Predator engine. The only thing I do know about the engine is. I have a friend that races go carts that buys Predator engines for his racing. He takes the governor out of them and he said that he can get two racing seasons out of a engine. Now that is running the engine to its extreme RPMs. He never wins anything but does it only for his own pleasure/ entertainment and its a cheap engine to destroy.
#22
M
Mikel1
Loncin motor is on the side of the predator engine, you might notice this name on a Chinese ATV.
On the political side, some people are too lazy to work or want to cherry pick their job along with the hours they want to work.
M
Mikel1
The good thing about the cost of the Predator engine is you can buy 2 1/2 engines for the price of one another brand. I have to say never bought or worked on a Predator engine so don't know very much about them. I have worked on the Chinese ATV,s and are they under powered junk.
Loncin motor is on the side of the predator engine, you might notice this name on a Chinese ATV.
On the political side, some people are too lazy to work or want to cherry pick their job along with the hours they want to work.
#23
M
motoman
M
motoman
It would be good for those of us who are a bit too detail oriented to know from the race guys what fails on these overworked engines..? I have seen that the two stroke cart guys can be very detailed with exh gas temp monitors etc, etc, but those 2 stroke race engines have had decades of development in chainsaws and in carts, right?
#24
reynoldston
There are two type of people out there. The person that just wants to be out there with no plan on winning and just puts a stock engine in there go cart for the fun of it. Then there are the ones that will go all out to win. My family is into tractor pulling and we do win, but also spend a lot of time and money modifying the tractors so we do win. When we are done with a tractor it will never be any good to work on a farm again. All it needs is to make one or two short pulls on a Sunday afternoon and even at that we have had the rods hanging out of the side of the block.
reynoldston
It would be good for those of us who are a bit too detail oriented to know from the race guys what fails on these overworked engines..? I have seen that the two stroke cart guys can be very detailed with exh gas temp monitors etc, etc, but those 2 stroke race engines have had decades of development in chainsaws and in carts, right?
There are two type of people out there. The person that just wants to be out there with no plan on winning and just puts a stock engine in there go cart for the fun of it. Then there are the ones that will go all out to win. My family is into tractor pulling and we do win, but also spend a lot of time and money modifying the tractors so we do win. When we are done with a tractor it will never be any good to work on a farm again. All it needs is to make one or two short pulls on a Sunday afternoon and even at that we have had the rods hanging out of the side of the block.
#25
M
Mikel1
M
Mikel1
Well I got to try it out for the first time, performed well. Used it to till up a spot for an above ground swimming pool.I bought one so I will see how long it will last. Only use this tiller a few times a year for deer feedplots, where the Kubota tractor can't get to.
#26
S
Southland
Where can you get parts in the US? That is my worry about these engines, not being able to find needed parts.
S
Southland
So buy what?? A Briggs?? And you think none of Briggs parts are made in China?? You should do you research. Buy the HF engine. It a good engine and parts are readily available for it. We run them on a couple pieces of commercial equipment and they do just fine.
Where can you get parts in the US? That is my worry about these engines, not being able to find needed parts.
#27
RDA.Lawns
RDA.Lawns
Are they knock off Hondas? I have a tiller I bought at a yard sale with a 6 HP HF motor. The dogs broke in the starter recoil. I found Honda part that fit been using it for 5 years since.
#28
B
bertsmobile1
And that is the prime reason why they are so cheap.
Not only did they STEAL some one elses had hard design work & expensive developement they then bludge like a filthy parrasite on the company they STOLE from to provide all of the very expensive after sales services for their illigitmate engines.
We like to whine like the 4 year old who did not get a lolly bought for him at the checkout about the price of parts.
However no one ever bothers to take into consideration the astronomical cost of maintaining & updating parts listings, stocking them in warehouses knowing full well they might be in there for the next 20 years accumulating massive storeage & warehousing costs then distribution to the retailer who also needs to make a profit.
These filthy scumbags do not do any of this relying on the good will of Honda to cover the LOSS they make selling parts for an engine they never made to the thieving morons who are undercutting their reasonable retail sales.
Even worse, if you went to your friendly Honda dealer and got asked for an engine number or they would not sell you parts you would scream your heads off as if some one was removing your testicles with a blunt knife.
However, Honda is not obliged to supply parts to fix engines that were STOLEN from them, and would be perfectly within their rights to do so, but no one would see it that way.
How the importers get away with this makes one wonder who in your government is on the take,
Down here a wholesaler has to prove they have adequate parts supplies and maintian them for a prescribed number of years before the importation of any engine can happen and AFAIK the same (or similar ) applies in the USA. ( we copy most of this from California )
If I bumped into most of you in the street and offered you an engine you knew was stolen from your neighbour, most of you would decline, no matter how cheap the engine was but the said same people will happily buy an engine that they know was STOLEN from a company.
Now if Honda decided that it was going to exit the USA small engine market because sales had dropped to an unsustainable level caused by of all the cheap foreign knock offs and only supply spare to owners who had registered products each & every one of you would be furious thinking Honda was doing you wrong when all the time you are aiding & abeting crimes against Honda.
Or can all of your morals be bought off for a few hundred dollars ?
B
bertsmobile1
Are they knock off Hondas? I have a tiller I bought at a yard sale with a 6 HP HF motor. The dogs broke in the starter recoil. I found Honda part that fit been using it for 5 years since.
And that is the prime reason why they are so cheap.
Not only did they STEAL some one elses had hard design work & expensive developement they then bludge like a filthy parrasite on the company they STOLE from to provide all of the very expensive after sales services for their illigitmate engines.
We like to whine like the 4 year old who did not get a lolly bought for him at the checkout about the price of parts.
However no one ever bothers to take into consideration the astronomical cost of maintaining & updating parts listings, stocking them in warehouses knowing full well they might be in there for the next 20 years accumulating massive storeage & warehousing costs then distribution to the retailer who also needs to make a profit.
These filthy scumbags do not do any of this relying on the good will of Honda to cover the LOSS they make selling parts for an engine they never made to the thieving morons who are undercutting their reasonable retail sales.
Even worse, if you went to your friendly Honda dealer and got asked for an engine number or they would not sell you parts you would scream your heads off as if some one was removing your testicles with a blunt knife.
However, Honda is not obliged to supply parts to fix engines that were STOLEN from them, and would be perfectly within their rights to do so, but no one would see it that way.
How the importers get away with this makes one wonder who in your government is on the take,
Down here a wholesaler has to prove they have adequate parts supplies and maintian them for a prescribed number of years before the importation of any engine can happen and AFAIK the same (or similar ) applies in the USA. ( we copy most of this from California )
If I bumped into most of you in the street and offered you an engine you knew was stolen from your neighbour, most of you would decline, no matter how cheap the engine was but the said same people will happily buy an engine that they know was STOLEN from a company.
Now if Honda decided that it was going to exit the USA small engine market because sales had dropped to an unsustainable level caused by of all the cheap foreign knock offs and only supply spare to owners who had registered products each & every one of you would be furious thinking Honda was doing you wrong when all the time you are aiding & abeting crimes against Honda.
Or can all of your morals be bought off for a few hundred dollars ?
#29
RDA.Lawns
RDA.Lawns
Wow relax. I get what your saying. I wouldn't rush out to buy one myself. I do agree with you . I buy almost everything new from the same local dealer . Im big a good service after the sale and local . Would I run out for a replacement motor to harbour freight. No id go to my local Kubota dealer where I have a account they know me by first name when I walk in the door. I've purchased over 6 new mowers from them and almost every piece of outdoor power equipment I own from.I know i could beat their price if I shopped around but not the level of service. Your other point I guess the theory of free commerce so long as it passes epa carb compliance they don't care unless its going to California they have their own standard. Its crazy but its got to a point who cares about repairs or parts . Chunk it and buy a new one as cheap as I can mentality.
#30
S
Southland
S
Southland
I expect that the patents for these Honda engines have expired and they are free to use by other companies. Honda, along with all other companies, use designs covered by expired patents all of the time. Patents only last about 20 years and it used to be less. All complex products (engines, cars, electronics, etc) are built using designs that was once covered by many expired patents. If patents never expired, we would not be able to afford anything since the licensing fees would be too expensive. We may not like that another company copied an entire engine design, but if the patents are expired, it is legal.
#31
B
bertsmobile1
Not on your sweet bibby.
You are describing what an honourable country like Post WWII Japan did .
They copied patient expired items, they then developed them firstly to make them more economic to produce thus knocking out all of the British manufacturing industry followed by upgrading the designs to sell superiour products to markets such as the USA & Australia devistating the industries in our countries and forcing both countries to whack massive import duties on them to give the local factories time to catch up.
Secondly , have a really close look at what is being sold.
They are not copies of 40 year old designs that have by virtue of age gone into public domain, they are copies of the current design with currently valid patients
They have to be because a design that is 20 years old WOULD NOT PASS CURRENT EPA REGULATIONS so could not be sold in most places.
What is happening in China is flag waving hand on the heart patriots fly over to China and order a load of exact copies of current items totally ignoring patients and then under cut the ligitimate owner of that technology.
It is in reality not the fault of the Chinese but the fault of the morally deficient greedy selfish local retailers / wholesalers like HF & Wallys over there, Wollies, Coles & Bunnings over here.
No Chinese factory sends a spy to the USA to buy products to take back to China, manufacture in mass, ship to the US and then try to find some one to sell them.
Everything that comes in from China was ORDERED BY A LOCAL COMPANY and generally made to order.
Australian manufacturing is a basket case but we will limp by because we have a small population and a lot of resources for the rest of the world to pillage.
The US is different, you have a massive population & very limited natural resources so have a good look at the UK of the 80's & 90's because that is exactly where HF is going to send the country.
A quarter of the country under employed or unemployed and half the workers living at or below the poverty line. They have social housing & national health, you don't.
America already has the highest infant mortality and lowest life expectency of any Western country. Want to live 5 years longer, move to Australia, not good enough then try France for 6 years longer life ?
What happens when Briggs & Kohler shift all their manufacturing to China and all their workers are sacked and more important , loose their health benefits ?
B
bertsmobile1
I expect that the patents for these Honda engines have expired and they are free to use by other companies. Honda, along with all other companies, use designs covered by expired patents all of the time. Patents only last about 20 years and it used to be less. All complex products (engines, cars, electronics, etc) are built using designs that was once covered by many expired patents. If patents never expired, we would not be able to afford anything since the licensing fees would be too expensive. We may not like that another company copied an entire engine design, but if the patents are expired, it is legal.
Not on your sweet bibby.
You are describing what an honourable country like Post WWII Japan did .
They copied patient expired items, they then developed them firstly to make them more economic to produce thus knocking out all of the British manufacturing industry followed by upgrading the designs to sell superiour products to markets such as the USA & Australia devistating the industries in our countries and forcing both countries to whack massive import duties on them to give the local factories time to catch up.
Secondly , have a really close look at what is being sold.
They are not copies of 40 year old designs that have by virtue of age gone into public domain, they are copies of the current design with currently valid patients
They have to be because a design that is 20 years old WOULD NOT PASS CURRENT EPA REGULATIONS so could not be sold in most places.
What is happening in China is flag waving hand on the heart patriots fly over to China and order a load of exact copies of current items totally ignoring patients and then under cut the ligitimate owner of that technology.
It is in reality not the fault of the Chinese but the fault of the morally deficient greedy selfish local retailers / wholesalers like HF & Wallys over there, Wollies, Coles & Bunnings over here.
No Chinese factory sends a spy to the USA to buy products to take back to China, manufacture in mass, ship to the US and then try to find some one to sell them.
Everything that comes in from China was ORDERED BY A LOCAL COMPANY and generally made to order.
Australian manufacturing is a basket case but we will limp by because we have a small population and a lot of resources for the rest of the world to pillage.
The US is different, you have a massive population & very limited natural resources so have a good look at the UK of the 80's & 90's because that is exactly where HF is going to send the country.
A quarter of the country under employed or unemployed and half the workers living at or below the poverty line. They have social housing & national health, you don't.
America already has the highest infant mortality and lowest life expectency of any Western country. Want to live 5 years longer, move to Australia, not good enough then try France for 6 years longer life ?
What happens when Briggs & Kohler shift all their manufacturing to China and all their workers are sacked and more important , loose their health benefits ?
#32
RDA.Lawns
RDA.Lawns
They may not pass epa guidelines. I'm sure they won't pass California bs emissions standard. I don't know the laws on pattens on stuff like this but. A chemical patten is only good for 7 years. That's why we can get generic meds and chemicals. I use a generic round up for my grass control on some commercial accounts I have. Cost me 46$ for 2.5 gallons compared to Monsantos 100$ .
#33
J
Jack17
J
Jack17
I've bought 12" *Chicago Electric* brand miter saw at HF some ten months ago. I didn't need anything fancy just good enough a tool so I can finish up my house project...$160 out the door. I said to myself "not bad." Boy! Was I wrong. It works and cuts but constantly gets out of adjustment. Just won't keep the steady angle. Hours I've wasted adjusting it and all the crown molding and base wasted cutting and re-cutting...never again!!! I tend to believe that it'll be no different with Predator engines.
#34
NorthBama
I agree I think as a country we have gone to for to turn around the jobs that have gone.
NorthBama
Very true! But it's sad we got here and see NO end in sight...
I agree I think as a country we have gone to for to turn around the jobs that have gone.
#35
S
sidemouse
You do have to be careful, not all HF products are made by the same standards and overall I've had good luck with the products I've bought however there are other problems, notably:
1. A lot of times when I go to the store to buy something that's on "special / sale," they're out!
- And not just one thing, but if I have a good long list they are always out of everything and I mean everything...
- It doesn't help that they offer a weak "if you let us know which item we will inform you when it's back in stock" (but at whatever price, too).
2. Most of the time there aren't enough registers open or what the problem is but I run into frequent slow moving register lines, costing me a good 20 minutes of waiting to pay. I just would like to get out of the store in some kind of reasonable order some of the time...
3. Mail order for a flat rate $7.99 shipping sounds good in theory, until I order up a good lot and they only ship me a partial and cancel all the items they're out of... Heck what about my shipping, I paid for all of it now I have to pay it again and how do I know they won't be out of those things next time, too?
It is unfortunate, they seemed like a good place to shop when they first came to my town...
On the other hand I pretty much have ordered everything I would ever need over that time frame.
I don't go back there much anymore.
Kinda sad in a way.
S
sidemouse
I've bought 12" *Chicago Electric* brand miter saw at HF some ten months ago. I didn't need anything fancy just good enough a tool so I can finish up my house project...$160 out the door. I said to myself "not bad." Boy! Was I wrong. It works and cuts but constantly gets out of adjustment. Just won't keep the steady angle. Hours I've wasted adjusting it and all the crown molding and base wasted cutting and re-cutting...never again!!! I tend to believe that it'll be no different with Predator engines.
You do have to be careful, not all HF products are made by the same standards and overall I've had good luck with the products I've bought however there are other problems, notably:
1. A lot of times when I go to the store to buy something that's on "special / sale," they're out!
- And not just one thing, but if I have a good long list they are always out of everything and I mean everything...
- It doesn't help that they offer a weak "if you let us know which item we will inform you when it's back in stock" (but at whatever price, too).
2. Most of the time there aren't enough registers open or what the problem is but I run into frequent slow moving register lines, costing me a good 20 minutes of waiting to pay. I just would like to get out of the store in some kind of reasonable order some of the time...
3. Mail order for a flat rate $7.99 shipping sounds good in theory, until I order up a good lot and they only ship me a partial and cancel all the items they're out of... Heck what about my shipping, I paid for all of it now I have to pay it again and how do I know they won't be out of those things next time, too?
It is unfortunate, they seemed like a good place to shop when they first came to my town...
On the other hand I pretty much have ordered everything I would ever need over that time frame.
I don't go back there much anymore.
Kinda sad in a way.
#36
C
cashman
C
cashman
I installed a HF 212cc on my 24" Yazoo big wheel mower this past spring. I replaced a 15 year old Kohler CS-6 engine that the carburetor was corroded badly inside. Kohler had discontinued supplying the replacement carb for the CS-6 like mine. So far, I've put about 30 hrs. on the HF engine and it works pretty well. It has a little more vibration than the Kohler but not near as much vibration as the 5hp Briggs I/C that was on the mower before the I put the Kohler on it. This is the sixth engine I've had on this frame. It was new in 1968 and came a Iowa built 498 Clinton cast iron engine. Then I put a Wisconsin Robin EY-18 engine on it after the Clinton. Then I went through two Briggs 5hp I/C engines. And then the Kohler and now the HF.. The Clinton and the Kohler were probably the two best engines that's been on it Time will tell about the HF engine, but the one I have has worked well so far. I've posted pics of this mower in a previous thread.