harbor freight small engines

ArloInt · Nov 5, 2012

need some feed back on their little 6.5 hp ( 212 cc) gasoline engine. They are on sale now for $100. wanting to put one on garden tiller. will have light usage. Just wonder if the motors fall apart pretty quickly. Think they call it the "Predator".
thanks

Chris(WA) · Nov 5, 2012

As much as I dislike most HF products, I have had good luck with the engine I bought. And for $100 how can you go wrong...

huntingreen2day2 · Nov 5, 2012

I think they are good engines. There is a go kart
class called Clone that uses a lot of them. That
about as much abuse as you can put on one. I have 3
or 4 around here on different pieces of equipment.

Adirondack case guy · Nov 5, 2012

I bought one for my wood splitter last year It did not fit the B&S mounting pattern, and I had to modify some of my home built weather shielding. After having it a month it would not start. Turned out the shut off switch failed. I bypassed it and runs fine, but have to choke it to shut it off. I haven't tried to start it all summer.
Loren the Acg.

rustred · Nov 5, 2012

well as long as you know that if it gives up just throw it in the garbage, cause 100.00 is not a lot of money and if it works the garden 2 times its payed for itself.

RN · Nov 5, 2012

Pay the extra $10.00 or $20.00 for the warrantee if you"re worried. Guy I know did that for some of his replacements for customers, 1 bad out of 7 and no questions replacing the one that refused to start after a month, just show the customer card and date of purchase and the local Harbor Freight found the sales record, gave replacement, swap out and the driveway sealer pump back in service 4 hours after "wouldn"t start". Driveway sealer guy was abusing engines quite a bit, old briggs without oil level sensor was way low on oil and he wondered why it was knocking. another little Briggs had cylinders and head coated with sealer spray, ran "hot" before replaced. Chinese made "clones" of Honda power engines is the story going around, Honda dealer mildly annoyed and said some former licensed Chinese engine makers are now making without paying license fees. RN.

JayinNY · Nov 5, 2012

Bought one in September for a trac vac bagged system on
my lazer z. Ran great but plastic air filter housing broke off. I
glued it back on, than 12inch impeller for vacume system
some how came loose, crankshaft is a 10 thousands smaller
that 3/4 inch that it should be. Well I was on a job and kept
running it, eventually it snapped the crankshaft off the engine.
I took it back to harbor freight Tuesday and they gave me
another one. I paid the $20 two year warranty this time, prolly
worth it for the way we use them. Id say go for it, it's just a
honda clone motor.

TomH in PA · Nov 5, 2012

"Honda dealer mildly annoyed and said some former licensed Chinese engine makers are now making without paying license fees"

That's their way with everything. Teach them how to make it and they'll steal the technology without a second thought. Doesn't matter if it's blue jeans, small engines, or nuclear power plants.

Southern Ray · Nov 5, 2012

will probably work if you don't do too much tipping and turning.
I put one on mine from TSC. It works ok as long as I am tilling straight.
The carburator bowl is very small and when I tip it the engine dies.

JayinNY · Nov 5, 2012

They did the same thing years ago, selling gm body parts, fenders, cab corners, cab supports,floor pans , rocker panels ect. Lol

Wile E · Nov 5, 2012

Places like Walmart and Harbor freight keep getting customers............Cause some customers will accept junk and as the old saying goes. "if it so cheap that it too good to be true, its cause it is from China"
Several years ago my dad went to a Costco and there were leather coats for $50, Yes leather coats for $50 each. My dad bought 1 and called a friend and told him so he could get a leather coat for $50. Well my dad found out that you get what you pay for after the lining shreded out in a year.

JayinNY · Nov 5, 2012

It's a crap shoot, I had a harbor freight engine, a greyhound at $99 last longer than a Honda gx 160 at $390,, Valve guide fell out of the head on the honda. It can go either way!

brian brooks · Nov 5, 2012

they made more ak47s and sks,s then the russians ever did too.

504 · Nov 5, 2012

The spark plugs are junk, if it quits try a plug
first.

Jeff B. · Nov 5, 2012

I bought one of those last fall and put it on my log splitter. I've only split a cord and a half or so, but it runs fine and works ok. You can't go wrong for the price. I also bought the extended warranty. I hope I don't have to use it.

JayinNY · Nov 5, 2012

You mean the "torch" spark plug that come with it! Lol.

Robert Miller · Nov 5, 2012

I replaced the motor on my front throw mower..It works great and looks like a monster mower.

Robert Miller · Nov 5, 2012

Forgot picture

bill mart · Nov 5, 2012

Lanse has bought a couple of them. Bill

Hal/Eastern WA · Nov 6, 2012

I put one on a Troy-Bilt Horse rototiller that my neighbor gave me, to replace the B&S flathead that had blown the connecting rod out the side of the crankcase. Except for needing to buy some metric fasteners, it bolted right up and has worked just fine for two years. It always has started right up and seems to have plenty of power for the formerly 8 horsepower tiller. How long will it last? I don"t know, but for about a third of the price of an OHV B&S, I"ll sure try it.

On the tiller, the engine operates at an angle rather than being level. I had to disconnect the low oil shutdown switch to compensate for this and I run the unit with much more oil in the crankcase than it was probably designed for, to make sure there is plenty of oil around the crank when it needs to dip.

Some years ago, I bought a replacement 10 horsepower Tecumseh for another tiller. What a piece of junk! I could never get it to run right. The Harbor Freight engine is immensely better, in my opinion, and a heck of a good buy for that price. Good luck!

ldj · Nov 6, 2012

I might not be as good as your old flathead but I'll bet you get lot better service than the B&S overhead engines. Those new B&S just ain't no good.

JayinNY · Nov 6, 2012

I have 3 b&s intek engines, there all a pos, all needed to run
with choke on, I think 2 might still run. One on wood splitter
runs and I think a spare one still barley runs. they have
plastic camshafts in them! Lol

Bret4207 · Nov 7, 2012

The only caveat I've heard with any of the HF engines, or any other Chiwanese device with moving parts is to change the oil/grease/etc. within a short time after starting to run it. QC for sand and grit in China isn't up to snuff. I know I bought a 4" Chinese angle grinder from Woodworkers Warehouse ( I miss that store!) a good 10 years back. I re greased the gearbox in the head right off and it's still going strong. Of course, so is my FILs 1950's B+D, but that didn't cost $9.99.

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