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Harbor Freight gas engine

47K views 63 replies 23 participants last post by  S10Fan 
#1 ·
I just looked at a horizontal shaft gas engine at HF and was quite amused at the "chock" control! This CHOCK control has 3 settings- off, -half CHOCK and full CHOCK. :) Not sure whether or not I would actually buy an engine with a "CHOCK" lever! (Well actually I am quite sure :drunk: )
 
#2 ·
Well.....this may sound un-American of me, but I am not anyways, so.......I recently bought a Chinese knockoff of a Honda engine for my lawn tractor......13hp, electric start for $288 ...on sale.......where the Honda goes for over $1000..............I don't know if mine says "chock" , but I could live with that..........

OK...flame on...tell me how I am destroying civilization as we know it.............
 

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#4 ·
I believe this is the "greyhound" engine or some such as that and I have to admit I am curious as to how well they hold up for the price but the one I looked at sure is crudely built, looks to be anyway. I really should not have been so critical I guess but I could not help but find that "Chock" lever kind of comical. As far as Chinese engines being common I guess they are becoming so and I discovered this past summer that my new Cub Cadet lawn mower has a Chinese engine. This engine has been surprisingly good so far and not only is it quite powerful but it has never failed to start on the first pull, I use the pull rope in spite of the fact it has an electric starter because I have yet to install the battery.
 
#5 ·
I can't help but wonder if those engines are built in a ISO 9001 and ISO 14000 factory? You know where there are crews asking stupid questions and having the workers proveing that a bolt made in Detroit or England will fit perfectily. Shure they do --- wanna buy a bridge ------

TF
 
#6 ·
I find the 13hp engine I bought seems great so far....1st pull, it starts (I havent hooked up the elec start either)....and runs nice........

As for ISO standards.........just another money grab......Companies have been conned into accepting these standards that only qualified ISO auditors can do.....It's all documentation.....you document, even if you don't do the checks and you pass. ....It's just bragging rights....or passing the buck....Politics of industry.
 
#8 ·
You may have noticed the proliferation of cheap looking and slightly odd Chinese-built minibikes and "choppers" in the last few years. The majority of them are powered by a venerable Honda designed 50cc gas engine. Honda sold the Chinese the rights to the design and even the complete tooling to produce the engines. So basically all they had to do is follow Hondas directions to the letter, exercise some quality control, and they could make quite decent and reliable little engines.
This is a deal I know about. It caught my attention because the Chinese seem to just go about pirating and ripping off whatever designs they like. (Ask GM about their "Aveos"). These engines are straight up and legal. It may be that Honda licensed them more than one engine design. Opposed to some knock-off design, such an engine might not be a bad deal, amusing asian typos notwithstanding.
 
#9 ·
GypsyR said:
amusing asian typos notwithstanding.

That was what this thread was actually about, what I thought was a comical typo, and I have exactly zero experience with these engines and I would be totally out of line to comment on the quality of them. Actually that little comment I made about having made up my mind about them was not fair except that what I meant was that a typo (along with the rather crude appearance) like that would make me think twice about buying one, that of course could very well be a mistake as they may very well be good engines for the price.
 
#11 ·
oldred said:
I just looked at a horizontal shaft gas engine at HF and was quite amused at the "chock" control! This CHOCK control has 3 settings- off, -half CHOCK and full CHOCK. :) Not sure whether or not I would actually buy an engine with a "CHOCK" lever! (Well actually I am quite sure :drunk: )
I don't remember exactly what it was I saw this on, I know it was a replacement body panel of some type, I think it was a hood, but on the box, it said "Made in Taiwen". Kinda makes you doubt the quality when they misspell the name of their country.
 
#12 ·
Hmmmm - my little MTD snow blower's 8Hp Tecumseh HMSK 80 Snow King engine is and always has been a piece of junk and has not run for a couple of years now. The Chinese POS might just be the answer for a couple hundred bucks - it was going to the dump in the next week or so---------


Dave w
 
#15 ·
Irelands child said:
Hmmmm - my little MTD snow blower's 8Hp Tecumseh HMSK 80 Snow King engine is and always has been a piece of junk and has not run for a couple of years now. The Chinese POS might just be the answer for a couple hundred bucks - it was going to the dump in the next week or so---------


Dave w
we have 2 simplicity snowblowers with 10 HP Techumsea Snow King engines at work, and they don't run very good at all, and you can't keep them running when they are... at my house, I have a 30 year old or better Montgomery Ward with a 8hp Briggs. the carb leaks a little gas, and the valves don't seat well anymore.. but it still starts first pull and runs like a champ... I just put 2 new belts in it and checked the scrub wheel, and it's ready for the winter. bought 20 years ago by my parents for $35
 
#17 ·
Matt - Anything I have ever had with a Tecumseh engine has been a POS. This snow blower just happens to be the worst one - ever. My Briggs IC powered generator sometimes isn't started for months and even with old gas will start and run just fine.

Oldred - I bookmarked that web site. I may not buy from there but at least it will be a comparison site

The junk engine off that snow blower of mine will be scrapped shortly and something installed in its' place - and and that "something" wont have a Tecumseh nameplate :thumbup: .

I'm really in no hurry - my baby diesel tractor has a 48 inch thrower that will does an OK job and our two 4x4 vehicles will hanndle the rest - it's just that the sidewalk wont get done :D

Dave W
 
#18 ·
A go kart we recently got rid of. sat for only 2 years w/o running ( only 5 yrs old ) with a Techumsea powersport 6.0 HP engine. would not start.. had to rebuild the carb and then it didn't run right after that... and an older gokart that had a 3.5 hp techumsea that would quit after a while cause the head gasket was blown and the head expanded.... the HF look like knockoff's of a lesser known company I have seen advertised.. I just can't remember the name.. I know it's not robin Suburu even tho the gas tanks look simmilar.... might be Mitsubishi but I'm not sure
 
#19 ·
Just an update - I bought a HF engine to put on the snow blower to replace the Tecumseh POS. While it's 'only' 6.5 Hp, it starts and runs better then the OEM. Plus it really has more power and is an OHV motor rather then a common 'L' head. Interesting!!! I paid a whopping $129 for it - its a very nice looking engine, started on the 3rd pull right out of the box. As far as mods to bolt it on - the crank belt pulleys are retained by a 5/16-24 bolt rather then a 3/8 and I had to use the alternate bolt holes in the snow blower frame. I also had to move the chute handle down about 4" by drilling another hole in the handle - and it will move some snow now. A 2 hour mod - part of which was spent looking for misplaced parts in my shop

The B&S powered generator I bragged about - died :mad: during our last weekend power outage after running for a couple of hours. Not sure why yet but no spark. An earlier encounter was a bad low oil level sender ground so will check this out shortly.

Dave W
 
#20 ·
The Japanese industry has the benefit of getting a great tax credit for selling/giving their old tooling to emerging countries. Not only is Honda doing it but Yamaha scooter engines are in some of the mini-offroad carts. I am sure that Kaw and Suzi do the same. It is also in the car industry many of the Korean cars use old Japanese powertrains( at least designed) from Datsun and Toyota. The #1 selling vehicle in China....a Buick...externally the same as the U.S. version. GM needs a bailout??? So it is a worldwide deal. I remember in the late 70s, when the Brit car industry commited suicide, there was new car introduced there called the Sterling. Nice British sound to it....nothing but a rebadged Accord with wood inserts. Now watch our car companies follow their lead right down the tubes.
 
#21 ·
Irelands child said:
I paid a whopping $129 for it - its a very nice looking engine,Dave W

If that is the " Greyhound" engine it has been on sale the last couple of weeks at the HF here for $99 and with the 20% off coupon I had I was going to get one last Saturday but the were sold out, 80 bucks for a 6 1/2 HP gas engine was too good to pass up but they were all gone. I went up front to get one of the heat guns they had on sale for half price at $9.99 and they were all gone too! After grumbling about that I went on back to get some of the blue tarps they also had on sale at 50% off and they were out of those dang things too! All in all it was a pretty disgusting trip since I was walking around in there with that coupon worth 20% off of the total purchase and they didn't have a darn thing I went in there for. :mad:
 
#23 ·
schnitz said:
oldred, please don't tell me you settled on those $2.99 for 10 screwdrivers sets like I had. That would have made it an entirely wasted trip...In a while, Chet.


No not screwdrivers.

I buy a few things at HF but I am quite picky about what and I would not buy hand tools such as wrenches, ratchets, sockets, etc. Basically I will buy something that I only use occasionally and nothing that would cause damage to what I use it on if it fails. Something like that heat gun that would only occasionally be used and would do no harm if it fails and some of the tools that have developed somewhat of a following such as the small angle grinders, the auto dark welding helmets, the 43430 "purple gun" paint gun and various other small items that seem to be decent quality but dirt cheap.



On another note, A few days ago I saw a humorous (wasn't meant to be!) ad for HF tools that went something like-

Get real bargains on "NAME BRAND TOOLS" like Central Pneumatic, Chicago Electric, Drill Master, etc.


Yeah right, "NAME BRANDS" :drunk:
 
#24 ·
oldred said:
If that is the " Greyhound" engine it has been on sale the last couple of weeks at the HF here for $99 :mad:
There was nothing that indicated that it was a "Greyhound", but ya never know. Actually, several of the parts that I could see actually said "Made in Japan", but it was in a Chinese box. Regardless, it runs which is something that the Tecumseh hasn't done in 2-3 years and the blower was set for a trip to the dump when I heard HF advertise 'big sales'. The worst part about the engine swap was cleaning out 2-3 years worth of chipmunk doo and acorn shells in the bottom :mwink:

Dang - and I missed those great screw drivers :spank:

Don't be mean about those 'name brand' tools. You recognized the name and so did I even up here in the North country. They just aren't those tools we choose to use on a daily basis :D

Dave W
 
#26 ·
matt167 said:
Dave, how long were you left in the dark? Our power never went out here this time. but Central Hudson and NYSEG still had a lot of outages reported in my area...

We were only out about 18 hours though there are still a few still without power in Niskayuna and the Albany County hill towns. I think National Grid, locally, started at my street and worked out from there - according to our town highway super(a friend), my development was the worst hit in town though we had minimal tree damage.
 
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