# Completed Craftsman 928 repower with HEMI Predator Electric Start



## fox8701 (Dec 20, 2020)

So the tired old Tecumseh 9hp on my Craftsman 9hp 28" snowblower did its share of work since I first purchased it, so it was time I did a repower of it, and since I haven't seen anyone who's done it with a Harbor Freight HEMI predator (with added battery electric start), I'll just add some pictures to help anyone who's interested in doing so, and yes, it is possible. I chose the HEMI version of the predator cause I have used several of these exact ones and put them through hard work in which they performed great, its priced very well at $100, and while it may be rated at 6hp, I believe it has more power than its label says, and also I don't believe the rated 9HP on the factory tecumseh was accurate either, so I settled with this. I added the electric start kit with charging coil stator and then added my own battery & tray, which again is not normally preffered for cold & snow versus AC plug electric start, but this is what I wanted for my snowblower, so I took the plunge to do so being I wanted to add heated grips and an LED worklight. Any questions feel free to ask, and I'll help as best as I could. The engine bolt holes lined up with the factory chassis, the predator comes with a 3/4 shaft which the Tecumseh has a 7/8", so I purchased a sleeve & keyway kit to accomodate the factory pulleys onto the predator. I did have to add a couple spacers on the shaft to line up the pulleys appropriately over the auger/drive pulleys since it was off about a 1/4".. and also added a Drainzit oil drain tube.. I did this all on a budget, and am very happy with how it turned out, can't wait for next snowfall! Dont mind the jumper cables in one picture, that was for my first testing of electric start..


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## Clipperskipper (Dec 24, 2015)

Nice installation, but, it's subject to carburetor ice. There's no heat transfer plate/ housing between the muffler and the carb, so I am just curious how this will function in adverse weather conditions. China freight has some good stuff, hopefully it will work well for you.


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Clipperskipper said:


> Nice installation, but, it's subject to carburetor ice. There's no heat transfer plate/ housing between the muffler and the carb."


Super clean installation. Really like the electric start add-on.
Just to comment on what Clipperskipper mentioned, I repowered an Ariens Compact 24 for my brother over the summer with a Predator Hemi Engine. Machine throws snow better than my Honda HS928. Incredible power and torque from that 212cc engine. First two storms the machine had no issue whatsoever. Ambient temp was above freezing when he used the machine and the engine RPM held steady at 3,700 RPMS. Third storm we got buried with 18" of light dry snow with 27 degree ambient temperature. Five minutes into the clean-up the engine started surging up and down. RPM's fluctuated between 2,700 and 4,600. The governor spring completely iced up causing the engine RPM's to surge. After reading about similar situations with machines repowered with Predator engines, we fabricated a heater box around the muffler and air intake which prevents snow and ice from building up on throttle plate and governor spring. At the same time we also rejetted the carb with size 32 jet and removed the air filter element. No further icing issues since the heater box modification. Found these links extremely helpful.


Predator 212 governor shroud

Heater box for my 212cc Predator


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

Nice work on the installation. Question, I know the stock Predator and the Hemi have different flywheels and are not interchangeable. I have heard a certain model Kohler ring gear flywheel works with the Hemi and the electric starter from a Honda GX190(?) will work. What parts did you use for that excellent conversion?


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

Nice re-power. I have the Hemi Predator on my Toro 521. I did not realize you could get the electric start on the 212cc. Was that a kit or is there a certain model that come equipped accordingly?


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

tpenfield said:


> I did not realize you could get the electric start on the 212cc. Was that a kit or is there a certain model that come equipped accordingly?


Looks like a kit. Predator 212cc Electric start kit for model 69730


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## fox8701 (Dec 20, 2020)

So for the electric start kit, I dont believe any 212 HF predator engines come with factory electric start; There are many generic electric start kits on the market that fit the NON HEMI engines, however the HEMI engine uses a tapered shaft which the flywheel goes onto and that is why those kits will not work the HEMI engine. With that said, There is a kohler flywheel that does fit the HEMI engine, I'm not sure of the part number, but I have seen it being used on videos on youtube, and it doesn't seem to be cheap. I went with a complete kit that I found from a place called V Power which includes a flywheel that works specifically with the hemi ( Predator 212cc Electric start kit for model 60363 ) ..I was skeptical at first, but I can confirm their kit does work (with some minor tweaking of shrouds/ included bolts) but does fit as it should on the HEMI. The included charging coil puts out a little more than 3 amps (for battery charging, lighting, etc) according to my multimeter at full throttle.

As for the snow/icing, I was concerned about that, and I actually did make a temporary shroud out of some sheet metal which does hide most of the linkages, just after I installed the engine. Its not perfect and I may make a different style or extend it further, but I do wish there was a shroud that was designed for or included with the predator engines for this reason and/or to protect it from dirt, etc. 

I did remove the air filter and add a small metal preforated screen over the carb throat inside the filter box, to avoid any issues with the air intake. And I also removed the one way restrictive fuel vent ball and drilled out the vent so that it will not have that fuel starving vacuum issue that some other HEMI engines seem to have under heavy load/use.


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## schneetag (Jan 3, 2021)

Very tidy re-power. Regarding a heater box, if you can identify the actual manufacturer of the engine you may find that they also offer a heater box, given global marketing, and the idea that these engines might be used on new blowers of some brand somewhere in the world.


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