# Repower of Mtd 5/24



## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

Picked this machine from a road side scrap heap. I wanted to take it home and see if It was good enough to fix.









Tires wouldn't hold air but were not all weather checked either so a pair of tubes fixed that so I could roll it around.

Took the belts off from the engine pulley and tested the impeller and auger for slop striped gears and all seem fine.

Parts were missing from the engine, carb was the big part and the shroud. Called a friend who makes his living doing small engine repair amoung other handy man jobs and he didn't have any of the idems needed to put the engine back together (has good comprestion.) He also didn't have a small horzontal engine I could buy from him that would work, Only a 20 wisconsin, figured that would be over kill.
So searching around for a 5 to 7 HP engine I discovered a bunch of big buck Kohler and Briggs engines that would do the job but double the money and I could have a brand new bigger machine. Came across a post some time back for a HF preadetor engine 6.5HP on a snow blower. I figure this machine is worth the 100.00 engine (with coupon) but have questions.

(1. I don't see a throddle control the engine nor one on the blower body either, Will I have to made up a throddle?

(2. Our old Simplicity landlord tractor has a houseing that covers the carb and if it is off while blowing snow the carb will freeze up.
Will the HF engine need a heat cover to keep that from happening?

(3. If any one has done this swap on a MTD, is the shaft at the same level or will new longer belts be required and will the belt cover still fit?
I assume I will want the belts covered to keep some snow off them?

 Al


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

If the old engine is a single shaft engine, the predator swap should be straight forward.
If the old engine is a dual shaft (with a camshaft PTO), the swap will not be simple at all.
You may want to browse thru this threads

Re-Powering - Snowblower Forum : Snow Blower Forums

Also there are a few youtube videos on it.

Throtle lever and choke levers are built into the carburetor/linkage on the predator.
It is better to install some covers to keep linkage and governor from freezing.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

1) The Predator engines have a throttle right on the engine. They also have screw down clamps for remote cables, although they aren't really needed for a blower.

2) Some people make heater boxes and some don't. Most don't need them, but every once in a while someone says something froze up. I think you need the perfect conditions for it to happen.

3) That can only really be known if you take the belt cover off of yours and measure what you have there. You can download the manual from the Harbor Freight web site and it has drawings in the back with all the measurements you will need to compare to your current engine.

3+) The most important thing will be making sure the current engine has only the crankshaft sticking out. Some smaller machines and a lot of MTD blowers used dual shaft engines where the crankshaft drove the blower and the camshaft drove the drive system. If not, you end up with 4 reverse gears and 1 forward gear and the speed is off for all of them.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Shryp said:


> The most important thing will be making sure the current engine has only the crankshaft sticking out. Some smaller machines and a lot of MTD blowers used dual shaft engines where the crankshaft drove the blower and the camshaft drove the drive system. If not, you end up with 4 reverse gears and 1 forward gear and the speed is off for all of them.


About twice as fast to be exact.

On some models there is a lever on the back of the "transmission" housing that can be flipped, reversing the 4 reverse one forward into regular 4 forward and one reverse, but you will still have the double speed, one option to solve it will be to use different size pulleys.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

hsblowersfan said:


> About twice as fast to be exact.
> 
> On some models there is a lever on the back of the "transmission" housing that can be flipped, reversing the 4 reverse one forward into regular 4 forward and one reverse, but you will still have the double speed, one option to solve it will be to use different size pulleys.


Since it is an MTD there is a good chance that it can be easily coverted to a single shaft engine. I did it with my MTD and it works really well. I would get rid of those turf tires and get some snow hogs. Here is a link to what I did when I repowered my MTD
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...y-predator-212cc-powered-1996-mtd-5-22-a.html


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## suspicionofignorance2 (Jan 26, 2014)

Maybe consider buying a new carb for the original Tecumseh ....Carbs for that are real cheap, brand new, on Ebay...Sure would get ya started...if problem with the eng...then consider replacing it...IMO


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

that frames worth a new engine, i dont think mtd was using the reverse cam engine back them, pull the belt cover off and take a pic for us. looking threw the belt cover in that pic i dont see the reverse cam so you should be good to go


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## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

Thank you Shyrp for answering my 3 questions.

Now why would I want to spend any kind of money for a carb when there is shroud missing from the engine I have already checked into getting?

It is a single shaft engine, had a double pulley set up for the two belts.

 Al


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## Rob711 (Feb 5, 2015)

Sounds like a trip to harbor freight in your future! Maybe make sure there's oil in the auger gearbox, looks stained. I'd also flip it over and make sure nothing else is badly worn or broken. Otherwise go for it. If it craps out, the blower, not engine, keep the engine for the next scrap blower you find. Let us know.
Rob


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## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

I don't have a problem with spending the reasonable money for a new engine for the sno blower. I also have a troy built horse tiller waiting for a new engine, a troy built chipper too waiting and possibly for my log splitter if I can't get the old brigs on it to run. So if the sno blower fails then I have a place for it.
Nope did not find all that stuff in a road side pile. Bought some as it with out engines or with wornen out engines.

 Al


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Al :white^_^arial^_^0^_

It sounds like the HF Predator is the way to go for something reliable but you can also be on the lookout for broken down blowers, or old horizontal riders with a good engine and bad something else that's going cheap.

IMHO it would be a shame to put a Predator on the Horse. They just begs to be driven by an old heavy duty iron cylinder flat head.
But if you had to, the Predator would have the power and would be reliable so ....... :huh:

I'm in the very early stages of rebuilding (mechanical first, cosmetic second ) my new to me 70's Horse :wavetowel2:
Someone else had expressed their love of the old Kohlers and I have to agree it does sound like a single cylinder Harley loping along. It's puffing some blue so it's due for an overhaul but it's one of those things I'll likely spend more to rebuild it than the cost to replace it simply because it has a certain "cool" factor and the sound.

Snow blower, I'd harbor freight it in a minute.


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## Rob711 (Feb 5, 2015)

I'm waiting for my slightly neglected log splitters Briggs to die but it runs really well. Sounds like you'd have a home for a new engine even if it didn't work out on the blower. I've had it less than a yr but the 212cc from hf on my blower seems like it's going to serve me well.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> I don't have a problem with spending the reasonable money for a new engine for the sno blower. I also have a troy built horse tiller waiting for a new engine, a troy built chipper too waiting and possibly for my log splitter if I can't get the old brigs on it to run. So if the sno blower fails then I have a place for it.
> Nope did not find all that stuff in a road side pile. Bought some as it with out engines or with wornen out engines.
> 
> Al


That Harbor Freight Predator 212cc engine is a great running engine. I own 3 of them and they are much more reliable than the original Tecumseh 5hp ever was. Plus they are really powerful and quiet and have much more torque than that old 5hp Tecumseh ever did so put in an impeller kit and it will throw snow 50 feet like my blower does.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

I just learned that the HF predator 212 has a plastic cam gear, not a steel one like the honda GX line engines, may this be a problem down the road........???


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

You can no longer buy the one with the nylon gear unless you buy a used one from more than 3 years ago. The nylon gear seems durable but was later replaced with a steel gear so either way you will be alright


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

now its just the hemi head version, and even if it does happen to break aftermarket performance cams are cheap on sites like nr racing and are easy to install

Camshaft, 212 Predator, Smei-Finished (Unground Lobes)


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## GtWtNorth (Feb 5, 2014)

I was satisfied with the MTD 5-24 someone gave me once I replaced bearings & bushings that were oval from no maintenance. But I was really happy Once I replaced the old Tech 5 with an 8 and added an impeller kit, throws like crazy. Like any machine you just need to do the maintenance and learn how it likes to work best.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

GtWtNorth said:


> I was satisfied with the MTD 5-24 someone gave me once I replaced bearings & bushings that were oval from no maintenance. But I was really happy Once I replaced the old Tech 5 with an 8 and added an impeller kit, throws like crazy. Like any machine you just need to do the maintenance and learn how it likes to work best.


The HF Predator 212cc seems to have at least as much power as the flat head 8hp do because I replaced a Briggs 8hp on a Montgomery Ward 8/26 made by Gilson and the Predator 212cc works great in that application.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

I did flip it up yesterday and looked at the wear bar and skids. barely worn. I think person who owned it left untreated gas in it which may have been fine for one summer but in this area of Michigan we can go a full winter with out the need to clean a drive way so it could have sat for two summers. Then with no work skills on small engines tore it apart and lost parts and other stuff/ got discouraged or some thing and just bought a new machine. 

A couple fellows on the tractor forum have the 212 on old horse tillers, While I like the Kohler engines I have on GT's I can't see paying almost 500.00 for a 7HP replacement for a tiller when I can get the 212 for $100.00 that get mostly rave reviews. I have also seen a couple of old troy built chippers.

After seeing the videos I need to learn about the impeller kits?

 Al


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> I did flip it up yesterday and looked at the wear bar and skids. barely worn. I think person who owned it left untreated gas in it which may have been fine for one summer but in this area of Michigan we can go a full winter with out the need to clean a drive way so it could have sat for two summers. Then with no work skills on small engines tore it apart and lost parts and other stuff/ got discouraged or some thing and just bought a new machine.
> 
> A couple fellows on the tractor forum have the 212 on old horse tillers, While I like the Kohler engines I have on GT's I can't see paying almost 500.00 for a 7HP replacement for a tiller when I can get the 212 for $100.00 that get mostly rave reviews. I have also seen a couple of old troy built chippers.
> 
> ...


Both my snowblowers have impeller kits. I used baler belt I bought at Fleet Farm


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## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

Just what is the impeller kit?

 Al


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

rubber paddles used to reduce the gap between the impeller fan and housing


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Yup, bailer belt from Fleet Farm. A foot of that and some stainless steel bolts and SS nylock nuts and you're good to go. Maybe some SS washers too. :blush:

I like using as much stainless steel hardware as I can as I'm likely to be the guy who's trying tp take it apart next time in 5-10-.... years :icon_whistling:


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## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

Holes already there for the locking nuts and bolts? 
Would semi mud flap work?

 Al


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## Rob711 (Feb 5, 2015)

I'd think mud flap would work fine, I used rubber mat/flooring they use in gyms, probably 3/8" thick. I was concerned it was to thick but worked well, I also installed it on the leading edge, or top of impeller blades, there's some debate about that, but that's a different thread. It really improved the way the machine handled slush.
Rob


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## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2015)

I have some semi mud flap pretty thick and I think a small piece like 3"x5" would be stiff.

 Al


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