# Snowblower engine life ?



## Kestral (Dec 22, 2013)

I had mentioned in another post that I was given a Toro 1132 snowblower with a 11 HP Briggs & Stratton motor that was maintained by myself since "94" and has around 30 hrs of use. I often see old snowblowers still running but never asked people if they are still on the original engine or not? What fails on these old motors? Will mine just some day throw a rod? or do they last for years and years of use without rebuilding? Since my B&S started out at a rated 11HP now that it is old is it down on power and more like say a 9HP motor or does it not work like that? If the motor did die a sudden death are they big $$ to replace? ....... Thanks for the advice and happy holidays.


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## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

I think that motor is good for at least 800 hrs. Most engine fail do to poor maintance.Most of the time you will see the briggs start smoking and burning oil when it's time to replace. But some times they will throw a rod.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

It all depends on two things:

1. Original quality of the engine.
2. Owner care over the years.

Just about all snowblower engines made before about 2005 or so were high quality..
Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh engines are generally good for several decades of service..Newer engines (made in China) seem to be holding up well, so far, although most are still new enough that long-term reliability is still unknown..(just because it hasnt been long enough yet to make a judgement call)

Many many many 20, 30, 40, even 50 year old snowblowers are still happily humming along with their original Briggs or Tecumseh engines..

There is no way to "gauge" when an older engine might die..It could go one more year, it could go 20 more years..you wont know until it happens!  Yes, there can be warning signs (smoking)..and things can be fixed at that point..

IMO, most good quality engines should last 20 to 30 years at the minimum, if well cared for..40 and 50 years is not uncommon.

Newer engines probably wont last quite as long..
quality, in everything, is gradually diminishing these days..
but a newer Chinese engine, on a well-known brand name snowblower, should still be good for a couple decades at least.

For replacement when an engines dies..there are four options:

1. Fix it. (you can still find shops that will do this)
2. Replace with a similar, but better condition, used engine.
3. Replace with a similar (Briggs or Tecumseh) NOS engine. (new, but several years old.)
4. Replace with a new Chinese engine.

I recommend options 1, 2 and 3..
I will *never* choose option 4, but some people do.

Scot


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

An interesting question indeed. I can only speak for motors in general. 

A snowblower used by a homeowner might see 5-10 hours of use per year (I made up that statistic). If properly maintained the oil would then be changed well before it is dirty. 30 years later you are now at 150-300 hours of run time. I'd say a good portion of that time the motor was run hard enough to bog it down.

My guess is that due to the wide range of usage patterns a motor could last anywhere from 10 to 40 years of actual use. Just like anything with a motor, as it becomes older it's history becomes MUCH more important than it's age.


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

I have a 1971 (42 year old) Toro 7/26 with a Tecumseh (original motor)and point ignition system that starts with one pull and runs great. Maintenance is critical to a long life.


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## Mr Fixit (Nov 19, 2013)

*History*

I just have to add *sheltered* in this history evaluation. Rain or wet melting snow with heavy winds brings water uphill inside engine parts. My first question to a repair is about storage. Expect anything if stored outside even only 5 years. Working on rusted parts is a discouraging thing. eg damp switch interior.
Happy Holidays!


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

You know, the more I think about it it's a pretty good question. Think how much use a snowblower *doesn't get* compared to other equipment. You can take it to the bank your lawn mower is going to get used. Same with your tiller if you are a gardener. You just know you're going to be using them. Snowblowers are different. It's possible the thing may sit for a year or two or maybe even three or longer between uses. ( I know our more northern and Canadian members use them much more.) In theory they should last longer than the other equipment. As has been said there are lots of vintage, even antique blowers out there that are still chugging along with the same old hunk of iron they started with. As has also been said *proper maintenance* is the key to engine longevity. But there are just things that do happen. Throttle shaft bores become enlarged. Valves stick. Rods seize to cranks for no apparent reason. We don't live in a perfect world. All that being said a typical engine being run in a typical year of snowfall in most places should at the very least last ten years under typical maintenance. Again, proper maintenance is key.
( Is there really such a thing as'"typical"?)
I'm just now thinking of the hours and hours I've spent operating my old Troy Bilt Horse tillers under some extremely adverse conditions in high heat, dry, dusty ground and the old 
k161 Kohlers never missed a beat. Worked em' like rented mules and they always stood the test. Good old American iron. ...Apparently 
And Scot, I agree with you. Option 4 is not an option.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

I wish I could agree that option 4 was not a good option but the thing I can't get over is that you can't get a new small air cooled motor that is not made in China with the exceptions being Honda and Subaru. I'm sure there are more and I hope someone chimes in to correct me if I am wrong (don't worry I pretty much never get upset on the internet so let me have it if it makes you feel better  ).

If even Briggs has moved to production in China it's hard for me to really feel that I am costing American jobs with a predator.


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## Colored Eggs (Dec 7, 2012)

Option 4 has a lot of debate with people due to the fact they are not really even pushing 10 years to see reliability. The same is true for the Tecumseh haters. They were made in america but many people did not like them due to they would blow a rod quite easily.

I'm must just be a nut since I do not judge an engine on where its built but on how well it run and lasts. I would prefer american jobs but these days Its questionable whats created and made in the usa. I bought a predator lawn engine and the only issue I have had with it is a ran into a tree and broke the air filter which I easily repaired. Other than that its one of the quietest easy starting engines I have used. I will however not rate its construction till it dies or I hit another tree.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

I would definitely take a predator engine over one of these new LCT engines. Of course that's pretty much based on my personal situation where I already have a predator and could swap it for another for $100. My neighbor just bought a new blower with what I believe is a LCT (I think that's the new China brand that comes on the red box store entry level units). It hunts terribly and is smoking like crazy. I couldn't deal with the headache I envision with a warranty claim on that. I have never heard of a predator being a dud right out of the box and I have read about many, many swaps on all kinds of equipment.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Colored Eggs said:


> The same is true for the Tecumseh haters. They were made in america but many people did not like them due to they would blow a rod quite easily.


I think the "blow a rod quite easily" thing is very overblown..
sure, it has happened..but its mostly known for one engine type, an 8HP engine, and the amount of engines that had this problem, compared to the huge amount of Tecumseh engines built, is probably .0001%.

When I look at used snowblowers on my local craigslist, I see hundreds and hundreds of machines for sale (looking at Syracuse, Rochester & Buffalo NY) that are 10 to 50 years old, with original Tecumseh engines, still running fine..
and im sure the same is true all across North America..

I once had a co-worker who bought a new Honda Accord..and it had engine problems..As a result, after that he "hated hondas", thought they were poor quality, and vowed to never own another one...Meanwhile the Honda Accord, as a whole, is actually the most reliable car of all time.

I think the same is true of the "blowing a rod" thing with Tecumsehs..
sure, it has happened..but meanwhile Tecumseh engines, overall, have been extremely reliable and very long-lived..

You cant take an isolated uncommen event, and use that to paint the entire product line..

Scot


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

My understanding is that Tecumseh are just intolerant to running with a low oil level. My refurbished Ariens was thrown to the curb for a shattered rod. Mine was a 6 hp if I remember correctly. If I was to pick on Tecumseh it would be for the carb being a little finicky. 

Scot, as I live in your area I think it's hilarious how many of those units on craigslist say they just need the carb adjusted. I'd say at least 1/2 of the units from true owner ads say this. Not to be confused with the guys that post as owner but have multiple units to choose from. Of course I'm sure the carb isn't really the issue with most of those (Valves, compression...??)


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

scipper77 said:


> My understanding is that Tecumseh are just intolerant to running with a low oil level. My refurbished Ariens was thrown to the curb for a shattered rod. Mine was a 6 hp if I remember correctly. If I was to pick on Tecumseh it would be for the carb being a little finicky.
> 
> Scot, as I live in your area I think it's hilarious how many of those units on craigslist say they just need the carb adjusted. I'd say at least 1/2 of the units from true owner ads say this. Not to be confused with the guys that post as owner but have multiple units to choose from. Of course I'm sure the carb isn't really the issue with most of those (Valves, compression...??)


Actually, im inclined to believe the carb really is often the issue! 
not on all obviously, but probably on a majority of them..

I have had my '71 Ariens for 6 winters now..with its original Tecumseh, and the only issues I have had with it have been related the carb! stuck float, rough running, needing the carb cleaned..all carb/gas related..

Im sure a lot of owners ditch an older machine just because it wont start, and they dont want to mess with it anymore, and the carb is the most likely culprit....so they drop $500 on a new machine, thinking their problems are over..but ironically not knowing they actually bought something worse than what they had!..but it happens a lot im sure..

obviously reasons why an old engine wont start or run are many and varied..but I bet the carb is at the top of the list..

Scot


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I believe Kohler still produces U. S. mfd engines. Yeh. They will cost more. 
Option 4 still not an option. 
I remember my Mom telling me more than once that back before WWll that U. S. was sending scrap etc overseas to Japan. She remembered wild eyed men saying that same metal would come back to us in the form of munitions. It *almost happened.* I'm not trying to be one of those wild eyed soothsayers and I understand the world has become much smaller. I don't care. If I can buy U. S. mfd. products that cost a little more I am going to buy that product. Do I succeed all the time? Nope, but I sure do try. I have had battles with a variety of companies. If they sell foreign mfd. products I don't buy.
Think of me what you will but I'm stickin' to my guns on this.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

micah68kj said:


> I believe Kohler still produces U. S. mfd engines. Yeh. They will cost more.
> Option 4 still not an option.
> I remember my Mom telling me more than once that back before WWll that U. S. was sending scrap etc overseas to Japan. She remembered wild eyed men saying that same metal would come back to us in the form of munitions. It *almost happened.* I'm not trying to be one of those wild eyed soothsayers and I understand the world has become much smaller. I don't care. If I can buy U. S. mfd. products that cost a little more I am going to buy that product. Do I succeed all the time? Nope, but I sure do try. I have had battles with a variety of companies. If they sell foreign mfd. products I don't buy.
> Think of me what you will but I'm stickin' to my guns on this.


Believe me I am on your side in this. I just had to purchase a bunch of tools for work and I had to go out of my way to find good USA made products. For example regular Craftsman hand tools are now from China and not supported by the Sears replacement policy. I had to buy Craftsman Industrial tools that have USA stamped right on them. I Bought a Lenox utility knife for a lot more because it claimed to be USA. When it came in it turned out that the knife was Chinese and the blades that came with it were Chinese but the Lenox logo was stamped on the Chinese blades in the USA. Somehow between this and some clever wording it was represented as made in the USA. I was not impressed. Looks like the country of origin now claims to be Mexico http://www.grainger.com/product/LENOX-Folding-Locking-Utility-Knife-2DZJ5?s_pp=false


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## Colored Eggs (Dec 7, 2012)

sscotsman said:


> I think the "blow a rod quite easily" thing is very overblown..
> sure, it has happened..but its mostly known for one engine type, an 8HP engine, and the amount of engines that had this problem, compared to the huge amount of Tecumseh engines built, is probably .0001%.
> 
> When I look at used snowblowers on my local craigslist, I see hundreds and hundreds of machines for sale (looking at Syracuse, Rochester & Buffalo NY) that are 10 to 50 years old, with original Tecumseh engines, still running fine..
> ...


Btw I'm not a Tecumseh hater if that is what your saying. I have more Tecumseh engines in my garage than any other motor. I was just making a point that even an american brand can have its ups and downs so we can't stamp these Chinese brands yet till we actually start seeing failures. I have a Kawasaki mower engine that has an issue that is a design failure. Now it gives me a sour taste in the mouth that Instead of a 1.00 part that could easily be replaced you need to buy a 130 dollar assembly kind of give me a bad impression about the company. Now the Chinese engines I have seen in the Walmart I would run away from. Not even sure if they have a cast iron cylinder. 

Btw. To just show that I'm not a Tecumseh hater we have a Tecumseh compressor that costs between 2-3k running our whole cooler system. So even though they had a bad reputation with the blown connection rods we still buy their products to this day.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

"When I look at used snowblowers on my local craigslist, I see hundreds and hundreds of machines for sale (looking at Syracuse, Rochester & Buffalo NY) that are 10 to 50 years old, with original Tecumseh engines, still running fine..
and im sure the same is true all across North America.."


*If these 40 to 50 year old snow blowers are running so well why are people selling them all?*. I have the best taken care of old equipment such as my 1999 Water craft and my two 1996 Polaris snowmobiles. Now if they run like crap and can not be fixed then I be looking to get rid of them.


The Harbor Freight Predator 212cc is made by Loncin which make the engines for the Toro Brand snowblowers.

*As to the quality of the engine. It has dual ball bearing crankshaft supports. It also has a full cast Iron sleeve which the piston rides in so it should be very durable if well taken care of with maintenance. *Ironically the old Briggs and Tecumseh L heads only had aluminum Bores that were not line with cast Iron sleeves. These engines also only had bushings on the crankshaft instead of the dual ball bearing support. The Loncin 212cc engine seems to be very well built and it is the darling of the carting world right now. If you wish you can get a Billet aluminum alloy Forged connecting rod which is over twice as strong as the stock cast rod. Also there is a billet aluminum flywheel that is rated for up to 8000 rpms. This engine was torture tested by NR racing and they found that the stock connecting rods were also highly unlikely to break however for high rpm reliability both the Billet rod and Billet flywheel are recommended. The stock Flywheel for rpms higher than stock is considered unsafe and not recommended and a $100 Billet flywheel is recommended if you remove the governor. A fully built HF 212cc engine could be made to put out as much as 14hp out of just 212cc. NR racing said that the HF 212cc engine also had very good engine block casting much better than some of the older Honda clones and it's casting were close to the quality of the genuine Honda blocks. Other than being a Chinese engine it seems to be of decent quality and in many ways better than the old non I/C Briggs and Strattons and older L head Tecumseh. The Briggs and Stratton made a commercial design called the I/C series which had the cast iron cylinder liner and the ball bearing supported crankshaft. 

Just about all snow-blower engines made before about 2005 or so were high quality..
Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh engines are generally good for several decades of service..Newer engines (made in China) seem to be holding up well, so far, although most are still new enough that long-term reliability is still unknown..(just because it hasnt been long enough yet to make a judgement call)


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

scipper77 said:


> My understanding is that Tecumseh are just intolerant to running with a low oil level. My refurbished Ariens was thrown to the curb for a shattered rod. Mine was a 6 hp if I remember correctly. If I was to pick on Tecumseh it would be for the carb being a little finicky.
> 
> Scot, as I live in your area I think it's hilarious how many of those units on craigslist say they just need the carb adjusted. I'd say at least 1/2 of the units from true owner ads say this. Not to be confused with the guys that post as owner but have multiple units to choose from. Of course I'm sure the carb isn't really the issue with most of those (Valves, compression...??)


You should have re-powered it with a Predator. Better than scraping the whole machine. I think by and large carburetor problems were the biggest reason for poor running old L head engines. Also the carburetor designs were not always the best. The updraft carburetor on the Briggs I have is notorious for float bowel leaks and main jet emulsion tube leaking excess non metered fuel into the carburetor during running making them hard to tune correctly.
The HF engine has a small carburetor that is basically one piece design based on (copied) from Honda with screw in replacement jets and it has been extremely reliable and smooth running compared to the old Tecumseh which would seemingly go out of tune when using it to blow snow.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

i've given thought to replacing the engine ( s ) on my toro 521's and price wise the predator motor motor is a bargan but i don't see an electric start option ( or am i just missing it ). it seems i can get a kohler sh265 ( seems to have an electric start option ) for a replacement though i don't know if the crank shaft is the same size as the tecumseh


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## driz (Dec 19, 2013)

sscotsman said:


> Actually, im inclined to believe the carb really is often the issue!
> not on all obviously, but probably on a majority of them..
> 
> I have had my '71 Ariens for 6 winters now..with its original Tecumseh, and the only issues I have had with it have been related the carb! stuck float, rough running, needing the carb cleaned..all carb/gas related..
> ...


The carb is the weak link in all small engines and it's worse when there are 2 of them. I recall an old outboard mechanic once telling me that he "
fixed" at least an engine a week all summer brought in "blown". They just needed a good cleaning and syncing . Today with the ethanol gas the problem just gets a lot worse. It's a problem for all small motors made much worse by EPA hounding them to run leaner on startup. My personal favorite is the auto dump choke usually found on chain saws. It's just stupid like many of the things they make manufacturers do. To this day the best starting non electronic ignition machines I have are my old tractors with the long manual chokes.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

GustoGuy said:


> *If these 40 to 50 year old snow blowers are running so well why are people selling them all?*. I have the best taken care of old equipment such as my 1999 Water craft and my two 1996 Polaris snowmobiles. Now if they run like crap and can not be fixed then I be looking to get rid of them.


People sell cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and tractors all the time that are still running fine..
they sell houses that have nothing wrong with them..
they sell books, silverware, dune buggys, and CD's that are just fine.
people sell all kinds of things that are in good working condition..

using your logic, everything that gets sold would have to be broken or useless..obviously that is not the case.

Scot


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

sscotsman said:


> People sell cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and tractors all the time that are still running fine..
> they sell houses that have nothing wrong with them..
> they sell books, silverware, dune buggys, and CD's that are just fine.
> people sell all kinds of things that are in good working condition..
> ...


You nailed it Scot. I don't sell stuff only when it goes bad. Shoot. If that was the case I wouldn't have room to move around on the property. I had a small tilling service. Had seven Troy Bilt Horse tillers. All ran *excellent*. Don't have a one of them. Sold 'em all. 
And Mark, I had an old Gilson just like yours. Excellent cosmetic and running condition. Remember why I sold it?


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

GustoGuy said:


> You should have re-powered it with a Predator. Better than scraping the whole machine.


I think you misunderstood my post. I found the machine on the roadside with a shattered connecting rod. I changed the gear oil, replaced a bad auger bushing, slapped on a predator engine after determining the Tecumseh would need a new connecting rod and crank just to run without knowing what else might be wrong with the blown motor. I relocated the chute control. And the old motor was given to my father who put the carb and electric start on a non running ariens he had that is now a running ariens. That non running machine resulted in 2 runners for a grand total of $130.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

micah68kj said:


> You nailed it Scot. I don't sell stuff only when it goes bad. Shoot. If that was the case I wouldn't have room to move around on the property. I had a small tilling service. Had seven Troy Bilt Horse tillers. All ran *excellent*. Don't have a one of them. Sold 'em all.
> And Mark, I had an old Gilson just like yours. Excellent cosmetic and running condition. Remember why I sold it?


I tend to be fairly frugal. I drive my cars until the transmission is starting to go out or the body is rusting out. I use Amsoil and have over 300,000 miles on my Hyundai Elantra. Likewise I seldom if never replace a good running piece of equipment. Likewise I bet about 1/2 to 3/4 of the snowblowers on Craigslist have some sort of problem that the owner is unable to repair or they repaired it and it continues to act up. Or it is difficult to start and nobody wants to mess around 30 minutes getting the POS snowblower working so they sell it on Craigslist. I am a very mechanicly inclined person and I will usually attempt to repair a piece of equipment before buying new. I hate poor running non reliable stuff and so do most people. If all these snowblowers were running great most people would hang on to them.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

My $70.00 craigslist snowblower that starts on first pull... I bought a complete replacement *running* engine for the needed gas tank and air box.
Not everybody sells their scrap iron on Clist. Just sayin'.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

detdrbuzzard said:


> i've given thought to replacing the engine ( s ) on my toro 521's and price wise the predator motor motor is a bargan but i don't see an electric start option ( or am i just missing it ). it seems i can get a kohler sh265 ( seems to have an electric start option ) for a replacement though i don't know if the crank shaft is the same size as the tecumseh


No electric start on the 212cc engine. The larger 420cc 13 hp engine has electric start while the 212cc and the 346cc (11hp)do not. However they do start really easy with usually just 1 to 2 pulls of the recoil. My 212cc starts so easy I do not really miss having electric start. The biggest reason I had to get rid of the Tecumseh was that it was a bear to start. I would have to mess with it for about 15 to 30 minutes just to get it to start and then I would drag it outside to blow the driveway. If we got a foot of snow it would choke and bog down on the piled up snow on the end of the driveway. I seen a you tube video where a person took a Honda GX 200 flywheel with a gear ring and modified it an put it on the Predator 212cc. They sell an electric start kit on ebay for about $99.99 so it could be done if you are willing to lap the flywheel to get it done. Here is the links to both You-tube videos


6.5hp predator electric start test - YouTube

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELECTRIC-START-KIT-FITS-HONDA-GX160-5-5-HP-6-5-HP-BRAND-NEW-/370640972974


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## powerwrench (Aug 29, 2013)

69ariens said:


> I think that motor is good for at least 800 hrs. Most engine fail do to poor maintance.Most of the time you will see the briggs start smoking and burning oil when it's time to replace. But some times they will throw a rod.


my 72 toro 832 with an B&S that was blowin blue smoke like a diesel rollin cole all i had to do is replace the piston rings easy peasy lemon squeezy and a idle screw adjustment. don't be so eager to buy some new honda clone pice of crap from harbor freight or princess auto. just get the old girl fixed up and if she's beyond reparable then get a legit tecumseh briggs or honda engine.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Colored Eggs said:


> Option 4 has a lot of debate with people due to the fact they are not really even pushing 10 years to see reliability. The same is true for the Tecumseh haters. They were made in america but many people did not like them due to they would blow a rod quite easily.
> 
> I'm must just be a nut since I do not judge an engine on where its built but on how well it run and lasts. I would prefer american jobs but these days Its questionable whats created and made in the usa. I bought a predator lawn engine and the only issue I have had with it is a ran into a tree and broke the air filter which I easily repaired. Other than that its one of the quietest easy starting engines I have used. I will however not rate its construction till it dies or I hit another tree.


Your are not a nut. I too judge a product by using it and if it is a good product I am not afraid to say so unlike too many people here on this website who only judge it by where it is made. Even the Mechanic Jackmels uses Predator 212cc to re-power snow blowers with bad engines. I guess I had some doubts too so I bought my first HF engine for a non critical application. I bought the Predator 212cc for a toy of mine. A 97cc gutless Doodle Bug mini-bike that was not powerful enough for adults to ride. I bought it back in 2007 for my son when he was 11 years old. The carburetor float bowel threads failed when I was fixing a leaking float valve needle and a new carburetor was $35 dollars and the Predator 212cc was $99.99 so it was a no brainer. Right now I will not let any child under 14 or 15 years of age ride this thing because it goes 35mph and gets there extremely fast. I even had to add 18lbs of steel to the front of the machine because it was a wheelie machine and most novice riders would wheelie it over. I however was really impressed with how well it ran and how easy it started and how quiet it is and that is why I decided to replace my temperamental Tecumseh with it and I am glad I did. *It is a much better engine than the Tecumseh ever was even when the Tecumseh was brand new it never ran as well or as smooth or as quiet as this engine does.*


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

powerwrench said:


> my 72 toro 832 with an B&S that was blowin blue smoke like a diesel rollin cole all i had to do is replace the piston rings easy peasy lemon squeezy and a idle screw adjustment. don't be so eager to buy some new honda clone pice of crap from harbor freight or princess auto. just get the old girl fixed up and if she's beyond reparable then get a legit tecumseh briggs or honda engine.


My 1973 Briggs 8hp is a puffing too. I diagnosis it as the valve guides because it blows blue smoke upon starting it and it tends to clear after 10 to 15 seconds of running but puffs a bit while running too. It is a bit loud compared to the 212cc and not a very smooth runner either and the spark plug tends to get junked up on it and I cleaned the carburetor and replaced the float needle and pressed in a new seat and fixed that but overall I am disappointed in how it runs. I know that I will need to take it into a machine shop to replace the valve guides and that will cost anywhere from $85 to $110.00 so why should I even bother. Plus it is an old flat head engine and Briggs stopped making them because they could not make them compliant with emission laws and they drink more gasoline than a modern OHV engine does anyway. I do not feel that they were necessary great engines to begin with. I say back in the 1950's when Briggs came out with their flat head engine it was as good as anything on the market. Both Briggs and Tecumseh made their money by making their engines as cheaply as possible and the valve in block design was easy to make and had less parts then the more complicated OHV design. The American engine manufacturers had a virtual monopoly until 1986 when Honda came out with it's fine OHV small engine the Honda GX 240. Honda used their expertise that they learned on making Motorcycle engines and applied it to small engines such as Cast iron cylinder liner and ball bearing supported crankshaft. While the American manufactures kept making the same old stuff and selling it well into the 1990's. Then they have the gall to wonder why the Honda small engines ate up their market share?. Give me a break. At least Briggs was able to get it's act together and started to make some engines that could compete with Honda. *A well made product will sell well because people will want to buy it rather than feeling obligated to buy it only because it is made in the USA.*


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

scipper77 said:


> I think you misunderstood my post. I found the machine on the roadside with a shattered connecting rod. I changed the gear oil, replaced a bad auger bushing, slapped on a predator engine after determining the Tecumseh would need a new connecting rod and crank just to run without knowing what else might be wrong with the blown motor. I relocated the chute control. And the old motor was given to my father who put the carb and electric start on a non running ariens he had that is now a running ariens. That non running machine resulted in 2 runners for a grand total of $130.


That is what I like to hear two machines for a reasonable price. I think Tecumseh died because they developed a bad reputation and reputation is everything in business today. Disconnect the governor on an old Tecumseh 8hp and rev it up to about 4000rpm and watch the con rod fly through the side of the block. Several people who build small engine cart racing engines (Honda Gx200 Class) for racing teams and individuals torture tested the Predator 212cc and said for high rpm use to use a forged billet connecting rod and forged billet flywheel. No con rod failures on the stock connecting rods even with running on little to no oil one rod seized to the crankshaft and the engine stopped but the connecting rod did not break but the flywheel was definitely found to be unsafe at high rpms and they are not recommended to be used on engines with out governors. I think the American manufacturers had virtual monopolies and Honda came out with their OHV small engine with cast iron cylinder liner and dual ball bearing crank support and although they were expensive they started to chip away at the market share previously enjoyed by Briggs and Tecumseh. The kiss of death is when the Chinese makers started to make decent quality low priced Honda clones that were as good or better than the Tecumseh only at a much better price. If they were total crap then they would have sold some at first and if the engines failed nobody would have continued to buy them and they would have developed a bad reputation and been known as the Chinese junk engines. Back in the 1960's people assumed everything made in Japan was junk too. The 1973 Arab oil embargo made Honda into the company they are today because people were looking for good running fuel efficient cars. People bought them and found them to not only be fuel efficient but to be reliable and found them to run as well or even better than the USA made cars and the rest is history. Had the oil embargo not occurred Japanese cars may have never had their chance here in the USA. Yugo a Yugoslavian company tried to sell it's small car in the USA with hopes that it would be like the Volkswagen Beetle and it failed horribly because it was unreliable junk that people regretted buying and it's reputation was ruined and the company could not sell any more products because people would not buy them anymore because of the reputation.

Several people here has ripped on Hyundai as being a bad make of car and they at one time like 20 years ago they were not the best but they improved to be a good car company. Hyundai cars had a bad reputation prior to the year 2000 and being Korean an uphill battle to develop a customer base. The CEO of Hyundai said to it's engineers to build the best car possible and offer the best warranties to the buyers to develop it's brand and they are now a huge success because they are good cars.

In 1998, Hyundai began to overhaul its image in an attempt to establish itself as a world-class brand. Chung Ju Yung transferred leadership of Hyundai Motor to his son, Chung Mong Koo, in 1999.[16] Hyundai's parent company, Hyundai Motor Group, invested heavily in the quality, design, manufacturing, and long-term research of its vehicles. It added a 10-year or 100,000-mile (160,000 km) warranty to cars sold in the United States and launched an aggressive marketing campaign.
In 2004, Hyundai was ranked second in "initial quality" in a survey/study by J.D. Power and Associates. Hyundai is now one of the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide.


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## Colored Eggs (Dec 7, 2012)

GustoGuy said:


> Your are not a nut. I too judge a product by using it and if it is a good product I am not afraid to say so unlike too many people here on this website who only judge it by where it is made. Even the Mechanic Jackmels uses Predator 212cc to re-power snow blowers with bad engines. I guess I had some doubts too so I bought my first HF engine for a non critical application. I bought the Predator 212cc for a toy of mine. A 97cc gutless Doodle Bug mini-bike that was not powerful enough for adults to ride. I bought it back in 2007 for my son when he was 11 years old. The carburetor float bowel threads failed when I was fixing a leaking float valve needle and a new carburetor was $35 dollars and the Predator 212cc was $99.99 so it was a no brainer. Right now I will not let any child under 14 or 15 years of age ride this thing because it goes 35mph and gets there extremely fast. I even had to add 18lbs of steel to the front of the machine because it was a wheelie machine and most novice riders would wheelie it over. I however was really impressed with how well it ran and how easy it started and how quiet it is and that is why I decided to replace my temperamental Tecumseh with it and I am glad I did. *It is a much better engine than the Tecumseh ever was even when the Tecumseh was brand new it never ran as well or as smooth or as quiet as this engine does.*



Sound like me. I did not completely trust them till I gave it a try. I even spent the extra money for the 2 year warranty. I have found broken predators online though but they seem to be the older models. I think mine is a v3 or v5 and I see the last person that posted is a bit different than mine and looks like it has a better gas cap. Now. I didn't just chuck the Tecumseh that it replaced away. It was a 3.5 which in my opinion is under powered for what it was doing plus its carb was a mess and it leaked gas everywhere. After I finished my engine replacement and during the dull days of winter I took the Tecumseh in and got it back to running shape even though I don't have anything to power with it at this time. But it is a nice little engine and made a fun little experience getting it to run again. Here is a list of my current rating on engines.


Honda and Robin Subaru (tied)
Tecumseh Briggs and Predator engines (tied)
Kawasaki
Big box store engines.


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## SlowRider22 (Oct 17, 2013)

I just wanted to chime in here on the original post, and in regarde to Ariens. I went to my local Ariens dealer with a buddy of mine who has a snow-removing business and owns a Pro 28. We were talking with the guy at the dealer, and he told us that Ariens claims their motors are meant to last roughly 200 hours. (This was a couple years ago, before they went to the chinese motors). Mind you, the guy is an old school, real straight-shooter type of guy who is there to legitimately help his customers.




GustoGuy said:


> _No electric start on the 212cc engine. The larger 420cc 13 hp engine has electric start while the 212cc and the 346cc (11hp)do not. However they do start really easy with usually just 1 to 2 pulls of the recoil._ My 212cc starts so easy I do not really miss having electric start. The biggest reason I had to get rid of the Tecumseh was that it was a bear to start. I would have to mess with it for about 15 to 30 minutes just to get it to start and then I would drag it outside to blow the driveway. If we got a foot of snow it would choke and bog down on the piled up snow on the end of the driveway. I seen a you tube video where a person took a Honda GX 200 flywheel with a gear ring and modified it an put it on the Predator 212cc. They sell an electric start kit on ebay for about $99.99 so it could be done if you are willing to lap the flywheel to get it done. Here is the links to both You-tube videos


Just to clarify, the 420cc does have an electric start but it's a 12 volt starter that has to be hooked up to a battery. It is not the 120 volt that you plug into the wall.
Aside from that, these motors start very easily


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

SlowRider22 said:


> I just wanted to chime in here on the original post, and in regarde to Ariens. I went to my local Ariens dealer with a buddy of mine who has a snow-removing business and owns a Pro 28. We were talking with the guy at the dealer, and he told us that Ariens claims their motors are meant to last roughly 200 hours. (This was a couple years ago, before they went to the chinese motors). Mind you, the guy is an old school, real straight-shooter type of guy who is there to legitimately help his customers.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When are you going to post a video of your 420cc Predator powered machine blowing snow? We need to show all these doubters that the Predator engines are real capable engines for real snowblowers. Here is an old HF Grey hound 346cc on an old Ariens snowblower. These engines are also very quiet and share the same multi baffle designed mufflers style found on the Honda engines.


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## SlowRider22 (Oct 17, 2013)

GustoGuy said:


> When are you going to post a video of your 420cc Predator powered machine blowing snow? We need to show all these doubters that the Predator engines are real capable engines for real snowblowers.


Haha I'll get the video when I can get someone to record it. I'm not able to do it myself because I dont have a smartphone or anything else that can record video...


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

I have been running a Mastercraft (Canadian Tire) 8/26 blower with an 8hp Techumseh Snow King Cast Iron engine for the last 20 years.
It has always been well maintained and housed indoors in a heated garage.
It has been used on average 5 times a year whenever we have had 12" or more of snowfall. I would clear on average 1500 sq ft.
About 1/3 of the area is compacted snow that was pushed to the side of the road by the city plows.

2 weeks ago I completed my usual cleaning routine and left the blower running while shuffling the cars around.
As I was moving my winter beater Honda with 345,000 km on the clock I heard the gut wrenching bang that accompanies a broken rod then the freewheeling of the crankshaft.
The engine turns over effortlessly since there is no compression.
I pulled the plug and the piston is stuck at TDC.
The engine oil has a whole 2 running hours on it and is at its proper level.

Believing that every cloud has a silver lining I took the opportunity to purchase a slightly used 2009 Honda HS928TCD.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

Thump_rrr said:


> Believing that every cloud has a silver lining I took the opportunity to purchase a slightly used 2009 Honda HS928TCD.


After getting over the sticker shock on those things I have to admit that if you are going to have the same machine for the next 20 years you might as well have something awesome!! OK, in lying a little, I will never get over the sticker shock on one of those (my neighbor bought one new for around $2700 US).


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

scipper77 said:


> After getting over the sticker shock on those things I have to admit that if you are going to have the same machine for the next 20 years you might as well have something awesome!! OK, in lying a little, I will never get over the sticker shock on one of those (my neighbor bought one new for around $2700 US).


A new Canadian Deluxe version like mine goes for $3,999 add to that our 2 taxes and you're out the door for $4,600.

I don't think that the deluxe versions are available in the USA.
The chute is controlled via a joystick both horizontally and vertically.
There is an onboard battery with 12v starter and there is an infinitely adjustable gas assisted auger height adjustment at your fingertips.

I paid mine pretty much what your neighbour paid for a new machine.
It was a tough call this close to the holidays but I work in HVAC so I need to be able to get my work truck on the road no matter what time it is day or night so that was one of the factors I took into account when deciding on what to buy.


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

GustoGuy said:


> I tend to be fairly frugal. I drive my cars until the transmission is starting to go out or the body is rusting out. I use Amsoil and have over 300,000 miles on my Hyundai Elantra. Likewise I seldom if never replace a good running piece of equipment. Likewise I bet about 1/2 to 3/4 of the snowblowers on Craigslist have some sort of problem that the owner is unable to repair or they repaired it and it continues to act up. Or it is difficult to start and nobody wants to mess around 30 minutes getting the POS snowblower working so they sell it on Craigslist. I am a very mechanicly inclined person and I will usually attempt to repair a piece of equipment before buying new. I hate poor running non reliable stuff and so do most people. If all these snowblowers were running great most people would hang on to them.


Being mechanically inclined has nothing to do with it.
I'm a HVAC service tech with over 25 years in the business and know how to maintain and properly repair equipment.
Some people just need an excuse to buy new stuff.
I've had my old Mastercraft (Canadian Tire) branded blower for nearly 20 years.
It had a Techumseh 8HP Snow King engine on it.
It was a $1,000 machine 20 years ago and I got it for $400 from a neighbor that blew the snow exactly 2 times before getting a snow removal contract.

I have maintained that blower impeccably yet for the last 8-10 years I have had my eye on a Honda.
I hated the fact that the metal guard around the carb rattled loose and needed a couple of sheet metal screws to keep it in place.
The amount of slop in the chute control was annoying and couldn't be fixed simply due to bad design and not for a lack of trying.

When the rod let go it was after I finished clearing the snow.
As soon as I pulled on the cord and felt the crank freewheel I knew.
I pushed it into the garage and pulled the plug.
I pushed a screwdriver in till it touched the piston and pulled on the cord.
When the piston didn't move I just walked away from it.
I may even have had a slight smile on my face and a spring in my step.
I no longer needed to justify to myself that I needed to buy that track driven, 12v starter equipped, joystick chute controlled, overhead valve redhead that I've been lusting over for the past 10 years.
In my head I heard what seems to have been the voice of an angel. Hon-daaa

See, even engine failure can have a silver lining.


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## ken53 (Nov 7, 2013)

Kestral said:


> I had mentioned in another post that I was given a Toro 1132 snowblower with a 11 HP Briggs & Stratton motor that was maintained by myself since "94" and has around 30 hrs of use. I often see old snowblowers still running but never asked people if they are still on the original engine or not? What fails on these old motors? Will mine just some day throw a rod? or do they last for years and years of use without rebuilding? Since my B&S started out at a rated 11HP now that it is old is it down on power and more like say a 9HP motor or does it not work like that? If the motor did die a sudden death are they big $$ to replace? ....... Thanks for the advice and happy holidays.


I can't answer all your questions but maybe give you some of my personal data. 

Tecumseh Snow King 6HP, 24 yrs. 300-400hrs
Tecumseh Snow King 8HP, 21 yrs. 200-250hrs
Both running strong when we departed.
Both always started 1-2 pulls.
Both no work needed.

Honda Mowers
GCV190 187CC (HRX217HXA Mower)
9 YRS, 500hrs burns some oil, 
Orig. carb never worked well, new carb runs fine for now.
*This model has know carb issues but the new carb was only $17*
Hydro Drive changes speed with outside temp. Very annoying.
Belt change is a major job.
Plastic deck seems to hold up well.
Still in use.

GXV ?cc commercial mower
25yrs old still sees some light duty, 800hrs.
Orig. carb bowl has rusting issues.

Honda Generators (a pair of EU1000is)
Both GXH50, 50cc
10 yrs. 30hrs.
One always starts hard and seems to work harder.
One runs fine.
Quiet and good fuel economy.
Works well as a connected pair. 2000 watts

Honda MINI Tiller FG100 ( Owned two of them 3yrs apart)
Engine GX31, 31cc
Each 3yrs. 30hrs.(15hrs each) aprox.
Engine started and ran good.
*Tiller was junk. 10-20 hrs would destroy the gear box.
Honda did nothing for the 1000s of customers they screwed*.

Honda Mini Tiller FG110
GX25 25cc
4yrs, 80hrs
Starts hard but always starts. 
Runs good and still in use.
No gear box problems.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Thump_rrr said:


> Being mechanically inclined has nothing to do with it.
> I'm a HVAC service tech with over 25 years in the business and know how to maintain and properly repair equipment.
> Some people just need an excuse to buy new stuff.
> I've had my old Mastercraft (Canadian Tire) branded blower for nearly 20 years.
> ...


 I guess if you are in the market for a snowblower that costs more than 2 grand, having your Tecumseh blow a rod is not a bad thing. Was your Tecumseh acting up throughout the years? Mine was and that was despite that fact that it was well maintained. I clean the carburetor on it quite a few times and rebuilt the carburetor with a Carburetor kit and put in a new spark plug each and every year as well as only using Amsoil synthetic in the engine, I am a tightwad when it comes to my yard equipment and my many toys like my awesome running 1999 watercraft and my well maintained like new 1996 snowmobiles. I really like that they are paid for and that they run great. As to a snowblower I have to admit that Honda sure makes a nice snow blower. But I also have to admit that the new OHV engines based off the Honda GX design being made today sure run real nice and start so easy compared to the old flat head engines and unless I was not able to repair it myself or if the repairs would cost a small fortune. I am looking to re-power my machine in order to have money to spend on other things. I guess I do not get too attached to stuff and if it runs well I keep it and if it runs poorly I try to fix it and if it is not repairable I either re-power it or replace it. 
So like you said people are looking for an excuse to buy another snowblower and I bet many of the snowblowers for sale with the old engines on them is because many of the people simply grew weary of having to always continue to dump their time and money into them just to keep them running.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I want to chime in on some of this. My love of Ariens and Tecumseh started with my neighbor's 60's 5hp/24" Ariens that threw snow like crazy. I pushed that thing hard!! It still runs today in the hands of their daughter. I think Tecumseh's get the "thrown rod" rap because there are just so many out there. From the 60's until recently, a VAST majority of snowthrowers had Tecs on them. While the hours are low, I think the work load on a blower engine is very high. I think people comparing a 30+ year old engine to a brand new predator isn't very fair. Comment on your predator after 30 years of neglect, abuse, and crappy fuel.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

"My love of Ariens and Tecumseh started with my neighbor's 60's 5hp/24" Ariens that threw snow like crazy. I pushed that thing hard!! It still runs today in the hands of their daughter"

I am a pragmatist and if it runs well "I say that's great lets keep it". However if it doesn't work like it should or runs badly or unreliably I will get rid of it and find something that does run well or replace the whole darn snowblower. *People around here talk about loving a Tecumseh? I guess I do not become too attached to engines and I take very good care of my stuff and if it doesn't work and can not be fixed or if it is unreliable I get rid of it. *
I am glad that reasonable priced good running engines are available to re-power old power equipment. It sure beats filling the landfills by simply scraping them.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

nt40lanman said:


> I want to chime in on some of this. My love of Ariens and Tecumseh started with my neighbor's 60's 5hp/24" Ariens that threw snow like crazy. I pushed that thing hard!! It still runs today in the hands of their daughter. I think Tecumseh's get the "thrown rod" rap because there are just so many out there. From the 60's until recently, a VAST majority of snowthrowers had Tecs on them. While the hours are low, I think the work load on a blower engine is very high. I think people comparing a 30+ year old engine to a brand new predator isn't very fair. Comment on your predator after 30 years of neglect, abuse, and crappy fuel.


Yep!
Agree on all points.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

From the 60's until recently, a VAST majority of snowthrowers had Tecs on them. 

That is because Tecumseh marketed heavily towards the snow blower industry and offered an inexpensive winterized engine that the snow blower manufacturers could use before there was significant competition in the market which occurred after Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha and much later the Chinese engines entered the market place. *As to quality the engines they were of decent quality compared to the competition initially however they were certainly not Honda's. Tecumseh enjoyed many years of success making their snow king engines. I think in some ways they went out of business because they focused too much on making consumer engines and failed to innovate their products and were unable to respond to the increased competition.* By and large I feel Tecumseh slowly developed a bad reputation over the years and it is very hard for a company to to change the publics perception of their products once they have developed a bad reputation. Briggs and Stratton too had a few lemon engines but they would redesign their products and continue to improve them. In some ways Briggs and Stratton has a better reputation for reliability than they sometimes deserve which is much better than having a poor reputation. Almost all small engines built today are now manufactured in cheap labor countries since the profit margins are low on them and high labor costs means low profit margins on the engines made here in the USA so the engines made here in the USA tend to be large and expensive multi cylinder engines such as automobile engines and expensive motorcycle engines such as Harley Davidson's rather than low price consumer orientated engines used to power inexpensive power equipment. Honda seems to buck the trend by offering a non compromised top of the line sales mentality were they tend to offer the most robust and expensive snowblowers made they heavily rely on consumer expectations that their hard earned money is being well spent on the best quality product made. People continue to buy Honda products because of their reputation because they tend to be more reliable then the competition and their engines tend to last longer than the competitions products. Low cost will sell products initially but if the product is inferior you will not continue to get additional sales and studies have shown that a person will tell on average many more people about a problem they had with a product versus when they like a product. Look at what happened to Yugo cars. They failed because their product was definitely inferior and broke down and was less reliable then other cars. They developed a bad reputation and even though they were dirt cheap no body wanted to buy their products because they were known to break down.


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## Thump_rrr (Dec 22, 2013)

Honda small engines have a tremendous reputation.
The resale price of Honda blowers here in Canada certainly proves that fact.
I have seen 2004 HS298TCD's going for as much as $2,600 and actually selling quickly.
I was looking at some $1200 Craftsman blowers while I was exchanging some sockets and I was shaking my head. 
I gladly paid more than double that for a used 2009 HS928TCD and would do so again before buying what they try to pass for a snowblower.

GustoGuy is absolutely right that people will pay what a Honda is worth due to its reputation.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I'd eat $1200 before I'd drop it on a Craftsman blower. I wonder if $1200 Canadian tastes any better than $1200 US.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

If it helps, there was a story a while back that said it smelled like maple syrup....


Sometimes, you just can't make this stuff up:

New Canadian 100 dollar bills 'reek of' like maple syrup (but national bank says the notes are fragrance-free) | Mail Online


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

nt40lanman said:


> I'd eat $1200 before I'd drop it on a Craftsman blower. I wonder if $1200 Canadian tastes any better than $1200 US.


I'm pretty much in agreement w/you but to go back and look at those test results and you'd think they were a wonderful, quality machine. Those results are definitely questionable.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

Yea, you know what's quality? My 35 year old Ariens that still does it like the day it was built. I hear The Commodores sing "Brick House" when I run it.


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## jmb3675 (Dec 31, 2013)

I have a 1969 Gilson 835 Snow Thrower with a 7hp Sno/Guard Briggs engine. At least that's the owners manuals call them. I bought it from an older gentleman that bought it new in 1969. He used it on his large driveway every winter until he sold it to me about 5 years ago. He sold it because he was moving to Arizona and figured he wouldn't need it there. He said it always started on the first or second pull and it always has for me as well. He also gave me the owners manuals and the envelope they came in as well as parts lists for the transmission and snow blower body. And instructions for replacing the idler pulley that came in a kit. He said belts and that pulley were the only repairs it ever needed. To do my drive and the neighbors takes about an hour. His driveway was 3 time ours together. So I figure it has a lot of hours on it and is still the best running and easiest starting machine on the block. Before The 1969 Gilson I used a 1973 Gilson 3 speed 7hp snowblower. I can't remember the model for sure. I think it's a 490 something. It was easier to use but I went to clear my moms driveway and found a piece of angle iron with the impeller. I am still looking for a parts machine for the right price. That one started on the second pull last year even with old gas that I forgot in the tank. (good thing for non ethanol premium) I have never had a Tecumseh die from anything other than hitting stumps with a couple mowers. They still ran but the cranks bent and they smoked. I even bypassed the governor on a go-cart for more speed. I still have that one in the shed and it still runs. But I was never really happy with the way they ran. It seems like the carbs always get dirty need adjusting. I bought a new Toro mower with a Honda on it. After getting its first oil change it was surging. I took it back and they said dirt must have gotten in the carb when they tipped it to drain it. If that's the case for all Hondas cost, the filter must not be where the money is spent. I hope I will not have to clean the carb all the time like the Tecumseh engines. I think the older engines are much more forgiving that the new ones. The new engines seem too sensitive to dust and old gas.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

_I have never had a Tecumseh die from anything other than hitting stumps with a couple mowers. They still ran but the cranks bent and they smoked. I even bypassed the governor on a go-cart for more speed._

You are lucky that you did not blow the connecting rod. Tecumseh engines especially the 7 and 8hp models were know to blow connecting rods due to low oil and over revving. In fact they are so likely to blow a rod that if you disconnect the governor that it is foolish to even disconnect it. Some newer stock HF OHV engines were torture tested to see what would break and they tend to go into valve float at about 5500 rpms and are not likely to blow a connecting rod. Tecumseh 8hp tend to blow rods when rpms exceed 4000rpm and its proven because the stock cast aluminum connecting rod is not very strong on them and they will fail if rpms exceed stock 3600rpm.


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## jmb3675 (Dec 31, 2013)

Trust me it was re-connected years ago. We didn't think of that stuff as kids. It is an 8hp off of a snow blower. We even ran it without a filter till we got tired of cleaning the carb daily.


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## ranvette (Jan 5, 2014)

I have 2 Ariens one is a 1968 with a 6HP and the other is a 8HP 1980 ST824.Both have there original Tec L head engines.Both have had a number of carb rebuilds and both have new points/condenser and new coils.That being said at temps down to 0 F or 5 below they will start 1 or 2 pulls.Both were also set at 3300 rpm and i turned them up to 3600.It makes a nice difference in performance.I have seen 2 L heads throw rods.One was the neighbors and was run out of oil or lets say very low.That one went out with a bang.My fathers he ran low on oil and the engine seized.1Hour later i filled the oil and it started right up and sounded fine.About 2 years later it threw a rod.Knock on wood both my engines run like new.A lot of these tend to seize up than at a later date throw a rod so i have been told.I also read some go karters run them at over 4000 RPM and they tend to last for maybe a season or under.I guess the moral to the story is the motors hold up just fine if the oil is kept up to level and there run at a max of 3600 rpm.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I've never had a Tecumseh die period. I'm not their greatest fan either but I'm stating a fact. Never had a bad one.


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