# Chinese engines?



## CharlesW (Oct 13, 2010)

Any members have experience with the Chinese manufactured engines that have become pretty common?

If you have owned one or if you have worked on them, your comments would be appreciated.

Please speak from experience, not conjecture.
I'm not any happier about it than most, but it is happening and ignoring them isn't going to make the practice stop.


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## amped_16 (Oct 5, 2010)

What brands are they? I have a friend who knows a bit more than me when it comes to snowblowers. But he doesn't like going online so he's not on the forums. If you give me specific brands I can ask him about it and let you know what he says.


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## CharlesW (Oct 13, 2010)

The one I am most interested in is the Loncin 4 cycle 163cc engine used by Toro on the 421 model.

Thanks!


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## CharlesW (Oct 13, 2010)

*From Toro Customer Service*

This is the reply from Toro to a somewhat general question as to problems with the first year Loncin engines in the Toro 421 models.



Toro Customer Service said:


> *"There have been no issues on the 421 Power Clear unit since introduction of the Loncin Engines. The first year of production with this engine was extremely successfull.*
> 
> * The Loncin Company has been in the engine business for over 15 years. This is a Toro-branded engine and Toro supports this engine fully. The engine has been thoroughly tested and Toro stands behind it."*



Given that I haven't been hearing about problems with the engine and the reply from Toro, I feel better about my new Toro 421QE. *

*


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## CharlesW (Oct 13, 2010)

I have more info if any one is interested.
Maybe I have run the subject in the ground and should just drop it.


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## amped_16 (Oct 5, 2010)

Sorry for the late reply. I haven't seen him in a while and still haven't been able to ask him. I did a little bit of research myself and that motor is used in so many different applications which means it is a very good motor. Plus Toro has always been known for reliability and amazing snow blowers and wouldn't put an inferior component in their snowblowers.


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## Spring1898 (Jan 1, 2013)

I know that this is an old thread. But I figure that I would throw this in there. It is slightly conjecture and slightly fact.

Loncin has been making engines for a while. Like any company they can make them good or cheap. 

Loncin as a company is a large motorcycle engine manufacturer, and have come to produce close to half the motorcycle engines in the world. They are also one of the contractors, apparently, for manufacturing BMW designed engines. As far as snowblowers specifically, they produced engines for companies outside of the US for a while, particularly Eastern Europe.

Purely conjecture, but we all have come to know that simply because it is made in china no longer means that it is a bad or cheap product. Also as a company they have developed the location in which they are located much like our American Company towns like Hershey etc.

Personally I would love to get my hands on one to tinker with, but I need to get rid of about 3 other snow blowers as it is.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Spring1898 said:


> I know that this is an old thread. But I figure that I would throw this in there. It is slightly conjecture and slightly fact.
> 
> Loncin has been making engines for a while. Like any company they can make them good or cheap.
> 
> ...


We are expected to get up to 8 to inches or possibly even a foot of snow by Tuesday night and I used my Predator 212cc engine powered MTD 5/22 to blow the 4 inches already on the ground out of my driveway this evening. I like that the engine starts with just one pull of the recoil unlike the Tecumseh which could be very difficult to start. I have a video of my machine throwing snow 40 or more feet. I can hit my shrubs in the yard with the discharge and they are 40 feet away from my driveway. I did a re-power on my MTD 5/22 because I hated the poor running difficult to start Tecumseh 5hp that it came with. I first bought a Predator 212cc for my Doodle Bug minibike which I now call the Doodle Beast. The Predator 212cc makes a great snow blower engine and I have kept my foam inside the air filter assembly. I actually like my snow blower now with the Chinese engine on it and my 5hp Tecumseh is sitting on the garage floor right now not being missed at all.


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## Spring1898 (Jan 1, 2013)

That is actually interesting. I have the same unit from back 90's. It starts on a single half-hearted half pull, and from tuning it outblows the 8/24's that the neighbors have. The woman of the house doesn't even use the electric start its so easy, and yes she uses it herself. It's been used too. It clears about space for 12 vehicles so it definitely has been used in the last 20 years.

The 212cc that you have should be close to the 8hp range?


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## Buttchet (Mar 5, 2013)

I'm with Gustoguy and have repowered a toro 421 with a preditor 212cc engine and I love it. Also repowered a Bolens 824 with a 14hp Chinese motor. Believe it is loncin too.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Buttchet said:


> I'm with Gustoguy and have repowered a toro 421 with a preditor 212cc engine and I love it. Also repowered a Bolens 824 with a 14hp Chinese motor. Believe it is loncin too.


We ended up getting a total of 8.5 inches over the last day and 1/2 and the snowplow really packed it up and the west side of my driveway had a 2 foot high windrow of snow pushed up in front of it mixed with some road salt. I used my snow blower this evening to blow the snowplow pushed up snow at the end of my driveway and the Predator 212cc cut through it like it wasn't even there. My bucket is 21 inches tall in the front and I went right through the center of it and cleared it out in 3 passes. near the edge of the driveway the snow depth in the plow windrow was just above the 21 inch height and it was heavy too and would have most likely killed the Tecumseh engine. The Predator in first gear cut right through it and I only needed to back off the drive a few times to let the auger and impeller clear out to take another bite. The Predator engine's governor sensed the load and throttled it up to keep the rpms constant. I sprayed snow out over forty feet into the edge of the road like a big snow plume


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

Good to hear it's working out for you. Congrats.


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## MTD1014 (Feb 17, 2013)

I had to replace my failed engine with a Chinese engine and have ran the new engine 4 times now in recent snowfalls. And all I can keep saying is WOW. When I am done it leaves me with a smile on my face and the feeling of a money well spent. Heck the exhaust on this engine even smells better than the engine that broke. Its so fun running this machine with the new engine that I clean the neighbors who have snowthowers walks just so I can operate it. lol

I see Harbor Freight has had a price increase on the Predator from $99 to $103 which is not a good sign. Hopefully they will not go crazy with their price increases. I may grab another to put on a shelf for a future project.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

MTD1014 said:


> I had to replace my failed engine with a Chinese engine and have ran the new engine 4 times now in recent snowfalls. And all I can keep saying is WOW. When I am done it leaves me with a smile on my face and the feeling of a money well spent. Heck the exhaust on this engine even smells better than the engine that broke. Its so fun running this machine with the new engine that I clean the neighbors who have snowthowers walks just so I can operate it. lol
> 
> I see Harbor Freight has had a price increase on the Predator from $99 to $103 which is not a good sign. Hopefully they will not go crazy with their price increases. I may grab another to put on a shelf for a future project.


I have blown out my neighbors driveway too, and the Predator 212cc is much more fuel efficient than the Tecumseh and has a large fuel tank on it too and I have ran it 3 times one day and it still had gas left in the tank. I even helped 3 different people get their cars unstuck after an 11.5 inch snowfall in my neighborhood. I am really impressed by the Harbor Freight engine. It starts on the first pull and runs great.
I am even thinking about getting some composite skids since my steel skids are starting to wear out. I adjusted them this fall by putting a thin piece of heavy card stock paper under the length of the new wear skid on the base of the snowblower. My skid plate is still in good condition. Has anyone used those new composite skids on their snowblowers before?


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