# Repowering a Snapper 4hp Tecumseh to 6 hp Honda OHC, 8” friction disk??



## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

Hi all, I am starting a project after seeing so many success stories here going from double shaft Tecumseh to single shaft Predators. I had an opportunity to get a low hour Honda 6hp GC190 off a pressure washer and grabbed it. So far it looks like a bolt in installation. I am not flipping the drive like most have, my shifter is off-set way to the left. I found some little 2” v-idler pulleys and I’m putting one on each of the upper mounts and looping the belt below the shaft. I’m putting a ¾” by 1” bushing over the shaft behind the blower pulley and notching it to lock into the key (I’ll put up picks once the parts come in). So it will be driving off the flat side of the belt (probably go with a AX series for the flat back), my thinking is with it being geared down so much it shouldn’t need lots of torque at the motor shaft. If I start smoking belts I can always go to an AA belt and a sheave. 
Couple questions; I need to throw snow far as possible, my drive is only two cars deep but it is 6 cars wide! I end up throwing it 4 or 5 times before I get it over the fence. I’m going up one pulley size on the motor blower drive from 2-1/2 to 3”. This will take my impeller speed from 1123 rpm to 1300. Am I doing the right thing? I’ll do a impeller kit also.
Second; I have read where you guys are using an 8” friction disk P/N 65604025A. That disk looks to have a threaded stud for mounting and a full flat face. Mine is bored through, 5/8” id bearing up front and a ½” id bearing on the friction side. It slips on the shaft and held with a snap ring. Does anyone know if there is an 8” disk with this configuration? If my little flat drive doesn’t work I’ll need one.
I'll post some picks when I figure out how??


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## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

Here is what I have started:








Sorry, these came in out of order


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

The larger pulley on the engine to drive the impeller will get you more distance. The impeller kit too. It will also help to sand the chute and paint that up nice and smooth.

Can't help with the rest of your questions.


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## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

Shryp said:


> The larger pulley on the engine to drive the impeller will get you more distance. The impeller kit too.


Do you know if anyone has done the math on this or is it more of a trial and error thing. There must some sweet spot as far as impeller tip velocity, I want to be kind to my auger gearbox as well. 
I also find it interesting the *220 was offered in a 4, 5, 6, and 7 hp versions and the pulleys for the blower remained the same, the only benefit to the bigger engines on "stock" units is the ability to move more snow quicker, not any further (as long as your not lugging the lower hp engine that is).


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## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

definately show pics of the setup on teh belts.. I bet lots of folks are gonna like your idea.. its a 2nd option to converting a one shaft to a double shaft application 

also nice touch on using an OHC engine  

about your disc.. think you could resort to making an arbour with your ecisting disc to adapt to whats easier to come by??.. its the only solution I could think up on the fly


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## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

Finally got the pulleys delivered today, stopped by the ACE hardware home center to pick up some long 5/16-24 bolts to mount them and found they also had some nice heavy spacer bushings. I needed 5/8” behind the idlers and ended up buying 3/8” and ¼” to get the stack height. Also picked up the ¾”id x1” od bushing there as well. I hand cut half a woodruff key slot with a file and shaped one end of the motor key to lock into it. The blower pulley set screw locks it all together. Just ordered the AX39 v-belt for the traction drive. Nice thing about this setup (if it works) is it keeps the idler pulley on the slack side of the belt and no need to flip the drive.
My only other challenges ahead are modifying the belt cover, discharge chute crank, and build a warm air box around the carb.


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## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

*It's alive!!*



Marty013 said:


> definately show pics of the setup on teh belts.. I bet lots of folks are gonna like your idea.. its a 2nd option to converting a one shaft to a double shaft application


 Ok, I finally made some progress on the old snapper. Used a 40” (3VX400) belt on the drive. I know it goes against all v-belt manufacturer recommendations to back bend a belt with this small of radius but the actual belt speed is not real fast and with the gear reduction there is not much load at the motor shaft. I let it run a good 15 min and the belt just got warm not hot at all. For clearance I had to flip the blower idler, use a carriage bolt. And bend a slight offset in the lever it mounts to. Also made a warm air box, its a little crude but the best I could do without a metal brake. Impeller kit uses the side wall from a BF Goodrich T/A . Now, I just got to work on the belt cover, tune up the engine, and paint.
Here is a not so good video (I don’t do well on camera) of it running.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Good job. I had considered something similar once, but I convinced myself there wasn't enough room for the parts and that it wouldn't work without a lot of fabrication work which I didn't have tools for.

Great job proving me wrong.


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## RoyP (Oct 16, 2014)

Very nice......let us know how it works throwing your snow.


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## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

Shryp said:


> Good job. I had considered something similar once, but I convinced myself there wasn't enough room for the parts and that it wouldn't work without a lot of fabrication work which I didn't have tools for.
> 
> Great job proving me wrong.


Yea, access to the right tools is everything! If I had access to a lathe I would have done this a little different. I'd actually prefer a small v-pulley on the motor shaft and run flat pulleys everywhere else, turn the belt inside out and it would be golden. I think a custom 8" flat pulley to go over the friction plate would be fun to make, but sometimes you got to work with what you got!
We will see how the belt life is and go from there....


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

bnurczyk said:


> Ok, I finally made some progress on the old snapper. Used a 40” (3VX400) belt on the drive. I know it goes against all v-belt manufacturer recommendations to back bend a belt with this small of radius but the actual belt speed is not real fast and with the gear reduction there is not much load at the motor shaft. I let it run a good 15 min and the belt just got warm not hot at all. For clearance I had to flip the blower idler, use a carriage bolt. And bend a slight offset in the lever it mounts to. Also made a warm air box, its a little crude but the best I could do without a metal brake. Impeller kit uses the side wall from a BF Goodrich T/A . Now, I just got to work on the belt cover, tune up the engine, and paint.
> Here is a not so good video (I don’t do well on camera) of it running. http://youtu.be/iG_tdX0dSXg




Good creative work. Nice fabrication of a heater box too. *I am always amazed at the ability of the Snowblower forum members to come up with solutions for problems.* Two shaft engine to single shaft engine. No problem with a double pulley system. No flipping of the transmission required. I have 5 forward and 2 reverse speeds on my MTD however I needed to flip the transmission and cut and weld the shift linkage to allow for clearence of the friction wheel. Others have used a stack of washers on the shaft of the gear select lever to push it back enough to allow the elbow to clear the friction wheel. 

I am interested in seeing how well that dual shaft Predator engine that another member on this forum made works. I am totally blown away with the precision of that machine work. He must be a machinist by trade in order to do that.


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## bnurczyk (Oct 21, 2014)

GustoGuy said:


> Good creative work. Nice fabrication of a heater box too. *I am always amazed at the ability of the Snowblower forum members to come up with solutions for problems.* Two shaft engine to single shaft engine. No problem with a double pulley system. No flipping of the transmission required. I have 5 forward and 2 reverse speeds on my MTD however I needed to flip the transmission and cut and weld the shift linkage to allow for clearence of the friction wheel. Others have used a stack of washers on the shaft of the gear select lever to push it back enough to allow the elbow to clear the friction wheel.
> 
> I am interested in seeing how well that dual shaft Predator engine that another member on this forum made works. I am totally blown away with the precision of that machine work. He must be a machinist by trade in order to do that.


 Thanks for the compliments, I'm a machinery mechanic by trade in the plastics industry, work on molding presses, robots, and other custom automation. Seen lots of ingenious ways to transmit power over the years. 
Anyways, what is the title of the thread with the custom two shaft engine? I did a couple of quick searches but it didn't come up, definitely want to check out that one!


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

No matter what happens, it is a work of beauty. 

Welcome, and great work!

You may consider relocating the kill switch up on the handlebar panel, just to make it easier to kill, in the event that you would need too.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

bnurczyk said:


> Anyways, what is the title of the thread with the custom two shaft engine? I did a couple of quick searches but it didn't come up, definitely want to check out that one!


http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...ginia-there-preator-212-two-shaft-engine.html


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