Predator vs. Honda for a splitter

Ugh ! Once again, the one 1/3rd owner of my trusty I/O 22T splitter jacked it up again.
I was at the repair shop today and the mechanic asked me what I knew about the splitter. I didn't even know it was back in the county. He showed me and it looks/sounds like the connecting rod bolts came out. Its not in the recoil housing.
This is a Honda GX 160- 5.5hp.
I've seen them online for $350- $390, repair shop wants $450 + install.

The Predators seem to enjoy a decent reputation. I can't find info on a direct swap for the Honda though.
Any direction would be appreciated. I'm not against going to the 8hp engine either.
Pros/ cons ? Thanks, JB.

 

I would go Ch-onda as the reviews are mostly very positive. If there is a Lovejoy, what else do you need, bolt pattern? Should be an easy enough swap but can't say I have done it.

 

Fix the gx160? If the crank isn't scarred up a new conrod should be cheap enough. New crank should even be less than $50.

 

Curious of what the 1/3rd owner may have done to Jack it up? I have that same splitter and engine and have never had an issue with it, I bought it used off Craig's list some years ago and could tell it was ran hard and probobly abused. But the Honda motor was the main reason I bought it.

 

Mine has been awesome. I say save the money and go Harbor Freight for $99. IMHO, as a mechanic that works on this stuff for a living, this motor is just as good as the Honda.

 

Gotta disagree with you there Bret. I worked in a small engine shop for 3 years and nothing is tougher than a Honda or a Subaru. I prefer Honda due to simplicity. The Subys have a timing chain making them more time consuming to repair. I have seen Hondas that look like they were sitting outside in Nagasaki when the bomb dropped that would still run (oilfield guys are hard on stuff). 98% of Honda failures I saw were attributed to crap fuel or total disregard for maintenance.

I don't yet have faith in the Chinese copy-cat market...tolerances aren't there just yet. Does a person just pay for the name on a Stihl or Echo chainsaw? Would a person buy a fully equipped Chinese copy of an F150 for $5,000? Some would, but I wouldn't. Their bold and blatant copyright and patent infringement bothers me. Incapable of designing a good product so they just copy everyone else...cheaply.

I'm interested in the details of the problem with the engine. Is rolling it over the only diagnosis they did at this repair shop? It takes all of 8 bolts and 2 minutes to pull the drive-side engine case off and have a look inside.

Oh and by the way...I'd get out of that 1/3 owner situation.

 

Not a fan of the copycat thing either and also not really a fan of the throw away society we seem to be turning into.

My choice was similar to Bk's other than the 1/3rd owner part. Spend a lot on a name or a little on a risk. Risk has paid off for me enough that I don't hesitate to recommend it.

 

I understand why folks buy them. I just hate the fact that in the long run it diminishes the quality of product available to us not to mention putting repair guys out of a job. Who's gonna pay $50/hour to get something fixed when they can just go buy a new one? I made my living working on stuff for a while and know people that still do. It's just a bad downward spiral in my opinion that only helps the owners of the Chinese factory that makes them. Also stymies innovation and improvement. Why would Honda spend money developing newer, better designs only to have Predator rip them off and cut their legs out from underneath them. Cheap vs quality seems like an uncomplicated decision, but it's not.

 

reel mowers, gangable?

 

Reel mowers for a golf course. I'm the Equipment Manager for the Golf and Grounds department here: Golf Home | Golf and I also have a business I run out of my home shop nights and weekends repairing golf course equipment.

 

I would also agree with the HF china honda clone. You hit the nail RCBS sure of the rod is not fallen it may be $40. But you have labor to tear into it then replace it. At that point you can buy a new HF motor.

I borrow a buddies splitter. He went the HF motor way about 5 years ago. The thing will crank one pull...assuming you remember to turn the ignition on, after sitting for 6 months.

It's smooth quiet. Has a choke, fuel cutoff and a throttle . Most new engines don't seem to have these. Not saying honda don't but you get my point.

If that motor threw a rod right now I would go buy him another. He and I both use it to split our wood and we have gotten his money out of it. I work on other stuff for him and help him so he let's me use the splitter.

 

I used to have a deal with a buddy on wood. One day, he'd come and help me out, then another day, I'd go help him out. At some point, I was the only one helping out. So now we both cut and split on our own which is stupid because firewood gettin is always easier with 2 sets of hands.

I guess I take the labor somewhat for granted on a small engine repair because I would never pay any. Honestly, the GX series is soooooo easy to work on. I bet I could talk someone through a crank/rod replacement over the phone. I don't say it's easy because I have experience either...it truly is a beautifully simplistic design. Timing marks on all the gears, like 8 parts total inside the crankcase. Worst part for an average person would be not having a ring compressor to get the piston back into the cylinder but there are alternative methods that can be used.

Still intrigued to hear further details on the engine failure. Never seen/heard of one having the rod caps come loose? They will grenade if you unplug the low oil shutdown and run them dry, but otherwise the crank/conrod are quite stout. This might be a case where some emory cloth on the crank and a new rod/cap would get it going again. Does the crank spin completely freely?

 

Yes the Japanese could and did/do built some simplistic machines.

I love my old yanmar tractor. Pure simplistic design that one with common hand tools and a decent mechanical ability can work on and repair. It is so effecient on fuel too and lots of low end grunt out of those 2 big cyls

 

I love stuff from Japan. Their manufacturing was a joke for the first few decades after WWII, but once they got their act together they started producing quality products that rival or surpass most everything in the world. Ford fathered mass production, Japan gave it strict quality control. Sadly, just like us their manufacturing has been on the decline due to the China slave labor wages.

 

I'd make the tool who broke it buy you out of it, and go buy yourself another one.

He broke it, he buys it, or pays the repair.

 

I think they go in 1/3 on repairs. But I would hate having to replace engines every few years even if I am paying 1/3 of the bill only.

 

Not certain but low oil level was probably the culprit. The service guy said it had clean oil, and the other guy told me he changed the oil, after he used it.
And then it wouldn't start. uuuhm sure, whatever.

 

So, he's going to buy the new Predator but I'll install it. After it's in and running, he's out. The other third is tired of this happening also, so 2/3 beats 1/3.
We split the $333.33 to buy him out and it's done.
Then, I'll tear into the Honda to see what went wrong. If the fix is cost effective we'll spring for it and have a spare.
It's a good splitter, always has been.
So which Predator is closest to the GX? I saw HF carries a few different models.