Things to know about the Harbor Freight Predator 212 Non-Hemi

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  • Опубліковано 7 лют 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 24

  • @CrawdaddyCustoms
    @CrawdaddyCustoms 7 місяців тому +6

    Thanks for the tear down- learned a few things.
    I had no idea there were Hemi lawn mower engines.

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  7 місяців тому +4

      Yep, they exist. You can have every hemi head in my pile though. They sound like a good thing but it doesn’t scale down well. Very little meat to port, cut spring pockets, etc.

  • @abandonedbag720
    @abandonedbag720 22 дні тому +1

    man this helps alot i have 3 bare blocks i have 1 honda gx200 block and 2 blocks by the name of propoint (canada) i have no idea what the hell parts i should buy for them being honda or predator

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  21 день тому +1

      @@abandonedbag720 It can get confusing. Get out your dial caliper and your micrometer and measure then make sure the parts you buy are suitable. I will build Predators for people but I prefer to start fresh with a Ducar/Tillotson block.

  • @190SkyTeam
    @190SkyTeam 6 днів тому

    Speaking of the Wildcat 223 that's what I'm trying to get but they're out of stock.. I would like to get the Wildcat 460 instead but it's too big would have to modify my mini bike frame

  • @Deucealive75
    @Deucealive75 7 місяців тому +3

    Initially the differences were because of the lawsuit. Remember the Harbor freight Greyhound? That had a unique block and a "5 bolt" head. The Baja minibikes came with a 196 that used a block with tank mounts like the non hemi 212 . Even though we called them clones they weren't an exact clone of the GX200.
    I agree 100% and will never get a Pred 212 for the minibike hobby. There are just too many better engines out there these days for not that much more money, and more importantly use clone parts.
    Not long after the Pred 212 came out (2011) there were guys saying "What do you mean wrong taper? I run 7500 RPM without a problem". A lot of guys are still using clone flywheels on their non hemi Predators. The current and very popular $30 cast aluminum flywheels have clone tapers but are actually advertised to fit Predator non hemi. It's crazy but I'll never have that issue.
    Year after year there are guys who are new to this ordering the wrong parts for their Predator 212's. I feel bad for them.

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  7 місяців тому +1

      @@Deucealive75 Great information. I knew it was something like that but wasn’t 100% sure on the facts when doing the video. I do a lot of Predator non-hemis for people just because they are cheap and plentiful but definitely not my favorite.

    • @Deucealive75
      @Deucealive75 7 місяців тому +1

      @@WalkerSmallEnginePerformance What's your opinion on the inexpensive cast aluminum flywheels? Even though I'm not running a lot of RPM I use them. I had a quick look and they come timed around 18-20 degrees. I just set them at 32 and torque them down without a key.

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  7 місяців тому +1

      @@Deucealive75 I put one on my stepson’s bike and it’s worked good. I’ll also install them for someone who’s looking to do a mild build but doesn’t have much money to spend. Not my favorite but definitely better than stock.

    • @williamdillingham5781
      @williamdillingham5781 4 місяці тому +1

      There is a difference between the non hemi and the hemi taper on those crankshafts

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  4 місяці тому

      @@williamdillingham5781 Yep

  • @gavinhodge2290
    @gavinhodge2290 2 місяці тому +1

    I thought california did away with small engines? So how do you ride your build, in the middle of the night...if they catch you do you get a felony rap for having a predator 212 and 30 yrs to life? Long before i retired i discovered that tapers would lock down tight if it was a 5 degree angle or less, as you mentioned with most morse tapers or taper pins etc....thanks very informative!

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  2 місяці тому +1

      @@gavinhodge2290 It’s hard to get new engines but not impossible. You’ll get hassled for riding in some towns, not in others. I stick to or rural areas if possible and it’s almost never a problem. It’s possible that some of the rules regarding small engines here may not survive. Let’s hope that’s the case.

  • @middlesiderrider
    @middlesiderrider 7 місяців тому +2

    Great info in this video. The last minibike engine i built was an old flathead 5hp Briggs twenty years ago. I did all the kart racing tricks (told to me by the owner of the local kart supply), including a 3 degree advance key, stepped header, ported block, and two exhaust valve springs from(iirc) the new for the time Briggs Animal engine. It doubled the speed of my old Speedway Scorpion minibike, doing somewhere above 50mph. Too many high speed full throttle runs eventually burned the rings out and I gave the bike away to some kids.
    But I'm always on the lookout for another cheap minibike/gokart engine. One question-It was generally accepted that the old Briggs cast iron flywheel could take rpm fine, but if you stupidly replaced it with the cast aluminum version(from a 3hp i think) you were creating a grenade. What's the deal with the Predator flywheel? Are they fragile because of cheap manufacturing?

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  7 місяців тому +2

      @@middlesiderrider Those old flatheads were cool. I worked on tons of them when I was a kid. The predator flywheel magnet is held on by a single screw and some glue. It will fly off at higher rpm. The casting is also pretty bad and can come apart. Best to install a billet flywheel or a cast aluminum with pinned magnets. I’m planning a video on that.

  • @iowafox2206
    @iowafox2206 3 місяці тому

    Makes me kinda glad that I only use my Predator 212 non hemi for my tiller and it's 100% stock. I've got a Ducar 212 on my pressure washer and I was under the impression they where the same.
    Could you do a video about adding a throttle lever onto a ducar engine? I'd like to add a throttle lever like the predator has stock onto my pressure washer (ducar) that's got a fixed throttle position.
    I haven't done much work like this to these engines besides swapping carburetors and oil changes.

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  3 місяці тому +1

      You mean the throttle lever that you set and it holds that speed? I’ve never added one. I’ve always taken them off and installed an upgraded carb.

    • @iowafox2206
      @iowafox2206 3 місяці тому

      @@WalkerSmallEnginePerformance yup the standard lever style that comes factory. If not it's all good.

  • @williamdillingham5781
    @williamdillingham5781 4 місяці тому +1

    One of those 212 actually has a Morse taper and of course the other one does not

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  4 місяці тому

      @@williamdillingham5781 They all have a taper but the taper on the Predator-212 non-hemi is different than everything else.

  • @taxxzempt3576
    @taxxzempt3576 7 місяців тому +2

    What’s the price difference one the Honda Vs predator ?

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  7 місяців тому +3

      @@taxxzempt3576 A genuine Honda is expensive. A GX200 is around $379. I’d use one in a mower or other equipment because they are reliable and durable but I’d probably not do it on a mini bike or kart. The predator 212 is $149. You can get them on sale for $99. That’s before modification of course. You can buy a Wildcat 223 or Predator 212 for $179 at the moment and they are both more “standard”. The Tillotson and Ducar can both be purchased for less than $300. All are Honda copies, the Predator 212 is just slightly different than most of the others.

  • @tomwarren5258
    @tomwarren5258 5 місяців тому +1

    Maybe somebody there can help me out I’ve got a predator to 12 after bark through the carburetor. I’ve adjusted the lash on how many times the flywheel key is good but I just keep getting that after popping the carburetor cause someone told me what to do.

    • @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance
      @WalkerSmallEnginePerformance  5 місяців тому

      When does it pop through the carb? All the time? On deceleration? On acceleration? You could have a fuel mixture problem due to jetting or some other problem. Could also be a bad intake valve.