Disclaimer: At TMH we love & respect all things tractor related. We don’t have anything against the Kohler K series of engines, we understand they are great pieces of equipment. The fact they are still around and in many cases running strong is enough said. However, we also appreciate newer engines and technologies and will continue to retrofit them into our aging vehicles!
Love the intro. Never had so many issues with kohlers must be a John Deere thing! Solid fabrication work and a great job! Horses are so much simpler! I’m convinced I need a mask with a flip up darkener. Steffan go full speed! So cute!
Nothing against Kohler K’s really, just bringing the humor! The Kohler Magnum in Steffen’s Wheel Horse runs like a sewing machine and is very quiet. Starts right up too. John Deere dropped the ball when they substituted a variator instead of a high/ low range transmission. That belt setup works great when it works but they seem to have more problems than it’s worth. The flip up darkener is key! I had an auto darkener once but it took batteries and didn’t always darken when it should. This one is cheap, simple and cheap! Think I got it at TSC
@@Tennesseemountainhomestead I know I’m messing. Quality wise the kohlers are great for workers. They aren’t so fond of RPM like some of the others. I read your disclaimer lol. Never was a fan of vari drives. Wheel horse had one on the old old RJ 35 from the 50’s. I just don’t think their tough like a HI/LO
@@AbbyNormalGarage they’re definitely not 😅 when I first got my 214 I saw all the videos on how to adjust the vari-drive. I never even tried it out. Just knew in my soul it had to go and I created my own single belt clutch setup for it
@@Tennesseemountainhomestead I wanted a cool whip to cruise around on. I ended up trying to put a ~3kw brushless motor on it. It worked but between the jackshaft and that 2300 trans it the mechanials were so loud it wasn't worth it So, im going to remove everything from the trans except the axle, and then put a sprocket on it.
I might. I opened up the transmission and removed all the but the rear axle. Im going to put a freewheel (like a bicycle but beefier) inside the trans so I can coast. It should be quieter inside the trans case. I'll use a belt from the electric motor to the live axle. I think with 3KW motor and live axle it should do about 20.
LMBO so I'm a guy who is not a mechanic. I got one of these all original but rough. And this may be a guide to something I might have to do. So I will definitely be watching this series. Great video thank you. God Bless y'all
Thank you! This was the “easiest” way I could figure to locate the new engine into the chassis. I don’t have any fancy equipment, just a bunch of hand held power tools and a good welder. We are gonna be back finishing it up today and the next video will be out soon, we appreciate the kind words and comments!
Haha that’s great to hear, we wanted to try something different for an opening this time. It’s been a while since our last skit. I gotta catch up on a couple of your videos, I’m subscribed to a lot of people and it’s hard to keep up. Plus being busy! Anyway it’s good to hear from you, thank you for the comment!
It’s all good! I appreciate ya’ll and keep up the good work. Using the shaft collar to locate the new engine was a great idea! I’ve always winged my predator swaps with a harbor freight tape and a string line lol!
Nice, fun, and informative video! Great job getting the new predator installed. I'll be patient for the next video for the obvious things needed. 😉 I was curious if you had thought about any storage activities or something under the fenders where the gas tank once was? It would take some engineering. Then again... empty space is nice too. 😁
Thank you! Steffen and I were just out there looking at it. We did all the work and the skit on Monday. We didn’t get to work on it today but will be finishing it out tomorrow (hopefully). The front hood support will have to be modified for sure. The only way around that would be to relocate the carb or use an aftermarket slide type. But that isn’t needed on this application. This tractor is only a worker and puller. If we leave the gas tank in place we will have to cut the side cowl for it to fit. And if we leave the air box the hood can’t close. What I came up with is relocating the gas tank up and back to where the battery normally goes. The empty space there is the perfect size for it. Then I think we are going to build a platform for the battery to sit on under the seat where the stock gas tank was. The plastic cover for the air filter is the reason the hood won’t be able to fit. That’s gonna be easy. We are going to tastefully cut it down so it still clips on the intake and holds the air filter down. Yet the hood will easily fit after it’s cut. These mods in my opinion are going to be the fun ones compared to getting the engine in place. Other than that we have to extend the wiring for the key switch, but that’s gonna be easy. I also want to make the pull starter accessible outside the cowling, if it’s not easy to just reach in and pull it. I’m excited for this mower, I gotta be honest. The new motor is really cool. I wish I had the tools/ know how/ time & $$ to make one of those old Kohler K’s reliable and powerful. I have the inside track membership at Harbor Freight. I bought it last year and I really don’t go there very often. Anyway, I (Steffen that is) got 20% off the motor and with tax it came out to $333. Not bad for what you get. I’ve got a Predator 420 on a generator I’ve had since 2016. I’ve seen it run for over a week at a time without ever shutting it off. Fueling it while it ran. It’s gotten us through 2 or 3 hurricanes, countless power outages and another week here in TN after an ice storm. All I’ve ever done to it is a couple oil changes. In my experience Predator makes some great motors.
It’s gonna take some modifications to make the hood support and left side cowl fit…and something else that we aren’t doing is replacing the PTO and belt twist for the deck. However, I know it’d be possible, just need basic fab skills and hot glue gun for steel 😄
@@TennesseemountainhomesteadI’ll be in the 212 for the second time. Blown head gasket, valve adjustment. Now it needs a valve job. Some fab work doesn’t sound so bad right now lol
@@TractorDad we just got done working on it all day again. Spoiler alert: you gotta relocate the gas tank on the Predator for the side cowl to fit. Also gotta modify the air cleaner cover for the hood. We put the gas tank where the battery normally goes. Then built a tray for the battery under the seat pan where the stock gas tank was. The stock dash throttle works with the linkage on the motor. We still have some more work to do like belt catches by the engine pulley. I think we are gonna put the whole plate that was bolted to the Kohler back in there. It has all that stuff built into it. Otherwise it’s coming along and we are very excited and happy with it so far.
Yup these old kohler motors were known for all these issues especially valve knocking and head gaskets failing. For those of you whoever decide to own an old garden tractor like this be prepared to have your wallet ready for the frequent maintenance and repairs these old tractors are gonna need.
Disclaimer: At TMH we love & respect all things tractor related. We don’t have anything against the Kohler K series of engines, we understand they are great pieces of equipment. The fact they are still around and in many cases running strong is enough said. However, we also appreciate newer engines and technologies and will continue to retrofit them into our aging vehicles!
I 100% agree with that I’ve only had bad experiences with K series engines
@@ClarkWhidby 😄
🤘🤘🤘 currently doing a 460 swap in a cub cadet but have been wanting to swap my 212 but I want to keep the mower deck functional as well
Love the intro. Never had so many issues with kohlers must be a John Deere thing! Solid fabrication work and a great job! Horses are so much simpler! I’m convinced I need a mask with a flip up darkener. Steffan go full speed! So cute!
Nothing against Kohler K’s really, just bringing the humor! The Kohler Magnum in Steffen’s Wheel Horse runs like a sewing machine and is very quiet. Starts right up too. John Deere dropped the ball when they substituted a variator instead of a high/ low range transmission. That belt setup works great when it works but they seem to have more problems than it’s worth. The flip up darkener is key! I had an auto darkener once but it took batteries and didn’t always darken when it should. This one is cheap, simple and cheap! Think I got it at TSC
@@Tennesseemountainhomestead I know I’m messing. Quality wise the kohlers are great for workers. They aren’t so fond of RPM like some of the others. I read your disclaimer lol. Never was a fan of vari drives. Wheel horse had one on the old old RJ 35 from the 50’s. I just don’t think their tough like a HI/LO
@@AbbyNormalGarage they’re definitely not 😅 when I first got my 214 I saw all the videos on how to adjust the vari-drive. I never even tried it out. Just knew in my soul it had to go and I created my own single belt clutch setup for it
Great production value! Good tip on jig for crank shaft spot locator.
@@BigFishEnergy thank you! I really appreciate the compliment! I’m glad you found something useful as well! 😊
@@Tennesseemountainhomestead I wanted a cool whip to cruise around on. I ended up trying to put a ~3kw brushless motor on it. It worked but between the jackshaft and that 2300 trans it the mechanials were so loud it wasn't worth it So, im going to remove everything from the trans except the axle, and then put a sprocket on it.
@@BigFishEnergy that sounds really cool, maybe post a video of it when it’s done!
I might. I opened up the transmission and removed all the but the rear axle. Im going to put a freewheel (like a bicycle but beefier) inside the trans so I can coast. It should be quieter inside the trans case. I'll use a belt from the electric motor to the live axle. I think with 3KW motor and live axle it should do about 20.
@@BigFishEnergy that’s a pretty cool setup I’m very interested in how you did it. Hopefully you can get a video on it
LMBO so I'm a guy who is not a mechanic. I got one of these all original but rough. And this may be a guide to something I might have to do. So I will definitely be watching this series. Great video thank you. God Bless y'all
Thank you! This was the “easiest” way I could figure to locate the new engine into the chassis. I don’t have any fancy equipment, just a bunch of hand held power tools and a good welder. We are gonna be back finishing it up today and the next video will be out soon, we appreciate the kind words and comments!
You guys had me at the Intro 😂 Great work!!
Haha that’s great to hear, we wanted to try something different for an opening this time. It’s been a while since our last skit. I gotta catch up on a couple of your videos, I’m subscribed to a lot of people and it’s hard to keep up. Plus being busy! Anyway it’s good to hear from you, thank you for the comment!
It’s all good! I appreciate ya’ll and keep up the good work. Using the shaft collar to locate the new engine was a great idea! I’ve always winged my predator swaps with a harbor freight tape and a string line lol!
Love the sales pitch 😂
Thanks Rob we love you too 😄
The Kohler trash can drop hurt my soul a bit 😂 but overall a good video!
There was a ton of cushion in the bottom of the can 😄 motor is fine
Great video, good job.
@@ROMAN63706 thank you!
As soon as I saw the thumbnail I had to click.😅 watched the whole thing, good stuff !
We tried to bring the funny 😁 thank you for the compliment!
Awesome! I’ve always wondered about doing this kind of thing if I got my hands on a garden tractor
Full size garden tractor is 110% better than average lawn tractor in my opinion. Whenever I get on anything besides my 214 it’s like getting on a toy
I did the same thing to mu 1985 214. Instead of using the key to start it, I wired up a push button start with a kill switch.
@@frios011 nice work! I’ve been wanting to use a push button start on one of these too.
Nice, fun, and informative video! Great job getting the new predator installed. I'll be patient for the next video for the obvious things needed. 😉 I was curious if you had thought about any storage activities or something under the fenders where the gas tank once was? It would take some engineering. Then again... empty space is nice too. 😁
Thank you! Steffen and I were just out there looking at it. We did all the work and the skit on Monday. We didn’t get to work on it today but will be finishing it out tomorrow (hopefully). The front hood support will have to be modified for sure. The only way around that would be to relocate the carb or use an aftermarket slide type. But that isn’t needed on this application. This tractor is only a worker and puller. If we leave the gas tank in place we will have to cut the side cowl for it to fit. And if we leave the air box the hood can’t close. What I came up with is relocating the gas tank up and back to where the battery normally goes. The empty space there is the perfect size for it. Then I think we are going to build a platform for the battery to sit on under the seat where the stock gas tank was. The plastic cover for the air filter is the reason the hood won’t be able to fit. That’s gonna be easy. We are going to tastefully cut it down so it still clips on the intake and holds the air filter down. Yet the hood will easily fit after it’s cut.
These mods in my opinion are going to be the fun ones compared to getting the engine in place. Other than that we have to extend the wiring for the key switch, but that’s gonna be easy.
I also want to make the pull starter accessible outside the cowling, if it’s not easy to just reach in and pull it. I’m excited for this mower, I gotta be honest. The new motor is really cool. I wish I had the tools/ know how/ time & $$ to make one of those old Kohler K’s reliable and powerful. I have the inside track membership at Harbor Freight. I bought it last year and I really don’t go there very often. Anyway, I (Steffen that is) got 20% off the motor and with tax it came out to $333. Not bad for what you get. I’ve got a Predator 420 on a generator I’ve had since 2016. I’ve seen it run for over a week at a time without ever shutting it off. Fueling it while it ran. It’s gotten us through 2 or 3 hurricanes, countless power outages and another week here in TN after an ice storm. All I’ve ever done to it is a couple oil changes. In my experience Predator makes some great motors.
🤔 hmm I’ve got a 212 and a predator that would fix it. Can’t wait to see it finished 👊
It’s gonna take some modifications to make the hood support and left side cowl fit…and something else that we aren’t doing is replacing the PTO and belt twist for the deck. However, I know it’d be possible, just need basic fab skills and hot glue gun for steel 😄
@@TennesseemountainhomesteadI’ll be in the 212 for the second time. Blown head gasket, valve adjustment. Now it needs a valve job. Some fab work doesn’t sound so bad right now lol
@@TractorDad we just got done working on it all day again. Spoiler alert: you gotta relocate the gas tank on the Predator for the side cowl to fit. Also gotta modify the air cleaner cover for the hood. We put the gas tank where the battery normally goes. Then built a tray for the battery under the seat pan where the stock gas tank was. The stock dash throttle works with the linkage on the motor. We still have some more work to do like belt catches by the engine pulley. I think we are gonna put the whole plate that was bolted to the Kohler back in there. It has all that stuff built into it. Otherwise it’s coming along and we are very excited and happy with it so far.
Yup these old kohler motors were known for all these issues especially valve knocking and head gaskets failing. For those of you whoever decide to own an old garden tractor like this be prepared to have your wallet ready for the frequent maintenance and repairs these old tractors are gonna need.
@@deanfarr3249 yes sir!
oh sugar
😄
Do you happen to live in a van down by the river? 😂
Let me tell you about my life, LIVING IN A VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER!