Thanks for posting this- Ive got a Simple City Signature Pro - same looking as yours but my engine roasted this evening and I was looking for a replacement. I was going to pick up some old POS and use that this winter but now - I'll step up from the ten horse to the 13 horse. You make it look really possible - not a walk in the park but with a bit of time and tinkering I should be fine - Thanks
glad you liked. the biggest probs were the linkage for rotating the chute and the bracing that wasn't visible/didnt know was there when i tried to drill new mounting holes. Let me know how you make out :D
Did the same on a Arians deluxe 28 , works flawlessly and will eat snow without breaking a sweat, I mounted a battery for lights and the electric start which is so nice, a little issue with ice buildup near the governor linkage but was blizzard conditions and extremely cold . I still run the air filter and the only thing I need to change is a main jet , it’s needs to go up one size .
Replace aTecumseh 8 hp on a simplicity 870 with a 301cc predator 8 hp, no drilling ,holes line up for mount, cover and crank work like before no altering, only needed one inch bore pulleys from tractor supply 2 of them and 2 new belts ,43 inch and 35 inch...done works beautiful...
I got off of the Snowblower Forum because it was a continual battle between old engines vs. new Chinese engines and arguing over Tecumseh's suck and Briggs do this and I have several Chinese engines and they are great. I am glad to see someone replace an engine and enjoy it and not push one over the other. BY the WAY for some commenters below....I still have the original TEC-HM-80 and it is running perfect and I took the cover off after doing a proper off season storage(REMOVE GAS FOG CYLINDER ETC, ETC, ETC.) Checked fresh oil level oil was clean and still light yellow amberish and First PULL...Started up and cleared the heaviest lead snow you have seen in a long time....this was maybe 4 inches of LEAD snow....The snow plow literally got stuck and was the spinning tires type of heavy LEAD snow and had to chug to push snow. Tecumseh ran great and attacked it. ANYWHO glad to see the swap went well. Look forward to hearing more on the outcome Sterling!!! Still very interested in predator and your take.
So happy I found this video. Just picked up an old 860 from the mid 80's. I was hoping the 13hp predator would work. Have you had any issues with the drive train breaking things or has it held up strong?
Everything held up just fine. I mean I had other things here and there that needed attention, but it is like 30+ years old. Nothing I could attribute to a bigger engine. Really the only slightly adverse thing that I didn't notice right away was it moved the center of gravity back a little so it was a bit less front heavy.
I need your help. So i went to mount my motor and realized the shaft on my old motor is 3/4 but the predator motor shaft is 1 in. Whats the id# of your blower? Im hoping i can still make this work.
@@aharkins6 do you mean what model? If so it's a 860. As for the pulley, about all I can say is that you'd probably have to replace the pulley. If it was the other way around where your pulley was 1" and shaft was 3/4, there are adaptors. Now where to get a new pulley. I would assume either a local small engine shop may have something, and you could match up the outside diameter in person. Otherwise I would guess amazon? Only thing that might screw with replacing pulley is if the outside diameter is slightly different, may need a different size belt. But try to get one with as close to the diameter as what you have, just with bigger hole for the shaft. Hope this helps.
@@sterline80 On the back of the main frame, mine has a sticker with an ID # on it that is used to order parts. That's the number im looking for. Mine is an 860 as well but the original motor on mine is a tecumseh and not the brigs yours had. Im hoping that I can use your id number to figure out the correct pulley and belts to get. Is your pulley a 1in id?
Sterline....Did you have to modify belt cover and how did you do so??? Also you mention you were worried about snapping belts and shear pins....any problemsafter a couple of winters??? I have I believe the same model 870...I love it. Was also wondering how it performs as opposed to old 8hp.....Does it have same power or greater....Does it throw snow further??? Thanks....I have been eyeing the predator for a while and was wondering if more HP had an ill affects on the body and parts???
+FreedomRock44 The belt cover fit fine with no modification. The power is at least the same, i assume more, but it runs SO much better that it seems night and day. As for throwing the snow, it is about the same. The reason is that the engine still only spins at similar RPM which spins the belt which spins the auger. I have noticed that it starts easier the next time if I just choke it out instead of turning the key off. I never really use the electric start because it almost always starts on first pull anyway. I never actually changed the belts, still, and they keep working.
The old briggs probably has points ignition and they require adjustment or to be replaced every few years. alot of times the carb is blamed when it is spark that is the problem. you can get a new coil for them that solid state and will run way better
I have a 10 horse Briggs that I'm looking to swap out with this motor. My question is do you know if the pto shaft is the same as your 8hp and was it the same 1 inch shaft on the 8hp as the new motor?
Dominick Bowes the shaft was the same size and reused the old pulley. If you go to the harbor freight website, and go to the engine, you can actually get the owners manual in a pdf if I remember right. It has a pretty comprehensive page that gives all the measurements of mounting holes, shaft sizes, etc.
wow great video. I have the same snowblower with an old tired Techumseh. does the new engine perform much better? mine only throws snow about 15 ft. I can do an engine swap or just buy a new blower. Undecided
So remember v the engine will run at X rpm with turns the belt/blade assembly. Unless you speed the engine up, the blades with spin at the same speed. Since this video I replaced basically the front chute part with a donor snowblower and the snow shoots much further afterwards
Yeah they do run like junk huh. My 555 works fine, but good point it made me think of all the adjustments, carbs, parts, primers, etc..maybe ill swap over.
Stephen Cunningham yes so far so good. I have yet to start it up for this winter though. I'll do that in the next few weeks. But this will be year number 5!
I hope you didn't throw away the briggs, its an old flat head motor. Hard to find. We have the little brother version that is 7HP from 1971 on our Toro snow thrower, has tons of torque. But the reason why mine and your run like crap until you really load em up is that old school updraft carb. Its best to re-tune it pretty much every time you use it....
I purchased a new carb kit... it wasnt right, had a different carb installed once apon a time and supposedly the old one is discontinued or something. I bought a brand new briggs carb to replace what was on it and it was super touchy in regards to mixture. temp affected it, ambient and engine. even like a 16th of turn of screw and everything would go haywire. it was easiest to control mixture via the choke.
joeyf504327 Nah, who knows maybe the predator will be a one year wonder... this way i can always go back to stock. between that and when it comes to mechanical stuff, im kinda a pack rat. i still have small block chevs that im not sure what to do with sitting in the corner of the garage
Rtard is right the Chinese engines are crap but better than nothing. But the last of the Tecumseh snow Kings that came off the line in 2008 were better than these engine's and Briggs is always reliable. Of course when it came to snowblowers, Tecumseh was king.
james rae old pulley went right on. The shaft was the same height from the base of engine so stock belt length is used. this is a simplicity 860 from roughly mid to late 80s I believe.
james rae I'm pretty sure if I remember right. If you go to harbor freights web site and go to the individual engine page, you can download the user manual which has all the measurement specs in there. line shaft size, height, even mounting hole measurements. it's pretty comprehensive in that respect
I would take a good running Predator engine over a crappy rod blowing oil leaking Tecumseh any day. Tecumseh is dead already they stopped making engines back in 2008. I own 3 Predator 212cc and all 3 of them run great it is based off the Honda Gx engine which is the base engine that all other OHV engines have copied. Flat head engines are so antiquated. Have you seen any flat head engine cars lately?
+MrGustoGuy That was a Briggs on there not a Tecumseh and regardless no actually some of the older Tecumseh engines from the 60's and 70's were of very high quality, well so was everything back then. But you mention Tecumseh and I don't know why the guy took a Briggs off not a Tecumseh were you paying attention?
Thanks for posting this- Ive got a Simple City Signature Pro - same looking as yours but my engine roasted this evening and I was looking for a replacement. I was going to pick up some old POS and use that this winter but now - I'll step up from the ten horse to the 13 horse. You make it look really possible - not a walk in the park but with a bit of time and tinkering I should be fine - Thanks
glad you liked. the biggest probs were the linkage for rotating the chute and the bracing that wasn't visible/didnt know was there when i tried to drill new mounting holes. Let me know how you make out :D
Did the same on a Arians deluxe 28 , works flawlessly and will eat snow without breaking a sweat, I mounted a battery for lights and the electric start which is so nice, a little issue with ice buildup near the governor linkage but was blizzard conditions and extremely cold . I still run the air filter and the only thing I need to change is a main jet , it’s needs to go up one size .
Replace aTecumseh 8 hp on a simplicity 870 with a 301cc predator 8 hp, no drilling ,holes line up for mount, cover and crank work like before no altering, only needed one inch bore pulleys from tractor supply 2 of them and 2 new belts ,43 inch and 35 inch...done works beautiful...
Rick what size pulleys did you get from Tractor supply???
Very nice! I saw your review off of the Harbor Freight site, and had to check out the vid!
I got off of the Snowblower Forum because it was a continual battle between old engines vs. new Chinese engines and arguing over Tecumseh's suck and Briggs do this and I have several Chinese engines and they are great. I am glad to see someone replace an engine and enjoy it and not push one over the other. BY the WAY for some commenters below....I still have the original TEC-HM-80 and it is running perfect and I took the cover off after doing a proper off season storage(REMOVE GAS FOG CYLINDER ETC, ETC, ETC.) Checked fresh oil level oil was clean and still light yellow amberish and First PULL...Started up and cleared the heaviest lead snow you have seen in a long time....this was maybe 4 inches of LEAD snow....The snow plow literally got stuck and was the spinning tires type of heavy LEAD snow and had to chug to push snow. Tecumseh ran great and attacked it. ANYWHO glad to see the swap went well. Look forward to hearing more on the outcome Sterling!!! Still very interested in predator and your take.
Its been 11 years, got an update?
So happy I found this video. Just picked up an old 860 from the mid 80's. I was hoping the 13hp predator would work. Have you had any issues with the drive train breaking things or has it held up strong?
Everything held up just fine. I mean I had other things here and there that needed attention, but it is like 30+ years old. Nothing I could attribute to a bigger engine. Really the only slightly adverse thing that I didn't notice right away was it moved the center of gravity back a little so it was a bit less front heavy.
I need your help. So i went to mount my motor and realized the shaft on my old motor is 3/4 but the predator motor shaft is 1 in. Whats the id# of your blower? Im hoping i can still make this work.
@@aharkins6 do you mean what model? If so it's a 860. As for the pulley, about all I can say is that you'd probably have to replace the pulley. If it was the other way around where your pulley was 1" and shaft was 3/4, there are adaptors. Now where to get a new pulley. I would assume either a local small engine shop may have something, and you could match up the outside diameter in person. Otherwise I would guess amazon? Only thing that might screw with replacing pulley is if the outside diameter is slightly different, may need a different size belt. But try to get one with as close to the diameter as what you have, just with bigger hole for the shaft. Hope this helps.
@@sterline80 On the back of the main frame, mine has a sticker with an ID # on it that is used to order parts. That's the number im looking for. Mine is an 860 as well but the original motor on mine is a tecumseh and not the brigs yours had. Im hoping that I can use your id number to figure out the correct pulley and belts to get. Is your pulley a 1in id?
@@aharkins6 ok, I'll be back home in an hour or so. I'll take a look.
Sterline....Did you have to modify belt cover and how did you do so??? Also you mention you were worried about snapping belts and shear pins....any problemsafter a couple of winters??? I have I believe the same model 870...I love it. Was also wondering how it performs as opposed to old 8hp.....Does it have same power or greater....Does it throw snow further??? Thanks....I have been eyeing the predator for a while and was wondering if more HP had an ill affects on the body and parts???
+FreedomRock44 The belt cover fit fine with no modification. The power is at least the same, i assume more, but it runs SO much better that it seems night and day. As for throwing the snow, it is about the same. The reason is that the engine still only spins at similar RPM which spins the belt which spins the auger. I have noticed that it starts easier the next time if I just choke it out instead of turning the key off. I never really use the electric start because it almost always starts on first pull anyway. I never actually changed the belts, still, and they keep working.
Awesome news....Thanks for the reply sterline!!!!
Sterline I have the Exact same blower......Does your Electric start work on your 420???? Where did you get the engine Pulley???
Electric start works fine but since it always states on first or second pull I never use it. I reused the pulley that came off the briggs engine.
@@sterline80 I thought SImplicitys that age had Tecumseh Engines???
I have an 85 Simp 870 came Tecumseh.
@@FreedomRock44 I think they cane both ways. Could be wrong. also I believe mine is an 84
@@sterline80 Thanks Sterline!!!!!
@@sterline80 Do you have the belt sizes????
Nice work!
The old briggs probably has points ignition and they require adjustment or to be replaced every few years. alot of times the carb is blamed when it is spark that is the problem. you can get a new coil for them that solid state and will run way better
I have a 10 horse Briggs that I'm looking to swap out with this motor. My question is do you know if the pto shaft is the same as your 8hp and was it the same 1 inch shaft on the 8hp as the new motor?
Dominick Bowes the shaft was the same size and reused the old pulley. If you go to the harbor freight website, and go to the engine, you can actually get the owners manual in a pdf if I remember right. It has a pretty comprehensive page that gives all the measurements of mounting holes, shaft sizes, etc.
sterline80 thank you I'll look it up. Good video
wow great video. I have the same snowblower with an old tired Techumseh. does the new engine perform much better? mine only throws snow about 15 ft. I can do an engine swap or just buy a new blower. Undecided
So remember v the engine will run at X rpm with turns the belt/blade assembly. Unless you speed the engine up, the blades with spin at the same speed. Since this video I replaced basically the front chute part with a donor snowblower and the snow shoots much further afterwards
25 hp on a snowblower?????did it work
mark H it's like 13 hp. But works awesome
Yeah they do run like junk huh. My 555 works fine, but good point it made me think of all the adjustments, carbs, parts, primers, etc..maybe ill swap over.
thank you.
Is the motor still holding up well?
Stephen Cunningham yes so far so good. I have yet to start it up for this winter though. I'll do that in the next few weeks. But this will be year number 5!
I hope you didn't throw away the briggs, its an old flat head motor. Hard to find. We have the little brother version that is 7HP from 1971 on our Toro snow thrower, has tons of torque. But the reason why mine and your run like crap until you really load em up is that old school updraft carb. Its best to re-tune it pretty much every time you use it....
I purchased a new carb kit... it wasnt right, had a different carb installed once apon a time and supposedly the old one is discontinued or something. I bought a brand new briggs carb to replace what was on it and it was super touchy in regards to mixture. temp affected it, ambient and engine. even like a 16th of turn of screw and everything would go haywire. it was easiest to control mixture via the choke.
ok. But did you pitch it?
joeyf504327 Nah, who knows maybe the predator will be a one year wonder... this way i can always go back to stock. between that and when it comes to mechanical stuff, im kinda a pack rat. i still have small block chevs that im not sure what to do with sitting in the corner of the garage
+sterline80 You can thank the epa regulations of today for that problem.
Rtard is right the Chinese engines are crap but better than nothing. But the last of the Tecumseh snow Kings that came off the line in 2008 were better than these engine's and Briggs is always reliable. Of course when it came to snowblowers, Tecumseh was king.
i am warning you, these engines are CRAAAAAAP!!!
did your old pulleys slide on? if so what model is the snow blower so I can order the pulleys
james rae old pulley went right on. The shaft was the same height from the base of engine so stock belt length is used. this is a simplicity 860 from roughly mid to late 80s I believe.
that is a 1in shaft right?
james rae I'm pretty sure if I remember right. If you go to harbor freights web site and go to the individual engine page, you can download the user manual which has all the measurement specs in there. line shaft size, height, even mounting hole measurements. it's pretty comprehensive in that respect
Nice video
I would take a good running Predator engine over a crappy rod blowing oil leaking Tecumseh any day. Tecumseh is dead already they stopped making engines back in 2008. I own 3 Predator 212cc and all 3 of them run great it is based off the Honda Gx engine which is the base engine that all other OHV engines have copied. Flat head engines are so antiquated. Have you seen any flat head engine cars lately?
+MrGustoGuy That was a Briggs on there not a Tecumseh and regardless no actually some of the older Tecumseh engines from the 60's and 70's were of very high quality, well so was everything back then. But you mention Tecumseh and I don't know why the guy took a Briggs off not a Tecumseh were you paying attention?
Film editing is not in your future