@So you have a plate welded in there for mounting. Is engine sitting directly on that or is there another rubber piece on top of that plate? Also, is the end user guy still mowing and working for him? These are great mowers!
@jbmortensen Mounted directly to the plate. Yes still working for the owner but I would only suggest this if absolutely necessary. As others have said, rebuild or replacement of the original kawasaki would be the preferred method. The predator conversion was mostly to see of it would work but if I were doing it again, I would have rebuilt the original engine.
Awesome video. I have a JD445 with a blown engine and swapped it for the predator 670. I’m having an issue with keeping the predator running. It’s starving for fuel. I’ve primed the line a few times and it’ll run for a minute or two and then shuts down. It seems like it’s trying to draw fuel but is really struggling. I noticed theirs a small hole in middle the return fuel line pipe that sits in the gas tank. I put a piece of hose and hose clamp plugging up that hole to ensure that it was pulling fuel from the bottom of the tank. Did you plug or modify the fuel return pipe that is in the tank? I also realized I only had about 1.5 gallons in the fuel tank, and am wondering if maybe it just needs more fuel. Unfortunately it’s at a family members house so I can’t try anything at the moment. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Absolutely. Theres a fix for this. I'll try and remember. One thing I know we did is added a fuel outlet on the tank in front of the left side tire. It was in a location where the line could easily be routed using the factory fuel line but moving it to the front bottom of the tank allowed you to run the fuel lower. Before we moved it, it needed a half tank or more to run. I also can't remember if we left the original fuse in for the factory fuel pump or not. My recollection is yes. In that case you need to turn the original john deere key to the on position to run the engine. You should hear the fuel pump kick on. In some cases, you might need to plug the factory return line on the right side of the tractor near the predator ignition. Its a nylon line and you'll see fuel squirt out for the first 3-5 seconds with the key on. Let me know if you need more help.
Hi good video . I'm thinking about doing this with my 425 JD witch also has a blown engine . I am a little concerned about cooling the hydraulics because JD uses the fan and water in the radiator to help cool it . The Hyd oil circulates through a tank at the bottom of the radiator. Do you know if eliminating this would be a problem? 🤔
I get it the 455 uses a shaft PTO drive which means it’s using hydraulics my tractor is 318 and it has a PTO on the front I was thinking about doing what you did but I don’t know how to attach the PTO to the new predator motor
Can't believe I hadn't run into this video before now. Is an update available as to how all of this worked out? I guess I'm just wondering why somebody would destroy one of the best garden tractors ever by doing this? So many things about this and how you did it are unanswered I wouldn't know where to start. I sure hope nobody else did something similar based on this video.
It looks like you're using the original fuel return line as the feed now and the original high pressure fuel feed line what "spit" fuel everywhere when you grounded the dash harness.
Going from water cooled to air cooled ya lose your heater, no thanks, I love my heater! And what about keeping your hydraulics cool? No water ,, no cooling!
Does the engine have an alternator to charge the battery?
@@privateer9181 yes it does
What is the cost of the Predator engine?
I haven't seen them on harbor freight for a while but you could try contacting performance 670 to inquire
@BlakesGarage1 ok, thanks. I'm almost done rebuilding a FD620, but it's for a Scag.
When the engine is mounted, is the drive shaft perfectly horizontal?
@jbmortensen no I don't think so. Close enough for the u joint and rubber adapter to make it up though
@So you have a plate welded in there for mounting. Is engine sitting directly on that or is there another rubber piece on top of that plate? Also, is the end user guy still mowing and working for him? These are great mowers!
@jbmortensen Mounted directly to the plate. Yes still working for the owner but I would only suggest this if absolutely necessary. As others have said, rebuild or replacement of the original kawasaki would be the preferred method. The predator conversion was mostly to see of it would work but if I were doing it again, I would have rebuilt the original engine.
@ My kawi has a bad bearing and other stuff that are no longer available or so I was told. So looking at a repower.
@@jbmortensen Can you send me the engine model number and which parts you need. I'd be glad to look
Doing the recovery in a 425 could more specific details on hub to engine?
Thank you for making this video. I am planning to do the same conversion. Anxious to see the completed project! keep it coming!!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching. There will be an exciting update coming soon
Great looking forward to it! Need all the help I can get.
Nice work.
FYI, there is a hydraulic cooler built into the bottom of the JD radiator. Might be a good idea to keep the old rad ran running.
Can I use that engine for parts for my 445
Awesome video. I have a JD445 with a blown engine and swapped it for the predator 670. I’m having an issue with keeping the predator running. It’s starving for fuel. I’ve primed the line a few times and it’ll run for a minute or two and then shuts down. It seems like it’s trying to draw fuel but is really struggling. I noticed theirs a small hole in middle the return fuel line pipe that sits in the gas tank. I put a piece of hose and hose clamp plugging up that hole to ensure that it was pulling fuel from the bottom of the tank. Did you plug or modify the fuel return pipe that is in the tank? I also realized I only had about 1.5 gallons in the fuel tank, and am wondering if maybe it just needs more fuel. Unfortunately it’s at a family members house so I can’t try anything at the moment. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Absolutely. Theres a fix for this. I'll try and remember. One thing I know we did is added a fuel outlet on the tank in front of the left side tire. It was in a location where the line could easily be routed using the factory fuel line but moving it to the front bottom of the tank allowed you to run the fuel lower. Before we moved it, it needed a half tank or more to run. I also can't remember if we left the original fuse in for the factory fuel pump or not. My recollection is yes. In that case you need to turn the original john deere key to the on position to run the engine. You should hear the fuel pump kick on. In some cases, you might need to plug the factory return line on the right side of the tractor near the predator ignition. Its a nylon line and you'll see fuel squirt out for the first 3-5 seconds with the key on. Let me know if you need more help.
Would it be possible to switch one of these over to a small Diesel engine?
Absolutely. Someday I'd like to try one of the ebay China diesels for a project.
Hi good video . I'm thinking about doing this with my 425 JD witch also has a blown engine . I am a little concerned about cooling the hydraulics because JD uses the fan and water in the radiator to help cool it . The Hyd oil circulates through a tank at the bottom of the radiator. Do you know if eliminating this would be a problem? 🤔
Good question. Hydraulics are not my specialty so I'm unsure but hopefully someone else will chime in.
What about the PTO for the front
This model didnt have one but I also work on a 455 which did. It may be possible to adapt the crankshaft somehow but I couldn't say for sure
I get it the 455 uses a shaft PTO drive which means it’s using hydraulics my tractor is 318 and it has a PTO on the front I was thinking about doing what you did but I don’t know how to attach the PTO to the new predator motor
Did you keep the stock fuel injection system?
@@jbmortensen No. The predator is carbureted so I pulled the fuel pump fuse and capped the return line
Could you put a fan on that shaft to keep it cooler?
Great idea, that would probably work! Thanks for watching
Can't believe I hadn't run into this video before now. Is an update available as to how all of this worked out? I guess I'm just wondering why somebody would destroy one of the best garden tractors ever by doing this? So many things about this and how you did it are unanswered I wouldn't know where to start. I sure hope nobody else did something similar based on this video.
Sure enough! Part two: th-cam.com/video/FPjFERhtH4I/w-d-xo.html
Would you be interested in selling the blown engine and any extra parts you got?
It looks like you're using the original fuel return line as the feed now and the original high pressure fuel feed line what "spit" fuel everywhere when you grounded the dash harness.
Going from water cooled to air cooled ya lose your heater, no thanks, I love my heater! And what about keeping your hydraulics cool? No water ,, no cooling!
Get rid of the radiator and put your battery up there you can buy an alternator to hook up that engine
Do I need two alternators?