Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > That thing got a Hemi???? 
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions | 
	
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Emmo 
     
 
Joined: May 21, 2003 
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	That thing got a Hemi???? 
	Original Message   Jul 16, 2005 9:14 am	 | 
	
		
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Majorxlr8n 
     
 
Location: Freehold NJ 
Joined: Aug 5, 2003 
Points: 1092
 
 
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	Re: That thing got a Hemi???? 
	Reply #8   Jul 16, 2005 9:22 pm	 | 
	
		
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The word HEMI is actually short for hemispherical. In a piston engine, the area from the top of the piston to the top of the cylinder head by the valve heads is known as the combustion chamber (this is actually just an area of air!). The combustion chamber on most overhead valved AUTOMOTIVE engines are either wedge shaped (think of a piece of pie) or hemispherical (think of tennis ball cut in half). The cylinder head design dictates the combustion area shape, so when someone says "hemi", it really only refers to the engine's cylinder head having a hemispherically shaped combustion chamber.  Hemi heads have the spark plug located at dead center of the combustion chamber, which makes for an extremely efficient & powerful fuel/air mixing & flame burn (actual igniting of the fuel/air). Hemi heads also have ideal valve placement to help the flow of air (intake & exhaust) through the cylinder head. In simple terms, the head design is VERY efficient, and allows an engine to make excellent power! On the downside, hemi heads themselves usually are quite heavy & large, and valvetrains can be somewhat complex (read: expensive). Wedge shaped combustion chambers are what most OPE engines have, as do most automotive engines. The "wedge" shape by design, is not as efficient as a "hemi" due to all the sharp angles that are present, which creates turbulance. The valve placement & spark plug location are less than ideal also. Cost was a big factor that lead to the wedge design. However, a wedge chamber CAN be modified to produce very impressive burn & airflow rates - having said that, IMHO all this "HEMI" talk (car & truck commercials) as of late really doesn't impress me personally. Chrysler/Daimler is really getting a lot of hype & sales out of it though... There is another variation of head called a semi-hemi, but it is not widely used. It is actually a cross between a wedge & hemi shaped combustion chambers. Marty   
	This message was modified Jul 16, 2005 by Majorxlr8n 
 
 
 
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snowshoveler 
     
 
tides in dirts out surfs up
 
 
Location: bridgewater nova scotia...aka the swamp 
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	Re: That thing got a Hemi???? 
	Reply #12   Jul 18, 2005 7:08 am	 | 
	
		
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well well well... i looked at the hemi snowblower sunday and somthing just didnt look right. so today i looked a bit closer...the augers are in backwards.  this just goes to prove it dosent matter how much money you have you can still be a dumbhead.  i bet i can get it to work a lot better than the idiots that put it together.  gee and i dont have the backing of chrysler either and i apparently am a bit smarter. later chris
  
 
craftsman 10/28 snowblower with tracks   husky 372xpg chainsaw   sachs dolmar bc212 bushsaw   mondo trimmer   monster tractor with trailer    cheep wheelbarro and couple shovels and a partridge in a pear tree  
 
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Marshall 
     
 
As Long As There Are Tests, There Will Be Prayer In Public Schools.   ;- )
 
 
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	Re: That thing got a Hemi???? 
	Reply #14   Jul 18, 2005 8:42 am	 | 
	
		
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 well well well... i looked at the hemi snowblower sunday and somthing just didnt look right. so today i looked a bit closer...the augers are in backwards.  this just goes to prove it dosent matter how much money you have you can still be a dumbhead.  i bet i can get it to work a lot better than the idiots that put it together.  gee and i dont have the backing of chrysler either and i apparently am a bit smarter. later chris It just looks backward in the photo. LOL  
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Roger 
     
 
Joined: Feb 28, 2005 
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	Re: That thing got a Hemi???? 
	Reply #15   Jul 19, 2005 8:30 pm	 | 
	
		
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 The word HEMI is actually short for hemispherical. In a piston engine, the area from the top of the piston to the top of the cylinder head by the valve heads is known as the combustion chamber (this is actually just an area of air!). The combustion chamber on most overhead valved AUTOMOTIVE engines are either wedge shaped (think of a piece of pie) or hemispherical (think of tennis ball cut in half). The cylinder head design dictates the combustion area shape, so when someone says "hemi", it really only refers to the engine's cylinder head having a hemispherically shaped combustion chamber. <p>Hemi heads have the spark plug located at dead center of the combustion chamber, which makes for an extremely efficient & powerful fuel/air mixing & flame burn (actual igniting of the fuel/air). Hemi heads also have ideal valve placement to help the flow of air (intake & exhaust) through the cylinder head. In simple terms, the head design is VERY efficient, and allows an engine to make excellent power! On the downside, hemi heads themselves usually are quite heavy & large, and valvetrains can be somewhat complex (read: expensive).</p><p>Wedge shaped combustion chambers are what most OPE engines have, as do most automotive engines. The "wedge" shape by design, is not as efficient as a "hemi" due to all the sharp angles that are present, which creates turbulance. The valve placement & spark plug location are less than ideal also. Cost was a big factor that lead to the wedge design. However, a wedge chamber CAN be modified to produce very impressive burn & airflow rates - having said that, IMHO all this "HEMI" talk (car & truck commercials) as of late really doesn't impress me personally. Chrysler/Daimler is really getting a lot of hype & sales out of it though...</p><p>There is another variation of head called a semi-hemi, but it is not widely used. It is actually a cross between a wedge & hemi shaped combustion chambers.</p><p>Marty <img alt="" src="/components/FCKeditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/shades_smile.gif"/>
  Great response!  Thanks!!!  
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