Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi All, I have a 32" Sears snowblower frame that used to have a 10hp tecumseh. I got it as the engine had thrown a rod. I purchased a 15hp honda clone that I would like to use in it's place. The nice thing about the clone is that the shaft size is identical, so I can just swap the pulleys over. However, the block mounting dimensions and the shaft height from base is larger on the new engine than the old. I could just start cutting, drilling, and hacking to get it to fit, but does anyone have experience with this swap before that could provide details on the correct method to adapt it to fit? Thanks, Ivan

I swapped an 11 HP clone in place of an 8 HP Tecumseh on an Ariens. I had to drill new holes in the base as well as cut the top of the belt cover off and fashion something a little taller. I also needed longer belts. Be careful with the larger mounting patterns as sometimes they are wider than the frame. I know my holes had to be drilled right at the corners of the frame and just barely fit. My engine also had to be mounted back a couple inches further which made for a tight fit between the recoil and the handlebars as well as making the front end a little lighter because the heavier engine was sitting back like a counter weight.

This sounds similar to what I'm trying to do, would you have any pictures of your setup that you could post? Specifically I'm curious about how far back the engine has to come, it seems that I could trial and error it a few times, but a starting point would be very helpful. :) Thanks, Ivan

iblackford wrote:

Hi, Thanks, this looks very similar to what I'm going to do, I'll compare my chassis to yours and see if the dimensions are similar. Looks like a pretty slick installation, it must really chuck the snow! :) Ivan

I downgraded to the 212cc Predator. The 11HP used up too much gas and didn't really help much. It was unstoppable though. The gearbox I originally had was worn already and skipping a couple teeth if you would force the augers manually. The 11 HP engine didn't help that any. :)

I just put a powerhorse (Powerhorse OHV Horizontal Engine — 414cc, 1in. Dia. x 3 1/3in.L Shaft) from NORTHERN TOOL on a Mackissic leaf blower. It had a 11 hp Briggs Vanguard which threw a rod. It's an LCT which is a direct fit to what I had just bigger. Didn't have to make any mounting changes as it just fit perfectly. All I can say is I now have a great machine.