22 hp Predator engine

[kenfrommaine]

Was wondering how everyone feels about the predator 22 HP twin cylinder motors?  Like any thing out there it is hard to find consistent reviews. Do they hold up? Are they close to actual Hp they claim to be? I know lots of folks in here have/are using them, would you recommend them? I had purchased and used for approx a year on my home built mill   an 18HP duromax, and that was junk, they used no loctite on any bolts, every exterior bolt loosened itself and I used loctite on them, but finally the bolts on the connecting rod decided to loosen up (no loctite on them) so the motor is now junk.  Thanks for your thoughts and opinions. 

[Bruno of NH]

I had good luck with one I had.
From what I have heard it's hit and miss on them.
You can buy an extended warranty on them.
I have a Lyfan engine on a wood splitter it gets worked hard and runs great.

[Bruno of NH]

The Lifan engine is 24hp and you can get parts for them. 
I think the Lifan is a better engine.
On line from $749.00 to  $1,000 with exhaust and electric start.

[mike_belben]

Idk about oem longevity.. I have one but its not in service yet.  Theres guys with superchargers making 70hp on them. 

[Brob1969]

They are one of the Honda clone engines.  If you get a good one it'll last a long time.

[kenfrommaine]

Anyone else have any thoughts on the engine Bruno mentioned Lifan engine  24hp ? I was just checking them out, they seem like well built engine. Would like to keep it under 1K.  thanks for the feed back.

[sawguy21]

As with most things in life you get what you pay for. If the mill gets light use a clone may do what you ask but for heavy duty  you are asking for trouble. You have already blown one cheapo, why go back for more? The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.

[kenfrommaine]

What would you recommend in the 18 HP or up?

[Brob1969]

Anyone else have any thoughts on the engine Bruno mentioned Lifan engine  24hp ? I was just checking them out, they seem like well built engine. Would like to keep it under 1K.  thanks for the feed back.

There's a company in Vegas that builds souped up cart motors using the Lifan engines as their base.  They say of all the Honda clones, the Lifan has the best castings and components. 

[farmfromkansas]

Lifan makes all kinds of engines, they also build motorcycles.  I have a Lifan power washer, small, but runs great and works good.

[sawguy21]

Some are happy with them but as a retired small engine mechanic and distributor rep I won't touch the clones. Briggs Vanguard, Kohler Command or Honda GX would be my choice. For the price of two offshore engines you could have one that lasts for years. Buy once cry once.

[47sawdust]

I had a small Lifan on a firewood conveyor. It worked well and looked to be well made.
For a sawmill I would sleep better with a major mfg.engine.
My first mill had an 18hp. Briggs Vanguard , current mill has a Honda GX 670 24hp.
Both excellent motors.

[Hilltop366]

Things may have improved but back when the knock off Hondas were starting off a guy who has a business washing trucks in Toronto replaced some Hondas with them on his pressure washers, my brother asked how they worked out he said 3 to 1 as in the it took 3 knock offs to last as long as one Honda. These pressure washers ran most of the time all day under load, they would tape the trigger on the wand in the on position so you would not have to hold it.

A friend of mine sold a lot of Lifan engines, now he sells Ducar, I bought a 420cc one from him for a project to try one out but haven't used it yet. He claims he has had good luck with them.

[alan gage]

I put a 22hp Predator on my mill a couple years ago and have been very happy with it. It gets light usage (few thousand BF/year).

It had an 18hp Briggs on it before. Can't say that I noticed any difference in performance.

Alan

[ktm250rider]

I also have a Lifan 22HP as well.  Although I have an idle issue, it starts up, keeps my battery charged and has plenty of power.  The idle issue I think is caused by a dirty carb.  Id have no issue with using one again.

[Bruno of NH]

Unlike the Harbor freight engines.
You can get parts for the Lifan engines.

[ladylake]

 Seems like the china knockoffs are around $800  and if you shop around the name brands are around $1300 to $1400, I'd get the name brand, if the knockoff fails you'll end up buying ta name brand anyway.  Steve

[JoshNZ]

I've got a clone like the predator and before a service the oil is definitely not where it was on the dipstick after the last.

I thought it looked pretty good out of the box, it's a honey of an engine otherwise.

The muffler absolutely sucked and is shredded after only a year of use, was not the same quality though likely a different factory. Holes and mig wire all over it

[donbj]

Go name brand. Let those knock off thieves design their own product instead of using other's R+D. We'll see how long they last!

We wonder why our economy has been hijacked!

I wonder why they are called "predator"