HF Greyhound engines no more

[Michael_P]

It would appear HF has eliminated the blue Greyhound small engines and replaced them with engines of similar design and are now called Predator engines and they are black. They also appear to be more expensive and I have yet to see them on sale. They do look a little cooler but now I can go to TSC and pick up a Chonda for the same price.
They are now rated by cc and torque as well.

R.I.P.

I'm going to miss the $90 6.5HP engine. I've used tons of them and never a failure.




One more point; I wonder if this name is an infringement to the people that make those predator V8 chainsaws? Probably not. I guess HF has a good legal department, though they did have to quit making their knockoffs of Undercover tonneau covers.

 

[Chris142]

I have noticed that HF seems to be getting away from Cheap Cninese junk tools and selling better quality stuff lately. There hand tools are coming from Taiwan now and look to be well made.

I wonder if they have a new engine supplier now?

 

[eshishlo]

Just got an ad and the front page already has the 6.5 HP Predator engine on sale for $129.99 from the regular price of $179.99.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Bummer.
I just repowered my Kee with an 89.99 dollar Greyhound. It started on the first pull! Now I just need to figure out how to run the pulleys so that it can be self-propelled again.
Before:

During:

And after:

 

[steve20]

why does it only drive one wheel?

 

[engineerscott]

Originally Posted By: eshishlo
Just got an ad and the front page already has the 6.5 HP Predator engine on sale for $129.99 from the regular price of $179.99.


I notice that HF seems to have a habit of starting a product like these engines at a high price and then tweaking the price around till they find the sweet spot for both the regular and best coupon price. I don't expect in the end that these engine will be quite as cheap as the Greyhounds, but on the other hand I wouldn't be surprised to see them discounted below that $129.99 price in the future. So, I wouldn't write them off as a source for cheap engines just yet. Who knows, we may see coupon/sale prices closer to $100 when they are done. If sales volume plunges with the new engine/price they will address it.

The thing I hate is that they fixed what wasn't broken. There really were little to no quality issues on these engines besides the occasion screw up that should have never shipped (which I expect we'll still see with the new engines). As long as HF swapped them out with no trouble that wasn't much of a downside.

 

[Vikas]

We also don't know how the Predators are going to turn out in the long term. I hope they are as good as Greyhound but we will only know after a while when bunch of them have been in service.

 

[tom slick]

They are claiming "EPA Clean and Green" and available in Calif. which is different from their previous offerings.

 

[The_Jeff]

I have a stash of, ahem, four spares and two in service on snowblowers.

Got plenty of warning they were closing out the blue ones so I stocked up. Will get me through to Black Friday, at least.

 

[JasonC]

Just bought one of the 5.5hp OHV for my push mower today. Got it with 25% coupon for $60.00

 

[cronk]

Originally Posted By: JasonC
Just bought one of the 5.5hp OHV for my push mower today. Got it with 25% coupon for $60.00


I did the same thing 2 weeks ago!
The timing was perfect, I bent the crank on my 3 year old briggs powered push mower hitting a stump. I had seen the 5.5 hp Greyhounds and thought it would be a neat engine to try.
After tax it was about $68, it bolted right on in place of the Briggs. Has way more power than the Briggs and runs really smooth.

 

[engineerscott]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
They are claiming "EPA Clean and Green" and available in Calif. which is different from their previous offerings.


Ah, I don't like the sound of that. Sounds like we'll be stuck with the overly lean running engines that California demands. You know, if California wants to stick their citizens with poorly running engines that's fine with me, but I hate the fact that the rest of the country get's hamstrung with the same engines.

 

[Michael_P]

I heard the Greyhounds are cast iron sleeve and the Predators are not. This is what they guy at HF told me. I do not know for sure.

 

[cronk]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
I heard the Greyhounds are cast iron sleeve and the Predators are not. This is what they guy at HF told me. I do not know for sure.


Apparently that guy didn't know what he was talking about.
Website clearly says "aluminum alloy crank case with heavy duty cast iron cylinder"

http://www.harborfreight.com/engines-gen...rnia-68121.html

 

[engineerscott]

FYI, this Sunday's paper had a coupon for the 6.5HP, 212cc, Horizontal shaft Predator engines for $109.99. Not the $89.99 price of the Greyhounds but much closer. Given the inflation that the U.S. dollar is undergoing at the moment I wouldn't be surprised if the price of the Greyhounds would have risen anyway.

 

[JTK]

I ran to HFT yesterday in an attempt to pick up a cheap OBDII/CAN code reader (that I didn't get because they wanted $69.99).

I had to browse for a minute and I did check out the table with the gas engines. All Predators. I noticed the Predator big boy (16hp single?) had an air injection assembly on the exhaust.

Apparently the solution to pollution is (still) dilution.

Joel

 

[paulo57509]

Originally Posted By: engineerscott
Originally Posted By: tom slick
They are claiming "EPA Clean and Green" and available in Calif. which is different from their previous offerings.


Ah, I don't like the sound of that. Sounds like we'll be stuck with the overly lean running engines that California demands. You know, if California wants to stick their citizens with poorly running engines that's fine with me, but I hate the fact that the rest of the country get's hamstrung with the same engines.



There are retail outlets in CA that don't even offer a gas powered alternatives (to electric) anymore. When I noticed this going on, it forced my hand into getting the gas powered equipment I always wanted.

Lean running is what makes all my 2-cycle yard equipment run so "buzzy". I'm sure tweaking the factory set adjustment screws and such can fix it, though.