Metal failure

Use logic, Terry.

"Honey, for only $1,732, I can buy 'billet' and make the parts and fix it myself in about 2 months. Or, for $283, I can buy a bolt-on replacement and have it fixed the day after it arrives. What would you suggest I do?" Then give _her_ The Look.

I was back at the leaves yesterday, with the freshly repaired vac. At the end of the day, and the end of the leaves (almost), this happened:

In case it isn't obvious, that is the end of the HF engine crankshaft! It was quite an alarming event: a heavy steel impeller, running 3000 rpm, coming off and bouncing around inside its housing!

The engine was only $100, but it also only ran 10 - 15 hours before falling apart. Unfortunately, those hours were over a 3 year period and I'm SOL on any warranty.

I've emailed HF Customer Service for the part and even if it has to ship from China, I'll be glad for it. But I'm not optimistic about it being available.

Sigh

Bob

Seems like you said it was the horizontal 6.5hp. If so they are still selling them for $99 with coupon (ask if you need one). I bought one a couple years ago for that, thinking I would never see that price again. There has been coupons and parking lot sales with that price ever since...

One good reason to have the impeller on a "spindle" shaft and belt drive it off the motor. But on a 3 gang pulley with a back tensioner and all the stress is taken off the "expensive bits" I know, it doubles the cost of the project, beyond the price of the engine - but it does save the engine - and you can make all the other failure prone parts!!!

That's the one. $120 now, less 20% would be $96. But given my experience with this one, I would probably get a used B&S or Honda. Failed-pump pressure washers seem to be a good source for horizontal shaft engines. Here's one:

Bob

That would be a much better approach.

What is a "back tensioned", anyway?

Check around for a Honda motor of the same size. A lot of folks in the cart world have been interchanging the parts as bolt ons. Crank, rod, piston are supposedly direct interchange.

Wonder if you could cut the crankshaft a bit short, then install a stub shaft out to a carrier bearing mounted on the other side to help carry the load?

It goes on opposite a front tensioner.

Speaking of which, this seems to work decently, or at least repeatably:

I haven't rigged up a calibration load yet.

Read the fine print on your 20% off coupon. I don't think it will work on "Predator" stuff... Here is one of the $99 coupons:

Both Honda and B&S have different quality lines. The cheap stuff may be no better than HF nowadays. Make sure you research the model numbers/prices first...

Good to know. Thanks.

Jim!

Wait a minute ... a belt travels onto a pulley at its front and exits the pulley at the back, yes? If so, I got it. If not, not.

Years ago I wanted to check the belt tension on my compressor and didn't see anything like what you referenced. So I made my own:

Bob

You did a very nice job on it.

This past weekend while I was digging through tool boxes for something to extract a spark plug boot from its secret hideaway behind the intake manifold I found a pencil-type tension gauge that appears to work on the same principle, if I would just cut out the radiator support to view it from the proper angle. The Krikit has the advantages of signalling the correct application force by feel and sound, and holding its reading until reset. It agreed reasonably closely to the quarter-turn test which is how the dealership mechanics set belts.

I asked a service manager about the proper tool and suffered through a runaround that everyone was too busy to help me. On the way out I found them clustered around the Snap-On truck and got the real answer.

-jsw

Seriously, the force a belt transmits appears as the difference between the tensions on the pulled and the return sides, so a tensioner on the back or return side suffers less abuse.

-jsw

Tensioner running on the flat of the belt- back tensioning increases the wrap around the pully where a regular tensioner would reduce the wrap. Back tensioner goes on the slack side of the belt. (also the most common way of tensioning a belt other than some equipment that pivots the motor mount or slides the motor on the mount for a fixed tension)

and beat the heck out of a Lovejoy coupler every 10 hours or so - - -

The stub would go into the hub of the impeller and simply extend the crankshaft out to the bearing. If the shaft is threaded inside, the extension could be machined to thread into place to make it more secure.

And ... an outboard bearing on the engine shaft to take the radial stress.

HF: "Part not available"

But a guy on eBay parts out "freight damaged" HF engines. Crankshaft is $42 shipped.

I have 3 alternatives:

1. A new crank: delivered. Several hours to R&R. It's still HF.
2. A used Honda engine: , 2 hrs to pick up. May require some fitting to the vac. It's _used_.
3. A new HF engine: 4 delivered. Bolt on. I'd have the old for spare parts. It's _HF_.

What to do, what to do?

Bob