Engine swap (UPGRADE) Harbor Freight sawmill // E117
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- We swap the engine on our Harbor Freight sawmill from the Predator 301cc engine to the Predator 420cc engine. It is a 5-horsepower gain from the 8hp to 13hp and includes an electronic starter. The new engine will provide quicker feed rates while milling hardwoods like oak and ash of large diameters.
Episode 117:
0:00 - Why replace the engine?
5:29 - Project summary
7:28 - Removing 301cc Predator engine
11:52 - Clutch removal and reinstallation
23:31 - Engine mount modification
41:09 - Custom battery mounting bracket
47:36 - Initial start
51:00 - New engine on the sawmill rails
53:48 - Outtakes
Yeah, I've had some things just work like it was intended to be. It's real fun to see things fall in place as you intended.
You are understanding how that clutch works as you dismantle it. Cool.
Remember you're not taking it to the fair. Just making it cut wood. It looks great!!!
Greetings from the BIG SKY. More power, Scotty!
Nice lifting with your legs technique! Your therapist viewers appreciate the skill.
I cringed when you tried to start that bolt with the impact driver. Don't do that even the correct size bolt can go cross threaded. I'd also use a floor magnet to clean up metal shavings/grindings so the dogs don't get sore feet. Excellent job.
Ha John . A FYI . When you use a flat and lock washer with a bolt the lock washer goes against the bolt . Check the bolt that holds the clutch and you will find that is what you didn't do . But all in all the new engine install went well .. Ya might wanna think about insulating the battery tray from engine vibration with some kind of rubber mat . Your battery will last longer ...
I've seen some good bolt drops in my time, but your bolt drop was off the charts a good one.
Great Job.. to cover my saw mill I buy grill covers when they are on clearance and they work great on my saw mill !
Thanks for saving me time and headaches on my upgrade.
I recently just got a grill cover for mine. Good minds think alike 👍
Check the belt alignment with a straight edge across both pullies that will tell you if motor is aligned if it isn't aligned properly the belt will wear or come off.
In your case I have to agree with your decision to upgrade the engine. Smart thinking in my book.
Good job... Just an FYI, the dip stick can go in either hole so if it is easier to fill it from the back hole simply switch places with the plug and be happy...
great job guys. I'm impressed with your work and presentations. I have a tl130 and a Turner sawmill, after 10 years I just swapped out the engine for a Harbor Freight Predator. My wife and I are retired teachers, grow log mushrooms, I also climb. Keep up the good work. You are both fast learners and have a great attitude. Your posts on mechanical advantage was well done.
Thanks for the nice words, Miguel! We just harvested a bunch of oyster mushrooms to have with dinner tonight. It's also almost morel season here! Sounds like we have a lot in common. Thanks for watching.
That snow coming down is called grapple.
Might want to put rubber or at least cardboard under battery so vibration doesn’t wear a hole in it. Drawer lining rubber should work.
Yoga mats work as well
@48:00 That look when a new engine starts up! 👍
Wow John, you’ve really upgraded that mill into a fine machine, holy cow!!!
You look great John. All you need is an old twin engine prop plane😅.
Your split ring or lock washer should go against the bolt head. Not sandwiched between washers. I would recommend changing that around because at this point that split ring is keeping the washer locked together and nothing is really keeping the bolt from spinning.
I think it will probably be fine with the thread locker he put on there.
@Rob Fox I'm inclined to believe the original engineer knew more than us and had thread locker with a split ring for a reason. It may be a bit overkill and more than likely not a problem but why risk it when it takes less than 2 minutes to fix?
You will be happy with the replacement of the engine so you have more power which you will need when you start building your house. Suggestion for you.... screw a fitting into the oil fill threads and connect a hose to the fitting then insert a funnel into the top end of the hose so you can add oil to the engine much easier. Do the same thing with the drain hole so you don't have an oil mess.
Well done and congrats on the power and electric starter upgrade. Even though the battery seems to fit quite snuggly, I'd still be inclined to put at least a cam strap to hold it in place and stop it shaking in its seat. Also, with all the new electric stuff, it might be prudent to make some form of waterproof covering for the mill. Even if only plastic sheet tied down with rope. It should allow things to keep working as intended, much longer.
It is pretty obvious that Meg is the brains behind the outfit, letting the boys do all the grunt work!!
Cheers, EJ.
Very nice work, great video!👍🏻
What a serious improvement!
Excellent Job!
Now ya know what us small engine guys go through!
Another small engine project on the books for ya!!!
Congratts!!
If the muffler from the 308 is smaller you might swap them if you need more clearance..just a thought TN 🤠🤠🤠
Looking great you guy's, keeping on Rocking.
AWESOME ...GOOD WORK, CONGRATS ON THE NEW MOTOR !
Just an FYI red lock will make it really hard to get the bolt out with out heat to break it it lose always use blue on things you might have to remove again
I think that was J-B Weld Perma-Lock brand. Not the permanent style red loctite.
Yes, JB weld kind
I've never had a problem removing bolts I've put red Locktight on.
God bless you!
Sounds like my Bronco II in the morning.
Love the outfit -- reminds me of something out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
Nice Tuco impression 😂
Looks good I would make a plastic cover for the battery to slow down corrosion.
Perhaps an old piece of inner tube to set into battery tray will save vibration ware on battery case Just a thought TN 🤠🤠🤠
I see that the White Eagle flies in your country also. We had 50 below in Northern Montana. The Blackfeet country.
Greetings from the BIG SKY. As the 'wolf' said "the better to eat you."
You’re good at customizing machinery. Interesting video.
Nice upgrade John, and don’t worry we won’t tell Mag 😉bout you turning on the heater.
Build a work shop to cover the saw mill.
Tape the welding land off with masking tape and spray the area with something like PAM cooking spray to keep the welding splatter off.
Like Butter 🙂You will have a Harley engine on there next. Well done.
lol love how you said who cringed 😂😂 my husband and father-in-law would use a rubber mallet all the time when they had to loosen something up I was thinking you need to tap it Jon so it can get loose 🤣
I was impressed with your work and the topic, I subscribed
Welcome to the electric start club! Couple of more tweaks for ya: The push handle can be moved about six inches up the frame. Just drill two more holes as far up as the handle will fit. It will allow you a couple of more inches of height if you've go a really big log. My 420 exhaust just rubs when I crank it up that high. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Finally, I took that little exhaust diverter and turned it 90 degrees, so it points straight up. It was pointing forward, and got the enclosure pretty hot. Didn't care for that. Enjoy your newfound power!
Wondering..
Could the heat shield have been modified ?
Good job John don’t worry about what anybody else thinks about it it’s your sawmill and you should be proud of yourself I make my own tools to do my things instead of paying someone else to do it for me
You should put a Chinese diesel heater in your shop. I have one to heat my Alaska home and I love it.
As some father in laws would say, Maybe my daughter won't starve after all. Your proving to be quite resourceful and piecable fellow. I mean who wouldn't be frightened seeing a guy come out of the garage looking like he was on a straight raw meat diet for some time. About the only thing I never cared for on small engines is the noise from the centrifugal clutch rattle. Nothing I know of can ever get rid of it so just living with is the only option short of electrical motors to run a sawmill. I have ran mills that were all electric and to tell the truth, getting shocked when its raining ain't as fun as watching the guy who gets shocked. Oh yeah, says right on the motor to not operate in wet conditions but where is the fun in that. I was kind of hoping your idea of a acme thread motor to run the mill up and down might just of happened also but thats for another day.
coyote, nice swap
I have seen one other u tube video, with the 420 swap and harbor freight sawmill. I like the way you moved the motor mounts. I have had a 420 sitting on the bench since last spring. Might be time to swap.
You may be able to swap the muffler from the old engine onto the new engine and then you wouldn't have to do all the work he did plus the belt pulley will still line up with the other pulley.
I think he's going to have issues with belt wear and he may have problems with the belt coming off the pulley too.
God bless you!
Use a bungee cord to hold the battery.
Like someone in a Mad Max movie
Keep a tarp over your saw to keep the rain off until you build your roof maybe?😊
Great project and upgrade Jon! Super smart to do it now before "mill-a-thon" begins.
Also, I think you guys need to start a sister channel called "drunken coyotes". For the after dark shenanigans that seem to be going on. Hahaha
Jon I was wondering. Do you wish now you would have bought a better machine. I was thinking about a HarborFreight machine. But now I see with just a little more money. It will save me tons of work plus the mill being down a lot more than I would have thought. It will be awesome when you get it running. Later
Had those same cringes with the motor swap out. But I have learned you have some skills over the last 2 years+. Always looking for your latest vlogs. My wife and I bought a Rk24 after watching your early videos and it has made a big difference on our WV mountain property. We have 16 acres of white oak and black walnut trees. Wondering if a sawmill is in our future. I could only hope to talk my wife into a similar Zen living arrangement!
In the future if you need a template like the one you needed for the support, use a rag with used engine oil to wipe on the bottom of the location for which the template is needed. Then, press the transfer material (the paper) on to the area being copied to the template.
I thought the oil filler is on the other side as appears in the picture. that plug you undid was the fill level. yeah? Well done though on how you made the adjustments for the new motor mixing /adjust bracket.
Now you have 12 volt power out there. You can get a light bar set up on the saw to cut at night. The mosquitoes will love you. 😉
Just keep an eye on the drive belt that it doesn't ware on one side or the other a measurement from the inside of the saw guard to the outside face of the pulley would have been good before you took the old engine out. But you'll be all right. Nice job
Good job John! Now you're cooking with gas! Ok, I'm dating myself with that comment
At 9;00 about time u got the power tool out
U need a pully puller three prong
Not I been there done that when I did not have a pully puller 20 bucks and u dont need to use hammer any more
If nine cars or pickups go by my house all day someone went to town twice Summer time more tractors then cars and someday more pickups but they have hay wagons behind them
But normal day like I said if nine...
Why didn’t you oil it before you mounted the motor??? 🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍
A 51 or 51r is just slightly larger than the lawn engines batteries and is not much more costly. However, it is a full auto battery, usually with a full 3 yr. free replacement Guarantee (depending on where you buy it, Sam's Club is good or even Auto Zone) and withstands much more environmental and discharge problems.
👍🏻👌🏻
That's Bigfoot...Fo real.SEMPER FI
Looks like you got it figured out already, but I couldn't help thinking while watching you modify the mill to fit the new engine......what if you just cut a half inch off the length of the green space? Theres probably a reason I couldn't see why you didn't go that route.
Coyote, Good Job
Use motor assembly grease on all parts but well away from the shoes.
John don’t worry so much about temp on a battery u need to worry about a spark it can cause an explosion
How do you charge the battery up for the new saw engine 🤔?
When looking at the two engines side by side, they look to be the same height. Am I correct?
you should have weld those two open gaps with 2 pieces steel just to be safe, if the engine cracks the welds., those that engine needs to be broken it, before using
All in all is this mill worthy of consideration?? Have you been satisfied with the performance till the motor upgrade?
I did the same upgrade to the same mill. I don't have much for large hardwood, but I do mill some big pine that barely fits on this mill. The biggest benefit of the 420 is the electric start. Yes, the extra ponies are helpful, but for those of use with worn-out shoulders, electric start is heaven.
Great job on all of the upgrades to your mill! I was born and raised in Kingsport. Did you consider swapping for the Predator 459cc (15.8hp) engine? It's about $70 more expensive (+$16.3%) , but would add an extra 21.5% hp. I'm considering the larger engine, but specs are not clear & there may be a reason why it would involve a much more complex swap - or is needless extra hp. Tks!
Hello there neighbor! Haha. I did consider that bigger motor, but I didn't feel it was necessary for the majority of what I'm cutting, which is yellow poplar. Right now, I'm cutting a bunch of loblolly pine, which has a similar hardness to yellow poplar and it's going through very smoothly. It also ran ash nicely, but they weren't enormous in diameter. I'd be worried about the clearance with the 459cc. I'm sure you can get it on there, but you'll probably need to extend the drive shaft so the exhaust system clears the sawmill's frame. I'm sure you can do it if you plan it out. Good luck!
You don’t have a waste oil heater for your shop?
Does this saw work well with soft and hard woods?
Thank you.
I've built 2 structures with it so far, one of which has ash siding. The house is next, framed with poplar. It performs well with a 16 in. log. Anything bigger, up to 20 in. is the max, you need to slow down your feed rate. But I've cut ash, oak, walnut, and hickory without an issue. It's all in the blade too. I use woodmizer double hard .055 blades. The engine upgrade was definitely worth it.
Ok
Thanks
Don’t go caveman use a puller😮
Why didn't you just modify the exhaust shield rather than moving the engine mount ? Without spacing the clutch out to match how much you moved the engine out your belt won't be in alignment .
Smaller bolt hole means more metal in the shaft...
The bolt has small engine syndrome!! 🤣
A bird in the hand.....
You will regret the red thread locker believe me
The stainless steel bolt in contact with carbon steel crankshaft has the potential to create galvanic corrosion.
I think the thread locker he put on there will protect from that quite well.
yeah it will never come off again without heating it which will destroy the clutch and engine oil seal
@@johnwinn5225a good chance galling the threads as well.
I cringed, but I’ve done the same before so 😎
I hope you used anti sieze on that stainless bolt, or you’ll never get it out
your engine pully and your band pully don't line up now - hopefully the mismatch won't cause you any problems. And...I wish you hadn't used the red locktite.
I see some bubblegum welds in this video lol
What ever happened to the tree house?? The girls will be in college before you know it.
Drunk sheep. Is it dying!???