Physical dimensions? Briggs 18 horse vs Harbor Freight Predator 22 horse?

[Pullstart 62,787]

My wood splitter is slightly overkill.  It was built out of an old scissor lift.  It's got an old cast iron commercial Briggs 18 horse, electric start, a foot pedal operated self returning ram, about a 25 or 30 gallon fuel tank and the same size hydraulic tank, it can tip up or lay down too.  Well I plan to split wood this weekend and am running low on time to just swing a maul, so I wanted to fire it up.  The engine has a leak I haven't found, so I have to fill it up (runs right empty) every time I drag it out.  Crank seal is my guess, or maybe oil pan gasket. 

 

Last night I installed a new starter solenoid because the old one gives me fits most always.  The battery must have lost it's acidity, it split with this recent freeze... so I put another one on it.  Then when I tried to roll it over the starter went up in smoke.

 

Once that old Briggs actually fires, it runs great as long as I keep adding oil.  But if I'm looking at a rebuild (re-gasket), a new starter, who knows how many hours on the ticker... is it worth the $600 and some change to grab the 22 horse Predator and call it done?  I love to tinker but I am ready to have some reliability in this machine.  I'm wondering if even the amount of money the Briggs will cost to refresh will be comparable or more?

 

 

 

 

[Achto 27,502]

Here are the dimensions of the Predator engine.

[Pullstart 62,787]

I guess I didn't really state my concern... but it looks from the pictures that about any output coupler can be bolted to the PTO side of the Predator engine!  I suppose I have all the room in the world to "fit" this onto an open canvas, there is nothing to block it.  I'm looking for options to be weighed, pros and cons for either engine.  I'd imagine power output may or may not be noticed, when all it does is drive a hydraulic pump.  But would a "22 hp" new engine have virtually the same as an old cast iron "18 hp" rating?  More or less? 

[Achto 27,502]

I believe you would only gain with the 22hp engine. Plus it will be a faster fix if you are on a time line.

 

I can cross cut 3 to 4" pieces with my 6.5hp splitter. There can't be anything that stops your machine.

[Pullstart 62,787]

I can't say it owes me much either, you might hate me for this, but I got it free a couple years back.  The cylinder leaks and the guy who built it hated to see it go to waste since he couldn't burn wood for health reasons.  I'd love to have a longer stroke and I have a cylinder in the garage that's twice as long.  I have a 6.5 predator on my old tiller that I thought about using, but the foot pedal operation wouldn't work and I'd have to get a different valve, etc.

 

 

Here's some pictures of the beast.  I don't operate it without tins, I was looking for the source of the oil leak last night...

 

 

 

[JC 1965 1,530]

WOW  !!     Now that's a log splitter.     

[Pullstart 62,787]

Well, I finally picked up that 22 horse last night...

 

I'm thinking once I get it together I'll be asking myself why I waited so long...

 

[ohiofarmer 3,265]

Of course you realize that

 

 

And Video!

[Pullstart 62,787]

It's alive...  I suppose one of these days I should use it, huh? 

[Pullstart 62,787]

Short update...  the carb float must need adjusting, as the crankcase filled with fuel.  I drained the oil and noticed I’ll need a filter for an oil change, so I went searching.  Here are a couple snapshots I pulled from other sites, I thought it would be good reference here.  When I pick up the Wix filter, I’ll grab a 1/4” fuel shutoff too.

 

 

[Pullstart 62,787]

I also noticed that I need to update pictures of the ram and wedge, you can see that the foot was bent a bit in the pictures, it eventually snapped off.  I built a big wedge on the beam and cut the wedge off the ram.  It splits so much nicer now!  Finally, the exhaust was right in my face while working, so a couple drops from an old set of SBC headers helped to divert the spent gases away from me.  Occasionally the pedal freezes up, so I put it on the ground under the pipe for a couple minutes and we’re back in business!

 

 

 

 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Hey Kevin,

it is a Cool looking splitter.

 

May you can cut the Exhaust pipe and weld it in other direction, so you're out of the gasses.

 

Maybe sideway's, I think that's the easiest way,

or you weld it upright and spend her an exhaust flap like Putt Putt.

So the Gasses are over your head and won't hurt you.

 

The new Engine looks pretty nice.

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by Tractorhead