Vurge 158 #1 Posted August 7, 2021 (edited) Thanks to the advice of the friendly folks here, my 656 is done. Currently has a 6.5hp Predator engine with a golf cart starter generator and a small ATV battery. Drive pulley increased to get a maximum speed of about 8mph. Last week I installed a Delco copy mechanical voltage regulator and mounted an inch thick steel plate for the front weight. Here's a pic from this morning. That's a homemade 35 gallon tank traiker. I sprayed two tanks yesterday and three this morning in our 25 acre orchard. ZERO problems. Used less than 2 gallons of gas too! Edited August 7, 2021 by Vurge 7 7 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cschannuth 3,816 #2 Posted August 7, 2021 (edited) Very nice. You are going to love that Predator. Had mine for years and it still starts on the first pull every time. I upsized the pulley too and it has tons of power and torque and easily pushes heavy snow at 8 mph as it sips fuel. It easily pulls my 700lb lawn roller too. Edited August 7, 2021 by cschannuth Photos 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slim67 2,735 #3 Posted August 7, 2021 Good replacement engines for 99 bucks. I have one in my b-80,one in a 654 and a 301cc / 8hp going into a Raider 10. All workers. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,605 #4 Posted August 7, 2021 27 minutes ago, Vurge said: a golf cart starter generator Seems to me you've mentioned this in other threads. Do you have any details? I've got a couple engines that have no charging system. Also, @OldWorkHorse Steve and I have discussed this for his off-road rig. VERY nice work on the 656!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slim67 2,735 #5 Posted August 7, 2021 58 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: Seems to me you've mentioned this in other threads. Do you have any details? I've got a couple engines that have no charging system. Also, @OldWorkHorse Steve and I have discussed this for his off-road rig. VERY nice work on the 656!! Maxtool has a 7hp 208 cc with electric start for 240 bucks and free shipping. I was and may still try one of those out in the near future. They are blue in color and have a 3/4 inch shaft. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cschannuth 3,816 #6 Posted August 7, 2021 You can’t beat electric start but it’s also nice not worrying about a battery with pull start. Grab the pull rope from the seat, one easy pull, and you’re off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slim67 2,735 #7 Posted August 7, 2021 (edited) 3 minutes ago, cschannuth said: You can’t beat electric start but it’s also nice not worrying about a battery with pull start. Grab the pull rope from the seat, one easy pull, and you’re off. I hear you, just like the old timers did. Thats simplicity at its finest. The electric start would be for my wife. Edited August 7, 2021 by slim67 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cschannuth 3,816 #8 Posted August 7, 2021 3 minutes ago, slim67 said: I hear you, just like the old timers did. Thats simplicity at its finest. The electric start would be for my wife. Nice! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vurge 158 #9 Posted August 8, 2021 I've got the choke and throttle cables wired to the dash and so I can still reach down and pull start it without leaving the seat. I wanted a battery and S/G because the sprayer has an electric pump that pulls 5-7 amps and lights pull another amp. The small charging system on the regular electric start models only outout 2-3 amps. I did contemplate a large deep cycle battery as a front weight instead of a S/G. .. 😂 😂 Here's a picture of the S/G while work was in progress. The S/G is bolted to the Predator tank location and the tank was moved to the original Wheel Horse spot. Since then I've downsized the S/G pulley. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pollack Pete 2,273 #10 Posted August 8, 2021 VERY nice 656.Good to see some older iron still working.A 656 is what started the Wheel Horse Lunacy for me.I've still got it in one of my sea boxes.You've done a great job on yours. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,465 #11 Posted August 8, 2021 Vurge: Good job on the conversion. Should serve you well. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,605 #12 Posted August 8, 2021 6 hours ago, Vurge said: I did contemplate a large deep cycle battery as a front weight I'll be doing just that on Colossus. Battery and fuel tank out front for a holder downer ballast. Nicely done on the mount for your S/G. Do you have a link you can PM me or info to buy the SG? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slim67 2,735 #13 Posted August 8, 2021 1 hour ago, ebinmaine said: I'll be doing just that on Colossus. Battery and fuel tank out front for a holder downer ballast. Nicely done on the mount for your S/G. Do you have a link you can PM me or info to buy the SG? You can go online and find a lot of info on starter/generators but right off the top of my head , I’ll say golfcartcatalog.com is a good place to start. You want one that is for CCW rotation since club car did change their Kawasaki engines to CW rotation later on. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,605 #14 Posted August 8, 2021 15 minutes ago, slim67 said: You want one that is for CCW rotation since club car did change their Kawasaki engines to CW rotation later on Awesome Slim thanks. The rotation is one of my concerns. I'd have to run it off of a multi groove pulley as pictured above so it would need to be reverse of a standard Wheelhorse SG. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vurge 158 #15 Posted August 9, 2021 Thanks for the positive feedback on this project. I'm really looking forward to working on the C-121 next. The 656 was a salvage project, but the C-121 is mostly original so I'll want to keep it that way. Wheel Horses are scarce here on the West Coast. When shopping for the S/G I noticed there were quite a few that could run in either direction. It was just a matter of moving the location of that fat black cable on top. @ebinmaine@ebinmaine I am not sure if I would use the double pulley again. I think having one big one for the S/G and one regular size for the drive belt would be best. I had to use a pulley on the S/G that is below the minimum recommended size for a standard half inch V belt. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,605 #16 Posted August 9, 2021 7 hours ago, Vurge said: I am not sure if I would use the double pulley again. I think having one big one for the S/G and one regular size for the drive belt would be best. I had to use a pulley on the S/G that is below the minimum recommended size for a standard half inch V belt Good info there. Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vurge 158 #17 Posted August 27, 2021 There is a side benefit to the undersized pulley-- it works as a neutral safety of sorts. Because the pulley doesn't get enough traction, the tractor won't start unless the clutch pedal is depressed. Can't start it in gear, but once running, it spins the S/G just fine. Nice! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ohiofarmer 3,276 #18 Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) On 8/8/2021 at 10:52 AM, ebinmaine said: I'll be doing just that on Colossus. Battery and fuel tank out front for a holder downer ballast. Nicely done on the mount for your S/G. Do you have a link you can PM me or info to buy the SG? Just a thought since your tractor is named Colossus. A 14 HP predator comes with electric start if 14 HP for 329 to 349 bucks floats your boat. They have enough torque for a 520 pulling a 48 inch deck, but I really have not so much confidence in putting a side load on the engine bearings with the manual hoop clutch. A mower drive clutch may be better off if an electric model. So with what I have now, the 520 is a really nice snow plow tractor equipped with a 14 HP Pred. Battery start could be right handy if you were in a tight spot running trails and needed a restart. As a pull start, it is almost always running on the second pull. Edited August 30, 2021 by ohiofarmer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,605 #19 Posted August 30, 2021 8 minutes ago, ohiofarmer said: Just a thought since your tractor is named Colossus. A 14 HP predator comes with electric start if 14 HP for 329 to 349 bucks floats your boat. They have enough torque for a 520 pulling a 48 inch deck, but I really have not so much confidence in putting a side load on the engine bearings with the manual hoop clutch. A mower drive clutch may be better off if an electric model. So with what I have now, the 520 is a really nice snow plow tractor equipped with a 14 HP Pred. Battery start could be right handy if you were in a tight spot running trails and needed a restart. As a pull start, it is almost always running on the second pull. Appreciate the info. I'm all set on Colossus because I have the 23 horse twin. I do however have a need for an engine on a generator that I haven't gotten around to building yet. That would be fantastic for that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites