Glad you got things ironed out Joe. Only #'s 4 & 5 concern me but hey your a happy
Quick question(s) before I pull the trigger on a DHT 25 ton splitter
- Thread starter Husky Joe
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Husky Joe
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Ugh… I’m somewhere between dragging this POS back to the shop again or just yanking it off, replacing it with a Honda, and selling it on Craigslist as a mechanic’s special. It’s been sitting for a few months out of the weather but the best I can get it to do is backfire. In May, it started easily but would only run at about half throttle. I drug it off to the local shop again and after hearing it run, the shop owner said it sounded like the exhaust was plugged. He thought maybe some wasps built a nest in the muffler (I keep it under a tarp). He took the exhaust apart and found a screen which was plugged with carbon or whatever. He speculated that maybe running the avgas may have been the issue. Okay, maybe my fault on this? He removed the screen and left it out and said it should run fine. He also changed the spark plug to a Champion. Came home and ran it a few times and everything was fine. Summer came and wood splitting became less of a priority so it sat for a few months without running it. Yesterday, I went out to split up some big oak rounds and it won’t start. I pulled the cover off and found the flywheel, magnet, and ignition module all rusted up again. I cleaned everything up as I did before, checked for spark---looked good---but the best I can get is a backfire out the muffler when using starting fluid. I have a collection of spark plugs and I even tried a couple other ones but still no good. The avgas is a few months old but from my googling, should have a shelf life of about one year. Any suggestions before I give up and buy a Honda? Looks like I can buy a GX200 for $329 online. Last bill at the shop was $94.29. The one before that was $83.69. I’m ready to cut my losses and move on. Sigh…
Get a Honda they are the greatest I have 2 they work fine.
Husky Joe
ArboristSite Operative
Honda makes a few variations of the GX200. Will this one cut it?
I
I think he could buy a used heavy duty splitter with a Honda for 500.00 or so ,no?
Time to head to Harbor Freight and pickup a new engine. I use them all the time and have zero issues.
I had a honda motor that cam out of my old pressure washer that sat out in the weather the whole time. I was cleaning up one day and decided to give the old motor a try before I threw it out. I put a dash of gas in the tank and a splash down the carb and gave it a pull, not really expecting anything to happen. Well what do you know it popped, so I gave it another splash down the carb and pulled again, after a few pulls she started but only ran for about 30 sec. After it shut off I noticed a hissing sound that sounded like something was pressurized and was bleeding off the pressure. I checked the oil and it was full of milk. So I drained that out and put some diesel in it and pulled again and that old water logged motor fired rite up. I let it run about a min then shut it down and drained the diesel out and put some more in. I did that about 3 times to get the water out. Then I put in some fresh oil and started it up and let it run for a few min. I was surprised that it even started, much less ran. I flushed out the gas tank and filled it up and started it up again and I just let it idle till it ran through the whole tank. It idled great so I filled the tank again and let it run at full speed till it ran dry again. I did that about 3 times to see if it would come apart or stop running but it ran great. I sold it on CL for 100 bucks.
Husky Joe
ArboristSite Operative
Maybe. But I'd still be sitting on a splitter that's less than one year old with an engine that doesn't run. The Kohler has given me fits from day one. Probably looking at a Honda GX200 or GC190. I emailed DHT, hoping they'd cut me a deal on a Honda replacement. Updates will follow…
My friend has a splitter like yours and it isnt very sturdy I already had to weld it heavily. Keep a look out for an old machine made from heavy steel. Fix that one and sell it.
I been in the Tree Service and Firewood business 43 years.
PM DHT Here. You might get better results.
My Kohler powered splitter has ran flawlessly since day one. Starts first pull no mater what. I have about 600 hours on it so far.
Husky Joe
ArboristSite Operative
Yes, they offered to send me a Honda for about 30 bucks less than I would pay at Northern, with shipping. I'm on the fence.
FWIW, I picked up a new spark plug and some fresh regular unleaded 87 octane gas yesterday. Drained the tank and even flushed the system a little with the new gas. I can still only get a backfire. This POS was running fine (FINALLY) when I put it away in the spring. I'd hate to guess how many hours I have spent trying to start this thing, troubleshooting, two trips to the shop. Heck, I even broke the recoil assembly and the pull rope from yanking on it so many times. I guess I finally have to accept it's a lemon, cut my losses, quit wasting time and move on… Other than a big chunk of paint falling off the hydraulic fluid tank, I really have no complaints about the splitter itself. It's busted everything I've thrown at it (when it's running) and the cycle time seems pretty quick.
Husky Joe
ArboristSite Operative
I took a look at them and they are pretty tempting. I could buy three for the price of one Honda. The recoil starter rope is on the opposite side---not sure that would be much of an issue. Through my research I also noted:
be aware that it does not come with a clutch or torque converter, so they must be purchased separately. For a Predator 212cc, you need a clutch or torque converter to accept a 3/4" shaft.
But maybe I already have the "clutch or torque converter?" I also wondered about bolt hole and shaft alignment… Errrr...
JoshNY
ArboristSite Operative
Have you checked the valve clearances?
I had a Briggs once that turned over hard and backfired and it ended up one of the rocker arm nuts had loosened up and wasn't opening the valve hardly at all.
You should be able to find the clearances online and check with a flat feeler gauge.
Also during that process you can make sure the valves are moving and one isn't stuck.
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I had a Briggs once that turned over hard and backfired and it ended up one of the rocker arm nuts had loosened up and wasn't opening the valve hardly at all.
You should be able to find the clearances online and check with a flat feeler gauge.
Also during that process you can make sure the valves are moving and one isn't stuck.
Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk
JoshNY
ArboristSite Operative
The clutch or torque converter would be used on a go cart or mini bike. They don't apply to a splitter.
Most of these 6.5 hp engines have the same bolt pattern for the pump bracket. 8hp and up engines have a different bracket with a larger bolt pattern.
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spike60
Addicted to ArboristSite
Geez, his thread should have stayed on the beer topic. Or there should have been less drinking during the diagnosis and repair. Joe, you might not like or agree with what I'm going to post, but would like to try and help you and others reading this as well.
Don't know why this idea won't go away, but magnetism has no problem passing through the rust on a flywheel or coil. Were not cleaning battery terminals here guys. And sandpaper is one thing but going at it with a die grinder? You admit you buggered it up a bit, and I suspect you damaged the plates on the coil and shorted them out. That Kohler splitter motor is very good and we see hardly any problems with those beyond the bad gas stuff. You might be able to just get by with a coil, as long as the flywheel is not also damaged.
We've seen so many guys ruin coils over the years by going overboard getting the rust off of them. Clean them up a little with a rag or very FINE sandpaper if it bothers you, but a lot of abrasive cleaning can often ruin the coil.
I'd back off on all of this re-engineering that you are doing with different fluids and spark plug and what not. You could very well be adding more issues to the splitter that will have to be dealt with by some poor innocent guy that you sell this to. AV gas does smell nice, but it's not great to run in a splitter. Has less energy in it and evaporates extremely fast. It's formulated differently for use in aircraft at high altitude. Something to do with fuel atomization up there maybe? Not sure myself. Don't you guys in PA have non ethanol premium available over there? We even have that here in upstate NY. Much better than AV gas for all power equipment applications.
One more helpful hint for you and other guys ordering splitter motors online. You must order a "splitter" motor with the heavier cast iron flywheel. They don't run right, or at all, if you get a motor with the lighter aluminum flywheel. This is more common with the vertical shaft motors where guys end up buying a lawn mower engine, which is designed to run with the weight of the blade underneath it. Don't see this much with the horizontal shaft applications, but you need to pay attention to this when ordering splitter motors. We've seen 3 guys this year who have gone online and stuck lawnmower engines on splitters and them brought them in cause they wouldn't run right. (all 3 were vertical shaft applications). They got them started but they would run with a bad surge that you couldn't make go away. One guy wasted some more money by ordering a new carb for it.
Don't know why this idea won't go away, but magnetism has no problem passing through the rust on a flywheel or coil. Were not cleaning battery terminals here guys. And sandpaper is one thing but going at it with a die grinder? You admit you buggered it up a bit, and I suspect you damaged the plates on the coil and shorted them out. That Kohler splitter motor is very good and we see hardly any problems with those beyond the bad gas stuff. You might be able to just get by with a coil, as long as the flywheel is not also damaged.
We've seen so many guys ruin coils over the years by going overboard getting the rust off of them. Clean them up a little with a rag or very FINE sandpaper if it bothers you, but a lot of abrasive cleaning can often ruin the coil.
I'd back off on all of this re-engineering that you are doing with different fluids and spark plug and what not. You could very well be adding more issues to the splitter that will have to be dealt with by some poor innocent guy that you sell this to. AV gas does smell nice, but it's not great to run in a splitter. Has less energy in it and evaporates extremely fast. It's formulated differently for use in aircraft at high altitude. Something to do with fuel atomization up there maybe? Not sure myself. Don't you guys in PA have non ethanol premium available over there? We even have that here in upstate NY. Much better than AV gas for all power equipment applications.
One more helpful hint for you and other guys ordering splitter motors online. You must order a "splitter" motor with the heavier cast iron flywheel. They don't run right, or at all, if you get a motor with the lighter aluminum flywheel. This is more common with the vertical shaft motors where guys end up buying a lawn mower engine, which is designed to run with the weight of the blade underneath it. Don't see this much with the horizontal shaft applications, but you need to pay attention to this when ordering splitter motors. We've seen 3 guys this year who have gone online and stuck lawnmower engines on splitters and them brought them in cause they wouldn't run right. (all 3 were vertical shaft applications). They got them started but they would run with a bad surge that you couldn't make go away. One guy wasted some more money by ordering a new carb for it.
Husky Joe
ArboristSite Operative
Spike, thanks. I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me through this. I understand your point, but it doesn’t explain why the engine was running fine when I put it away a few months ago. When I checked out the flywheel this time, the coil was basically rusted to the flywheel, or at least it left two demarcations from the coil plates on the flywheel. I seem to have spark and gas, so I don’t know what changed while it sat for a few months. I can’t even get it to kick with starting fluid. I used a wire brush on the die grinder to remove the rust, not really grinding away with it. The first time I did it, I boogered up a throttle/governor spring which I ordered, replaced, and then everything ran fine after the rust removal. It actually even ran fine with the jerryrigged spring, until the new one arrived by mail for 12 bucks. I’m back to regular unleaded and RC12YC Champion spark, but still no luck. That’s what I had in it when I tucked it away a few months ago (eliminated the E3 when it was in the shop the last time for the plugged exhaust screen). And I threw in a splash of Seafoam, which Kohler had suggested. I dunno…
Josh, I haven't played with the valves…
Josh, I haven't played with the valves…
NSMaple1
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have never had any flywheel/coil issues in any of the small engines I have ever had anything to do with. Maybe lucky, I don't know. But even some really rusty old looking B&S engines would still spark right. Some spent months out in the wet & cold, one got drug down a muddy woods road behind a wagon for 2 kms bouncing all over the place
Maybe you 'overcleaned' stuff, and made it more prone to corrosion?Was there a bit of protective coating on things that might not be there any more? Grasping, but this does all sound pretty weird. Have only had one Kohler. It is on a mill. The only issues we had with that was gummy carb ones from gas going bad. I did the usual bowl off & clean thing, and ran some Seafoam through it, it's been good since. A few months could be long enough to grow a gunky carb issue, maybe?
I am sure there are those on here that could get that thing running like a top, if they could get their hands on it. Not that that helps a whole lot right now, I guess...
Maybe you 'overcleaned' stuff, and made it more prone to corrosion?Was there a bit of protective coating on things that might not be there any more? Grasping, but this does all sound pretty weird. Have only had one Kohler. It is on a mill. The only issues we had with that was gummy carb ones from gas going bad. I did the usual bowl off & clean thing, and ran some Seafoam through it, it's been good since. A few months could be long enough to grow a gunky carb issue, maybe?
I am sure there are those on here that could get that thing running like a top, if they could get their hands on it. Not that that helps a whole lot right now, I guess...
I have not read through this entire thread but one outstanding issue is covering with a tarp. Did that once to a nice car to protect the interior from sun damage and was rewarded with a rusty car. (Roof and condensation and so on) My splitter has a Honda 5HP with a plastic tank and if left exposed to the elements the linkage ices up so no start without thawing. I cover it with an old wool blanket when I shut it down then a crap wash tub to keep it dry. Doing this for 11 or 12 years with this motor. Nebraska is a humid state yet no rust for me this way.I assume if you have rust you have condensation issues in fuel and tank and carb etc. Might be relevant, just my thoughts and it only cost me the time to post them.
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