15 % Off Harbor Freight 3 day Sale

Hi Y'all

Just got this in. I always check my email before going to HF. I get coupons from them periodically. Since I was gonna pick up their 2.5 HP 4 cycle today, lo and behold this was in my in basket.



Right click it, use save image as and then print it out. That's for Firefox. I'm sure IE is similar. If you can't do that, here's a link to it. Here are some more coupons.

The 2.5 HP 4 cycle is on sale in their mail out for $89.99. This coupon will get it for you at $76.49. It usually sells for about $100 so about a $24 savings. This sale is only today, Saturday and Sunday so hurry if you want this engine.

You can use the coupon for any single item, so use it for the most expensive.

Have fun.

Ted

Another thing. When you fill it out, use a good addy. They don't pass around your addy (as far as I know) and you will start to get coupons in your inbasket. You can also go to the website and subscribe to their coupons. Do it. It's worth it.

Also if your see an item online at a lower price than the store, print the page with the price and barcode. They will sell it at that price if you're nice.

Enjoy.

Ted

Yeah Dan it seems wide. That's with the pull start and fan shroud, muffler, gas tank and air cleaner. It's an OHV so I think it's a Honda clone. I can't tell by the pic online but I'm sure (I looked at it IRL several months ago) it has the drain screw on the carb bowl.

That 3600 RPM rating is governed speed. The throttle on a governed engine does not directly move the throttle plate in the carb. It usually varies spring pressure on the governor, with a reserve higher RPM capability to overcome differences in load. We can tap that reserve capability.

Properly set up, you can have a standard throttle grip and Cruise Control! There is a caveat, though. Hitting the brakes will not release "cruise". We'll have to make sure the kill switch (that works) is close to our right thumb.

With a set of the old friction shifters on the top tube, we can have auxiliary throttle (Cruise Control) and choke levers. This will be almost true cruise control. Head up a hill and throttle opens up to keep speed constant. Thing is, heading downhill it will stay at 3600. It will back off the throttle but won't close it completely.

These engines are designed for generators. They will run day in day out. Cast iron cylinder sleeve. Low oil shutdown. Ball bearing shaft. For less than $80 dollars you can't beat it.

Ted

Sometimes you say well. Sometimes you say well shoot.

No 2.5 HP engines at the Beaumont HF. "I have two on the truck that will be here Monday" says Josh, one of the managers.

"But my coupon expires Sunday night" says I.

"No problem" says Josh. "I'll write you a raincheck. You can use your coupon when it gets here."

"Can I buy you some coffee? " says I.

They know me by sight at HF. Stores that take care of their customers should be cultivated.

Ted

These motors are built for little generators, therefore the governors should be very quick acting to keep output at 60 Hz (3600 / 60). I don't have one in my hands and don't know the Honda Model/Ser.# prefixes to look at an IPL.

I would guess that it's either blower air (Tecumseh type) or centrifugal (most likely) driven. I wouldn't advise just removing the spring linkage, since the governor assembly itself might self destruct. The centrifugal probably runs off a gear on the camshaft. You would have to take a look to see how it controls the throttle plate.

It could be either directly connected or spring connected. I'm hoping it's the indirect spring connected type. That would allow another connection to the linkage while keeping the governor connected. With the spring type, the throttle plate can move; the governor would just apply more spring pressure to entice the plate to move the opposite direction.

Timing is probably well advanced to give good throttle response to load changes.

We want the governor to act like a riding mower. The throttle control on the dash moves a "set point" along the linkage that varies pressure on the governor input to the throttle plate. They have a notch or two for recommended High speed and idle. Even when set at idle, you can manually open the throttle plate to blip the engine. We want ours so that when at 3600 RPM, we can blip (with the grip throttle) the engine revs (to pass a guy pedaling like the dickens) and then drop back to 3600.

The cruise control (for lack of a better term) on the top tube (at least on mine) sets the minimum RPM. The grip throttle can increase from there, but not any lower. On a Harley, this is usually set with a thumbscrew on the throttle that locks the grip at whatever speed. I'll figure out cable pull length, etc. when I get my engine (hopefully Monday - otherwise a trip to Lake Charles.). The other shifter will be for the choke. There should be a pic of friction shifters at the bottom of this post.

Any Honda owners out there that can help us out?

I'm gonna see if I can track down any info on this governor.

Ted

We're in luck. It's a gear driven governor, spring coupled.

David we don't want to totally disconnect the governor. I think with the throttle response it would have it would be hard to control the RPM, especially with the clutch in. We'll just fix it so we have a "passing speed". Well . . . that's for us conservative ones. I'm sure there are some who will totally bypass it.

Here's a link to the manual download page. You will need Adobe or another pdf reader. If for some reason you can't download it (at work, etc.) PM me with your addy and I'll email it. Good manual, by the way.

The Lake Charles store doesn't have it either. Really don't want to drive to Pasadena. No more Gilley's. Well . . . let me call them . . .

Ted

Stinkadena store is out. I'm beginning to think these engines are pretty popular or they're a new item. Maybe that engine I saw a few months ago was a 5 or 6.5 HP?

Also from the Service Precautions in the Manual:

Do not alter or adjust any part of the Engine that is sealed by the manufacturer or distributor. Only a qualified service technician may adjust parts that may increase or decrease governed Engine speed.

Well . . . I'm qualified. How 'bout y'all?

No number listed at HF.com for the Lufkin store. Somebody up there wants me to wait till Monday. I wonder if I order on line they will ship it to the store/no freight? I want what I want when I want it!

Ted

Welcome to our place, rollercoach. We have a separate forum for non-kit builds,
DIY Home Built Motorized Bicycle (non kit).

But don't spend all your time there, each forum here will have something to offer. I use the "New Posts" link at the top of the page.

You can Introduce Yourself to our members; tell us a little about yourself.

Use the search function to track down any specific questions you might have. Of course, we're all here to help. Just ask if you can't find the answer to your question.

I can't tell you the specifics on that engine yet, I'm still trying to locate a store close enough for me to get to.

There's a coupon on the first post of this thread you can print out to get 15 % off on the engine.

Ted