Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hello all. Was thinking of doing an engine swap on my snowblower. I see some on Ebay and other sites that sell engines that don't have the throttle control or fuel shutoff( that would be an easy fix) but was wondering if this would be ok for a snowblower to have the engine at a fixed speed? Thanks Kensico

I think a fixed RPM is OK for a 2-stage snowblower, which doesn't have a centrifugal clutch (unlike a single-stage).

You'll want to find something with matching output shaft size, and height, as well as matching mounting holes. I had an MTD with a Tecumseh, which had a second output shaft on the engine, to drive the transmission. Make sure you only need a single output. Also, snow-duty engines typically don't have air filters (they are not operated in dusty environments, and filters can clog/ice up), and instead have a heater box around the carburetor, which uses the heat from the exhaust to keep the carb from icing up.

So if you go with a summer engine, you may need to fabricate a heater box, and remove the air filter.

RedOctobyr wrote:
I haven't seen one with a centriffugal clutch.  Most single stage uses a movable idler pulley to tighten up the belt  to deliver power to the auger.

Oops, you're right I've even had single-stage machines, and simply had brain-blank. I guess I was thinking of when I "boratified" one of my SS, so it also revved up when I squeezed the handle. Sorry about that.

Thnx,I found a tecumseh that should match for $179 it has a 3/4" keyed single shaft like mine 10 hp brand new