Predator 420

**Texan77** · 11-05-2014 11:53 PM

I am planning on using a predator 420 to power my shredder 2. I have been reading about the torque converters. Anyone have suggestions on which one to use. Appears comet is the favorite. They are pricey though. Any other recommendations?

Thank you.

**K-fab** · 11-06-2014 12:24 PM

The primary (one attached to the engine, also called drive) clutch may be a proprietary unit for that engine. Have you found aftermarket offerings?

There are a lot of secondary (driven) units out there - most fit on a 1", keyed shaft. Team probably makes some of the best.

I'd look on Team's site and see what is available.

The nice thing is that the majority of clutches are tunable - which is a bit of an art...

**Texan77** · 11-06-2014 01:58 PM

I was under the impression you just bought the clutch based on the shaft size. I didn't know it might be proprietary.

**K-fab** · 11-06-2014 02:16 PM

The drive clutch may be - don't know this for sure. (so I go do a google search on Predator 420)

Oh, wait! I'm thinking that the Predator 420 is a quad, I did a search and realize that it's an engine.

Sorry 'bout that.

Yea, you should be able to just purchase a drive that fits the shaft.

Commet would probably be the way to go. Hit up rgvkid and see what he has to say about running this setup.

**darwinpayne2000** · 11-06-2014 02:47 PM

Just to clarify, you're talking about the Predator 420 engine sold by Harbor Freight, correct?

Since it is a generic industrial engine, you can use most clutches that fit on a 1" keyed shaft.

If you're looking at Comet clutches for the Shredder II, you should look at a Comet Duster clutch. It uses a 1 3/16 inch belt (I think). The 30, 40 and 500 series clutches use a 7/8" wide belt and they have a tendency to slip on a buggy the size of the Shredder II. Also, the 30 series clutches are too light-weight for 13 hp. I broke one of their clutches with a 6 hp engine.

The Comet Duster driver clutch is easy to find on Ebay and through other sources, but the driven clutch is sometimes hard to track down. Currently, someone on Ebay is selling a new 90D driven clutch for about $200. That's not a bad price. You also need to procure a belt. I ordered my belt through Scott at Ubuilditplans, as well as the clutches.

Another option is the Comet Salisbury 780 clutch and the Team driver/driven clutches. If you thought the Comet clutches were pricey, then you better sit down before researching the price of a Team clutch setup. They're expensive because they're really good and hold up to some serious horsepower. They may be overkill for your build.

The final option is to purchase an adapter that allows you to run a 30 mm tapered clutch. That allows you to grab a set of used Polaris clutches off of Ebay for your build.

The question of clutches has come up before, so if you search on the site, you should find several threads where everyone has hashed through this issue. Some go with a Polaris clutch setup, some shell out the bucks for a Team setup and others use a Salisbury driver clutch with a driven clutch on a 1" keyed shaft.

Good luck on your buggy.

**Inailit** · 11-06-2014 07:15 PM

Texan 77,
I looked at the same motor for my SII kart. If I could make a suggestion, As an option to the Predator 420 I would look at the Lifan 420 from the Home Depot Website. Both are Electric-Start Honda-Clones but for an extra $75 dollars you can get the Lifan with an 18 amp, 12 VDC output charging system. If you plan on running lights, radio, CB, winch or etc on your buggy this will help keep the battery charged. Also, delivery is often free and it comes with a 3 year warranty. I believe you can pay Harbor Freight extra to extend the warranty, but I don't know how much it costs or how long it extends the warranty.

See link below: Not sure if this is going to work. If not a Google search will.

LIFAN 1 in. 15 HP 420 cc OHV Electric Start Horizontal Keyway Shaft Engine with 18 Amp Charger-LF190F-BDQC at The Home Depot

**Texan77** · 11-06-2014 08:49 PM

Thank you all for the info. I have been searching on here for months but sometimes it's hard to filter through the things you are not familiar with. I already have the harbor freight engine so I doubt I will change that. Thanks again!

**Jerm** · 11-06-2014 08:49 PM

I agree with what Darwin said. I researched this topic alot before I ended up finding a whole snowmobile engine for my build. The polaris clutch setup is the cheapest and best way to go, there are many used polaris clutches on ebay. And the secondary clutch fits onto the polaris FNR gearboxes. They are a nice setup for little money when you compare to the comet/team stuff out there. Also the FNR box is a bonus, they can be had on ebay for about $100-$200 bucks depending on year.