Looking at building my first mud motor. Looking at paring a Harbor Freight Predator 22HP with a long tail bolt on kit, either swamp runner or mud skipper. Does anybody have experience with this motor, and setup?

I don't need to win any races, but I am concerned that with up to a 1200# payload in a 16' Jon boat that the motor wont have enough power to handle it.

Not really running in mud, just shallow water 1-2', to shallow for an outboard.

If you're deeling with stumps I'd get something tougher. If you're just doing grass and water and mud. They're fine. Just take care of them

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I have no experience with putting a predator motor on a mud motor.

I will say that my company has a dozen or so pieces of equipment with harbor freight predators. Everything from generators to asphalt kettles. The price is hard to beat. They don't seem to have quite as much power as a comparable briggs, kohler etc... But its hard to beat the price and the fact that if you buy the protection plan and blow one up, they swap them for a new one....

I've got a 13 hp predator on a homemade surface drive that I've put 30-40 hours on and it's ran good so far. If anything ever happens to my 13 I'm going to buy the 22. I'm interested to see how it runs on a surface drive

I am not stuck on a long shaft, but i am not much of a fabricator. From what i have read a surface drive provide more power and can haul more, just not as versatile.

Deherndon, Do you have any details on your homemade surface drive? Did you buy plans or just wing it?

Pretty much winged it but I did use the belt, gears and lower unit from mud buddy. Took a lot of the guess work out of it and its tried and true so less likely to fail and leave me stranded.

By the way. Good motor. Honda clone. Honda parts for the gx630 and 610 620 all work for this motor.

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