Smallest engine with E-start and alternator.

[Tpdingo]

What is the smallest engine(displacement,hp,physical,etc.) that has both an alternator and an electric start. Doesn't have to be stock but preferable.

 

[anickode]

Duromax sells a 7hp Honda clone (like the predator 212) with e start and a coil for $170 I believe. Available at home Depot.

Besides an industrial type engine, you can get a Lifan air/oil cooled dirt bike style engine with electric start, around 110cc or possibly smaller. Can't remember what the smallest one that isn't kick start is though.

 

[MTNSleder]

Why do you want a small engine?

 

[Tpdingo]

Why do you want a small engine?

Price.

 

[anickode]

Price.

And electric start is absolutely necessary?

Because a predator is under 100 bucks right now with the coupon

Duromax 196 is probably the cheapest turnkey electric start out there, and it's 80 bucks more.

 

[Kartorbust]

What's your budget? You can get a GX160 with electric start and a 3amp or 7amp stator/light coil for about $500. That's about 5.0hp and will do anything you need. If electric start and a stator are not 100% needed then the Predator 212 is your best bet at about $99-119.

 

[Tpdingo]

I was going to say a budget of 250$ but I jumped the gun because I found a metric ton of 212 hemi's at harbor freight. I'll get the Duromax one day.

 

[MTNSleder]

Your confusing..

 

[Tpdingo]

yea i know.

I found the Duromax but for nearly twice the price there was no point.

 

[anickode]

Nope. When the bottom line is the bottom line, sometimes you have to sacrifice luxury for practicality.

On top of the extra 80 bucks for the engine, you have to buy a battery too, otherwise you wasted 80 bucks on something you can't even use.

 

[Kartorbust]

Well like I stated in another thread, could buy an alternator for like $90, get a 4" pulley (or slightly larger), and get a v belt that works and you could have a nice 40+ amp alternator setup if you need that kind of power. Otherwise a lawn tractor battery (good for about 19 amp hours or 1 amp at 19 hours) and just charge up the battery after every use. Spend, but could be worth it.

 

[Tpdingo]

40+ amps?? I was looking to power a 5W leds and an arduino board(<100mw). 1A tops.

 

[anickode]

40+ amps?? I was looking to power a 5W leds and an arduino board(<100mw). 1A tops.

I'd just slap a small SLA battery on there and hook it to a battery tender once in a while.

 

[I/C Opposed Twin]

I've seen engines as small as B&S 3.5hp vertical-shaft with a 6V electric starter and simple 1-1.5A charging coil. Probably too small for your needs. Almost all of the older 5hp & up verticals with electric start will have a stator underneath the flywheel. If you use a Briggs engine, you can download their alternator chart which shows which stator was available for which engine(s). In many cases, more than one stator would fit a particular engine series, depending on the amount of electrical load you would have and the desired charge rate for the battery.

I had an 11hp horizontal snow thrower engine that had a 1.5A DC stator to power a headlight on the 'thrower. When I swapped the 120VAC electric starter for a 12VDC starter, I put in a bigger stator to not only power the light, but now also charge the battery. In configuration terms, this was by far, the cleanest, because after all was said and done, there was no visible change in the appearance to the engine.
I use my B&S engine as an example, simply because they have, by far, the best customer support over anyone else, both behind the counter and on the web.

I hope this opens up some possibilities not previously considered.

For my go cart project, I'm using a Briggs 18hp opposed twin with a 20A OEM stator and regulator combo I found on eBay to charge the battery, run a few lights, and possibly a radio.