Proposed Value: DuroMax XP9HP 274cc 25mm Horizontal Shaft Recoil Start Gas Powered Multi-Use Engine

I got the XP7HP version. It's a good little engine. The recoil starter bolts are metal, not plastic, which I like. The engine is extremely loud, the silencer may as well not even be there. The only quality issue I found was odd wear on the crankshaft counterweight. Keep in mind I have not run the engine yet when this photo was taken, it was brand new out of the box. That wear is from the factory. But the engine still works, so I'm not going to complain about it on a $200 engine. The rocker arms were oiled, and looked good. After I reassembled it it started on the third pull. Then after that it has always started on the first pull. It's no high performance engine, but it gets the job done.

I had my doubts about this engine being such a good price point but it pleasantly surprised me! I purchased this motor for my sons go kart along with a torque converter kit and it works great. Tons of low end torque for hills but still has good top end. The electric start switch did give me a little bit of a problem but i installed a remote push to start switch that fixed that. The engine puts out plenty of charging power as well. It keeps the starting battery charged and we run 5 LED offroad lights no problem. I was worried that the motor my not be able to handle the bumps of off roading, especially since my sons go kart has the motor mounted on the moving portion of the rear swing arm/suspension, but it runs strong regardless of terrain. It has even be rolled a few times, but we flip it over and it fires right back up with a few puffs of smoke. This motor has given me the confidence to try other things from Duromax. I am look at their generators. If they are anywhere near as durable as this engine, I will be happy. And again, if you want to use this for a go kart, get the torque converter. You wont regret it.

I purchased this engine as a replacement for a Briggs 12 hp V-twin. The $329 price tag was the deciding factor - that's about half the cost of the Briggs short block. The engine is mounted on a BCS 30" roto tiller.All of the mounting was ready-to-go right out of the box. The clutch slid on the keyed shaft, and the retaining bolt turned right into the 3/8 - 24 tapped hole. It was only about an hour from opening the box until I was ready to go.After reading the other reviews, I was concerned about the starter connections, and also about building a battery box. Neither was an issue, as the engine is very easy to start and I haven't felt any need to use the electric starter or connect a battery. A brief examination, however, makes it clear that the only connection necessary is the battery cables - shouldn't be a problem. My tiller has a "dead man" switch that kills the engine if the machine gets away for some reason. Using the schematic, I was easily able to figure out how to connect the kill switch.The only difficulty I encountered is that I wasn't able to connect the throttle cable from the tiller control handlebar. That hasn't been a big problem - I merely set the engine rpm before I start work, and it goes fine.The engine is a piece of cake to start - it has started on the first pull every time. It does require a fairly stout tug on the cord, usually a "two handed" tug. It seems louder than the Briggs, but I don't have any way to measure decibels, and if louder, it's by just a little. It runs very smoothly, with no surging or "hunting", and fuel consumption seems reasonable - but, without a meter to count hours of operation, my opinion of fuel consumption is quite subjective. Without a dynomometer, there isn't a way for me to measure actual horsepower output, but there is no doubt is has a bit more zip than the old Briggs.As of this writing, I have used the engine for about 20 hours without any problem whatsoever. My own measure of engines like this one includes longevity, so I might be back to edit this if the engine doesn't give me a few years of good service. At this point, I don't hesitate to recommend it.

I bought this for a large-ish bandsaw mill I am building (1-1/2" x 21' long blade). So far I am impressed with the engine. I have it mounted and have run it a little, but the mill is not yet 100% complete so I cannot yet comment on how powerful it is as related to cutting slabs. It is surprisingly quiet, pleased about that. As you may see in some questions, the included "manual" is not at all helpful for wiring up the ignition. There is a Q&A on here that has a link to the document you need for wiring this up. After getting it wired, it started right up, no issues at all. For the money, this seems like a pretty decent motor. By way of comparison, I was initially planning to buy the HF Predator motor which is a 22HP twin cylinder motor, but that one goes for about $700. To be honest, that one is likely a better fit for my project, but thought I'd try this first and maybe save some money. Time will tell.UPDATE July 2018: We have been using this successfully for a few months now on our bandsaw mill. It is working good with adequate power. Only noted downside is it does not seem to charge the battery consistently. Could be it just doesn't have enough electrical output to do the job, but the motor itself is performing well. Will update again if there is anything of note to add.

Installed this on an older Ditchwitch 24" model. Basically dropped right in, got lucky and the shaft was exactly the right size, and it runs fantastic. I have yet to wire up the key start, but it starts the first time, every time. Sips gas. An excellent replacement for the worn out honda original.