I had a 40 size Ultra Stick until Friday when it became a lawn dart in the sod farm where we fly. I am planning to replace it with the Ultra Stick Lite and wouldn't mind putting the G26 on it, but money is an issue. I was looking at Home Depot today and for about $80 they are selling the Homelite Versa Tool which has a 25cc engine. Is this a hard engine to convert, looks like it would need a little more metal cutting then the Home Lite 45cc chain saw I converted. Would the performance be reasonable? Are there better choices in this size range?

HOMELITE 25 CC IS A NICE CHOICE BUT YOU MUST TO CUT A LOT OF METAL, AND CHANGE THE CARB TOO, IF YOU WANT TO WORK THE HOMELITE IS THE BEST 25 CC.

wackerengines.com has the bigger carbs for $20.

Jim

if you want to buy a pre-converted with larger carb you can get one at
http://gcbmrc.com/engines.htm
for about $200


I've got one myself and am very happy, turns close to 9k on a 18x6 prop. that will probably be cheaper then converting yourself after you are finished. ($80-engine, $20-carb, $$ for mount and prop shaft)

rkramer,

Thanks for the the suggestion regarding gcbmrc. Mike helped me out tremendously on a Homelite 45cc conversion. I was planning on using the engine from a weed wacker that I have laying around and would just need the other pieces. Mike's price ifor the full conversion is $210 plus S&H. I can get a G26 from my LHS for $270 plus tax. I was hoping to keep the cost under $100.

What is the stock hp on the 25cc homlite
just comparing it with the mitsibusi engine
that has 1.4 hp and 25cc

The easiest conversion is the Stihl 27cc trimmer, sells for 129.95 and is hands down one of the simplest coversions out there. It can be beam mounted or mounted from the three ears on the back. No cutting necessary other than stub shaft in back. Ken Lambert coverted mine and did an excellent job, even through in a custom pitts style muffler

The cheapest conversion that I have done is a Homelite 25cc engine that was given to me. I purchased a prop adapter and a carburetor for it, and modified the stock muffler. It turned around 7800 RPMS with a 16x8 APC. Plenty of power to Fly an Ultra Lite Stick. Total cost was under 50 dollars. I would check around with your friends, neighbors, and local small engine shop. Someone is bound to have a string trimmer or a leaf blower that is "broken" and may make a good conversion candidate.

I converted a Ryobi 31 cc and it was relative easy to convert plus the extra parts weren't very expensive. I got a new, reconditioned weed eater from Harbor Freight for $49.95 with free shipping. Removing the Ryobi was quite simple. They have them too in their stores for I believe $59.95. It ran well with the magneto but I converted it to a home built PIC controlled CDI ignition. Saved one pound in weight.