Swamp Runner Long-tail Mud Motor Medium Kit Assembly: S2E2

Assembling the SPS Swamp Runner Medium kit. Learn how the kit goes together and get familiar with the parts and pieces. I tried to make this as short as possible without cutting out too much. This kit took 4-5 hours to film and assemble. Hopefully there is some tips and tricks in there that will help you with your longtail mud motor kit.
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Comparison videos:
Transom Bracket - • Transom Bracket Compar...
Engine Base - • Engine Base Comparison...
Coupler Housing - • Who has the best Long ...
Props - • Prop Comparison - Thai...
Throttle Lever - • Tiller Handle & Thrott...
Tiller Handle - • Tiller Handle & Thrott...
Long Tail Shaft - • Shaft Comparison Long ...
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[@JTgatoring]

If your interested in how I ranked the kits to one another, visit my article - www.jtgatoring.com/long-tail-mud-motor-kits-comparing-parts/ . It goes in depth, where I tell you what I like and dislike about each kit compared to one another.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Man, shinny new paint and everything.

[@tylerw1418]

I know it's a pint getting all those shots and editing it but it's worth it. This video is great quality.

[@JTgatoring]

It was a pain to get some of those shots haha and thank you very much boss hog!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Man, I remember what it was like to be young and have all that strength. Man, I'd be hurting to days kicking up that motor, lol.

[@JTgatoring]

Yeah I didn't like doing it either but it needed to be done on that day and I couldn't figure out another way. It ended out okay so I'll just be thankful it did and plan accordingly next time

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, I know it, man! The video turned out well.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Definitely like the spline design. Far more surface area.

[@jmccain6369]

Awesome videos. Love my Swamp Runner motor. Great instructional video on assembling it. Surprised your not on their payroll. My only problem I've ever had with it is the grip occasionally slips out from the handle if I come to a sudden stop or lean forward. Also I've noticed that the kill switch is very hard to remove if you need to quickly kill the engine in an emergency. Wasn't sure if you noticed the same issues. Keep up the good work, really enjoy watching.

[@JTgatoring]

Thank you Jeff McCain! You're surprised I'm not on their payroll?! I'll take that as a compliment haha I didn't think my videos were that good hahaha. If anything I would think Black Warrior Lures would be on their with all of his content on SPS kits! So I've never experienced the grip problem. I'd love for you to send me a video or pictures if you could! With your consent, I would be able to put that in my written reviews to help others out. I have this grip on my small kit that I have had for three years now and it has not failed and doesn't show any signs of failing. I did have a subscriber who used a "mud grip" by Risk Racing that he put over his handle grip to grip better when your hands are wet. I will probably give that a try when I'm done with the series. I think that would benefit a few people. For the kill switch not pulling out easily, you can angle it to your needs. If you have it properly secured to your person it will pull out. It does take force to pull it, but the kill switch from Beaver Dam is a similar pull key kind. The one from Mud Skipper is fairly cheap. Its like a rubber cap. Once it heats up, it deforms and doesn't work anymore. Again with my small kit, the safety kill switch still works on it after three years so I'm not going to complain. Thank you for watching!!

[@jmccain6369]

+JTgatoring The grip was supplied with the kit, same as in the video. Where the grip & the throttle lever bolts onto the steering shaft is where it comes out. I may not have it tight enough or it may be getting worn out. The throttle lever stays in place, but the rubber coated plastic grip handle slides off the end of the steering shaft. Usually only happens when I beach the boat or hit a shallow spot that slows my boat down in a hurry from full speed. I continue forward with the grip in hand as the boat stops in its tracks.

[@chrisfishdawg]

I think I'm getting SwampRunner kit over MudSkipper!🤙🎣

[@JTgatoring]

After my experience with both of the kits, I would recommend the Swamp Runner kit. I plan to do some comparison videos between my small kit and medium kit on the same boat because I need to run the small one and get it fired back up. Let me know what you end up doing!!

[@justinpolakowski5787]

Yes I very much enjoyed the conversation as well and I will be sure to stay in touch I subscribed to your videos and look forward to future conversations. I will definitely let you know how the backwater works.

[@lifeinthemarsh]

So when I put my shaft on it still has play and I’ve tried hitting it forward and still nothing. Is there a better way to fix this or am I doing something wrong?

[@JTgatoring]

There's a lot of different shafts here. If you are talking about the shaft inside the 85 or 100-inch longtail, that is fixed by loosening the bolts with ears on the coupler housing, and tapping or pushing the outer shaft further into the coupler housing, and then tightening those ears back down. If you tighten those ears down and the shaft still moves in and out, you most likely have those bolts in backward and you need to flip them around.

[@clayturpin2558]

Just curious as to the reason you put the mount on the transom with the twisty things facing in...my kit says it should go the other way...?

[@JTgatoring]

As long as you have an SPS Swamp Runner, in Step 7 of your owners manual, it shows the wings bolts on the inside of the boat. I don't know if it would matter or not if the wing bolts are in the outside or inside of your boat, but you just want to make sure that the gimbal hole on the transom bracket is on the backside of the transom.

[@daveroby9645]

Any idea what size the bolts are that mount the shaft housing to the motor??? And the transom bracket bolts as well???

[@JTgatoring]

I do not. I'm sure if you go on Swamp Runners website you could find that out. If not, it may be in the manual or check your engine owners manual for bolt thread and depth.

[@juliosdiy3206]

So the kit and a horizontal engine is all i need to build one?

[@JTgatoring]

That is correct

[@colejackson3534]

Have you ever messed with the throttle stop screw on these motors? Wanting a little more power out of my 6.5 but don't want to take the governor off or do any major mods just yet. I see there is a screw that prevents the throttle lever from traveling past a certain point and it seems easy enough to just back it out a little bit to allow the throttle to move higher up.. bad idea?

[@JTgatoring]

I personally haven't messed with it. I have no need for extra power or really pushing the motor. I want the motor as reliable as it can be, even though I don't think it would change the reliability of the motor. From what I understand, taking the governor out of these motors (for longtail use) is no bueno. When the prop jumps out of the water, the motor goes from having a load on the engine at whatever rpms you're at in the water and then the prop jumps out of the water so now it goes straight to having no load at all and you need a governor to stop the motor from revving too high. I would take the boat out on the water and play with it close to the shore so if something does go wrong or you back the screw out too much and lose it in the water, you can get back to the ramp easily. You could probably even test it on land at first. Just mark where it was initially. If you're trying to maximize your engine, you NEED a tachometer to see where your rpms are at. Don't mess with the engine untill you know what your rpms are at.

[@4lifeduckhunter]

I'm having issues getting the coupler housing to slide all the way to the bolt holes

[@JTgatoring]

That is normal. There is bearing that is pressed into the coupler housing. Normally there is a 1/4" gap or maybe even a little more in between the coupler housing and engine crank case. Insert all four bolts into the holes through the coupler housing into the engine, and tighten them in an X pattern. It will pull the coupler housing to the engine and seat the bearing where it needs to be.

[@4lifeduckhunter]

Thanks man I appreciate it

[@fuelclothing]

Do you have to remove the splined coupler to remove the shaft out of the housing? Or will I be able to tap out and get the the set screws for the key way on the PTO shaft? I bought a motor from a guy and I noticed the set screws we're not in.

[@JTgatoring]

So your goal is to put the set screws on the keyway? There is a ball bearing that is formed into the coupler housing. You have the coupler shaft that goes through it and attaches to the female coupler nut (looks splined and is what you put the main longtail inner shaft into). So you do need to remove the female coupler nut with that tool that came with the kit originally to be able to take the coupler housing off to access the set screws. Directions: 1) If your motor is completely together, first start by mounting it or making it secure to work on. 2) Loosen the two ears on the coupler to completely remove the longtail shaft. It should pull right out after wiggling it while lightly pulling. Make sure to put something under the engine to stop the engine from falling face first. 3) Use the tool that is shown in part 8:49 of this video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIrFhat9h8tpaq8 - to remove that female coupler nut. (the splined looking part that threads onto the end of the coupler shaft. 4) Remove the four bolts on your coupler housing that mount it to the back side of the engine. After these four bolts are removed, the coupler housing should be able to be completely removed and you should be able to access the set screws. Any questions let me know!

[@fuelclothing]

@@JTgatoring thanks man, the guy who I bought the motor and kit from forgot to give me that tool and it's on it's way in the mail. Do you know what size and thread the set screws are?

[@JTgatoring]

The only thing the manual says about the set screw size is that it is an M6-1.0 set screw and to use a #3 metric allen wrench to tighten it

[@oz1outdoors897]

What size outboard is your boat rated for?

[@JTgatoring]

15 hp

[@scottdavison122]

Can I put a 6.5hp Longtail mud motor on a 12ft Hobie Pro Angler Kayak? Would it work?

[@JTgatoring]

If it has a transom or a place to clamp it on the boat, then you can do it, whether the boat will handle it or not I do not know

[@Robduhbuilduh]

Did you need the cable swible stop with the predator engine or was that just for hondas. Im only asking because people say the predators are honda clones

[@JTgatoring]

No, the predator has a swivel stop on it. Honda does not. So you do not need to buy the extra swivel stop for the predator engines. The predator engines come with the swivel stop already on them

[@jeffbenoit3218]

I see you have had both the small and medium kit. Are the shafts different sizes between the two kits (OD size) ? I’m asking because I bought a medium kit and when I put the shaft in the coupler housing and tighten it, it will never get tight enough to hold the shaft. And the shaft has a Sticker on it that has SM. Thanks.

[@JTgatoring]

The longtail shaft is the same for the small and medium kit. They both say A85 on them. Just make sure your wing bolts are in the correct way and are actually tightening the two ears together. If the two ears are together on the coupler housing and you can pull the longtail shaft out of the coupler housing, then your ears are bent from over tightening and you need to bend them back

[@jeffbenoit3218]

JTgatoring when you insert the shaft into the housing about how much of a gap do you have between the two? I have about a 1/16 to a 1/8 of a inch

[@JTgatoring]

@@jeffbenoit3218 On mine it is about 1/8" to a 1/4". Is your kit new?

[@jeffbenoit3218]

JTgatoring yes it is.

[@JTgatoring]

@@jeffbenoit3218 And when you tighten the two wingbolts on the coupler housing to the longtail shaft, the ears come together fully?

[@majilismajuma4931]

How i get this enjin .Pm price plis

[@michaeldunn3876]

Anybody have a Honda gx390 with the sps kit? I can't get the coupler shaft close enough to the motor so the housing will not mount. Do I need to shorten the shaft the coupler goes over? @jtgatoring

[@JTgatoring]

Make sure that you have the female coupler joint off the end of the coupler pto shaft. Then slide the coupler housing over the coupler pto shaft, and you should end up short but still be able to start threading the bolts. Like lug nuts on a wheel, tighten them in a crisscross pattern till the coupler housing mates up to the engine. the bearing inside your coupler housing needs to be seated and that is what is preventing you from easily mating the coupler housing to the engine. If its way off, then you may not have the correct length or style output shaft on your engine.

[@michaeldunn3876]

@@JTgatoring thank you for the reply you've got the best videos out there on this subject. I fitted it without the key and it mated up just fine do I ended up shortening the key and voila problem solved thank you jesus lol

[@JTgatoring]

@@michaeldunn3876 Thank you Michael. Another good place to get some good answers is in a facebook group if your ever want a few opinions. I manage one with the logo being a prop called longtail mud motors. Always love a simple fix like that haha very good, I'm glad to hear its fixed

[@godofredobadillo8368]

watching from honolulu hawaii were can order that kit thank you

[@JTgatoring]

it is an SPS North America Swamp runner kit. If you search that name the website will prop up - www.mudmotorkit.com/

[@godofredobadillo8368]

thank u very much 🤙🤙🤙

[@davidgordy1]

@@JTgatoring Waste of time trying to talk to these guys!

[@MakinEmAtNight26]

Hey bud you seem to be the most Knowledgeable on the topic so I figured I’d ask you. What size kit and motor would you recommend for a 1236 Jon? I’d be willing to add pods if needed to run the bigger motor unless you think it wouldn’t work Thanks!

[@JTgatoring]

Pods do not help with this type of motor. Longtails like skinnier hulls. An 1836 would be an awesome boat for a 22hp or 35hp longtail and would fly. The closer the crest of the wake is to the boat, the better this motor will handle. Pods push that wake out and therefore would not help. For a 1236, a 6.5hp engine with a small kit is what most people run because that is all the boat can handle. That's why I went to the 1436 so I could put either the 6.5 or the 13hp on it. The 1436 has the same footprint in the water, just the bow is longer but it doesn't touch in the extra two feet of it. I started with the 6.5hp and got 12 mph. Then I got the 13hp and got 23mph. Let me know if you have any more questions

[@MakinEmAtNight26]

JTgatoring well I was also wondering the avg lifespan of a predator if taken care of and no mods would be? Is it worth spending more and getting a Honda or Briggs?

[@JTgatoring]

@@MakinEmAtNight26 From what I hear, you'll know if your predator engine is a dud if it does weird stuff within 10 hours of running. If it last 10 hours you should be good to go for the long hull. My dream set up would be the briggs v-twin 16hp. My reasoning is because the v-twins vibrate A LOT less compared to the single cylinder engines, and I don't need that big of a motor and I still want to keep the best fuel mileage I can get. I do not think you NEED a honda, unless you're doing remote long trips and want that extra piece of mind but if you keep the engine stock you shouldn't run into any issues.

[@dksoutdoors8860]

Do you have to grease the shaft or is it a recommendation?

[@dksoutdoors8860]

Or anti siez compound

[@JTgatoring]

The shaft is meant to be greased. That is why it has grease fittings, but I normally grease my shaft and coupler housing every 6 months ( twice per year). If you have the extreme or extreme saltwater shaft (those shafts have the bayou bushings all throughout the shaft) it probably doesn't matter if there is grease in there or not. I don't think you could wear down that bayou bushing. I would do it to help prevent the inner shaft from rusting too badly.

[@dksoutdoors8860]

@@JTgatoring Thanks for the help!

[@JTgatoring]

@@dksoutdoors8860 You got it!

[@YellowxJacket8]

Recommended grease for zircs on shaft?

[@JTgatoring]

The manual says to use zero weight grease like Cornhead grease. I happen to have some so thats what I use. I grease it about twice per year

[@YellowxJacket8]

1/4in too much play in the shaft once you get it on and propeller on? Swear ive beat and pushed on it as hard as i can. Used wood and a hammer. Any other tricks?

[@YellowxJacket8]

JTgatoring see below please. Thank you!

[@JTgatoring]

@@YellowxJacket8 Which shaft are you talking about? The longtail shaft or the engine pto shaft?

[@bryanmcpherson3576]

Good video but tap the longtail into place before you lock the set screws in . Just saying . And you will not have that play

[@justinpolakowski5787]

Yeah you can buy 10 props cheap but I have owned a go devil for years and have a much sturdier set up. I have hit rocks and never been stranded. I personally think you may get more speed with your setup for sure and as for the efficiency yes more but I can swing around and dig my way out just as well. I think in actuality had I had a setup such as yours digging out would strain and actually bend your shaft. The other shafts are built much heavier to handle more torque and more abuse plian and simple. I guaruntee that most of these kits will not last as long as a go devil, bevertail, or a backwater. You get what you pay for. As i have stated in normal practical use for someone looking for a cheap effective setup yes these kits serve a purpose and are by no means completely bad. My experiance tells me they will not handle the abuse.

[@JTgatoring]

I would disagree. I think this kit will last many, many years. I would be surprised if you could bend that longtail shaft. You would have to put that shaft in between two trees and really try to bend it. I do not think you could bend it while running it through your extremes areas. You state "My experiance tells me they will not handle the abuse" but have you ever run a SPS Swamp Runner kit? If not, you do not have any experience with it to tell me that it won't handle the abuse. This is great kit and think it will stack up to the others without any problems. I would love to test them side by side and put them against each other. But as of right now, I have only tested the longtail kits and the Swamp Runner came out on top. I truly think that this Swamp Runner kit would run better than those other brands.

[@JTgatoring]

Another thing about the props. With the way these thai longtails ride, the prop reaches that crest behind the boat. This allows the prop to actually run above the water you're running through, greatly decreasing, if not eliminating, your changes of hitting submerged objects.

[@justinpolakowski5787]

Yeah it does reduce the chance greatly you are correct on that. Even so with the shorter shafted go devil and a much sturdier skag while swinging the motor around I ticked into rock and knowing that aluminium scares me. Although as for breaking a key way would be worse but never really have had that happen on the go devil. I wod say each have pros and cons. I did try a cheaper kit along tome ago and it ended badly so that is why I say I have had experiance with these. Keep up the vids though what people do with this stuff is always interesting. I like to have good debates and get pros and cons on things I think it gives people realistic expectations on things. I just think time will tell on how long they hold up. My godevil is 1995 so its been around. I also just purchased a swamp lite backwater kit for 13hp motor I have so we will see about that. Hope to get the years out of that as well. The thing i find most relavint is cost. For the budget minded maint costs over the years would be a intresting thing to track.

[@JTgatoring]

That is one thing I am keeping track of, and the good thing with cataloging it all on the channel, is that I can track the hours, the oil changes, how many props I use in a year, and what I run the boat through so people have something to look at. 1995 is a long time! Thats older than me haha let me know how your new backwater kit treats you! Hopefully further down the road I can get another kit to compare to this one. Thanks for the great conversation!

[@justinpolakowski5787]

Sounds good man I will let you know how the kit works. I feek like all that info will be very helpful for people

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Hey, I could be totally wrong, but you may want to be careful talking about one engine and showing another engine. Companies can be picky about how their products are shown. It may not mean anything to you, but it's like is you're review a Ford $x$ and a Chevy pull up to the stop light, the guys at Ford totally come unglued. It really isn't fair to either company's image as all these companies are trying to differentiate themselves. A comparison video is one thing, but just be careful when you say the video is about one brand and the product being shown is a different brand. I understand the time of the recording is totally different, but they don't see it that way. Something to think about going forward.

[@JTgatoring]

Fair enough, but that is why I differentiated between the two in the beginning. With this being a non sponsored video and series, I am showing the whole process of this series. I would hope anyone watching this video would know it is a series because it is in the title and I mention it in the video. I am not being paid to show one kit, even though there is another one there. Again, its not an ad, and there is no compensation.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, I gotcha. That works.

[@bryanmcpherson3576]

Your video is not totally correct guy ! You left a couple of things out because I just assembled mine today .

[@justinpolakowski5787]

Just my opioin I would not want a kit that uses an aluminum prop. One rock with that dinky sheet metal guard and change a prop or oar your way home. I perfer backwater, go devil or even a bevertail. I would stay away from these kits if in extremly harsh areas. On open water for a cheap motor they would be fine or just shallow water with no serious weeds or thick mud. Otherwise spend your money wisely and buy a true well built kit with a stainless prop. It will be well worth the investment.

[@JTgatoring]

My take on it is that these longtail kits use an aluminum prop so you can get home if you do happen to hit a rock or a stump. That was the way they were designed. With these kits, if you hit something hard, it brakes that aluminum prop instead of something in your drivetrain or even your motor. If you had a stainless prop, the prop may not break, but you increase your chances of breaking something in the drivetrain, leaving you stranded without being able to fix it. The aluminum props are $12 to $15 so you do carry a few with you. The other brands you mentioned above all use an inefficient shaft angle, putting that prop closer to the transom, and doesn't allow you to reach out to that water behind when you need too. You can spin that longtail in all angles a reach out to find water. With the other brands, that prop is closer to your transom with the shaft being a lot shorter. You can run these longtail kits in extreme areas, I don't know why you couldn't?

[@JTgatoring]

@D theman Yeah. The backwater kit I'm testing now has a stainless prop but does not have a sacrificial piece and I don't believe the godevils do either. I don't know how they protect their drivetrain.