yes the engines between the 2 can be swapped reguardless of what tranny is in them . As for the last question about the mower that wont stay running , check the gas cap vent hole and clean it out with a paper clip or sewing needle next check fuel filter make sure its not plugged and id the correct one there are 2 different kinds one is small with just a screen for non fuel pump mowers the other is a little bigger and clear and you can see a cone shaped filter media in it that is for engines with a fuel pump and if used on a engine with out a pump will cause fuel starvation and stalling , check for fuel leaks also and if equiped check the fuel pump after those things if everything is ok then it may be time to pull the carb off and clean/rebuild it

Bill The free play looked to be more than spec and I adjusted to spec. I noticed that there is a hole in the deck right under the transmission. I removed the top cover and the entire transmission space was packed with clippings and debris. I don't know if this was enough to limit the movement of the engagement lever. Anyway I removed the transmision so I could look at it. Out of couriosity I decded to split the cases. I cleaned the axle so I could seperate the halves. When the havles came apart there was only a few drops of oil inside. I thought about replacing all od the oil seals but the groves in the axle from the seals were so bad I'm sure new seals wouldn't make a difference. I used a very light grease on all the parts when I put it back together hoping it would be better than nothing. I patched the two holes in the deck and everything is operating properly. Hopefully I can get a few more seasons out of it. Rick

My brother purchased a new Honda HRX217 HMA (power start) 21" Mower. Since he is so particular concerning care of his equipment, I decided to use his machine to test the quality of Honda Equipment. Will it live up to the reputation? As background, I am an engineer. The mower was purchased on May 11th 2007. The cost was roughly $900 including tax. This is the top of the line non-commercial unit. I installed a new SenDec digital hour meter to track use. The lawn it mows is sub one acre and almost entirely flat ... with a very light slope on the front lawn. Water is inexpensive and plentiful here in Nebraska, so it is watered and fertilizes heavily and mown roughly once a week. First Problem: On the second use the mower unexpectedly sputtered and died. When restarted the mower the power drive (a hydrostatic unit on these mowers) failed to work at all. The drive on these units runs off a belt from the engine shaft. The belt drives a pulley on the transmission (rear wheel drive) and speed is adjusted by a cable that rotates a shaft on the transmission that meters the fluid in the transmission. This shaft has a spring to maintain tension. The dealer claimed the belt came off and a spring fell off -- perhaps because of a stick -- and tried to charge him an $85 service fee. (I had inspected the mower before it went back to the dealer -- and could not find any obvious problem.) At this time the mower had 3 hours on it. Today, on the first use after repair, the mower sputtered and died -- and again the engine immediately restarted -- but the drive system "Hydrostatic Cruise Control Transmission" failed to operate. I believe the engine stalled because of extreme load. I believe the hydrostatic drive is responsible for the excessive load. This time I will carefully examine the unit and take photographs prior to taking it back to the dealer. Anybody else have experiences like this? I plan on carefully documenting costs and problems with this mower on a separate web page. Comments on quality of design and ergonomics: 1) The belt and springs controlling the blade rotation and the hydrostatic drive are exposed at the center of the mower deck. On Toro units this area has a separate cover. Will this exposure cause additional problems? 2) My brother has commented that the mower clogs easily with grass accumulating in the small area where the mulch door closes. 3) In moderate mowing (1 to 1.5" removal) the mower tends to leave a trail of built-up grass clippings at the edge of the mower. The buildup is heavy enough to damage the turf ... and the stripes on the lawn are unsightly. My brother is going to figure out what causes this. Owners of a previous model have made similiar comments. One suggested solution was to raise the front height 1/2" above the rear. But this means that the blade would cut once at the front and again at the rear. Seems like a way to increase the mowers workload. 4) The top speed of this mower is slightly over 4 Miles Per Hour -- a pretty good hustle while turning. Since the ground speed is controled hydrostatically, the speed can be moderated easily by partially relasing the drive bar as you are mowing. (There is a separate lever that sets the maximum speed). 5) It is very nice to have a throttle control. The Toro units have eliminated this control. With the Honda you can easily set the engine to a very quiet idle while you leave the mower unattended to move items or to just move the mower area you want to mow.

Find one of those Go-cart racing clubs on the Net. Ask them what and how to hot-rod your tractor. After they recover their senses, and stop laughing, they might just tell you to build or buy a go-cart and park that tractor! A go-cart is what you will end up with after you are finished working on and changing everything! And--why do all of you young folks want to go fast on a high center of balanced lawn tractor, which will surely dump you on yer head at the first turn?! And, why don't they build go-carts in a lawn tractor configuration, instead of 3 inches off the ground? HMMM?? Could it have something to do with "center of gravity"? Which is the tendency of powered equipment trying to stomp yer brains with the first hi-speed turn! Ya buy them shoes-send them to school-and they eat the books! Pay attention!