"just bought this commercial Snapper. It has the following information about the mower: Model on the engine is EH 180v020103374 Serial 1004159 I am excited to try this out as i have heard great things about the Robin engines and right now I have a Briggs Quantum 6.5. It struggles when the grass gets too tall with the Ninja blade mulching but does ok. Guess I want to try the Robin out and I had my chance to do so. " I'm not sure I understand why a mower with a Robin engine will be a better mower than one with a Briggs & Stratton. I would think that the design of the entire mower package would be a better indicator of whether it will turn long grass into short grass in an efficient manner. "The seller had to drain the oil to ship it. I was planning to put Mobil 1 10W30 in it. Any thought on this." I agree, it was a good idea to drain the oil before shipping. And yes, it would be a good idea to put oil in the engine before starting it. Whether you use Mobil 1 or not would be dictated by whether the previous owner had run it and how many hours were on the engine. If it's a high hour engine then running synthetic at this point might actually cause it to start leaking oil and loosen some sludge. "I put the Mobil 1 in my Briggs and vibration in handles seemed to improve. My hands don't go numb as quickly anymore. I think it feels a little stronger too. I am ready for the Robin engine though and it also has the Commercial Aluminum Deck and bagger compared to my Hi-vac. I know when it comes to mowers like so many things you get what you pay for." Well, yes as a general rule I suppose so. If a homeowner buys a commercial grade mower he may not really reap the full benefit though. A commercial mower is built to deliver full-time use week after week for years. Most homeowners won't use 10% of the useful life of a commercial machine so they are paying for capacity that will never be used. Most homeowners would be better served with a good quality consumer grade machine that has controls and features appropriate to housold use. Most of us really don't need a 1 gallon fuel tank on their mower. "My other Snapper has worked fine but I am looking to upgrade to a lifetime mower. So once my other Snapper Arrives I will soon be selling my other Snapper if anyone is interested let me know." OK....a commmercial grade machine should last your lifetime andd that of the person who inherits it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mattv21, thanks for responing. i tried the snapper site. i see "manuals" but not "literature". i can't get past "find manuals" my computer's been really weird lately maybe that's it. it gets checked out tomorrow. anyway here's a site for the engines. the ec13v is definitely on there. i can't do the cut/paste thing so i'll have to type it in. http://www.oscar-wilson.com/model_lookup.html. i've read a lot of your posts, so you may not need it or already know about it. pretty clear diagrams, hundreds of engines. thanks pete

*you obviously have no idea what you're getting into* No dancin' required - I appreciate your input, Saxman1, as well as Mattv21's. I don't have every idea about what I'm getting into, but I've got some ideas.... I rely on the forum for the rest. *[the Briggs]will end up on something* I'll admit I was a little cavalier with this, especially before you guys get a chance to know me, and considering that somebody else may also use info that's posted. Safety is big with me now that my son has a few yards he mows for hire with my O.P.E. Heck, we all have to walk behind what we work on and the o.s.h.a. devices seem like less of just a bother when a family member uses them. What I should have said was "if I do make the switch, I still like the Briggs and will install it on one of the spare push decks I have that will accomodate the 3 5/32" shaft length, bolt pattern, etc." Also I should have given you guys more background info: - I own the Snapper and the Honda engine (from a Husq 5521CH). - i belive the Honda shaft is the N3 type. - I will find or buy the zone start cable. The throttle is the honda type where you put on the choke, start and it pulls it off automatically, so no cable there. I've lurked and learned a lot here...the only thing I'm ticked about is that this forum infected me with the virus in the first place but too late now to cry over spilled 30wt.! What makes it so bad is that my commute takes me through neighborhoods that are socio-economically just right. That means yards not big enough for a service, rich enough to get any mower they want, no tools,time or knowhow for maintenance or repair... lather,rinse, repeat every two years. I love these guys and I honestly think they compete to see who can throw out the newest grills,trimmers and mowers with the least wrong with them. One yr. old toro with streched belt, weed eater that wouldn't trim string and shook due to improperly installed guard, Pro L-B when grandad passed, homelite blower discarded locked up in bow with 2-stroke lube untouched (tsp. of oil in plug hole and strapwrench on magneto freed it up - 3 seasons ago), Snapper RER in pieces that was intended for a "bonding" project between Gdad and Gson but Gson put it off and then went off to college (wisconsin Robin Teledyne engine), hisbiscus bud on carb linkage of 2yr. old yard man that burst open in the heat and caused overrev. - scary "possessed" sound only - engine fine. Pro Snapperwith braces, Yard man SP/rwd with intek ohv, 1yr. old LEV120/195EA from Toro all with oil soaked air filters from tipping the wrong way to spray off. (probably thought they'd messed it up playing with the pressure washer and didn't want to tell the wife). I want to and sometimes do talk to the owners more often than not the new box at the street tells the tell. Thanks for letting me vent this last part - it may help me heal, until then I must rely on my trusty brothers-in-law to take these off my hands, get into rehab or bury my pickup keys. I'm combining the most desirable decks with engines that fit them in order to pare down my inventory to stay legally wed .

Are you saying that the starter runs but does not turn the flywheel or are you saying the starter turns the flywheel but the flywheel is turning freely? Walt Conner