Unless you have a yard with a lot of holes (in which case you'll want large rear wheels) I recommend a mower with rear drive. You'll get better traction, especially if the grass bag starts to accumulate weight from clippings. You can't go wrong with Toro or Honda or John Deere. All are quality designs, are built with fairly good materials, and will come with reliable engines. I would absolutely recommend against any of the other brands of mowers sold at Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, or other similar stores. As has been pointed out, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. do not service or repair mowers. This is yet another reason to buy a Toro, Honda, or Deere, as most mower shops will have parts and trained mechanics for those brands. Many mower shops will not stock parts for mowers like Yard Man, Task Force, etc. Don't worry about horsepower. Any mower you buy today will have adequate horsepower for most any lawn, unless you let your grass grow to 6 inches tall between cuttings. PLEASE educate yourself about how to maintain your mower, especially at the end of the season as this will save you substantial frustration, money, and trips to the repair shop in the spring. In short, you should learn how to add fuel stabilizer to your gas tank in the fall, and how to replace the mower's spark plug and air filter. All are VERY easy steps to take, even for someone with little mechanical knowledge. Look at: http://www.briggsandstratton.com/engine_power/mowers/buying-guide_walking-mower.pdf Watch this video: http://www.yardsmarts.com/videos/index.asp?v=4

Clean/lube drive wheels/axles/apparatus. RWD mowers have a ratchet and/or clutch set-up at/in the gear on the end of the axle that needs maintenance. On the other hand, clicking while pulling back is normal.

Post the long model # from the tag on the rear of the deck. It sounds as tho fro, the noise that either the transmission is jumping hard enough to hit the housin g or it is getting bound up inside- which is why I'm sure you serviced it. It may be time...

Rollerzeke, The manual has a parts diagram for the engine and the mower body, and lists the Cub Cadet web site (www.cubcadet.com) as the place to order parts (also gives a toll-free contact number). Warranty repairs (it has a 3 year warranty) are through authorized dealers. Don't know how many are around the country, but I found several service dealers in my area when I did a search on their site using my zip code. I checked the CC site and the parts ordering process seems to work the same as for Troy-Bilt (which is not surprising since they are both MTD-owned). I have ordered parts from Troy-Bilt, and the process was straightforward so I'm hoping the same can be said of Cub Cadet.