Baking did nothing for my unit. I found one in Canada for $26.95 and FREE SHIPPING on Ebay. I called a local dealer and found it for $59.95. He said they are raising price to try to phase out the older mowers. As a comparison he said there is some kind of Honda transmission that was $110 two years that is now $480.00!! Ebay seller's ID where I got mine is Member id rocketcaptain186. Good idea to buy a spare, as they may not be available in 5 years. My mower is only 10 years old and this is the 2nd time I've had to replace it. First Lawn Boy I ever had was handed down to me by my mother 40 years ago and it was 20 years old then. I lasted another 10 or 12 years after that. They had the more reliable points and condenser then.

I say neither -- get a Toro 20332 ($349 at Home Depot, I think). To me, Personal Pace is more valuable than the high rear wheels, and you'll get rear wheel drive instead of front, which is an advantage when the grass bag starts to get heavy. If you have holes in your yard, fill them with dirt and then you won't have to worry. Lawn Boy, which has been owned by Toro for several years, is a dying brand. Toro parts and service are available everywhere and likely will be for many years to come. There is no longer anything at all unique or special about Lawn Boy mowers -- they're just rebadged and repainted Toros with a few random features to differentiate them from Toro models. Electric start is overrated IMO and is more trouble than it's worth because there's more to go wrong. I'd keep it simple and stick with the pull cord (aka recoil) starter.

Nice mower James. That's a "D" SERIES engine, and parts are getting harder to find like pistons, rings etc, but they're still available. You'll find stuff on Ebay and many guys here I'm sure can hook up if need be from their personal stock or lead you in the right direction. If you're taking good care of it, like I assume you are, chances are you'll never need an overhaul, unless you just want to, I think that engine the "408" has a lower crank bushing and not an actual bearing that tend to wear and become loose over time. If the crankshaft is tight from sideplay, and you're using a good quality oil, chances are you'll never need to replace it, depending on how much you're using the mower. I'm sure you'll get others to comment on this. Keep it alive ! I think you can bolt an F series engine to that deck as well.

"I've tried tapping on one side with a hammer to release the taper and have even tried a gear puller to no avail. Has anybody else experienced this problem before and have a solution?" Oh yah, this is an indication of over tightening the blade nut or just plain old corrosion holding it. These plates are fairly cheap if you ruin it. I am surprised that you haven't ruined it using a gear puller on it. I use an air chisel with a blunt bit in it to go in behind the plate on the collar and it usually pops them right off. The approved way is to tap on the end of the plate forward or backwards to the direction of rotation. Some people hold a hammer on the end of the plate then hit that with another hammer.(eye protection) Never worked for me. Heat on the plate/collar generally helps. Walt Conner