....but did not remove the gas.... Your carb is probably gummed/varnished up, or else you forgot to turn on the fuel shut off valve. You need to read the OM regarding storage.

Thanks bogman for the info, I am going to use 1953. I was 12 then and my last year of Little League. Remember my Dad saying that this was the first rotary mower. I just now have to decide what asking price when I sell it. I guess I can claim to being the oldest guy on here unless saxman1 lets us know how old he is. Thanks a lot for everybodies help.

The 2000 LB 10324 that my dad bought in some local (not national) store in late 1999 did not come with mulch plate and fan...only grass-bagger and side-discharge gear were included. My dad passed away in 2002, so I began using the 10324 and thought it was a dog because of how hard it often was to start. Then I found you all here on GardenWeb in 2004 and that has made all the difference. I learned then about such problems as the infamous intermittent CDI and the leaky gas tank. I bought the mulch plate and fan, but discussions here led me to think there was little value to the fan when mulching. I had never installed the fan even after owning it nine years. In 2013 after 14 mowing seasons, I finally had to replace the self-propel drive belt. I also found that the journal bearing for the input shaft to the transmission had severe wear which had resulted in misalignment of two gears and very bad erosion of their teeth. I had to replace all three of these transmission parts. So, while putting everything back together, I decided to put that mulch fan on as well, just as a lark. I immediately noticed that I no longer needed to stop periodically and scrape away grass debris under the deck that occurred especially when there was any moistness to the grass. I've now mowed several times in 2013 and again in 2014,,,finding the same result: The underdeck area stays perfectly clear of packed grass debris since I installed the mulch fan. I rate installing the mulch fan to be the second best improvement to the operation of my 10324 that I've made in 15 years, ranking only below the replacement of the defective CDI unit in 2004. I love this mower! What I've learned on GardenWeb from you and other knowledgeable people since 2004 has made most of that possible. Thanks to all!

I can't remember exactly what model I took the recoil off of. It was a S21ZPN or something like that. You need the recoil, starter cup and maybe 12-16 small flatwashers for each screw to get the proper clearance away from the top of the cup from the bottom of the recoil. If you don't use the fuel tank, you'll have to snip the plastic ear tabs off of the stock tank so the new style recoil lays flush. The set up works well for me and should for you as well. Here is a link that might be useful: