I just bought a Scott 17.0/42” I only paid 100$ so I don’t think I got hurt there however didn’t come with a battery so I couldn’t hear it run well I brought it home and put a battery in it and it fired right up but it ran wild I thought maybe it had thrown a spring off the governor but that wasn’t the problem I moved the rod that goes from the front butterfly to the governor and it pulled up so I lifted up on it and it came all the way out so I took the carb off and th butterfly was missing it was in the head I got it out with a magnet but I couldn’t find the screws Im wondering if I need to pull the head off to make sure they’re not in there and if the motor is even any good it seems to sound pretty good despite the running wild and is this a common problem

I had the exact same problem and I found a bent pulley .I took the pulley off and was able to straighten it by setting it on my table saw cast iron table and tapping on it with a 4 pound hammer.It is running without any vibration now.I am still suspect about the life of the third cable.The way it is attached by going through a cut hole in the steel plate is a poor design.I have read about cable failures that used the same method.

I have said this before but I think it is important. With your 2/3 of an acre there will be many small jobs where a small yard trailer will be nice. You will use it for everything from carrying fertilizer, grass seed, new plants, mulch, garden tools, down to giving the grandchildren rides around the yard. So in deciding what you want in a mower keep its trailer pulling ability in mind I have a John Deere LT155. It has a good turning radius so can get close to shrubs and trees. It has the power to cut tall grass without choking. I recently used it in a neighborhood cleanup of an abandon house with what used to be an nice yard that was over a foot high. It handled the grass with no problems, while others were having all kinds of difficulty with their tractors. My yard is in on a slight grade, and it has the power so I can mow into and out of the ditch with no problems. And most important, the tractor is over 10 years old and has required only routine maintenance. My recommendation would to be go with the John Deere

When removing the deck on an X500 you need to set the mowing height knob at ZERO and then pull back on the lift pedal ALL the way and lock it there with the pull-up on the LH side of the dash board and THEN remove the deck. Look under the X500 and see if the lift links are jammed or wedged in somehow. To reinstall the deck the lift pedal has to be in the pulled all the way back position. The operator's manual explains the deck R&R procedure in detail.