Yep, she's a keeper. I've had an LT160 for awhile now and really enjoy it. Really envious of your V-twin! Is that a Taco I see it sitting in? I have one as well and wondered if it would fit. Did you take the gate off? I've heard some horror stories of the bent tailgates when loading ATVs and such..

Congrats on your new mower. I have the LT160 and I'm sure you'll love how that baby peforms. You made a GREAT purchase. Probably should have gone with a Tacoma though (lol)! Happy mowing!

"Every forum has 2 types of 'users' Those who seek to contribute something which benefits the other users . . . . and those who try to use the forum to benefit only themselves ' No. Many, like myself, join to learn, get specific questions answered, etc. If the forum is interesting and members foster a convivial atmosphere, the newbie stays and might become a staple on the board. Some noobs fade away quickly, many stay. The ones who stay take what they learn here and, combining this with their own life experiences, often bring something of value to the forum over time. I really like the line the announcer on our public radio station uses to encourage people to open their minds to new(er) classical music: "Remember, ALL music was once new."

You may have a worn out or damaged bearing in one of the blade spindles. Blade spindle bearings tend to produce rather audible noises when a bearing becomes "rough". To determine which spindle is sounding off, you will need to remove the belts so that neither spindle has a belt in a belt pulley. With the belts off, spin each pulley (individually) and listen for noise. The noise might be less than what you hear when running with the belts in place because when the belts are off, the pulleys have no "lateral load" on them. To help in detecting noise or roughness in a bearing, you can place a metal rod (about 24" long) against the deck next to the spindle mounting flange and hold the opposite end of rod against the outside of your good ear while spinning or rotating the pulley. Any spindle that is noticeably difficult to spin, or does not continue spinning for several turns once in motion, is suspected of being defective. Any obvious noise or roughness also indicates defective.