I'm not an expert but I do have a two-in-one Poulan with the Honda engine. I am very happy with the engine although after 5 or 6 years the rest of the mower started falling apart, especially the front wheels.

Anyway, to answer your question. Mine has a throttle cable. Put the throttle cable on "choke" to start. Pull to start. Put the throttle cable to the "fast" to run. If I leave it in choke it will run weak as you describe. After more than 5 years I seldom need more than one pull to start.

Regularly (every use) remove the air filter, tap out the loose dust, then put back in. A lack of air flow impedes performance and causes excessive fuel usage.

It may seem obvious but I'll ask anyway. You did pour the oil into the oil filler tube? It should take the entire container that came with the mower. If you poured it in the gas tank it would be a problem. This may seem obvious to most people but if you've never had a gas mower then maybe not so obvious for you.

I hope this helps.

Thanks perrymk for replying my message.

Yes, I did pour the engine oil into the specified place and the whole bottle just went in the first day.

Also, when I started the 2nd mow yesterday, I pushed the choke switch and it start right on. When I empty the bag, I released the handle (lever) so both the blade and engine stopped completely. So after first pull the engine is hot, I didn't push the choke switch. However, I do need to turn off the engine switch for couple seconds prior the restart.

Is that a "safety feature"?

Thanks!

Mine doesn't have the "off" switch so perhaps that is a newer safety feature.
Yes after the engine is warmed up there is no need to choke. I stop several times during my mow to move stuff (just finished an hour of mowing a few minutes ago) and like yours, mine stops completely when the safety handle is released. I then engage the safety handle and it starts easily with one pull and the throttle cable on "fast".

Thanks perrymk.

After talking with my wife, we decided to give it back to costco and try to find the next candidate.

I just came back from a local big box store (RONA), surprisingly I can still find the Lawn boy 10684C in stock. I read people's posts here and lots of them seem to like this model a lot. Also I thought it was discontinued last year... anyways, the price here in Canada is normally more expensive than in States. It's $449.99CND plus all the taxes (14% ouch!) but they also have today only special to slash 15% off the original price...

Should I go for it? it's 100$CND more than my budget and self-propelled model...

See if you can find a Lawn-Boy 10665C instead. The 10684C has a Tecumseh engine, while the 10665C is identical except it has a Briggs & Stratton engine.

There's nothing wrong with the Tecumseh engine. However, its manufacturer now is out of business, which doesn't bode well for parts support. IMO, when you combine this along with the fact that the two mowers (10684C & 10665C) cost approximately the same, that makes the 10665C a no-brainer.

Hope this helps.

I am really tired today running between all the big box stores. At the end, I didn't option the lawn boy because I really can't justify the extra cost vs sears promo today. Plus, a technician at Rona's service center gave me a friendly warning about the Tecumseh engine, the supply of the parts might be good for next 2-3 years but can't promise anything at long run. I still have a thought that a good mower should last me 10 years ironed in my head...

However, I really like the design of the lawn boy 10684, everything seems very well design and build quality is better than others. If it's around $350CND range and none self-propelled model, I would pull the trigger, no question ask.

I went back to Sears and ordered the Craftsman 36933 model (3-in-1 with bag, side discharge, mulching), which has B&S 850 platinum engine (8.5 ft/lb torque), no choke and no primer needed. The price is just what I am aiming for, 289.99+taxes. The engine seems pretty well build but the rest of the parts are very standard, a regular every week lawn mower...

Too bad you didn't get the 10684 - it's a great machine. the concern over parts is ridiculous if you think about it - if the engine goes bad you're not going to spend as much as a new mower rebuilding it, so you won't be needing any parts. Carburetor kits will be available for many years, along with regular maintenance parts and supplies.

"the 10665C is identical except it has a Briggs & Stratton engine."

Actually it's a different mower altogether, with a totally different deck.

Wrong, saxman---you're thinking of the 10641. That's the '09 model with variable speed SP and the 20" MTD deck.

The 10665 is a steel deck Insight. It's identical to the 10684 except for the engine. Look it up on the L-B parts viewer to see for yourself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawn-Boy parts viewer

I wanted to know if i could install a universal lawn raking blade to my poulan 160 lawn mower, your co operation will be greatly apreciated thanks
bob

As long as the blade fits there is no reason I can think of for it not to work. Have you used a blade-based rake or thatching attachment before?

For future messages would you open a new discussion rather than appending to an older one. It saves having to read through unrelated information.

I got the same mower it was on sale and it has the honda motor my wifes grand fathers mower is 4 years old and has worked awesome, thats why i chose the polan pro . it started on the first pull and the rear wheel drive works great. did not lose power. you may want to exchange it for another.