Right, there's no reason you shouldn't mulch with a Hi-Vac. The only functional difference is that the bottom lip on the deck is turned under for a Hi-Vac and outward for the dedicated mulchers with the A.I.R. designation. I mulch with a Hi-Vac all the time, and so do a bunch of lawn crews. Dan, I'm not familiar with a smaller OHV Robin. That would be interesting. I am familiar with the old L-head Robins, that I think might have been called WT1-185V or something like that. Although displacing the same as the EH18V, these would be much smaller and lighter due to the L-head configuration. They would also make a lot less power. But as you say, I'm sure they are anvil reliable. I thought about buying one on eBay once for a mower project, but never got around to it. My current mower is a C216012RV (commercial Hi-Vac with the monster Robin EH18V but no self-propel) that I added self-propel to. This thing was the deal of the century: the guy was local and listed it on eBay as a "Robin" mower instead of Snapper for $50 buy-it-now, IIRC. So nobody with a "Snapper" search ever saw it, and I snapped (pun intended) it up asap when I saw it. I went to pick it up, and it looked brand new. They guy couldn't start it, so he figured it was disposable. I got it home, cleaned out the carb, and it ran great. I added the drive system with parts I mostly had laying around, and now I have the Cadillac of Hi-Vacs (Cadi-Vac?).

I don't know of any other mower that has a fully open diff like the Snappers. All the others will ratchet forward but not backwards when the drive system is engaged. That's why they maintain 2-wheel-drive on hills, which is helpful there. But the downside is that they don't allow as good maneuverability with the drive engaged, because a sharp turn requires that the operator actually push forward (increase the groundspeed) to make the outside wheel ratchet faster, while the inside wheel continues at the drive system's gear-driven groundspeed. That's a list of pros/cons for each system that must be weighed for each person's particular yard and needs. Unfortunately, there's no cost-effective way to have the best of both. I've been a Snapper user all my life, and moved to a house with a significant hill in the back about 1.5 years ago. I've actually been surprised so far that I can mow across the grade and it keeps driving pretty well. I was worried about this potential traction problem. However, my turf is not very bumpy, and this may be the big difference between the OP's and my results.

To my knowledge the Snapper doesn't have a BBC, so it seems like it wouldn't be a good choice for you. In general, Snappers are good mowers used by many lawn crews, and with few differences between the residential Hi-Vacs and the commercial ones (meaning the residential models are tough). This Kawasaki engine is big and pretty heavy, but it's _really_ powerful. It will mulch and side-discharge well, but Hi-Vacs are of course known especially for bagging abilities. By "top-end" Honda, you probably still mean the residential units (commercial models are the real high end of any mower line). As far as I know, Hondas are generally very good mowers too. My biggest concern would be that the transmission would eventually break and cost so much to replace that the mower becomes disposable. The Snapper can easily and cheaply be repaired forever. As for the Toro model you mentioned, probably the biggest difference is the drive system. Personal Pace is a different animal and takes getting used to. Many love it, some not so much. You should go to a dealer to try it first. Of course, again that's a bagging-specialty mower and if mulching and side-discharge are you main goals, you should probably look at their Super Recyclers.

"I think it's strange I can put the mower in gear and turn the clutch wheel with my hand. " Pretty hard to tell from here, when you put on the new rubber tired driven wheel, did you get the one with a liner inside it or put a liner inside it. You do have what is called a "soft start" clutch? More detailed info, description, would help. Walt Conner