Hi Dynamike, That 500 hours figure is conservative. I got the mower from some guy on Ebay [big lesson itself in that, buyer beware if you can't touch it and check it out yourself before bidding]. It was well used -- in fact it was pretty well run down -- when I got it. Motor was blowing smoke like a steam boat, steering was loose as a goose, spindles were shot, and blades were duller than my Aunt Irene's family photo album. So I spent the next few weeks going over it, refurbing and fixing at least the major problems. That's when I put the Sendec tach/hour meter on it, so that 500 hours is what I've put on it since then. I have a couple of acres I mow with it, plus there for a while I was using it to maintain a 25 acre ranch in Hayes County in TX. That ranch was pretty much a full time job in itself. Very demanding terrain, just about everything you could imagine. Plus it was way, way overgrown when I took the job, so there was a lot of severe bush hogging type work, slogging through field grass as high as the hood. And then there were wide open spaces like the baseball field they had out there, where I could drop the deck low and make it so beautiful... sigh. You know what, that property and if I may boast a little, some of my mowing is actually visible from space, on Google Maps... what a rush. Anyway that just to illustrate the kind of relationship I've had with this machine... sounds wierd I know, but that's me. That ranch terrain was so demanding... you could draw an imaginary line on the mower at about the chassis level, and pretty much every part on the mower from the chassis down was basically expendable. Blades. Spindles. Decks. Belts. Axles. Tires. You get the picture. These were the parts I wound up collecting as spares wherever I could find them. I put inner tubes and tractor tire Slime in all the tires. That *almost* eliminated flats, except for when something would reach up and gouge a chunk out of a sidewall. Eventually for time demands of my real job and family, had to let the ranch job go, and I only mow my own place now. But I should have been doing what you did and pull the wheels off periodically to grease the axles. I was a victim of my own tires, in that I hadn't had a flat in so long that when I replaced the transaxle, I couldn't get one of the wheels off the axle. It's still stuck on there! I used one of my spare wheels to get going again, but I need to find a machine shop somewhere I guess, that can maybe press that old axle shaft off my good wheel. You asked about what lube to use in the transaxle. I hadn't forgotten your question, just got rambling (old man thing you know). "The Book" says it's permanently lubed, which is of course only valid so long as you don't have to open it up for repair. When I rebuilt this transaxle that I transplanted into the tractor, I packed it fairly full of hi-temp wheel bearing grease. Then I poured in about a half cup of 90W Hypoid oil. This made a fairly cohesive mass of lubricant that both surrounds the large gears for their teeth, and yet flows into the bushing surfaces to lube them. I was able to test the tranny on the work bench by hooking up an electric drill to the input shaft and running the unit through it's functions, to check for smooth shifting and any possible binding. In the 50 or so hours of run time since this repair, I've not seen any oil seeping out from the bushings, so looks like the sealing is ok... good to go. Now if I can just restrain myself from excess speed over bumpy terrain, hopefully this tranny will go another 500 hours :). Hey sorry for the long post. I find this an enjoyable subject, fun sharing with others with similar interests.

Must of been lucky. Bought an MTD at Ace hardware (Ace Special Edition) with a 42" cut and 16hp Tecumseh. Aside from the normal problems of your MTD of that era IE having the grille mounts break off after a few years) it's been great, and it was only replaced as it was really starting to not work well on hills, and in the last year has been a case of "What's going to break next when I mow?". A key to remember is any NEW tractor in that range is going to be light duty. If you have more an acre to mow with it, a newer, higher end, used model is a probably a better option. You'll get a lot of life out of one though if you keep it well maintained. Take care of it and there is no reason why you should not get a good, usable life of about 10-12 years. one other thing to keep in mind; the chief complaints of many people on a mower it seems is the motor. That is the most important part of a mower besides the transmission on a Hydro equipped tractor. The engine is going to what will go wrong 9 time out of 10 on a mower, and is often going to be to blame for issues with cutting (due to lack of power) and reliability.

Bought used riding mower w/ engine trouble. 21 hp intek plus b&s (could not determine model etc on engine, shroud, inside of hood). Craftsman 2000 42". Will crank in choke but only for 10-15 secs. Will not run out of choke. Tried everything me and 3 neighbors could think of. Today I did comp test w/ only 30psi....should be around 120 on 3 yr old engine. What should I do to fix the compression problem?

Here's my story: I've spent $700 bucks for 13 years of mowing. And I've been ridin' in the saddle. I mow about an acre, two or three times a month. I let the grass get a little too tall sometimes, but these mowers have had no problem cutting it down. My first was a Craftsman 14 or a 16 hp that I paid 100 bucks for. I only bought one battery in 5 years. It was probably from the 80s or 90s. The engine was still strong but the rest was shot. Time for a new one. So, I ended up calling a guy and he said "come on by, I have one for sale." He had a Murray he wanted 200 for. But I noticed a larger yard man sitting under a tree, it was a hydraulic 18 hp Yard Man that he said needed some TLC. I asked him what it needed. He said just a "little this and that." I've heard that before! Dig? I said, does it Run?" He said yes, and after some effort we got it cranked. I bought it. I just had a feeling about it. The quality stuck out. Hydraulics will last longer. I know a little something. But It was a little risky. I knew it needed a little help under the deck. I paid $225.00 for it. But 8 years later, it!'s still running. That Kohler engine is great. It's a 1996 model. It takes a little effort to get it cranked, I use a little ether and have a process, because I don't want to kill my battery with excess cranks.? I've spent $400 over the last 8 years on it. There's a pro mechanic who has put a belt on it. and some pulleys and such under the deck, batteries. I mow my lawn in 30 to 40 minutes. That saves me an hour versus the push type. Saves my back even more. My mechanic said the Kohler engine is as good as a Honda. This was a high time machine before I got it. I can just tell. But I've only put about 100 hours on it or so. I'm trying to stretch the life out by mowing only 2, maybe 3 times a month. If I mow every week, there's no need for the ether -- but I like for my grass to grow tall before cutting -- it keeps it thicker and better looking. My neighbors have a love- hate relationship with me.