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?).

As an owner of a Cub Cadet CC-500, I can say that thereÂs nothing wrong with MTD! IÂve been using the mower for four months, and it has performed perfectly. I went through the same decision process when shopping for a mower, and was all set to buy a LB, but could not pass up the opportunity to get 90% of what I was looking for in a mower for less than half the cost of the LB model I was considering (canÂt recall the model  it was the push model with the Honda engine). The Chinese-made OHV engine has performed flawlessly - quiet, plenty of power, and always starts on the first pull. The mulching performance is perfect - never a clump even through tall, damp grass. Will this last as long as a LB? Probably not. But, since I got 10+ years out of my previous mower (a $90 Murray), I expect to get my money's worth out of the CC. I have a small yard (bit over quarter acre) so IÂm not putting many hours on the machine per year. One area youÂd want to look into carefully is the drive mechanism on the 550. Not sure what type of system is used or how well it is built (my 500 is owner-propelled, so as long as I can walk, the mower will move!) While MTD products canÂt stand up to the rigors of commercial or even heavy-duty homeowner use, they do have a niche for people such as myself. For example, I have a Troy-Bilt string trimmer. Fits my needs perfectly since it gets used -- at most -- about 30 minutes total per month. It has performed like a champ for the past three years. It will probably die well before something from Echo or another higher quality brand would, but considering that I could buy three and a half of them for the price of an Echo, IÂm happy to keep the cash in my pocket. The wildcard in this equation is the pleasure one can get from using a well-crafted tool. ThatÂs an issue that differs from person to person. I have some woodworking tools that cost more than IÂd like to remember, but they are such a joy to use. Some tools just put a smile on your face when you use them. If so, it was money well spent.

Some of the things are improving a little now that I have been away from the home for a while. It is amazing how much "family stress" can aggrivate conditions. They are still there but some of the stress factors are gone. Arbitration (binding) was yest morning. Now I just have to wait to see what division decisions he makes. Hate knowing I will leave behind the plants that gave me all that harvest since they haven't been cared for and I have been told some were mowed over so they probably won't survive. Ah but I shall do as I did for it....plant what people give me and manage it organically. It will take a long time before the clay soil provides as did the sandy loam I fortified with the compost down here. Putting down new beds in clay soil or for that fact even trying to break clay soil to drop in a seed will be so different from before. But for bird feeding I can plant sunflowers and that will save on bird seed money. Then just rotate what I plant each year until I can no longer get outside. I still will utilize body saving practices as: pipe for planting sticks (pruned or windfall limbs) as walking sticks buckets to sit on crawling (dragging along the walking stick for getting up) making sure plants are zone hardy make sure plants are soil & companion amlicable rely on birds for bug patrol I will (hopefully) have more space in which to garden now but recognize the percentage of land available & garden size I make it has to conform to my ability to handle the clay. Much more back breaking than what I started with before.

Just stopped to check in and see how things were going for everyone this season. Sounds like mixed reviews. My markets here, in Up-State NY have taken a huge nose dive. (We are down by 50 to 75%.) I sell rare perennials and fruit N veggies, but all products are selling at a pathetic pace.I know, perennials are a luxury, not a neccessity. Still, I thought food crops would remain a good seller. Even the bigger veggie guys are way down from previous years. My guess is that so many of our regular customers are now growing their own produce, so they can save themselves a little $$. Even driving around the city, (Troy & Albany), you see these postage stamp sized lawns turned veggie garden.Kinda cool to look at, beautiful, even,... but definitely taking away sales. Community gardens are popping up everywhere, too. The only vendor at my markets actually UP in sales is the wine lady! Here's hoping for a recovery in the economy REAL quick. (OK, well, at least by next market season.)Or I, for one, will be back to working a dreaded "Real Job".