I guess I'm the Dad in this case! I do remember having an el cheapo power mower (person propelled) when I was a kid (red and perhaps Western Auto) and using it for everything - a field at the rear of the house comes to mind... one day it was 3 feet high, the next it was "lawn". Anyway, everyone is always dumping on Craftsman tools and power equipment. I'm still using my Craftsman Eager One, 5HP, Tecumseh engine, that I purchased in 1984. I don't recall it ever failing to start except when the switch I installed to replace the dead-man handle died. It smokes, uses oil, but still cuts better than my $500 Troy-Bilt. At the beginning of the summer, I ran over a rock and bent the blade so that it was actually digging into the ground. Had to replace the blade plate and blade, but didn't faze the crankshaft or the upper crankshaft shear pins. The only maintenance I've ever done is occasionally replace the air filter, less occasionally replace the spark plug (do clean it annually), and change the oil. I think it is coming to the end of its long life and really hate the thought of getting rid of it. It really needs a total engine rebuild (chassis, etc. is still fine - no rust but lots of scrapes), but I just don't have the abilities. JimC

That's a 'bench grinder'. That's what the shop guys use most of the time. The file is for the perfectionists who don't want to remove more steel than necessary and want to keep the original line and shape. Plus the grinder can overheat the steel and make it brittle if you dwell too long in one spot. You want to avoid heat-discoloration of the steel where it turns blue and gold. Actually, guns used to be 'blued' by heating the steel, and some guns have 'straw'-colored parts done the same way. It just depends on a few degrees of difference in the heat.

You guys are killing me, but thanks for the feedback. It is appreciated. I have tifway 419 Bermuda, and I do possess an adequate level of knowledge to maintain the turf. I have been laboring over leveling the lawn a bit recently in order to get a smoother cut, especially at lower levels. ***(NOTE TO BERMUDA GRASS LAWN OWNERS: if you want your turf to look like a golf course fairway, you have to cut it like they do. Fairways are typically cut to 1/2" with a reel mower. I will be compromising at 3/4" so I can use the rotary mower from time to time, or my wife can cut with the rotary. At lower cut heights the grass grows more laterally and forms a carpet like surface then when at the heigher levels that tend to grow more vertically.*** To get the turf from 1 1/4" to the 3/4" (which I had to do) requires serious scalping, no way around it. Scalping does not harm the turf and it will be beautiful green color within a week or two. Good news for me. I went ahead and used the reel mower today it worked like a champ. The sand is down at the surface enough that little or no sand was touched by the mower blades. I'll update with some pictures when it greens up P.S. I fertilized just recently with standard fert.

I've patched my C21ZPRA magnesium deck with straps of aluminum from the hardware store. Most places I used flat head screws with nuts but in a few spots I couldn't drill through the housing, so I used self-drilling screws simply as self-tappers. So far it's working well. Finally managed to slightly bend the crankshaft extension. I'm able to set the blade so it doesn't vibrate. I replaced the spark plug when I was having starting problems last year, but the old plug is fine. Parts prices are insane. If they actually have any decks left, no one is going to pay over $500 for one. Let it go for $50, maybe someone would buy it. $275 for a crankshaft? Out of sight. Guess they're attached to this stuff; don't want to sell any? No one around here can weld magnesium. The stuff burns intensely if it is not welded with the right equipment and skill. Easy with the right stuff, mainly the correct filler rod and TIG, like aluminum. A shop that repairs old VW crankcases (magnesium, with some aluminum and zinc for strength) should be able to weld a Lawn-Boy magnesium deck. CO2 or water makes Mg burn more intensely as both have oxygen in them. Maybe if I ever get back out to Oregon with the mower I can get the VW specialist next door to my father in law's house to fix the deck. For some reason I typed "1981" when it should have been "1991."