Eliminating variable throttle is the product of imbeciles and morons. Any methods to defeat this, with pictures, are welcome. I need high revs in thick grass, but have many mixeed areas of patchy grass such as edges of pinebarren and poor soil clay areas. I do not choose Chemlawn type practices. If I can't slow the engine speed in patchy areas, the mower will blow clouds of dry earth and dust, harming air quality, people's breathing and the engine air intake. Unbelievably rotten and stupid to eliminate the throttle speed control. Please, some parts company come out with an aftermarket kit of some kind. I suspect more than a cable is needed. That is, how to attach cable where there never was one... Thank you.

""" FWIW, the problem I've had since mid last year is it won't idle without quitting most of the time, dies if I open the throttle too quicky, and bogs down doing even simple cutting. """ Last year I was at a friends house who was having similar problems ... wouldnt idle well, bogged when opening the throttle ... he was gonna throw it out... I saw an extra gas can in his garage and asked him if he had any raw gas... he did... I dumped his 2-stroke mix from the weed whacker into his 2-stroke mix gas can. and added roughly 1/4 more raw fuel to the 2-stroke mix ... shook it up and refueled his weed whacker... He was worried - I told him "you were 1 beer away from throwing it out - relax" Turns out the gas/oil mix was to thin and he could never get the unit operating properly. once he had a thinner mixture in there he had his weed whacker back in operation. I have a 2-stroke Montesa which I run roughly 90:1 in... (yup 90-100:1 - hard to believe isnt it?). every once in a while when Im running low on fuel for the weed whacker/leaf blower / chain saws... I will grab a bit of the montesa mix and add it to my lawn tools mixture to stretch it out a bit - so that I dont have to run to the gas station. The montesa mix uses a synthetic castrol oil - and I really like it... On occasion when I do this I will notice the unit (leaf, weed, chainsaw) will run a bit better... I assume because the gas mix is leaner - or perhaps the synthetic oil plays a role... Mind you - i dont do this frequently - and when i do this i NEVER run the unit wide open... The reason the Montesa can run at this lean mix is 1) it is water cooled and secondly the engine operates at very low RPMs. If I know I would be riding the machine down a railroad bed - I would run closer to a 70:1 mix... Good luck ... Dave

The actual bulbs all work the same way. Pressing the bulb produces small amount of pressure on one side, and a vacuum (or suction) on the other. However, how the are designed to be used depends upon how manufacturer engineered the fuel system. Most "primers" are actually for "purging", where fuel is forced into the carb, but not to the engine. With fuel now in the carb chamber, the engine can draw the fuel and start. Engine with a purge bulb often also have a choke plate. There is a return line on the carb either going back to the tank, or in some older engines simply allows excess to dribble on the ground. Homelite used that system for years on their low-end weedeaters. Cheap but effective. A primer bulb is set up to force fuel thru the carb and into the intake through an additional jet. This provides a rich mixture for starting. Usually a primer equipped engine doesn't have a choke plate, but this is not always the case. Briggs uses an actual primer on their vertical shaft engines, both with Pulsa-Jet carbs and with the Walbro float carbs. In both Briggs cases, there is no choke plate.

Varmint, Thanks on all your feedback, and that of others. I took delivery today of my new tractor. I put it right to work pulling my dump cart full of brush, and my yard sweeper. Maybe I should change my handle to happinessisanewtractor. Observations: This tractor is very comforable. the ergonomics of the Regent are very good. The controls are well laid out and very intuitive. The 18HP Kohler Courage engine is plenty strong, and very reasonable in noise level. Especially compared to my old tractor's 8hp Briggs. The transmission is very smooth (smoother than the x300 I drove, probably how it's belt drive is designed), and pulled my sweeper like it was'nt even there. The ride accross my bumpy yard is just that, bumpy. I'm going to check the tire pressure again, and try lowering it to improve the ride a little. Also, the steering is very precise, but that also lends itself to jolting out of my hands on bumps if I'm not careful. Again tire pressure may help that. I suspect the same would be true on almost any "lawn tractor". Essentially it means I have to keep my speed down in the areas that are bumpy. My old tractor's seating position was closer to the ground, so I may be perceiving that I'm going slower on the new Regent than I actually am. Perhaps a heavier Garden Tractor, ie: a Conquest or x500 might traverse the lumpy terrain more smoothly, but I would not want to give up the manuverability of the Regent, which is fantastic. I have not mowed yet, but did engage the mower. Take note, this thing is powerful, it shot several pine cones like a rocket. The discharge is very strong, which I hope will reduce clumping of my grass clippings. Overall I feel that I made a good choice for my needs. I have to say that Simplicity orange is just as nice looking as Deere Green. I'm looking forward to mowing season & will let you know how it performs.