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 have a John Deere 12sb with the Briggs/Zenoah 2 cylce engine that I bought new in 1991. I like the mower and the ergonomics of the John Deere but the carburator has been the week leak. It had a lot of problems as it would leak gas if the shut off valve was not turned off. A replacement carb is about $115.00 new. I replaced the gaskets etc in mine this spring and it is a lot better but still has a little seepage. I have had it apart for cleaning so many time I could put it together blindfolded. I like the 2 cycle engine but for $115.00 I think I would go ahead and replace the whole motor. If anyone has one of these around middle Tennessee I would be happy to take it off your hands just for parts.

The Robin is still the lightest 4-cycle trimmer I know of, and it's really a nice unit. My friend has one and I envy it. You can find it for just under $300 (Makita makes a rebadged version of the same trimmer). But in the $220 range, there a lot of quality 2-cycle models. A lot of the newer ones come with small catalytic converters, and I would expect them to be a little quieter, and of course they meet the newest emissions requirements. Husqvarna and Shindaiwa come to mind, but are certainly not the only ones. My experience with Echo and my recently-acquired RedMax are very positive. The RedMax doesn't need a converter to stay green - it uses a unique stratified charge induction process to more thoroughly scavenge the chamber after the power stroke. It's also suprisingly quiet to me. There is also Tanaka, Kawasaki, Stihl, and some others that I'm sure I'm forgetting. All of these brands should be stupid-easy to start, BTW. My Redmax will start within three pulls when cold, and when it starts I just close the choke while it continues running and I'm on my way. Hot starts are immediate on the first pull without even touching the throttle, every single time. It's extremely user friendly that way. I would expect the same for the others, too. Finally, I strongly suggest using Mobil T2 Racing 2-cycle oil in whatever you buy. I just discovered this stuff, and it's unbelievable: no smoke, very little smell, and it's going to give excellent lubrication. Others here agree. You will not lust for a 4-cycle nearly as much if you use this oil!

First trial. Wouldn't start, confusion about the choke, when done read the manual again, says to start with choke closed on a cold start, open on a warm start. Forgot to turn the switch to on duh. Whatever. I had turned the blades to till and set out to enlarge and reshape a small patch I had done with a tractor. I did have to break up some sod on the edges. But no matter where I was in there, it likes to bounce, does a number on your arms, hope I get used to that, I did put on hiking boots and took my watch off. One hand is still shaking an hour later. It is easy to miss spots, but overall I am pleased, got the manual out, read it again, and now all I don't quite understand is messing with the throttle, air filter, will get into that later. Think I understand how to do the oil now. It is a pain to clean it. I didn't want to hose it or soak the tines in a bucket, so took them off, pulled off all the stuck grass and dirt, washed down with a scrubbie and old cloth; it's in the back hall air drying. I don't think that detangle tool would do much for me, easier to just take the tines off, time will tell. I'm hoping it will be a little easier in cultivate mode in an area that is dug and planted. Next I will try the edger to neaten what I did today. I don't think I would try to break up very much sod ever again, and I don't think it would be safe to use on the terrace the way it bounces. But I can see what it will do from the sidewalk and find a way to get the rest done. The bottom line is that I could not have hand dug and gotten the soil so fine, would have taken a lot more time and energy to do that, never could have broken up the soil that well. It does run quietly, is a real little work horse. Thank you for giving me the courage and info. A lot of that is in one of the manuals. The arbor is dis-assembled and stored in the garage, had to move on without it for now.