An out of balance blade was one of the things I ruled out- two back up blades were put on- one freshly sharpened/balanced at the shop, and one brand new blade were tried, w/ no change in vibration. Muffler bolts are not the problem- the heads can be seen on the upper surface of the deck, and the ends/bolts are seen secure on the muffler plate bottomside. The 1st repair I noted from 2001 were described as replacing the 'lower seal bolts' on the receipt. The shop manager said there are 4 of them. In looking at the LB parts blowup on https://lookup2.toro.com/partdex/index.cfm?xCaller=lawnboy There are four bolts (part #314576-'40' on the diagram) These come up from the bottom of the crank, where there is a crankshaft end cover. The bolt threads pass up thru the top of the muffler plate, thru the lower crankcase seal, and into the lower part of the crankcase. I do not see nuts on the diagram, it is not clear where the ends of the bolts go. I am fairly sure these are the origin of the problem. That all said, QUESTION- I am wondering if the rod and piston are degraded by a bent crank? I should note I still have to perform Walt's 'wiggle' test as note in his original post to see if the crank is bent, or if we are just dealing w. loose lower crank bolts. Walt- can you clarify your statement- 'These engines routinely wore out the bottom bushing which is not a replacement item although several guys have bored them out and installed an "F" series engine needle bearing.' What is this bottom bushing? Is that integral to the crankshaft- and that is where the shaft has an hourglass shaped 'bulge'? Thanks again everyone!

"compost nut"??? Please, address us as "compost enthusiasts" if you don't mind. :) As to your query, bale of straw weighs what, 50 pounds give or take? Pretty high in C. Trying to figure out how much manure based on how much you have fed them could be tough, especially if they are eating bugs, seeds etc. I would suspect that it would be nigh onto impossible to get an accurate read. If it were I, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Do you clean the pen or whatever to "harvest" the bedding/manure to put into a pile? If so, add water and experiment. If it doesn't get hot pretty quick, you needed more N. If it really stinks then you needed more C. I think this what Sue was saying upthread as well. As for balance, I would adjust C/N (if I had to) using leaves and UCGs adding an inexpensive source of varied nutrients. In any case, if it becomes too problematic, I would be willing to take it off your hands if you want to ship it up here. Just trying to be helpful. :) For those that can't recognize the "tongue in cheek" humor, I was trying to be funny 'bout the "composting enthusiast" comment. Lloyd

HI Lydia, Thanks for the great tip. I have ordered the book and am very excited about your results. I have always found diets that severely limited bread intake never worked well for me. I am inspired by your weight loss considering you also have thyroid problems. (I am recovering from a total hysterectomy and have gained 24lbs in 3months I am also in surgical menopause, and was very despondent because I thought I just couldnt lose weight). I will keep you all posted on my progress because trust me, if I can lose weight, anyone can.

Hi, I just started anorex on Thursday and was wondering what other side effects/results you may have experienced. Did I waste my $$?? I have a very bloated feeling right now and I am going to the potty quite often. I am trying to drink a lot of water to replenish and maybe flush out my stomach ache so maybe it is just a short term thing, I sure hope so! My stomach is so uncomfortable that I wonder if that is what turns you off to eating, it is just such a full feeling like I just had two thanksgiving dinners. I need to lose 40 pounds and I am really going to commit to diet and working out b/c I know that is key. I feel like if I could just fit in to some of my old clothes, I would be motivated and could lose this weight by summer - at least 25. Its like once you start seeing results, you want to go on, but if you are feeling flabby, you say what the heck a whole sleeve of oreos at 11:00 PM doesn't matter b/c I am already fat! I am so so disgusted with myself right now and having to hide under big shirts b/c I cant even zip my own pants! I refuse to go up any more sizes so I am hoping anorex can get me started. I am wondering if this bloated feeling goes away and what I can look forward to, hopefully some success with this. Would appreciate hearing other's results....thanks!!