Ok so I played with the 2350 today . . . liked most everything about it except the blade speed. I'm pretty sure I had it at full throttle but the blades didn't seem to have much zing to them. Yes I realize it's a residential machine but I've tested others that had better tip speed IMO. It's also built very low to the ground. Overall height is only 40". I haven't eliminated it but the blade issue and the fact that the dealership (Amish) is actually 42 miles away instead of 30 doesn't weigh in it's favor. Liked that it had foot assist deck lift but it had an odd way of setting the cutting height. The adjustment is laid out horizontally and acheived by placing a pin in a series of holes along a shaft (thats also part of the foot assist lever). It's probably an effective (but different) way of doing it but they didn't have the holes marked with the cutting height.

Equipment using rigid gear drives 'may' use shear pins to protect the transmission or engine from shock traveling back when 'something' happens that immobilizes the gear train, however briefly. Years ago, all outboard engines used shear pins to protect the powerhead if the prop hit a submerged obstacle. Brush hogs use a flail blade to protect the gearbox of the mower. Belt driven equipment has a built in 'give', or resiliency that might keep damage to a minimum. I suspect it was the forward speed of the mower that caused the damage to the spindle. The blade also probably flexed and bent as it contacted and rose over the 'tree trunk cut close to ground level', which tried to twist the spindle horizontally. Did you ease over it with caution or just cutting at normal speed? I've done that many times (thankfully no broken mandrels or spindles, though). At the lake we have lots of cypress and are forever nicking the tops of knees trying to 'rise up above the rest' when forgetting they're there. Lots of spindles and mandrels on today's tractors are made of aluminum, which doesn't give us a lot of leeway. Wanna buy a stump grinder? 8^) Which reminds me. I've often thought about putting a gator blade upside down on an old push mower to dress down areas like that. They are twice as thick as a normal blade and maybe sharpen up the 'fingers' normally on top. Whatcha think deerslayer? Anybody else?

baymee, I honestly can't recall when or how I landed on that site, but it's safe to say I was probably in the middle of a web search for something when I clicked an available link.....bang, when I saw the incredible length of the list, I immediately saved it (bookmarked) to favorites. Regarding your comment about ZOOMING IN: I can only speak for my own computer and its aging software package (like the aging, key pecking user). My computer uses Adobe reader to open PDF files. I am posting a screen shot of how I can control and manipulate the images on MY computer. Your computer might use a different software and toolbar, so what works for me might not work for you. Even if your computer is configured differently than mine, I'll still bet that you CAN enlarge or reduce the images at will, you just gotta find the right buttons to click to enable those functions. You might have to click the "HELP!" button in your toolbar to learn how, but it's worth the effort to find out how cause our eyes aren't getting any sharper. Anyhow, here's how it works for me and my computer. The buttons I labeled A & B control enlarging, or reducing the entire page being viewed. Each time you rest your cursor on one or the other of these two buttons and execute a "left mouse click", the entire page will enlarge, or reduce (depending on which button you click on) by one level of magnification. If you enlarge the page until the entire page can't be seen at once, the "Hand move tool" (labeled D & D1) can be helpful in navigating the page while you view it. To enable the "Hand move tool", rest your cursor on the button labeled D and left mouse click. This will turn your cursor into the "hand move tool". How all you have to do to accurately scroll or move the page is to left mouse click and hold the click while you move your mouse in the desired direction you want the view to move. You will notice that when the left click is held down, the open hand icon on your screen becomes a "clinched fist" indicating you have "grabbed hold of" the page and can now move it. Depending on how the PDF was formatted by its creator, you might only be able to use the "hand move tool" within the confines of a single page, meaning that when the page is moved to its top or bottom "margin", the hand tool can't be used to go to the next page. This format will require you to use one of the other means to change pages. Another tool I find useful at times is the "Point magnifier" tool I have labeled C. To enable this tool, rest your cursor on the "Down arrow" just to the right of the magnifying glass icon and left click the arrow. A drop down options list will appear. Select one of the options to enlarge, or reduce. Now, when you want to enlarge a specific portion of the page being viewed (say you want to zoom in on that needle valve or solenoid), just rest your cursor directly on the part you want enlarged, and left mouse click. The area where you click will enlarge in steps of magnification with each additional mouse click. I hope this (or similar functions) will work for you. The controls and features are built into the PDF software, they just might be different in layout and appearance on your computer.

nancyk, how about posting the vital stats of the PW you now own. Brand and model of the pressure washer AND the brand, model number a & type number of the engine it has. Your options for acquiring an electric start, ICE powered pressure washer have come down to: Purchase an expensive, commercial duty pressure washer (costly but "turn key" easy) OR try to obtain the components necessary to convert the existing engine to electric start. OR Try to obtain a new, electric start engine that will bolt up to the pump and the frame of your current pressure washer. Both of the last 2 options will require varying amounts of fabrication to the frame or cart if you plan to equip the pressure washer with it's own self charging/self starting battery (this would be the most convenient set-up). It would also be possible to outfit the cart with a pair of electrically insulated terminal posts to connect booster cables to a suitable donor battery (in a lawn mower, personal vehicle, etc.). While that plan would eliminate the need for a dedicated battery on the cart, it would still require heavy duty hook up posts to connect the booster cables and ALL the hassle that you go through when jump starting a dead battery. (I know some people who use this technique that have commercial ICE powered welders and air compressors because they got fed up with having the dedicated batteries stolen off them repeatedly).