As you can see, discharging vs. mulching/bagging is a SUBJECTIVE issue with many divergent opinions and really has nothing to do with Lawn-Boy, 2-cycles or offset-wheel decks. I had a Honda HRB216TDA five years ago with rear discharge and a rear discharge deflector chute. Once, because of an extended period of rain, I decided to use the discharge chute on the tall, wet grass and bag it later after it dried some. To my surprise, this worked incredibly well. Because the chute is positioned higher than most, it shot the clippings out and spread them over a large area, leaving no windrows at all. That is the only time I can remember discharging clippings. Even before 1993, I was bagging. That odd Honda system is as good or better than any discharging mower ever made. The offset-wheel deck is obselete because it limits cutting close to objects on the offset-wheel side and is difficult to line up and follow the rear wheel track on that side. Even though the discharge chute on this deck has technical advantages, there is no real-world advantage to it when even the really 'contrived' discharge system on the Honda, for example, is actually better. With the advent of small 4-cycles to replace 2-cycles in all their traditional applications, it's easy to see that we're in the last days of the 2-cycle saw and trimmer, much less the mower. There will never be another 2-cycle mower manufactured for sale in the USA. I miss them a little, but not the tinkering and maintenance associated with the Lawn-Boy mowers I owned. So, I don't think you have missed out on much in the UK by not having Lawn-Boy mowers imported.

I would check the belts under the engine to be sure one of them hasn't gotten caught between pulley and belt guard or something stuck in it causing both your problems. Have you tried turning the engine by hand? Placing the palm of your hand on the flywheel screen, press down hard and see it the flywheel will move clockwise or either direction? Walt Conner

Let's look at this logically. You have ten acres. Five acres are forest. You don't need a tractor for the forest. But even if you have to drop the odd tree for firewood, a garden tractor will tug the log out for you and not need near as much room as one of the tractors in the photos. Three acres are in pasture. A garden tractor can "high mow" those 3 acres once or twice each year with no problem. Your main need is for the 2 acres of manicured lawn plus blowing snow from the 400 foot driveway. Once again, a garden tractor will do both tasks because that's what they were made for. I have nothing against the tractors shown in larso1's post but ask yourself this. How easy will it be for you to navigate one of those tractors around trees and other obstacles on your lawn as well as trimming alongside garden beds? How about near the house or outbuildings? Tractors like those are pretty unwieldy. Do you want to buy a lawn tractor too so that you can do the areas the big tractor can't do? And how large a garden are you planning? One of those tractors in a small veggie garden would be massive overkill whether you put a tiller on the back or you went with a two furrow plow, a set of double discs and a drag harrow.. You would have to invest in all that equipment and would only use them for an hour or so each year. And then where do store all that iron? Outside in the elements or do they take up big space in an outbuilding? Now if you said you were planning a one acre garden, then that would be different. But I'm guessing that your garden won't be larger than 2000 square feet.. The most common snow blowers for those large AG tractors are the three point hitch type and those require you to back the tractor into the new snow all the way down that 400 feet of driveway. Driving a tractor in reverse for long distances is not a fun job in nice weather. Imagine doing it in really cold weather. A 4 foot blower on the front of a GT makes a lot more sense. You can even put a fully enclosed cab on a GT for the winter and take it off for the summer. If there are no steep grades involved, then you can get by with 2 wheel drive providing you use chains, wheel weights and even tire loading during the winter months. Snow blowers allow you to drive on cleaned driveway areas almost all of the time once you become proficient in the art of snow clearing. gator made a suggestion to you regarding an appropriate site that specializes in Case and Ingersoll tractors. I will tell you right now that $2400.00 for a 1987 Ingersoll is way too much money unless it comes with a quite a few options and attachments. If you click on the link below, you will be transported to that site. Here is a link that might be useful: CCI

with the engine off and the machine cooled down... and a flashlight or trouble light, try to see if the ground drive belt is still on both the engine pulley, the two clutch idler pulleys and the larger driven pulley toward the rear o top of the tranny ( this is a long belt, hidden way back up in the main frame channel - you may have to remove the mower deck to get a good look at it). If it "looks" good, CAREFULLY start the engine, try to drive the tractor and see if the large driven tranny pulley is being turned. If so, Then time to get professional help or take tractor to shop, imho. Above all, be safe - easy to get hurt up under there.