"Curiouser and curiouser. We have read for years on here that the 16:1 was because of bushings rather than roller bearings, now it's no longer true. Okay, then what is the reason for 16:1 (I have no idea why I care, since I will never own one)?" You will note that I say the BOTTOM bushing. The D400 had needle bearings on the top end. The switch in mix spec came when they went to the 2 ring piston AND the needle bearings on the wrist pin end of the connecting rod, perhaps this was the bushing others were referring to which you may have misinterpreted. These parts can be interchanged and I have done it often only the connecting rod with needle bearings on the wrist pin end must be used with the 2 ring piston. As for never owning one, reminds me of someone I know who says he will never own a Ford. Surely most people know that the bottom bushing continued thru the D600 series which used 32:1 mix and all of these LBs had the mix written on them though in early years it was a decal which eventually became illegible. Some had the mix molded into the shroud. I would note that there is a difference between "needle bearings" and "roller bearings". LB, until DuraForce, used needle bearings unless it was the "M" with which I am not familiar. As I have said before on this and other lists, if you are uncertain what mix you should use, clean your exhaust ports and while you are at it, count how many rings are on the piston as you look thru the clean exhaust ports. Three rings = 16:1, 2 rings = 32:1. Walt Conner

5 years ago, I bought a new JD L110 with a 17.5 hp Kohler engine and a 42" mulching deck for about $1750 from a JD Dealer to cut my 1.5 acre up hill bumpy lawn with a septic field up top. I got it because Consumer Reports had said that it was the best all-around for the dollar. It worked great with a beautiful cut until the septic field and a contractors fertilizing made the grass so tough, the engine bogged down as if it was gonna stall, especially over the septic field, and really bad if I missed a week due to rain. By the way I threw away the $200 double bag grass catcher because I got tired of getting off the tractor and dumping them every 7.5 minutes. I went to a Kubota dealer to find out what a real tractor was and how I couldnÂt afford one, but some farmer had traded in his JD G110 w/ a 25 hp Kohler engine and a 54" mowing deck I bought it used, with no warranty for $2000, and at first was happier the way it had no problems with the thickness of the lawn. It also carried my over 300 lb. body uphill and cut much faster in that it turned my 1 hour and fifteen minute weekly task into about 50 minutes. The blue smoke the used G110 was blowing when I test drove it was to mean later that I had to put about 3 to 4 hundred dollars into it for repair, and apparently, I was lucky, because it could have been much worse! It seemed the farmer, believe it or not, didn't change the oil much. But the main problem was that with the 54" deck it had did not cut the grass as nice as the smaller 42" deck with the rounded mulching platform. It made "Wind Rows" that did not seem to go away even after going back over it again, because my grass grew so fast or something. A salesman told me I may have to cut it twice a week (NO WAY). So, bottom line, it was taking longer to get the grass cut with a 54" deck than with the earlier 42" deck; almost twice as long and it STILL didnÂt look as nice as before! I added a mulching kit to it, installed by the dealer, even after their warning that I may get clumping. I did get clumping, and my wife never lets me hear the end of itÂ..The tension spring on the belt/pulley system broke 2 weeks ago and I went to the dealerÂs parts dept. and bought another one for $6 because their Spring back-log for repairs was over 2 weeks wait. I spent about 3 hours getting it on the deck. This new spring worked for two mowings and broke. Now, with rain, I have monster grass and no way to mow it. My wife almost bought a $2000 Cub Cadet at a box store out of desperation yesterday just to get the grass cut. So now, 5 years into this monster lawn, and two JDÂs later, we are looking at our 3rd one, an X300 or X304, to solve my weekly woes on this lumpy lawn. Oh yeah, by the way, when it was graded, the man did not do a very smooth job and my back and I wish my tractor had shock absorbers, but we can not afford the Kubota, or a real John Deere. I will probably trade in the G110 for a X304 next weekend, and peeve that I am trading down from a 25 hp Kohler w/ 54" deck to a 22 hp Kohler w/ a 48" deck, albeit in the new "stronger" X Series, but my wife wonÂt mind, because there will be no more "Wind Rows" and clumping (HOPEFULLY!). She doesnÂt have to do itÂ.she naps on the couch while I mow! I guess sheÂll nap a little longer, because I will be out there a little longer now. I hope the clumping and rows go away then, and I really hope to have less annoying repairs. I imagine, though, that they all use the same spring. Wish me luck if you have no good advice I can use.

Ok, portrait aside...I think there is a bigger problem. Why are you calling all the shots? Have you asked your siblings if they even want to be in the picture and what they think about who should be in it and what you are doing? Get on the phone and ask them... I would never just arrange to have a pic with me and my siblings without going over with them who would be in it, etc. I think it's the fact that you appear to be controlling everything and everyone that may be the real problem. "Your plan" really doesn't matter if it brings heartache to any one family, marriage or wife. It really doesn't matter how many photos you've gone through or how much better or easier the pic would look with just you six. If you are hurting someone, you need to rethink your options. And I gotta tell you from a traditional etiquette standpoint, not including spouses can be kind of harsh... they are either considered part of the family or they are not. I think it's naive to think you're not gonna ruffle some feathers. Although your idea may be best...you didn't allow others who should have had a say in it, vote, so now not only is it not the best idea but hardly anyone will be happy with it. Back to the drawing board...

Thank you for the suggestions! I like the idea of removing the shutters to see what colors would match more appropriately. The roof has supposedly 30 years left on in but it is almost a black color. The siding is also newer. The trim is actually very dark brown at the moment. So we have black roof, off white siding, maroon shutters, orangey red door, and brown trim! I will have to play around with photoshop to try out a sage green - hadn’t thought of that color. Thanks! We’ll probably replace the door and sidelights soonwr than later. So many options though! How to choose?? We would probably have to replace the walkway at some point bc it is tilting the wrong way towards the house and the downspout does not extend beneath it. We have some temporary plastic extender tripping hazard at the moment. How much do walkways normally cost? We had some instant equity when buying (it was sold as-is at half the price of the average price of the neighborhood) but we’re looking to redo some bathrooms, do something about the kitchen eventually, fill in some voids beneath sections of the house, and install 100 ft of retaining wall too so this may have to wait. I love the idea of installing some curvy landscaping though but maybe we should wait until we replace the walkway at some point? I guess we could always just score a curvy border around it and plant some cheaper plants in the meantime. We also have a retaining wall at the side that is rotting (where there used to be a bunch of trees - they must have chopped them down prior to selling bc they are still there in these photos) and need to replace ASAP. There is one tree remaining on the “overgrown” tree side of the house that is a dogwood tree so I might see what it looks like in the spring before chopping some of it off. My husband wants to put in retaining wall at the back as well in order to bury an exposed pipe, provide a base for the AC unit, and address drainage issues. So it would be about 100 ft of retaining wall, along with regrading and pulling out leftover tree stumps. It’s likely a big expense unless anyone has any other ideas. The porch is actually sagging in the middle but are considering a polyeurethane injection to prop it back up as this seems to be much more cost effective than putting in a new one. My husband keeps going on about changing the porch floor - but what else goes with brick? The posts are gone though - they definitely need to be replaced ASAP. Any suggestions for what style and width? There are so many options!