[bearbon]

Well I had fun mowing with my recently purchased 10545 Gold Series yesterday. It was running rough when I first got it and the engine brake bail was totally bent up and it broke when I tried to straighten it. I installed a brand new one, adjusted the cable, removed the tank and blew out the dust and crud from the engine, cleaned out the air filter box and filter, checked the muffler (it was clean), sharpened the blade and she roared to life on the first pull. It has a starter but the battery is shot and I can't justify the price of a new one when it's easy to start manually. I was surprised when I did a compression check and it indicated 125 lbs.! I'm guessing that's pretty good huh?

It's fun to mow with and I really like the three speed drive and throttle. I like to back off on the throttle in low grass but when I get into the heavy stuff I just bump it up to "rabbit" speed and listen to that engine power up under full load with no hesitation at all. Takes me back to my old motocross days. I'd love to try some Cam 2 racing fuel with Honda HP2 oil to generate the smell of racing again. It should be fine right. Racing fuel actually runs a little cooler than regular gas, just more power.

The only complaint I have is when I pull the mower backwards and the flap on the rear tucks under the deck it gets hard to pull. Obviously I release the drive bail but it's still hard to pull backward. I'll have to look closer but maybe the flap is getting under the rear wheels. Any expert advise about the reason for this?

 

[ReedZ]

I had the same problem with mine when i had it. You'd pull backwards and it would feel like the brake was on. Mine ended up being that it wasn't disengaging the drive so to speak. the solution I found worked was that i let the drive lever off, went a couple more steps forward in neutral and then pulled back. No more problems. Originally i thought it was the flap as well. Not sure if this is your problem, but you might want to check this. Great mower though. The only complaint I had with mine, was that I found it a bit heavy and awkward. Mowed great though and the self propelled was awesome. You pretty much have to run to keep up when it's in 3rd.

 

[bearbon]

Bingo - that's the problem. It makes sense to push the mower forward after letting go of the drive bail so the trans can disengage the drive pawl or dog before dragging it backwards. Thanks for the tip ReedZ.

I don't use 3rd gear either. I'm getting too old to move that fast.