Well, I grabbed another one - an 8 year old Kubota T1400H, 13.5hp lawn tractor with hydrostatic drive, 40" cut with dual bagger, needing work for $500.
The engine sounded like it had marbles rolling around inside - the valve clearances were ULTRA excessive, but a quick adjustment quieted things down nicely & the engine runs sweetly. The deck is a mess - it needs all new spindle bearings, new blades, & 2 deck hangers rewelded back on. The blades are SO BAD that they look like they were ready to disintegrate in hand grenade fashion at any time (I kid you not). The tractor loses speed going uphill or around turns, so I changed the hydro fluid with genuine Kubota fluid. Its not as bad, but could use improvement. I'll check the drive belt to see if it might be slipping, but have no other ideas on how to proceed if the belt tension is good - can anyone please give me some direction?
Thanks!
Marty 
