Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I got kinda "volunteered" to cut the lawn of an elderly family friend using her machine. Her husband passed away a few years ago, and first she hired a local kid to come in and cut the lawn, and after a couple of years, she hired the neighbor, who just quit. So I'm now a part time Snapper pilot on a machine very similar to this one:

The grass bagger has 20 pounds of duct tape on it, and constantly plugs, the engine smokes unbelievably and dies if it leans the least tiny bit to the right or if a quick left turn is made, but the oil level is correct according to the dipstick. It's definitely the noisiest mower I can remember operating with most of the noise coming from the blades. After removing the bagger tube for the 3rd time in less than 10 minutes to clear out a plug, I left it off. The hydro lever wanders around on it's own and has to be constantly held. I've cut this lawn once and already regret taking the job, but I made a commitment for the summer and I'll live up to it. The bagger seems to have problems before it hits the duct tape, so I was wondering if these machines were problematic from the start? or should I blame the previous kid for abusing the heck out of this? I usually enjoy riding around on most any brand mower, but this one was an unpleasant experience.