I'll tell you a story about a Craftsman lawn mower (made by Murray at that time) that don't sound just right, but I swear its the truth. In 1977 I bought a Sears LT 10 Craftsman 10HP lawnmower. It cut 2 acres for about the first 5 years and then down to just one acre. I replaced the carb. when it was about 6 or 7 years old. I replaced the transaxel once, and lost count of the jackshaft bearings. When it was about 10 years old, I bought another brand thinking I would give it a rest. The new one didn't last long. Since 1994 I have bought 6 new mowers. The one I am using now is a 2001 Murray 15.5 HP. But in 2000, I gave the 10HP to my son. He used it two years and gave it to a friend of his. For the kicker. When he gave it to his friend, it had the original oil and spark plug. The air filter had been changed many times though. I'm going to ask him if it is still going.