Ted B. wrote in message
eenews.net...
A few months ago, we bought a house in New York with over 2 acres of
landscaped yard. Obviously, I needed a lawn tractor to care for it, but I
didn't want to spend too much money on it. I was happy to find a
Troy-Bilt
"Pony" (779) at Lowe's for a thousand bucks. For those who don't know,
this
is manufactured by MTD, the same company that makes the ultra high-end Cub
Cadet lawn tractors. See:

http://www.mtdproducts.com/home.jsp

Overall, this Troy-Bilt "Pony" works pretty well. If it lasts a few
years,
I'll be happy with it. But it has a design flaw (IMHO) which MTD is not
willing to acknowledge.

The oil drain plug of the Briggs/Stratton engine sits right on top of a
horizontal metal panel.

I use a plastic funnel that has a flexible tube that's about a foot and a
half long attached to it.
These are available at WalMart or any auto parts store for about a dollar
fifty.
Wedge the funnel under the drain plug, run the tube to your catch pan and
have at it.
Works great.