Yes Bob....I DID post this question before but the only answer I got which may have helped is :

"Get the same mower as your neighbour"!!!

He moved !

Being a novice in the Lawnmower engine world, I was hoping for the experience and / or expert professional knowledge of a retired gardener, or groundsman or such, to guide me in the right direction.

ie "You need to get something along the lines of a Suffolk Model xxxxx, or a Briggs & Stratton, or a Qualcast ...Model xxxxx, because these use an oil pump instead of primitive splash system.