Did you purchase the equipment from a John Deere dealer, or from a retailer such as Home Depot or similar hardware store? The reason I ask is that I know that the tractors sold in retail stores are of lesser quality and not as sturdy as the ones sold at dealers. These mowers are "scaled down" in quality and overall power. If this is the case, then you could be a victim of this fact. Since it is out of warranty, then you may be out of luck. But I cannot beleive that the first time you verified that there was oil was when you tipped it over at a garage sale... I used to do mowing for my neighbors on my family's John Deere tractor when I was a little younger to make some money. My dad taught me that the first thing you do is check the gas level and the oil level on any mower. I thought that this was common knowledge. I guess not.