Mine is pretty violent. The clutch engages quite hard/positively, not really allowing the engine any time to get things moving smoothly, just BAM! blades. The heavier gator blades I have amplify the engagement shudder also. The idea is though, since the engagement is so positive, that you only run the engine up enough to not stall when the clutch engages so as to impose the least shock on components and wear on the clutch. Run the engine all the way up and it will handle it better, but it is a helluva lot more shock on everything.