I have a 5 year old Snapper Hi-Vac mower. Took it to the mower shop for maintenance work and a few little issues. I was told that my hex bearing was also bad. Evidently it is a common problem. Tune up, change oil, sharpen blade, replace pull rope, refill gear box and replace bearing was under $100. Best I remember, the bearing was around $7 so it can't cost too much or be too hard to replace.