Yes Norm, I've wondered about that myself. I had the same problem some years ago and looked at shaft extenders. Ended up shaking my head in frustration. It all seemed too hard and probably was. I recall many years ago a local farmer extended an engine shaft by welding an extra piece on to it. But he was a very competent welder and everybody for miles around took things to him to get welded. So I guess this is possible, but of course requires that the whole engine be pulled down to remove the crankshaft, otherwise the heat will melt the oil seal and potentially melt or warp the nearby casing. Reducing a shaft is problem enough, unless installing a spacer as a simple fix, but extending a mower shaft is not an easy task and seldom achievable.
