Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): smoking mower, blown head gasket, john deere lt155

Question
My lawn tractor, a John Deere LT155 with a 15 HP Kohler engine emits smoke
from the front of the mower about 30 seconds after I start it and the smoke
lasts maybe a minute.  The longer the mower sits between uses the more it
smokes.  Sitting a few hours will result in less smoke that sitting a week.  It
doesn't seem to use much oil.  Is this something to be concerned about?  Easy
and cheap to fix ?

Answer
Hello David:

Is the Crankcase Overfilled? From your Description It Sounds like a Worn Valve Stem or Worn Valve Guide. A Blown Head Gasket will Allow this to Happen. You can View a Breakdown/IPL of the Mower and Engine at this Addy, http://jdpc.deere.com/jdpc/servlet/com.deere.u90490.partscatalog.view.servlets.H... and Enter the Model Numbers. Then Select the Model in the Results Area. Then Select Sectional View. If the Engine Is Not Using a Lot of Oil, I Suggest you Not Worry About it Until it Starts Consuming A Lot of Oil or the Engine Operation Starts to Suffer. Hope this Helps. I am here if you Require more Assistance. Let me know what Happens, Please. Thanks.

Good Luck

Respectfully

John