Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): fire, neutral safety switch, condensor

Question
i have a troybuilt 7hp industral/commercal tiller briggsandstratton engine i can get no fire to engine is there anything i can try before i go and buy a magneito and points and a lot of stuff i might not need?

Answer
The first thing you should verify is that a shut-off or neutral safety switch is not the problem.  If it is a points ignition (don't know vintage of your machine), consider that points and condensor are almost a maintenance item and are fairly inexpensive to replace.  You can have the coil tested by a shop to determine if it's faulty.  Hope this helps.