I decided that this adventure (finding a replacement motor option and snow blower)has become more troublesome than its worth!
I'm going to sell what I have and buy a 1863 with a 451 blower and a 44 inch deck. this only has 756 hours so it should be a while before I ever have to worry about any issues.
This will be my 3rd cub I like the quality so thats why I decided to stay with cub instead of going with a Deere as stated in a previous post.