Joey - I did a little research on that Kawasaki motor when I was looking for my most recent Super. The info I found said that when the cam gear goes it doesn't destroy anything else. You might want to check on your own, this is just hearsay from me. I watched a YouTube vid on changing it and the problem is that it involves a complete motor tear-down. So, you could justify one of two paths, depending on your tolerance for pain: 1) Change it before it blows, that way you can schedule the down time, or... 2) Run to failure (RTF) and maybe get several hundred more hours out of it. If you go for door number two, it will be unpleasant without a back-up machine. This could be good, if you are looking for an excuse to add a tractor to your garage. A second tractor does allow you to take your time to do things right on unscheduled breakdowns.
Axle pivot, I assume you mean in the center where it attaches to the frame. Jack it up by the frame and figure out what is loose; could be the bolt is worn (less likely), or the axle bore, or the frame. Also, there is frame adjusting screws on the left and the right sides of the tractor to take out any normal slop. (The bolt heads of these screws bear on the axles front face to stop fore and aft movement. Spray this face with lithium grease spray during maintenance.)
Sharper steering isn't going to happen. I have a larger yard, but still use the push mower to trim around all the obstructions and house first. Keeps me from being tempted to get too close to things with the tractor and deck. Maybe experiment with a different mowing pattern as well if your yard suits it. If not already modified, easy to make the machine mow in reverse so the pto doesn't drop out every time you back up.
The electrical gremlins in your sig line are probably bad connections. Methodically go through each one, clean them up, make sure the terminals are tight, and use a dab of dielectric grease on every connection you touch. The grease will ensure that they never corrode again. I have found a notorious bad connection is at the base of the tower where the tower harness plugs into the frame harness with a multi-pin connector. The pins are so small, pretty much impossible to mechanically clean the female connectors. You might get by with separating, spray with electrical cleaner, smear female half with dielectric grease, reassemble. I have replaced that plug in the past with individual insulated spade connectors. You may need to remove the radiator if that connector is your problem, and they don't leave much extra wire there.
Keep coming back. The manual is in our document section, but don't be shy about asking. The manual is a good reference, but it still pays to discuss it with those that have already suffered through it.
