I know how "Misery Loves Company" and I'll chime in with a similar problem with a 17.5 Single Cylinder Kohler on a Craftsman rider that would do the same thing. Last week I wound up putting a fuel line shut off valve on it so the owner could keep it from flooding out after it sat for a while. I checked the float and needle operation and worked fine, but let it sit overnight or a few days and it would flood the cylinder as well as above the bowl, into the carburetor throat, and up into the filter. I could see a puddle of fuel with the air filter off! I drained a teacup of gas when I removed the carburetor bowl. About that much blown out of the cylinder when I took the soaked plug out! Also blew out about a 1/4 teacup of gas out of the muffler! Now it decided to go to the extreme opposite and not get any fuel at all once the shut off valve was turned on! We'll have to put a carburetor kit in it as it just won't cooperate and hope for the best. It too has a plastic "Non-Adjustable" float. Doesn't give a guy any room to adjust anything out. These non-adjustable plastic floats are aggravating when a little adjustment on the float level would clear things up. Looks like you have a "Problem Child Mower" on your hands!