When I looked to repower my Lazer Z I reached out to Briggs directly and the most suitable replacement is a 23hp engine since they do not carry a current production model 18hp that is set to run at 3,650. Since everything that is belt driven on these machines, matching the top no load speed to your old engine is likely the single most important consideration. Otherwise your blade tip speed, your hydro pump flow rates and drive motors will all work at a lower output than before. Going over the original RPM by a significant amount will lead to premature failure of belts, pumps and bearings everywhere.