Which engine brand, model, type/spec?

Do you have the CORRECT fuel filter?
IF you have a gravity fed carb and use a filter for a fuel pump equipped engine, you could see the same symptoms.
Carb slowly runs out of gas, wait a few minutes and the bowl slowly replenishes, start, repeat....

Carb fuel solenoid. If it has 12V to it, you should be good. Unlikely the connector or ? would fail on such a regular basis.

Thanks for the reply, it's a Briggs and Stratton engine. I'll get the model information tonight (at work presently).

the carb is gravity fed, so i suppose it's possible I put a wrong fuel filter on, I can get another one, and try.

Visually it looks like one of these: http://www.troybilt.com/wcpics/TroyBiltUS/en_US/products/BS-394358S_prod.jpg
altho i can't say that is the exact one.

i guess it's also possible that there is some sort of crud in the fuel line feeding the fuel filter. I guess i should try to replace that.

As the fuel filter is solid color, i can't really see what the gas levels are when it stalls.

Literally i can start the tractor 5 seconds after it stalls and it's fine for 2 mins.

The fuel pump filter is WHITE and the gravity fed filter is RED.

ooh, that's good to know, thanks! i check what color i have tonight!!!

Ok, so it does in fact have a red filter on there now.

The tractor model number is 13AN689G766