Deck spindle explosion

[IthacaJeff 151]

WH'ers:

Just about done doing some mowing of the deep stuff, it was getting late and I

noticed sparks coming from the right side deck pulley. I guess the darkness allowed

me to see it. Not a good sign. Shut down the PTO and drove back to the shed to

look at the problem in the daylight.

Another tab on the spindle mandrel snapped off. See from the pic that this mandrel

already had one tab broken. With only two the thing loosed up, causing the pulley

on the top to rub against the deck. Pulled off the last good spindle/mandrel from

my old 42" RD, swapped out the blades, greased up all the spindles, and was back

in action. It did, though, take me, a son, and two breaker bars slipped over our

wrenches on the two blade nuts to get the blade off the spindle on the 42" RD.

Jeff in Enfield NY