We bought the DR 12.5Hp electric start model when it first came out, worked it pretty hard at first clearing some overgrown land. The machine does pretty much everything DR says it will, but reliability was a problem. Think they have fixed many of the problems in later models, and we have received a number of upgrade kits from DR over the years. Principal weakness is that the underside of the machine (where the wheel drive belt and chain are located) is open, and if a stick pops up in the wrong area it either flips the wheel drive V-belt (mower won't go out of gear) or breaks the chain (have to drag the dang thing back to where you can replace the chain). Hazel nut bushes are the worst, the stalks are tough and tend to spring back up under the machine and cause havoc. Machine eats black berry bushes and 6' tall Johnson grass like its going out of style.

tomplum Hooray! I followed your guidance and she is now cutting like a champ! Both pulleys are aligned, the idler bracket had no damage but the idler rake corrected up to the mount rake. I cut over a hectare today, no sweat I notice no lube points for the idlers, so I will buy a oil-squirt can. I put a dab of grease on the idler pinion, too, looks like that might wear sloppy after awhile. Thanks a bundle; you sound experienced, let me know if you want to start a small-engine shop in the tropics! :^) Wheelhorse "Larry, if this was a hardware store belt (fractional horsepower belt)that is at least part of the problem." Acknowledge. Here (Costa Rica) Poulan parts have to be mail-ordered in, but I will do that. The mandrell pulley has little teeth on it to lock with those on the shaft; wish it were a shear pin, maybe I'll re-engineer that, too :^) tbk " if there was a warranty in effect,it got voided do to misuse and perhaps a few other reasons. tbk" Likely if this were the US you would be correct. If this were the US I could just go pay $30 for a new spindle and commence cutting, too. In Costa Rica a warranty is the punch line to a joke; "customer service" is another good one, "ready parts" another. Here you are on your own, so you learn to act like it. We hope for advance, but we don't hold our breath.

Atually I'm a machinst by trade, well at least I was in the Navy. I don't have access to any metal working machines any more, just basic power and hand tools. Though I am highly resourceful and think I can come up with something. I was really asking whether you had any hard designs or ideas of how to do this. I can't believe that no one out there has made a modification like this so I thought I'd ask. I do have a small wire-feed welder so that's a bonus. The engine is a 13hp Kohler command. The PTO pulley is 5 3/8"dia. The deck is a 42" model with two blades; each are a little over 21". I don't know the size of the deck spindle pulleys, I'll have to pull the deck and take off the plastic cover to measure them, but if I had to guess I'd say they were in the 4" range. I'm not at home now, though, to look and won't be for about a week.

If it plowed through the 6" stuff without the engine acting underpowered, the governor and fuel system are probably functioning OK. I looked at the IPL and the PTO clutch certainly appears to be the type that has the integral blade brake. I think you should discuss the issue with the dealer and let the staff there see what happens when the PTO is engaged. At least you will have established a "time and date stamp" of when the problem was first noticed. As to cutting the quack grass, unless that was something on your agenda already, I don't want to advise you to do that. I noted in reading through the Owner's Manual that MTD declares the tractor is meant for cutting LAWNS, so if you do cut anything that might not be considered "lawn", keep that information to yourself! No point in your divulging something which might constitute owner abuse of product should a warrant dispute ever arise. My suggestion to cut some "heavy grass" or climb a significant grade was just to see if the engine reacted poorly when influenced by some other kind of loading too. It appears that the engine handles the other load well. So, there might in fact be a problem with this PTO, or it may be that the inertial loading of the engine when summoned to get the deck going from a dead standstill exceeds any other loading that can occur during normal use. I know there are some forum members who own similar tractors............maybe it would help if some of you guys toss in your observations/opinions of how your PTO engages.