If you don't use the tractor in the winter, now would be a good time to tear it down- or have it torn down. AT least from your description it would look to be a gear damaged.An inner worn spot, chip, crack and remember it is in contact with another part that will need replaced as well. They can run along time like that, but then again it could make matters worse. It is a dirty job, but I would suggest someone do it.

See post dated: Wed, Apr 19, 06 at 15:05 These are made by Brinly and are available through other sources (I think Lowes has them or can order them). If you are using it for plowing, as opposed to furrowing already loose soil, you will need some spare carriage bolts. Other than the carriage bolts mine has held up well. It peals back a nice strip of sod if you need to put some open up a path for water drainage across the lawn. You can take the sod strips and put them elsewhere. It is is also a REALLY good way to find shallow wires (like Invisible Fence wires). I still need to rebury the wires I pulled up last year. I will take the furrower off and try the ripper option for that.

***" Something installed wrong?"*** That would imply that something had been removed (blades?) and reinstalled recently. So, have the blades been off of the deck recently? If yes, who did the work? It is possible to install the blades upside down, but there are definite indicators as to which way they must go, so it would have to be a novice mistake if one of them is upside down. Another possibility is that one of the blades simply is not tightened correctly/securely. This could cause the blade to appear to be spinning (at a casual glance) when not in contact with the grass, but as soon as it makes contact with grass, it just stops spinning.

Still guessing, but I try to add some more things to do. Do you hear anything when you crank it with the plugs out?? does it hesitate or have a hitch in the rotation when you have the plugs out?? Any hitch or hesitation will be mulitiplied with the plugs in especially if you hear any noise. things I would look for. Remove the starter and look at the bendix teeth, look at the flywheel teeth. Do a compression check (compression should be atleast around 100 PSI). this will tell you that the valve seat and valves are sealing and closing, Doing one cylinder at a time may also narrow the problem down to one or the other if the engine stops rotating when checking compression which may lead to a connecting rod problem. If you got good compression and the engine spins with plugs out and no unusual noises or hesitations and the drive belt and elect pto clutch aren't binding. Then I would suspect the starter, usually starters last quite awhile, but unless your are an electronic's expert your guessing. Starter is a high dollar item unless you find a used one or one on ebay for at least 1/2 price. Before I replace the starter I would go ove the battery cables again checking for any corossion (on the cables internally) and points of contact I would also jump across the starter solonoid to illimate that. I'm out of guesses or procedures unless you come up with something else. If it was me I would try another starter before I tore into the engine unless I found some evidents of a rotating part problem. I not that familar with V-twin Kohlers, but it still should have valve covers (usually the cover can be reinstalled using the old gasket unless you tear if when removing it) which you can remove and watch the valve action when cranking the engine with the plugs out if you have no compression in one cylinder, if you have good compression (in both cylinders) and no noises then the rotating internal part could be ilimated. I know another tool you probably haven't got, but you really have to have basic tools multi-meter, compression kit, vacuum gauge to have a chance to narrow some problems down.