Hello. I just bought a used JD STX38 (yellow deck) and enjoyed mowing about 1/4 acre of easy grass and then when I went into some taller stuff the mower suddenly stopped spinning. I looked at the deck and saw the remains of the shredded belt that connects the PTO to the Mower Deck. I figured the old one was worn out so I got a new belt from the JD dealership ($20) and put it on (this is not as fun as on newer JD riding mowers either). The engine stopped here and there through some easy stuff again, but when I got to some taller grass (where it had to work a little), it shredded the new belt! It is a fun mower to drive--turns easy and has a great chute that blows the grass behind instead of directly to the side, so I'd like to fix it. Also, it fits between the wheel wells of a Ford Ranger. Before I start replacing random tensioners and stuff, I was wondering if anyone on this forum might have some ideas. Is this a common occurrence? Is the tensioner spring too tight (the spring was not the easiest to put on--had to pull it a couple inches)? I saw a post on the internet about some kind of design flaw with a spacer on the deck somewhere--anyone heard of any "TSB"s with this mower.

Brand new to this forum. I just purchased an old Super Tomahawk chipper, model 4779 ST serial #W50223 with a 5hp Tecumseh engine. After using the unit for a short time the centrifugal clutch no longer engages. Any one know where I can get a replacement for the clutch.