Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): John Deere STX38 vibration, john deere stx38, espicially

Question
Allen, My John Deere STX38 riding mower has recently been vibrating some and today my blade (with an electric engage switch) tried to shut down a couple of times.  The pullies seemed a bit hot when I touched them.  This spring, I also hit a root pretty hard and had to have a support welded back onto my deck.  Is something bent or is there something else I need to look for.  Thank you for your answer.

Answer
Hiya Tony-
Sorry to hear about the impact damage-  Almost certainly you have a bent rotating element, most likely one of the blade shafts.  You can tell easy enough if you remove the guards, start the mower engage the deck and run the speed all the way down, the bent shaft will cause the pulley to 'wobble' making it visible.

By the way, its ok for V-belt pulleys to be hot to the touch, espicially under load.  The belt generates a good bit of friction as it is forced into seating around the pulley (its jammed into a wedge basically).  So no problem there.

Lemme know what you find!  Oh yeah- most good shops can straighten bent shafts to factory specs for straightness.