I have a craftsman 20 HP 46 inch cut mower with electric PTO. I have put new blades & belts on this mower, but it leaves sprigs of grass sticking up everywhere when cutting, even at the slowest speeds. The guy I bought it from had the electric clutch off for some reason, and I guess he didn't tighten the bolt enough, because it came off while he was using the mower and it bent the clutch in some places. The pulley on the bottom of the clutch is also bent a little, and I have noticed that my new belt rolls over on the wrong side on the pulley.

I can tell that it is straining the mower motor when I engage the blades, because the mower never quite gets back up to speed. I can remove the belt from the cluth, and the motor stays at full speed when the pto is engaged.

I can rotate my blades very easily by hand while the belt is on the clutch and the mower is not running, so I don't believe it is a bearing or anything.

It seems like the clutch may be bad, but it is almost $250 for the clutch. The mower is about 10 years old, runs good, and has a little rust in the deck.

Can anyone tell me if it is the clutch causing my problem? Should I junk this one and get a new one?

Thanks!