Perfectly normal. There is a bar that stops the clutch from spinning when engaged. Has to have that, otherwise, the wires into the magnet on the clutch would be ripped out when engaged.

Check idler pulleys, etc. for ease of movement, verify belt routing and guide placement. Do the same to the ground drive belt, routing, pulleys, oil level in trans, brake pucks rubbing, etc. etc.

Try to replicate the problem yourself, second hand info is tough to diagnose.

Actually a half turn is excessive. Some MTD riders clutches use a locator bracket which holds the clutch reasonably secure while others box it in the frame, but even then maybe an 1/8th of a turn should be all you get.

Nothing I have observed/checked so far is loose, bend, binding or out of the ordinary. I told her to keep on mowing. I will take a second look over the whole thing again. Thank you.

to Tom's point, free slop should be very limited. Suggest you use model # and s/n; go to this website http://manuals.mtdproducts.com/mtd/Public.do  d/l owners manual... there's a note in there about lining up a stud when the PTO has been removed and reinstalled...

"Actually a half turn is excessive."

"to Tom's point, free slop should be very limited."

Agree with both.

Walt Conner