Thanks for the reply, Darren. I'll keep that in mind for future reference.
A mechanic at the dealer was nice enough to give me information on this problem. He says it is common with the White tractors that have the electric PTO clutch. The front pulley on the drive belt gets seized onto its shaft. You can't get it off without destroying the pulley. He said he doesn't see this problem with the manual PTO clutch models.
He also doesn't think that anti-seize compounds would prevent the problem, since they grease this area at the factory, and it doesn't seem to help.
He said when he replaces the drive belt, he removes the muffler, which allows him to loosen the four bolts that hold the engine in place. This allows him to get enough play in the pulley to get the new drive belt on it.
I checked out my tractor, but I couldn't make sense of what he was saying. I ended up using a gear puller to remove the pulley (destroying it in the process). So for $30 I bought a new pulley, which was still cheaper than paying someone to replace the belt.
I just thought I would mention this, in case it is of any use to anyone.
Rick, April 2006
