[Tony-G]

Hello,
I have a 125 that's having some issues with the PTO lever. The first time I used the tractor to cut some grass a few weeks back there was a horrible rapping sound. Turns out it was the PTO rod (with turn-buckle) slamming back and forth against the motor. This appears to be caused by excessive side to side play of the lever itself as the wear button contacts the PTO button. The button is brand new by the way. I also had a machinist friend replicate the fiber wear button out of brass. This seems to be a problem that was coming on over time as I recall hearing that rapping noise last year.

The lever seems to be forced off center and it moves about a quarter inch to the left side (if you were sitting on the seat), then rattles badly back and forth. It is unusable until I figure out a fix.

Question is: does the shaft or something wear and allow the entire lever to slide off horizontally off center? If so, what's the correct fix? These levers are about $116 for a new part!

Also, I'm sure this has been covered before, but I cannot get the PTO bearing off the engine shaft. I know it's an eccentric collar and I can get the lock ring to rotate a little back and forth on the shaft, but the bearing will not budge. The old bearing seems to be OK, but I have a new one that I'd really like to install.

Thanks very much for any advice!
Tony