My neighbour. I may have posted about this last year. He broke deck belt. I replaced it and when I did it I noticed belt had worn holes in plastic pulley covers.
So he was soon back with another busted belt. I assumed it was the covers so I replaced them and the belt. I think it was July, maybe august.
So he just dropped by as he got mower out and I guess blades wouldn't turn. Another busted belt but this time it's clear that belt was burned down over a section until it was down to nothing and broke. To me it had to be a jammed belt burnt by the engine pulley. So first thing I notice is lots of crap up inside the covers and on deck. I blew that out with compressed air. He bought an oem belt from deere for $68, my aftermarket are $18. So putting his on I notice that again the guide part of the covers is worn by the belt. I'm puzzled because when belt is tight and moving it shouldn't really touch the cover but maybe the crap inside is an issue. I also notice that the engagement idler turns but does not free wheel when spun. I can't see that stopping the belt enough for engine pulley to burn through the belt but I'm going to replace it. But I really can't think of anyhting other than the crap build up is causing his problems. I think he bought it in 2015 or 2016.
Here's a short video on the covers.
https://youtu.be/ZQYh8FSZgTo