It's weeks later but I just wanted to follow up on this (and share a lesson or two!) in case it helps someone in the future ...
I realized something was messed-up with the pulley on the transaxle and the pulley (an expensive part) could not be replaced without dropping the transaxle. So I proceeded to release the six bolts that hold the transaxle in place and, while jacking up the back of the tractor, I realized that something was amiss! The bracket that connects the frame to the transaxle had fatigued at the flange. One side was broken off and the other was cracked half way through! Clearly the "it just needs the broken drive belt replaced" line that the seller claimed should have been followed with the question "what could cause the belt to break?" Anyway, I managed to find a used bracket (it's the black sheet metal piece that wraps around the back of the frame) on ebay for a 2113 and fabricated an adaptor to make it fit my 2013. Clearly the failing bracket put unexpected loads on the transaxle pulley -- the woodruff key was mashed and the slot in the old pulley was mangled. After a good cleaning and replacement of all the messed-up parts including the brake pads, I reassembled the back side. Then I realized that the front wheel bushings were badly worn so I replaced those. Finally after everything was adjusted and working, I fired the engine up and proudly drove around the yard for a bit before returning to the garage to put the mower deck back on. That was when I realized that one of the mover spindle bearings was messed up. So I replaced the mower deck bearings (one of which was spinning in the housing) and we are ready (in four months or so) to mow the lawn.
Moral of the story: buyer beware. The thing runs great now so on to the next project ... does anyone know where I can find the Honda snowblower attachment for the Harmony 2013 tractor?
Cheers,
Foe.
