The comment on washing the deck or using the hose attachment is something i actually never thought of. I always used to scrape the deck each time I used it but got tired of putting it up on ramps and crawling underneath so I started using the hose attachment.

On a number of the mower forums I have read I never saw anyone saying that normal washing was harmful unless you used a pressure washer

Why would they put a deck washing attachment on the deck if they did not want you to use it?

That being said I just always use my leaf blower to clean off the mower after each use. It will chean top and bottom of deck just fine.

I ended up having to replace the mandrell on my Hustler at less than 2 years old and I religiously washed. Now I blow it clean.

My problem is that I mow early in the morning while the dew is still on the ground. My neighbors are out mowing in 100 degree sun while I am inside with an iced drink. Good for me but not the best thing for the grass or mower. I have always been a morning person and, after I hit the 70 mark, I fire up the mower around 6:30 am. If you cut wet grass, you know that a blower just aint gonna do it.

gdr_11 --- I understand completely, We all have to do what works for us. I use a come-a-long to raise my mower. It allows me to clean under the deck,
inspect all the belts, pulleys and hangers, also makes it easy to remove and replace or sharpen the blades. I worked on riding mowers
for over 20 years, so you see a lot of different failures in that time. If you decide to use a come-a-long to raise the front
of you're mower, be sure to use a safety chain as well in case the mower were to fall.

Good Luck,
Bozz

Wanted to report on the replacement spindle assembly I got and on the replacement process:

1. The spindle/mandrel assembly I got from Amazon for $22.98 was a perfect fit and it came complete with a new blade nut/washer, deck mounting bolts in pre threaded holes and a new pulley washer and bolt. Big plus that I did not expect what that it came with a zerk fitting for the bearings unlike the OEM sealed bearing spindle that had failed.

2. Replacement was a combination of a breeze and a hassle. Breeze was everything except for two of the deck bolts that would not come out. I had a small 10" breaker for for my 3/8 drive socket and was able to snap one bolt off but the other was located where I could not get leverage. Sprayed it with penetrating lubricant and had to wait for my neighbor to come to my rescue with an impact wrench for the last one. After that, I discovered that some genius had tightened the blade nut on the new spindle which made it almost impossible to remove since the top of the spindle and the pully nut all rotated freely making it hard to put any reverse pressure on the nut. After about 30 minutes I has able to get a good bite on the blade washer with a pair of channel locks and break the nut free. The rest of the job went easily.

3. After assembly, I greased the new zerk and fired it up; hummed like new. Not bad for $24 including tax and over night delivery.

Here is the link for the spindle which fits Husqvarna, Craftsman, Ariens, Snapper and other similar Husqvarna knockoffs. Not sure what the life will be but at the price I have no complaints.

With the snapped off bolt in my old mandrel and the cheap price of the replacement assembly, I passed on replace the bearings and just tossed it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7WQZJK/ref=dp_cerb_1?th=1