When the Electric PTO Clutch is disengaged, it comes to rest on the Brake Portion of the clutch.
It would be normal to see resistance and a grinding noise if rotating the pulley by hand.There is an adjustment to the Electric PTO. It is outlined in the Owners Manual (772-3038) and the Chassis Service Manual (GSS-1497). I would suggest, that if you don't have these manuals, that you acquire them. They are available from Cub Cadet (www.cubcadet.com), any Cub Cadet Dealer, some Case-IH dealers, and numerous Cub Cadet Dealer Web Sites. The bearing noise you hear could be from any of these three areas. (A) The electric PTO clutch, (B) the mule drive pulleys, and (C) the deck spindles. You will have to use the process of elimination to narrow this down. The Clutch Bearing can be check by simply engaging the clutch with no belt on the pulley and listen for noise. A better and more accurate way would be to remove the clutch and do a thorough inspection - (GSS-1497) would highly be recommended for this. The Mule Drive and deck spindles can be checked by feeling for roughness.
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