I have another rideon mower in my workshop today with a snapped axle it must be the 10th or 12th axle i've replaced in the past 4 years (some machines both axles have been done at different times)
the machines are a localy made product called Kingcat Cheetah, a rear engine machine with a fabricated 40, 42,or 46 inch decks, now these machines have been built in this country for years & have a reputation for being built tough & long lasting (the term built like a battleship keeps coming to mind.) for years they were built with small cutter decks & single cyl Briggs engines with Peerless 800 series or mst 205 trans - with no problems, then about 4 or 5 years ago the company changed hands & someone thaught lets make these even better, keep the same chassis put big beefy cutter decks underneath, bolt on a Honda gxv 530, add a electric clutch, wider rear tyres & have it all rolling with Tuff torq K46 plus the weight of the operator which puts the total weight over 300kgs.
every time a axle has snapped it has always been at the end of where the key groove has been machined, which sits well inside the wheel hub, all breakages happen just after the 300 hr mark,
company that makes them dosn't really want to know, i've also sent a few e-mails to Tuff torq u.s.a. but have never had a reply, we just tell the customers that it's just wear'n'tear & they have to pay.
We also sell plenty of Husqvarna machines which have the same trans & have never had a breakage.