craftsman mower problem

[Brett Hartwig]

I have a craftsman riding mower. Today I began having trouble with it when I was just about done mowing my property. Whenever I engage the mower clutch it starts running real rough and will die if I try to mow tall grass. Is the belt too loose or wore out? Sounds normal if the mower is not engaged, just happens when I go to mow.

 

[Jim parnell]

could be the belt, they are farily inexpensive to replace. It could also be a spindle gone bad, having too much resistance with the mower clutch engaged so the motor dies. Have you done the normal maintanence and greased the spindles on a regular basis?

 

[Brett Hartwig]

might have figured it out. This was the first time mowing my new property. Grass was very tall, dry, dusty. Took the air filter out and it looked like somebody dipped it in mud. Cleaned and dried it and so far seems to be running smoother. Started raining so couldn't finish the mowing, will try in a couple days. Hopefully it keeps on running smooth.

 

[Richard L]

Bent mower blade, or blade is out of balance. Also check that the blade housing is not jammed up with grass. If you banged into anything while mowing, you may have dented the blade houseing and the blade is dragging against the side of the housing.



...Rich