problems with a 618 stalling out when when attempting to engaging mower deck

Hully67

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  • / problems with a 618 stalling out when when attempting to engaging mower deck
I have a 2002 618 with a 52 inch front mounted mower deck that has started stalling out when I try to engage the mower deck. I removed the PTO from the deck and tried just engaging clutch and engine does not stall out. remove cover from the deck and removed main drive belt and engine continues to run fine when engaging clutch. This would seem to point to problem being with deck. Where do I start looking? Pulleys seem to have good bearings on them with very little play in them. The engine is a Briggs conversion engine I installed 6 years ago.
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / problems with a 618 stalling out when when attempting to engaging mower deck
Yep,
You are on the right track
One of the blades or mandrels is jambing up the works.
 

gsim

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  • / problems with a 618 stalling out when when attempting to engaging mower deck
You might have run the trouble to the deck. Could be either one of blade bearing-mandrel assemblies causing it, OR your engine is simply undersized, underpowered, OR you might have a faulty carburetor, say one with a bad accelerator pump. Could be solved by simply using an acetylene torch tip file to clean out an orfice in carburetor body. or cleaning carburetor. You also might have a dirty engine air intake filter.
 

gsim

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  • / problems with a 618 stalling out when when attempting to engaging mower deck
Forgot to mention two other reasons a Grasshopper engine can die when PTO is engaged. I have a 2011 , 930D2 diesel powered unit, front mount deck. Had 2 occasions when PTO engagement would kill engine. One time was defective 'E' relay. Other time was defective PTO switch. I don't know a thing about your mower, but if you have relays, not a bad idea to order and keep a spare of every type in your unit. Ditto for spare PTO switch. These things never break down in the winter time! :LOL:
 
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