Hello,
I am into my second season with a Raptor SD 54. A few weeks ago, it really started bogging down and almost stalling when the blades got under any kind of load. I cleaned the deck the best I could without removing it and cleaned out the grass build up around the belts under the plastic covers. It didn't help. So I decided to buy new blades, and remove the deck for a good cleaning. I put the new blades on, cleaned it up and put it back together. Took it out and the yard, engaged the blades and didn't hear the normal change in sound. It was as if the blades were not spinning. I pulled up the chute and saw the blades were indeed spinning. I took it to a part of my yard that needed to be mowed and it would cut, but not well. Any little bit of high grass would cause a squealing sound, which I am assuming is the belts slipping. I double checked that the belt was routed correctly. Any thoughts? Thanks!