Slow-Motion Mower

[bouncer959]

There may have been a key in the large pulley yor worked on the previous week. Key could have fallen out of its slot un noticed and pulley is slipping on the shaft.
My 27 hp Craftsman DGT6000 hydrostatic did the same thing, would pull but would not run at top speed or pull on an incline. I was looking for replacement transaxle, I finally got time to look at it. Belts looked fine I checked again, the drive belt somehow had jumped off the tensioning idler pulley, was on wrong side. Put it back on like it was supposed to be, runs fine now.

 

[Kolchak]

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond. Work and all that jazz.
Thanks for all of the responses. I finally got around to looking over the mower yesterday. Long story short, I broke it down, and couldn't find any place (visible) where that bolt would go. My final thought, is that it might not even be part of the mower. Anyway, I put everything back together and used it today. It ran like it should. Guess there were gremlins in the system.

 

[Joed756]

Yep, this bolt goes right up into the center of the stacked pulleys. Use thread-locker when you re-tighten it or you will make a hobby of replacing this bolt. Even though it ran right for you, those stacked pulleys will shred the belts and come right off if you don't replace that bolt.