If the engine stalls it's not a belt or belt tension problem. Are the blades sharp, the deck underside clean, spindle and idler brgs in good shape? Engine running at peak performance?
Mike

Check on all above Mike, it was working well before I put on new blades, the new ones were identical... just new.

chk for one or more new blades installed upside down...

Is the engine stalling or just the blades?

Are the blades on upside down?

Well, stembridge, I just reread your original post and saw no mention of changing blades. I can't read peoples mind when face to face so I doubt I can read it thru my monitor. As already said have you checked for proper blade installation?? If they are upside down don't be ashamed 'cause everyone has done it, yours truly included.
Mike

Um, yup, I replaced the blades, we've had rain the past couple days so I have to wait till it clears up to check and hopefully correct!

I double checked over the weekend, and they appear to be on correctly. I am going to pull the deck off and take some photos and post back. Do they blade typically turn counter clockwise?

All the blades I have seen were stamped "grass side".

I pulled my deck off, and there appears to be no stamp; but from looking closely, the blades are on correct.

I did order the spring which gives the belt tension, as mine was missing completely. I never found a good example of how it was supposed to be attached, and originally was thinking this was the issue.

This is 19HP Craftsman Model # 917.252561

Here's a closer shot of how I attached the spring. It does seem to work properly now. (spring/extension/return Part #72)

This is the tractor

IIRC,the idler on right side is pulled rearward by a cable hooked to bolt in center of idler. The bolt at rear of left idler is the pivot point which often gets stuck by rust,dirt and grass. Make sure the pivot moves freely.

when I go over moderate level grass.

==>>> define moderate level ... has the level changed since this all started????

have you started taking the grass level down for fall.. like some of us do????

and how low are you mowing???? [comparing grass level of mod to blade level ]

why are you tires so muddy???

could this be a grass issue?? .. rather than a machine issue???

thinking outside the box for you

ken

I have started going down on level, in fact, probably won't need to do much more. Looks like about 2' high overall.

I think the tires look a bit dirtier due to my raising the shadow level on the photo. Thats just general dirt from occasionally going over bare patches that generate a lot of dust.

When I cut the back yard last time, it had gotten a bit thicker, and sounded liked the blades were slowing down in the thicker areas, these may have been areas where there were patches around 4-5" high. Once over the areas, the blades seem to go back to spinning faster, making a nice hum. I don't know that "ll be able to experiment till the grass starts growing again. Guess I'll just need to concentrate on sorting firewood for a while!

That deck isn't even close to being assembled correctly. The idler cam is installed so that the pulley is at the rear for starters.

We inherited the mower about 8 years ago, it has been faithful through the years, I did stop by our local tractor shop with the deck today, and was told that one of the brakes were missing and the other appeared to be installed incorrect.

The manual unfortunately doesn't have photos... just the parts breakdown, so I was really hoping to find someone with a similar model to get it right! Otherwise, I have no idea what is right.... or wrong, especially when it has worked fine for so many years.

Ca you please expand on the incorrect position of the idler cam?

This post was edited by stembridge on Wed, Oct 22, 14 at 20:27

This deck is basically the same deck, but it is controlled with a cable rather than a solid link. You'll note the RH idler (shown LH in this pic) has a special bolt to accommodate the cable. The rest of the assembly is the same. With the manual link system, there is no return spring on the deck itself.

There is a spring attached to the brake, is that the location my spring should actually be? It appears that there is only one brake on this deck, wondering if mine just has fallen apart.

No. That spring is a return in the upper linkage. Brake arms each do have a return spring, but my guess is the one you have doesn't do anything anyways. Where you have it hooked is where it would go should you have a cable engagement. Not that that is bad, but any of these springs aren't going to solve your issue. You should start by reassembling the deck correctly. Look close at the weld at the rear of the top plate and the housing to make sure that it hasn't pulled from the deck.