# Craftsman GT5000 bogs down when blades engage



## ticknackett (Jun 12, 2013)

The tractor I believe is a 2003, it's a Craftsman GT5000 (917.276320) with a 24 hp Briggs (446677.0470.e1). Here's the story, I am an amateur mechanic and I know enough to do a lot but I still have a lot to learn. It has been running fine up until last summer when it began starting hard, I didn't know how to lash valves at the time so I had a mower guy do it, it started better but still hard and before I put it down for winter it was backfiring while idling and running kind of rough. This spring I did a tune up, plugs, oil, air and fuel filter but when I tried to start it it wouldn't turn over. Pulled the covers to lash the valves, #2 cylinder lashed up fine no problem, #1 however bent both intake and exhaust pushrods, ended up replacing the whole cylinder head assembly, rockers pushrods. Cylinder wall was flawless, engine turned over nicely. after I put everything together, lashed all valves, it started perfectly, no hard starting, it surged a little at idle but ran nicely. Went to mow with it for the first time with new blades and a perfectly clean deck and as soon as I engaged the blades it bogged for a few seconds and died, after engine warmed up for a little while I could get it to spin up the blades but had to mow very slowly, thought it must have been carb. Rebuilt the carb, while I was cleaning parts with a can of cleaner I spraying it through the white plastic emulsion body/tube and one of the jets popped out and I put it back in, that was the only incident during carb rebuild, I also removed the plunger from the backfire solenoid because that was a stupid thing to add in the first place and I didn't want to deal with it if it failed, and now it runs better, has more power than before, but still not what it should be, spins up the blades kinda slowly and bogs when mowing at normal speed. Pulled the deck and checked all belts and pulleys for binding and they all spin freely, new blades, greased fittings, still bogs, haven't messed with idle or governor at all, any help?


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