Was mowing some taller grass at our new place yesterday and the mower bogged down. I raised the front wheels but the mower remained at a lower RPM and blows some black smoke (running really rich at lower RPM I assume). I was exactly sure what was wrong but noticed the belt was exceptionally loose as well. The belt guard at the transmission is different than those I was able to find on youtube and the like and I'm not sure how to remove it.
As for the low RPM operation, any recommendations on what to look at in that regard? Grass length was about 5-6" tall where I hit the high spot. Regardless of loose belt, I would figure the engine RPM would come back up. Spinning the blade by hand, there seems to be more resistance than I would expect.
