Honda HRA214 Extremely Hard to Pull after Carburetor Cleaning

Hi everyone,

Just joined the forum and looking to get some help. I'm very inexperienced with fixing mowers.

I picked up a Honda HRA214 mower for free off of craigslist. It has a Honda GXV120 engine. The owner told me it wouldn't start.

I got it home and tried to start it, and it did not start. Everything else checked out okay, so I pulled off the carburetor, gave it a good cleaning following step-by-step instructions on a YouTube video, and put it back on the mower. Was hoping it would be a smooth startup.

Now, the engine is suddenly very difficult to turn. The starter handle broke off of the rope which doesn't help, but before I was still able to give it some good pulls right from the rope. I have to pull on it with all my might to get it to turn a little bit, now. I ruled out the recoil starter; that pulls and retracts fine off the mower. So it's acting like it's hydro-locked, but I don't know how it can be if I didn't tip the mower at all. I pulled the spark plug out, and no change. Still hard to turn. I can get it to turn a little easier using a ratchet/socket, but still have to put some force into it.

Any ideas of what's going on? Thanks in advance.

Does this type have the blade brake clutch or is there a safety mechanism that must be pulled to start mower?