I just bought an older used Craftsman 917 series riding mower. The mower engagement lever is hard to move up into engaged position. When the mower lever is in disengaged position the blades keep moving steadily and will not stop. Is the mower belt too small? Too tight?

Look on the deck ,the pulley that the cable moves needs to be clean / lubed it isn't moving back and forths all the way,
Luck

Thanks. I'll check it out tomorrow with some time and observation. Will also check a 917 series owner's manual that has some important basics about maintenance.

I agree with DG. Concentrate on where the plate below the pulley slides across the deck plate. It typically gets in a bind there. Some cleaning and light lubricant will do wonders.

My answer to my problem is that 1) I DID lube / oil the ****ens out of the area where (I think) the pulley and deck plate are joined. Still had the continued rotation-of-blades-after-disengagement problem. A neighbor and I dropped the deck and discovered that someone probably had done the same deck disconnect when an evident repair was made, and had joined one of the deck suspension rods in the wrong fastening hole ( there were 2 optional holes). Hooked the deck back up and,voilà! No more disengaged blade whirr.

THANKS,guys, for your suggestion. It was pretty a dry deck plate and pulley point. Now to get the seat safety gizmo working again.