My Poulan Pro riding lawn tractor starts easily. If I try to release the clutch after I put it in gear, it dies. If I try to engage the blades, it dies. What could cause this?

J, I moved this to lawn & garden where it will be seen better than in Introductions ;)

For diagnostic purposes apply a small amount of choke and see if it is a fuel starve issue. If that does not do it, you may have a safety switch failure, if you are not on the seat, or the machine thinks you are not when you engage either item the engine will die.

Don