My mower is 247.289010 and runs great but when I put just a little pressure on the deck engagement level it kills the engine. I have replaced the deck safety switch and it didn't help. I the mower does have a feature that allows you to turn the key back one click and push a button to get it to mow in reverse. I have also checked the deck to see if there was a problem and everyone is working freely. Running out of ideas.

Possibly an engine problem since it appears not to be able to handle the load of blade engagement. Governor issue maybe.
I had a Craftsman mower for one day and it was yesterday. Bought it Tuesday, tried it out Wednesday and had 4 instances where the engine just about completely died at full throttle on a staightaway, and I could hear a governor type mechanism constantly trying to keep the rpms up. Returned it on the second day.
Not just Craftsman, but just about every lawn tractor seller keeps their mowers out in the rains for possibly 6 or more months at a time. No surprise that problems develop.
Sorry for the editorializing but all the hassle is fresh in my mind.

Hi,
The described problem is almost always a seat switch problem.
Peace,
Clarke

The problem turned out to be the seat switch. Thanks Clarke. Just waiting for the switch to arrive in the mail.