Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Engine Dies When Blades are Engaged, briggs and stratton, hp briggs

Question
I have a 2002 huskie riding lawn mower with a 16.5 hp. Briggs and Stratton, the engine runs fine till I drop the blades. It does fine at the first setting but the moment I go to the next setting the engine stalls out right away. I have replaced the air and the fuel filter, changed out the gas, cleaned and checked the coil, I have even checked the mower deck to see if the problem might be in that area. I have found nothing wrong as far as I can see what might I be missing. I'd be thankful for any advice you could give me.

Answer
Hi Michael,

I would try it on the driveway to determine if lowering the deck binds something in the deck itself or if the problem is only with a load on the blades when cutting grass.  If only when cutting, I would check for sharp blades.  Are the blades so low that the center bolts are rubbing on the ground?  If all this is okay then the problem points to a loss of power in the engine.  I would then check compression.

Let me know what you find.
Michael