Deere S 82 riding mower

[Gene Bryant]

Older machine I inherited . It`s been running and mowing fine but from one day to the next this happened. It starts and drives but when you try to engage the mower deck , it bogs down the engine and kills it . Thinking it was a deck problem , I removed it but even with it off , when you push the lever that would engage the mower deck it pulls down the engine to the point of killing it if you push it all the way . I would appreciate any suggestions as I`m completely baffled .