The mower deck is in front of the machine. I think you bring up a good thought here, I'll pull the mower deck out again and see if something has neen disconnected or needs to be connected. This is a 4x4 model. Thanks for your help. dave

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sounds like the deck safety switch. my old mtd 600 had one. yours might not have one being a craftsman, but it is worth checking. follow the deck raising/lowering handle down to where it hooks up under the frame, try to find an electric switch that is spring loaded, it will look like a pushbutton, and is designed to push shut when the deck is raised all the way up. yours might be sticking closed or not opening all the way,or not making good contact. sometimes the mechanism that holds it in place gets bent from pulling up on the raise/lower handle too hard.

Think 'air'. The blade is the fan and when you connect a chute to the discharge port, it ought to blow enough air into the grass catcher to carry the clippings. The air has to get out of the bin/bag or there will be no clippings transferred. You need to run it on a paved or other hard surface to check on air flow. If the wrong kind of blade is on it or if the blade airfoils are worn, it won't push enough air. If the air can't blow through whatever is supposed to be catching the grass, it won't be able to carry any material with it. Also if the deck is extremely high off the ground you will lose air flow.