Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm going to attack the clutch issue tomorrow. I imagine I will have to find two nuts to fit that cotter pin in order to rotate it. The muffler has a bolt that appears to connect the two halves so I'll also have a look at this tomorrow.
If I remove the three bolts around the clutch cone, will that allow me to to separate the engine from the other end of the clutch- so I don't have to worry about the cotter pin.
Deejay, I had a look at the front roller and took a closer photo and it appears to be some type on metal on the roller ends- any ideas.
Thanks again for everyones input, it is appreciated. Here are some more pics of the front of mower and rear of engine.