Suffolk punch ?

When you say roller is loose does it spin freely or does it wobble up ahd down on shaft?
iIf it wobbles on the shaft then it is not connecting the gears due to the play. More commonly it is the teeth worn out on the plastic drive gear on the shft that drives onto the metal teeth on the inside edge of the roller. If you put Suffolk drive pinion into google search it will show you the part. If memory serves me you have to take quite a lot of the mower apart to fit a new one. Hope this gives you some pointers

smudge1966
May 2015