What happens when you pull the cord out further? Does it return back to a set point? Do you still feel some level of draw-back from it or is it completely loose?
It's dumb, but have you checked the deeper down part for knots?
I've found this manual of your rower online and it has a great exploded drawing that shows all the parts! https://www.manualowl.com/m/ProForm/440r-Rower/Manual/404817?page=23#manual
Number 77, the spool is probably a very obvious part to suspect, but it very well might be one of the #5 small pulleys.. just the cord slipping off of those and getting jammed in the side might look very similar to your issue (and might happen when the cord gets janked in a weird direction somehow)
Can you give the rower a shake and try to figure out whether the flywheel on the inside moves at all? Also listen for smaller rattles while you shake it - if one of the bearings like 71, 74 or 75 got fucked like another commenter suggested, you'd definitely hear little metal balls inside.
Though honestly I'm not super convinced that that's the case, I've had a ball bearing break on an office chair wheel recently, and while it definitely was very hard to move, it didn't block completely so I can't imagine that one broken bearing could really cause that much resistance.
What happens when you pull the cord out further? Does it return back to a set point? Do you still feel some level of draw-back from it or is it completely loose?
It's dumb, but have you checked the deeper down part for knots?
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I've found this manual of your rower online and it has a great exploded drawing that shows all the parts! https://www.manualowl.com/m/ProForm/440r-Rower/Manual/404817?page=23#manual
Number 77, the spool is probably a very obvious part to suspect, but it very well might be one of the #5 small pulleys.. just the cord slipping off of those and getting jammed in the side might look very similar to your issue (and might happen when the cord gets janked in a weird direction somehow)
Can you give the rower a shake and try to figure out whether the flywheel on the inside moves at all? Also listen for smaller rattles while you shake it - if one of the bearings like 71, 74 or 75 got fucked like another commenter suggested, you'd definitely hear little metal balls inside.
Though honestly I'm not super convinced that that's the case, I've had a ball bearing break on an office chair wheel recently, and while it definitely was very hard to move, it didn't block completely so I can't imagine that one broken bearing could really cause that much resistance.