I am currently looking for a rider mower but one thing I keep seeing on craigslist and similar is that there are a lot of craftsman brand mowers available at decent prices. While this should not be looked at suspciously, I am doing just that. For those that have one or sold one, are they really bad? Is it a just depends, case by case thing?
Craftsman riders/mowers. Do they suck?
- Thread starter imbored2deth
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I had only one Craftsman rider. It sucked.
I have one, got it new in '07. So far I haven't had any problems. My kid is mowing with it as I type this.
Boy was that a jinx! My kid just came in said the mower wouldn't go into gear. The belt is too stretched to engage the transmission. Off to the hardware store.
I have worked on a few riding mowers of various ages & makes & one thing that I can tell you about mowers is the the newer they are the better/easier they are to work on. Some mowers have a drive over deck. You pull a lever or a bar & you can release the deck.
We had a Craftsman rider when I was a kid. I remember mowing the yard countless times with it. never remember not being able to use it, of course i was a kid and probably never paid much attention to it other than "jason, go mow the yard".
I have a Craftsman walk behind now that is working well (knock on wood). gas and oil, one pull starts right up.
It could be you see more Craftsman mowers because they cost less money new than a John Deere or other high end mower. Folks purchase them because they can afford them, use them well, then sell them off to buy a better machine.
I have a Craftsman walk behind now that is working well (knock on wood). gas and oil, one pull starts right up.
It could be you see more Craftsman mowers because they cost less money new than a John Deere or other high end mower. Folks purchase them because they can afford them, use them well, then sell them off to buy a better machine.
I think Craftsmans are the ones that people buy if they can't afford a JD or Toro IMO. For what they are and the prices they're at they can be pretty good, I've seen some last forever and some for just a few years. YMMV I think. I would be wary of one on craigslist. IMO people who are selling their lawn mowers generally went with a new one for a reason....
My Craftsman big wheel walk behind has suffered about 8 years of very hard abuse from me, (I don't treat lawnmowers very nicely they need to cut weeds, twigs, rocks etc lol) and it has survived so far, though I feel it's days are numbered, I'm noticing less power from it this year adn I'm thinking the motor is about ready to give me the big old goodbye (in not so nice terms) Then again I only paid 150 for it brand new so I definitely got my money out of it IMO.
My Craftsman big wheel walk behind has suffered about 8 years of very hard abuse from me, (I don't treat lawnmowers very nicely they need to cut weeds, twigs, rocks etc lol) and it has survived so far, though I feel it's days are numbered, I'm noticing less power from it this year adn I'm thinking the motor is about ready to give me the big old goodbye (in not so nice terms) Then again I only paid 150 for it brand new so I definitely got my money out of it IMO.
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I'm fairly certain Craftsman mowers are manufactured by American Yard Products / Electrolux, which churns out mowers for a variety of store brands (I think they now make the Wal Mart "Murray" mowers, for example, and Poulan brand mowers, etc.).
In my opinion and experience the modern ones are light to medium duty mowers, suitable for an average sized suburban yard. I doubt if a modern one would last very long mowing an orchard or a lot of rough ground. I'd make sure mine had the Kohler engine if I was getting one. And as someone else said I'd hesitate buying a used one from a total stranger - unless that person was moving or something, you might be buying someone else's problem.
In my opinion and experience the modern ones are light to medium duty mowers, suitable for an average sized suburban yard. I doubt if a modern one would last very long mowing an orchard or a lot of rough ground. I'd make sure mine had the Kohler engine if I was getting one. And as someone else said I'd hesitate buying a used one from a total stranger - unless that person was moving or something, you might be buying someone else's problem.
Yes - craftsman just doesn't do it well anymore for those mowers. Best you can buy is a husqvarna and you won't pay much different between the craftsman and the husqvarna.
I'm pretty certain Husqvarna riders are another Electrolux product. BUT they may be made to a higher/tougher standard than the Craftsman line, I don't know.
Unless something has changed, they are American Yard Products as stated above. I had one, that mowed 1/2 acre twice a week, and saw some "real" tractor use with a utility trailer behind it on the horse farm I lived on. It was powered by B&S 12 horsepower non pressurized oil system engine, and I bought it based on price (sale at a closing store). It was a perfectly fine machine.
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Thanks for the replies. So it does not look like they are complete junk but i have read the kohler engines tend to be better overall. I would consider JD or something better namewise but trying to find a cheaper solution has a lot of appeal to it.
I work at a golf course, and all i can tell you is, John Deere are straight garbage. Unsure of Craftsman though.
Like Black and Decker, and even Skil, Craftsman isn't what it was 10, 20, and 30 years ago.
Getcha one of these... http://www.dixiechopper.com/mowers/zee1/
I owned one for a while ...
... and it did a terrible job of mowing my lawn. Unfortunately, it didn't suck, either.
... and it did a terrible job of mowing my lawn. Unfortunately, it didn't suck, either.
Do yourself a favor. Get a 36" commercial walk behind not a riding mower. If your lawn is flat and you have more than a couple of acres get a 48" or 52" walk behind
I purchased a 36" Ransomes 30 years ago and it is still going strong.
I have about an acre of lawn to mow and it takes me 20 minutes from pulling the start cord to blowing the grass off before putting it away.
I purchased a 36" Ransomes 30 years ago and it is still going strong.
I have about an acre of lawn to mow and it takes me 20 minutes from pulling the start cord to blowing the grass off before putting it away.
I bought a 42 " crafstman w/21 hp briggs motor, got it 2 yrs ago and I have no complaints. I looked at all of them husq, deere, cub cadet and liked this one for the features and price. I am pretty sure it was made side by side with the husqvarna. I also got the tight turn model which I think is a plus as well and more costly on other models. this is the one I got and again I am very pleased, I have a little under an acre and this has made it almost fun to cut and bag the grass.
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-42-i...p-07128851000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-42-i...p-07128851000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
I have a high end JD lawn tractor, bought new in 2000 and it is still going strong, even has the original battery( when not in use it is hooked to a battery maintainer) One idler pulley failed while still in warrenty and other than belts, it's all original. They make some cheaper lines, and some a lot better. There are plenty of excellent mowers out there, just go commercial grade, Scag, Toro, Ex-Mark, Kuboto, Hustler and others. Years ago I had a Craftsman and babied it and got 10 years out of it, although I had to replace the jackshaft housings, along with bearings and blade spindle shafts at least every two years. After that I had a high end Cub Cadet and it was junk, cost as much as the JD that replaced it. The Husqvarna mowers I have seen appear a bit on the lightweight side, I understand they make some commercial grade units, but they are not readily available in the US.
I would like to see you mow an acre in 20 minutes with a 36" walk behind (maybe a fast run behind) I am currently mowing 1 1/2 acres admittedly with a lot of trees and schrubs to go around, with a 52 " Scag ZTR and that unit takes about 1 1/2 hours just for mowing.Do yourself a favor. Get a 36" commercial walk behind not a riding mower. If your lawn is flat and you have more than a couple of acres get a 48" or 52" walk behind
I purchased a 36" Ransomes 30 years ago and it is still going strong.
I have about an acre of lawn to mow and it takes me 20 minutes from pulling the start cord to blowing the grass off before putting it away.
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