Latest reviews about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

Darrin101 says "Craftsman 33" walk behind mower" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

Darrin101 — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:38:13 GMT

Bought this mower three years ago and it does a good job. Starts easy and has a nice cut. It is a little heavy to maneuver around but my yard is mostly open space so not a problem for me. My trouble with the mower started the other day while I was cutting the grass I started to hear a loud squealing sound that sounded like metal to metal. After checking it out descoverd both spindles are shot. To my suprise found grease fittings on the spindles so that they could be greased. Did not remember any mention of these in the owners manual so went and checked and nothing for spindles just front wheels. Now I have to pay over two hundred dollars for two new spindles and waste my time to replace them. For a mower that I paid over a thousand dallors for and I am already spending hundreds to repair with not a lot of use on it does not cut it for me. This will be the last Craftsman product for me. Almost forgot, right after warranty expired the cheaply made deck height lever broke for no reason at......

RTMaiorano says "The Mower is good but not perfect. I would purchase again." about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

RTMaiorano — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:57:19 GMT

Around 9 months ago, I purchased this mower to replace my 22" push mower for a .6 acre yard. It used to take me 1 hour and 15 minutes to cut my grass with a bagger. With the Craftsman 33" I am done in only 35 minutes! The speed of the mower in 4th gear is great, not to fast that you have to run but about the pace of a brisk walk. It is such a great timer saver. Following other posters here I got out the grease gun and lubed all the grease fittings before use. The mower is large and heavy but easy to use and maneuver. I practiced cutting the grass in the backyard and I had the hang of it after a few minutes. The throttle control, gears and blade control seemed properly placed and intuitive. The mower has always started with 1 or 2 pulls, I believe the electric start would have been overkill.

I would have given this mower 5 stars, but I am not thrilled with the cut quality when mulching. When I used to bag with my 22" and the yard looked great, now that I mulch...

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jetslice says "Craftsman 33" wide cut" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

jetslice — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:58:30 GMT

I absolutely love this mower. It was taking me about 1:15 mins to mow my yard and just got so boring that I dreaded having to cut the grass. So I figured I would check this mower out. Some of the early reviews complained about things breaking but the sears guy told me that the early ones ( a few years ago) did have some problems but he hasn't seen one come back in almost 2 years.

It cut my mowing time down by 30-40%, it loves wide open and strait parts of the yard. It gets a little tricky in and around mail boxes, under decks, around trees just because you have to man handle this beast plus its heavy and takes some strength to pull it back without using the reverse.

Besides it taking more effort to mow around congested areas the other thing I don't like is the self propel handle, it sticks up way to high and is hard to grab sometimes especially when you just want to ease forward slightly. Also, the chute gets in the way alot, so you have to plan on mowing around edges on the non chute side...

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jakel97 says "Do not buy this mower!!!!!!!!!!" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

jakel97 — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:57:19 GMT

I purchased this mower in March 2010. I have 3/4 acre and wanted something with a wider deck. A tractor was not sufficient because my land is on a slope.

I could have spent $300 and purchased a good 22” self propelled mower, but opted for this mower because of the wider deck.

I have had nothing but trouble since I started using it. First, the mulching is horrible. Because this is not a commercial unit the blades RPM are simply to slow to do a proper job of mulching.

The transmission cables are too thin and have snapped several times. As others have mentioned in their reviews if you hit any obstructions the spindle assembly becomes misaligned and since the 2 blades overlap, the mower's blades and propulsion system shut down. Also, the spindle assembly is easily bent which will snap your belts.

It is clearly a poorly designed mower and has absolutely no durability whatsoever

I purchased this mower in March 2010. I have 3/4 acre and wanted something with a wider deck. A tractor...

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ametrine says "Perfect for a large yard" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

ametrine — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:59:14 GMT

I bought this mower in April to replace a 26 inch snapper to mow about 3/4 acre lawn. So far it has done fine. There is plenty of power and the finish cut is great. I don't know why some people are having such a problem with is. It is not designed for rough terrain or commercial use, and you are not going to get good mulching results if you are cutting an ankle high wet lawn; but for the home owner with a large lawn who wants to walk a little and known the limitations of a finish mower I think this mower fits the bill.

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PMGeuze says "The worst mower I have ever owned..." about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

PMGeuze — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:30:57 GMT

This is the worst mower I have ever owned and as a 40+ year old guy that is to say something. I would beg you not to buy this mower.

I purchased this mower in August 2010 after my Snapper rider finally died the death of costing more to fix than to buy new. I decided that I wanted a mower that spent more power to cut then carrying my 250 lbs weight around. I also decided that I wanted a wide cut mower since I have a 3/4 acre yard. I was also of the mind that I was willing to buy a new mower so that I could have something reliable. I also decided that I wanted to buy from a major provider to provide parts and service.

So I bought this mower and not once, not once since I have bought this mower has it been able to cut my yard without breaking. The design problem that you need to understand is that the two cutting blade overlap each other and must be synchronized. If you hit anything, a clump of weed grass, ant hill, stick, anything, the blades will seize against each other and fail.

At this...

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booder says "for the price .. best bang no doubt and i was like you..." about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

booder — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:20:55 GMT

so i went against my gut feeling telling maybe i shouldnt get this cause i got the last one.. the floor model>>> dun dun dun..... and i heard that sears mower have rust problem. least me old craftsman tractor rusted out... so i got it anyway with a plan at hand... paid 925$ for it then cost of 3yr warranty. was so cheap cause of floor model... picked it up and my next stop was *******... got clear enamel krylon... sprayed whole machine down most important was under where blades were... let it set for 10 min... then covered all cables bolts and all in heavy coat of wd40.. waited another 10... started my cut. let me say my yard was 5 1/2 high so i tried the mulcher, sucked with the height of grass so i opened it and that was much better. and mulcher is only reason i rated it 4 stars. machine started first pull was great.. i let it idle real low for about 5 min to get oil spread... so i cut me 1/2 acre front yard in about 25 min maybe little longer but was getting hang of it... easy to control...

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RichM99 says "Great Mower Great Price!" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

RichM99 — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:32:28 GMT

I am very happy with this mower. I bought it in the spring of "10" and it has been a very reliable mower. Starts up easy every time and was great for fall clean up.

Get it you will ne happy you did.

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rosehall says "great mower" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

rosehall — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:21:29 GMT

Great for mowing and long lasting piece of equiment

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thebigdoghimself says "great for 1/2 acre or bigger yards " about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

thebigdoghimself — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:01:09 GMT

Purchased mine in 2009 so it’s been in use for 2 seasons now. Overall it’s a nice mower especially if you have a lot of obstacles to go around as it maneuvers quite well. I do have some concerns with the unit as well as some observations about some of the other reviews of this mower.

Right off the bat, my first concern that I noticed...

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bigdanb says "Returning this mower for many reasons!" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

bigdanb — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:00:11 GMT

I have had this mower for less than a month and returning it. I am a homeowner and I had one of the older models of this mower for the past 15 years with an 8 HP Briggs. I could not have been happier with the oder model. In fifteen years all I had to do was change the oil, add gas and change the belts every year or two. I cut my 1/2 acre property in less than an hour when mulching and about 1 hour 10 minutes when bagging. Alas, all good things come to an end. The engine threw a rod after 15 years of use.

I looked into some Chinese manufactured (Redhawk, Worldlawn) commercial mowers but decided against them becasue of all the complaints I read about them on various blogs and websites. I also looked at some American made commerciasl but the prices are prohibitive. I then came back to the Craftsman (manufactured by MTD or Cub Cadet?) because of the price, free delivery and my past experience with the older model. I figured how could they ruin a lawn mower that lasted 15 years...

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wrenchigor says "Be gentle with this one, bends easily" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

wrenchigor — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:57:37 GMT

I've owned this mower for 25 months, 1 month past the two year warranty. I use this mower to maintain 1.5 acres and is great on hills. BUT............ make sure you don't hit anything hidden. Bent the deck, I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE!!!! Hit the mole hill, the spindle bent the deck sheet metal, the blade hit the deck sidewall and the timing belt broke in half. Almost $$300 in parts when an older mower worst would be a sheared keyway. VERY disappointed

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lottalawntocut says "33" craftsman walk-behind mower-rugged and worth every cent!" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

lottalawntocut — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:51:59 GMT

I have been mowing an acre of turf with a sears 21" mower for years and finally decided to upgrade to a bigger mower as my rider takes to long due to many trees on my property..I was sick of riding in circles! I stumbled upon this beast while cruising through a sears and one look was true love! A comparable mower this size cost much more than this model and yes, this is for residential, not commercial use. Today I used my new 33" mower for the first time and am impressed with this machine; It is very powerful and quite beastly...It devours turf and can get away from you if you don't pay attention to what you are doing. The cut isn't as perfect as my smaller mower but overall it is quite acceptable.It cuts around trees quickly and the variable speeds are nice to use. The hand-controls do take time to master but are easy enough. The shifter is too short but works as designed. I find this machine to be well built and worth the money.

I myself have read these reviews before I purchased this...

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bigtomhammer says "I love this mower on our hill (45-50 degree)!" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

bigtomhammer — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:08:48 GMT

I purchased a riding lawn mower and it wouldn't make it up our hill at our cabin. I looked for used professional mowers on craigslist but they go pretty fast (at least in MN they do). I saw this on sale at Sears and went to look at it since the grass was getting pretty long. Loved it!! I see it as my snowblower with a grass mower on the front instead of the snowblowing part (I have a Craftsman 9.5 27" that is about 10 years old and bought it new). Pretty much the same design. It does take some getting used to controlling and it can get away from you if you put it in the fastest speed (a brisk walk). But I have long legs and I can usually keep up with it. We mow about 1.25 acres in about 90 min - 120 min so it does take alittle bit more time than a rider (duh, it is only 33" cut instead of a 42" cut) but I feel better on our hill then with a rider. Great Mower!!

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sammijones says "Craftsman 10.5 hp 33" Excellent" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

sammijones — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:38:13 GMT

Don't have time to write 900 characters. Husband and I have been mowing for 16 yrs and this is by far the best mower we've had. He always bought Toro and found that this mower is way better than the others we've used. Thank you and I think it's fantastic. Even uses it as opposed to his ********** and Poulan riding mowers so that says a lot!

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rthompson18 says "Excellent Machine" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

rthompson18 — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:58:00 GMT

I have small lawn which took 40 long minutes with a 21 inch self propelled honda mower and now is done in 20 amazingly fun minutes. It leverages craftsman riding mower technology and is heavy duty for what it is. Anyone complaining would only be satisfied with a model costing more than 3k, and if you have a professional service then get a 3k mower, else this will make you smile and feel good about the time and money savings.

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lawnking says "Good for the price but.............." about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

lawnking — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:49:02 GMT

This is not a bad machine for the money. I have ownwed it for 2 years now and just wanted to make sure everyone who is getting this understands what they are getting into. If you need to cut around alot things like trees and a rider won't cut it this is the way to go. There is no need to buy this if you don't have at least 3/4 acre. It does cut down time from the 22". However I have had several problems with it ,I am on my second set of belts, my second set of blades, my second set cables and a weld on the deck broke so they had to come and replace the entire deck. All this was covered by the warranty but took them six trips to my house to fix it all, that is alot of time off from work luckily my job is flexible. The techs did a good job but the custumer service on the phone is the worst I have ever seen. They will never fix the mower in one shot. They come out look, order parts and then return to do the repair. Two trips is required to fix one problem. Also if you were wondering I only...

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IAMSLICK says "If you have a big yard and want to save time, get this mower..." about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

IAMSLICK — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:19:39 GMT

This is a very nice mower! It is very heavy so if you elect to pick it up, bring a pickup truck and a couple of strong dudes to pick it up. I brought it home, filled the gas tank, moved the lever to the start setting, pulled once, and it started perfectly. I drove it around with the blade off in my driveway to get used to it. It's pretty easy to get the hang of. My 80 minute yard took about 45 minutes, and I bet I will get faster at it. This mower leaves a professional grade cut, mulches very well. If you're going through really thick bermuda grass like I have you want your speed control to be set at about 2 out of 4, and then it mulches very nice. If you go flying through the thick grass on speed 4 it will kick out longer blades. This mower will fly through your thickest grass without even breaking a sweat.

My front wheels move fine and need no greasing. The manual gives a schedule for what should be greased when. This mower does not move fast enough to jog behind,...

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ml6636 says "bad piece of equipment" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

ml6636 — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:39:57 GMT

Have had this mower since September 2008 and have had nothing but problems with this mowers. First drive cable broke ant took abouth 3 months before cable came. Had to use vise grip in the mean time. Belts have been replaced 3 times. Get in thick grass and the belt starts smoking. Does not mulch that well. Leave a trail of grass on the right side of mower. Deck is broke now. Been down for a month. Service is a joke. Set up an appointment. This take a week before serviceman come out. Service man order parts. Take another week before parts comes in. Another week to get the service man back to put parts on. If the right parts are ordered the first time. You needs a reliable stand by during down time. Sears does not seems to care about this. This mower was not researched enough before been placed on the market. Engine has lot of power true is enough, but mowing component are not suited for this engine. Would not recommend this mower.

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Anonymous says "Great mower" about Craftsman 10.5 hp 33&#34 Briggs & Stratton Wide Cut Rear Wheel Drive Lawn Mower

sears-feed — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:00:06 GMT

I have owned this mower for a couple of years now and I really love it. I was in the market for a new mower a couple of years ago and had been looking at numerous mowers of differant manufacturers. I just happened to be at Sears one day looking for some tools when I spotted this beast sitting on the display floor. It was on sale as it was the end of the mowing season. I was thinking , oh hey, what have we here. I resisted the urge to buy it right then and went home and checked it out on the internet and read some reviews. I wanted this mower bad and only bad reviews would have changed my mind but this mower gets good reviews so I decided to buy it. When they brought it out of the warehouse I told them they would have to take it out of the crate and assemble it right there as the crate would not have fit in my truck. They happily complied and before long I was on my way home with it. As soon as I got home I unloaded it and went to town on my yard. It does a great job of cutting and I always......