Craftsman 42&#34 High Speed Sweeper Reviews

My husband spent the entire morning raking leaves in our large back yard and his back was hurting so badly he could barely move. We made a trip to Sears for another purchase and he saw the Craftsman High Speed Sweeper on display. I couldn't tear him away from it so we decided to take it home. It took the two of us three hours to assemble it. The instructions are not clear so it took a while to figure out how everything fit together, but the actually assembly was easy.

We used the sweeper to pick up leaves and grass clippings on about two acres and it did a fantastic job. It holds a lot of leaves...

New toys are great!  We have a large yard with 11 mature trees (maples, oaks, etc.).  Normal cleanup of leaves was a major task raking and moving to a burn pile.  With the sweeper my son and I were able to clean the entire yard in about one hour.  I picked up and dumped while he raked the piles into one large pile.  What a time saver.

The sweeper picks up all the leaves, acorns and small sticks and stands up the taller grass to be ready for mowing.  Our lawn looks great today.  We have used the sweeper twice so far and we would definitely recommend it.  The only drawbacks we find are that...

This sweeper works superbly.  My lawn is not even (rolling hills) and it still works great.  The height adjustment is one key to getting excellent results and the other key is to sweep along the contours of the ground.  That is, if you're on a hill, sweep up and down the hill, just as you would use any piece of farm equipment.  I grew up on a farm, machines can't think for themselves, you have to figure out how to get the best results from them based on their design and the land you're on.  I highly recommend this item.

Great tool to help with the yard work. I have a little over two acres of lawn and I have been raking or leaf blowing the large maple leaves for the last decade. I finally broke down and bought a lawn sweeper. Wow! My back feels much better. Where it used to take me at least two days to collect all the leaves on the lawn. I can do it now in about four hours. Huge time saver considering I have to collect leaves at least three or four times a year.

The only design flaws I have found with this are: 1) The height adjustment lever must be tighted very tight or it will slip down the adjustment track....

So much better quality than our old sweeper.  So glad we replaced it with a product that is made out of metal instead of plastic.  We've actually stopped buying craftsman power tools, because they keep changing the batteries and chargers etc.  Went with another brand that works so much better and all their tools take the same batteries and chargers and they are included for less than what craftsman costs.  I really wanted to stay away from craftsman, but there isn't much out there in lawn sweepers.  I'm really glad I gave in.  This sweeper works wonderfully and is solid. 

Putting this together out of the box was a real party. It took over an hour but eventually got it done. I have 3 acres of rolling hills and some flat areas. If the area is flat, it misses nothing, it gets it all.  The dump method is pretty easy, as long as you have room behind it.  I tried to back it up and make a row of piles and found that it needs room behind it. Also when you are done "dumping", be sure to leave the basket up as you move forward as it'll pick up more of what you just dumped. My driveway has gravel in it and it has a hump in the middle. You need to stay on the sides as it'll...

There were several comments that the instructions needed improvement.  I found the instructions to be very clear until you get to putting the catcher bag together.  Here I just referred to the pictures and it came together pretty easily.

After using the sweeper a bit, I had some observations (in no particular order) that might be beneficial to others:

1) The rope they provide to lift the catcher bag is made from some sort of "super slick" nylon which can not be tied into a knot.  I tried bowlines, square knots and hangman knots and they all just slipped through.  I finally managed a very ugly...

I purchased this sweeper about 3 months ago and have used it 8 or 9 time. It does a great job of sweeping up the leaves, as long as the wheels stay on. I have one wheel that constantly comes off and I have to take a rubber mallet to pound it back on. Also the bags netting is already reaping from frame. It would also be helpful if the height adjustment had markings for different situations. Overall not a bad buy, but not up to the standards that I have come to expect from Craftsman products.

This item does not come pre assembled and it took quite some time to put it together (the store wanted to charge extra to put it together--even would charge extra with the floor model which would not be discounted because it was a display). This product works well on dry grass. Saves you time and your back. Picks up grass and leaves when ground is not wet. Does not pick up pine straw or pecans, too well. The wheels will also become entangled in the loose grass which will stop it from working (just clean the area and it will work just fine again). The only major problem with this item is that it...

  The craftsman 42 in. high speed mower is very efficient. I was surprised how well it picked up even the pine cones as well as pine straw.the sweeper even got small limbs and debris up as well.After using the sweeper,I saw that I got my moneys worth. It saves my wifes back and mine also from not having to rake up before mowing each time.I also like the easy dumping allowed and not having to get off the mower to do it.My wife and I like working in our yards, but both of us have back and joint problems. Instead of both of us getting out the rakes,wheelbarrel,or trailer and begin raking, I can just...

I have had my high speed yard sweeper for over 3 years now and am very satisfied. I have a 1/2 acre lot with many large trees and lots of leaves in the fall. It is a lifesaver (and back saver). It performs excellent overall. I use it about 6 - 7 times every fall and it has never failed. Assembly is a little involved but not too bad. It is necessary to adjust the height fairly often as the wheels will not turn if not set correctly. I would highly recommend it for anyone who has lots of raking to do. Well worth the money.

This is great at not only picking up grass clippings and leaves, but also all of the acorns the squirells missed. Easy to dump as well. The metal rods that hold the back up have bent (I put too much weight in it, but that is the only complaint I have.