Craftsman 42" Two-stage Tractor Snowblower
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Craftsman 42" Two-stage Tractor Snowblower Reviews


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3.75 of 5 (by 55 reviewers)
Rating Summary | 75% of reviewers recommend (41 out of 55)

Pros
  • powerful (6)
  • easy to use (4)
  • wide (4)
Cons
  • chute has limited rotation (3)
  • initial install is tough (3)
Most Helpful Favorable Review

“Choose the right tool for the job, and this blower works well.”

Select the right tool for the job. 500' gravel driveway ? probably not. 500' paved driveway and this will work well, assuming you are not an individual who believes everything can be fixed with a very large hammer, Vise Grips and a pry bar (don't expect this to blow through 18" of heavy snow at top...

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Posted on Feb 03, 2011
Most Helpful Critical Review

“Poor Quality”

I had an old (85) Craftsman snow blower for my tractor and that one was really good. That was why I decided to get another one. This one is junk. It's not even a year old and it won't keep the belt on it. I went to Sears to get a new belt and they didn't have it in stock and needed to order it. It was... read full review »
Posted on Jan 19, 2009

Craftsman 42" Two-stage Tractor Snowblower Reviews

Displaying reviews 1 - 13 of 55 in total

“42 inch snow thrower works excellent”

I am very pleased with this snow thrower attachment for my tractor. I was plowing with a plow on the tractor. It took so much time to plow and if it snowed a lot i would have to plow several times to keep up with it. If it got to deep was hard to plow. Also it took longer. Now since i got the blower it takes less time and i have even moved the banks back farther. I wish i have bought this attachment sooner as now i can wait until the storm is over to do the clearing. I am not much on words. Thank You Lee Ackley
Posted on Feb 19, 2011

“Outstanding Value for the money, great back saver!”

Ordered on 27 December, right after our Christmas Blizzard.  I purchased this snowblower, chains and wheel weights.  I picked it up a few days later and installed on New Years Day.  It only took about 2.5 hours to install.  If you know your machine and follow the directions, it really isn't a big deal to install.  I was unhappy with my local Sears store, because when I ordered the snowblower, chains, and wheel weights I had my model number with me, but they insisted that "it didn't matter, they are all the same".  Needless to say I had to make a second trip to exchange the weights chains....

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Posted on Jan 09, 2010

“If your tractor can handle it, BUY IT!”

Yes, first time installation was a pain. However, instructions are very good (if you know anything about your tractor) and took me about 3 hours to install initially. Only problem was instructions said to leave one of the belts pretty loose, which kept slipping so I just tightened it where I thought it should be.

Works great, handles everything so far!

(used on my PYT9000 24hp mower)
Posted on Dec 15, 2009

“Can beat it for long Driveways!!”

I attached this thrower to my 2006 Craftsman garden tractor with a Kohler 26 Horse Engine.  The assembly was fairly straight forward, but it did take around 5-6 hours.  Many of the parts will stay on the tractor, so I would imagine it will be easier next time.  I made sure the drive belt was "twisted" correctly around the pulley's, as I have heard that if you don't, the pulley breaks almost immediately.  I haven't had any issue with pulley wear.

This unit works very well on my tractor.  I've only done up to 6-8 inches of snow thus far, but I can go down the driveway at full speed, and the...

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Posted on Jan 02, 2010

“Works great”

I've used the snow blower attachment three times and think it works great. It has plenty of blowing power and I have not had any problems. I've put on the weights for the wheels plus the wheel chains. I also have the rear weight supplied with the snow thrower. It a great setup. The traction is just fine with this setup. I save so much time and it's easy on the body. Everybody should have one. Can't wait for the next snow, which is tomorrow. Let it snow.
Posted on Dec 08, 2008

“Better than a blade”

I purchased this for my 24 HP V twin DYS five days before a 1-2-3 punch we had just before Christmas. Installation was fairly consuming (6-8 hours) as this is made to fit several different models and you need to know your lawn tractor model very well in order to know what parts are extra and not needed. In all, the only problem that I have with the design is with the primary belt drive from the tractor to the snow thrower. A better design could have been utilized to drive the snow thrower but would require more parts and is most likely why they went with the single large belt that spins off angle... read full review »
Posted on Jan 18, 2009

“Darn good, but....”

First the good. This blower is great, it took what used to be an hour and half job with a walk behind two stage blower down to 15-20 minutes. Even in 2' drifts I have yet to load down the tractor motor. Sure it takes some time to assemble, but it's a one-time thing and I thought the directions were pretty self explanatory. Now the bad. The lift arm works well, but it takes 2' of carry from the up to down position. So when seated that means taking it from around waist level down to around my ankles, not the easiest to do with a bad back. Then, it would be nice to have a detente in the lift mechanism... read full review »
Posted on Dec 07, 2008

“Good Blower”

I have had this for 2 seasons. This blower works great on my 26Hp mower. No problem with upstate NY heavy snow storms. Throws snow farther than any I have owned. You will need lots of weight on the rear tires. At least 100 lbs. It does take "some getting used too" as far as manuverability. The front tires tend to snow plow so you have to lift the blower to get some weight on them to turn. I think this year I'll put chains on the front. The only thing I'd change is that it cannot be raised high enough to drive onto a trailer unless you have very long ramps.
Posted on Nov 26, 2008

“5 stars”

This is the first season I am using my craftsman blower in WNY. Currently we are getting bouts of lake effect snow with marginally cold temps so the snow has quite a bit of water content in it. So far the blower has worked like a champ, once through about 6-8 of heavy snow. I am running it on a 20hp Husqvarna lawn tractor and it has plenty of power to throw the snow. Concerning the above comments about problems with plugging and belts, and the only thing that I can think of, that is causing the problems, is not using appropriate speeds while blowing or the idler pulley tensions are set wrong. Even... read full review »
Posted on Nov 26, 2008

“A total animal.. a game changer”

This thing is a game changer. I cleared out a 600 ft driveway, on a hill, in little time. As fast as a pickup truck with a snowplow. Wow. What a amazing tool. The instructions were pretty clear, and there were no major problems. Biggest problem was that the bracket which holds on the extra weight tray was missing a hole where it needed one. I could have made a mistake, but I honestly think it was a design defect. I have a 24hp craftsman tractor and the setup works great. I am 210lbs, plus I used wheel weights and chains. You will need all the weight you can get, as my 140 lb teenage son has problems... read full review »
Posted on Dec 22, 2008

“Impressive”

I have one year's experience with this snow thrower. I have been using it with a Craftsman YS4500 26 HP lawn tractor. Initial installation took several evenings. I'm mechanically inclined, and I've rebuilt auto engines as a hobby before. This really doesn't require all that much in the way of tools, but it does take a while. Even though I had drafting in college while pursuing my engineering degree, I found some of the drawings to be somewhat non-intuitive and hard to read. I ended up having to call product support for explanation of one, and I concluded from the phone call that Sears had changed... read full review »
Posted on Nov 24, 2008

“Excellent”

This piece works excellently for upstate new york. It saves us a lot of money avoid hiring people to plow our driveway. We do a better job plowing our driveway than those plowing guys.
Posted on Jan 06, 2009

“works fine”

I have used this on my LT 2000 18 horse.Yes it takes awhile to put together.I have had no problems with mine at all. It takes some getting used to.It will turn hard when hopper is down,just lift alittle and it turns. I put wheel weights and chains on,alot of weight is best, This has been a snowy winter here and has handled it fine.No problem with belts,broke one sheer pin.This has saved by back alot of stress,I had a walk behind for twenty years and this is great.Again just take a little time and learn how to work it.
Posted on Feb 24, 2009

Reviews of Craftsman 42" Two-stage Tractor Snowblower

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