Craftsman Poly Mow-N-Vac —
I purchased this equipment late summer 07 in preparation for the fall leaves...i have less then an acre, but my yard is a magnet for my leaves as well as everyone elses...assembly of the machine is long and cumbersome...the cart was easy to put together, but the soft top was a challenge, since the instructions are not the best...i didn't like the construction of the cart's axle, it's construction appeared to me that it wouldnt withstand heavy loads in addition to the plastic wheels...i spent a lot of time cutting the deck adapter, the templates provided in the kit was accurate, which helped...as far as performance, the machine worked brilliantly...i was able to get the bulk of my "leaf infested" yard cleaned up in about 1-2 hours instead of many hours of raking...the engine always started on the first pull and had plenty of power to get the job done...i bought the additional hose for flower beds...there is massive amount of suction, so much that you have to be careful about sucking in foreign objects which can damage the impeller...one problem with the hose is that there is no where to stow/hang the hose when moving from flowerbed to flowerbed...another problem i encountered is that my soft top split at the elastic seams along the bottom, however, sears stood behind there warranty and sent me a new one
To sum it all up, i'm happy with the machine's performance and would recommend it to others...i think my neighbors are going to get one...however, i'm still not convinced of the machine's durability, particularly that of the cart and soft top...the next 3 years will tell...for now, i'm satisfied and smiling