Craftsman Revolution 42" Briggs & Stratton 22 hp Gas Powered Zero Turn Riding Lawn Mower Reviews

Thus far day 1 we got a few circles done and they were fun with the zero turn radius.  Went to go up a very small incline and the whole tractor smoked up and died.  Aside from the white smoke we smell rubber.  This seems familiar to others sorry to say.  We were hoping on the consumer report/five star experience.  Not so for us.

Because this is a newer product, many of the accessories that Sears has for the other mowers (like the winter cab, snow blower, summer sun top & others do not fit.  I hope that Sears will correct this. I adapted the 3 accessories mentioned to fit (requiring a cut out at the gas filler on the accessory to make room for the cap beneath the seat & adaptations to the front of the tractor to bolt the accessory on, etc.)It is not the most powerful tractor in its price range at 22 hp, but adequate for all but steep hills.  If I had not gotten a sweet deal on a returned unit, I would have passed on it...

I have recently purchased this mower even though some of the reviews rated this mower badly, but: Consumers Report rated this mower second behind the John Dear X300 series.  This mower does have a high pitched sound when moving forward and in reverse, more so in reverse.

This mower does a great job of bagging, pulling a sweeper.  The BEST part is the zero turn feature. Mowing around trees, poles, fire hydrant, it is great.  I am very pleased with this mower. 

Cons:

My only complaint was that the battery was dead.  Had to charge the battery when I return home with the unit.  Called Sears Store...

Have less than 18 hrs. on my Revolution and nothing but problems. The transmission locks up constantly and smoke pours out from the drive belt being burnt up. Got the service agreement with it and the Techs have been here four times already but keep getting the wrong parts or not all of them so nothing has been fixed yet. Been trying for over two months to get it fixed but each time a service date is set up someone calls either the day before or the day of and changes the appointment date. I have received the new Trans Axle and Transmissions and the Techs were supposed to be here today but got...

This is the best mower, that craftsman has on the market. This 42" cut is unbelievably the finest cut, it makes your yard look like a major league field that you see on t.v. I would recommend to anyone this is a good product for it's price, and also get the parts and service plan too. Sears has done it right with this mower, if anyone want a professional cut without buying a craftsman professional. Then this Revolution is the right product for you.

I really wanted this mower badly. It was exactly what I was looking for, zero turn and the  ability to use it on hills. Never even got a chance to cut the first blade of grass, After I got it unloaded, put gas in it and read the manual, I started it up everything seemed fine, so I started going forward I went about 25 feet and heard a loud clank from the transmission and smoke started coming out from the rear wheels. It is sitting in my yard waiting for the tech. to come out in a week from today. Sears has my money, I have to get my yard cut some how, and this blows. I will never buy a craftsman...

The Sears Revolution zero turn riding mower is the best I have ever used.  It gets the yard done extremely fast leaving a well trimmed look.  The new style syncro-transmissions give good control with the hydrostatic drive.  Hilly areas are no problem, because the low center of gravity and power of the Briggs & Stratton engine make the mower move along with ease.  The transmissions have a higher pitch whine than typical transmissions, but it is the sound of technology on the march.  Be sure to start engine in a slower rpm range so that it won't lurch slightly forward.

The Craftsman, Revolution zero-turn lawn mower has been a pleasure to use.  I have had the mower for a little over three weeks now, and have found it to be wonderful.  The ease of use, and agility of the mower has reduced my mowing time from one hour to a little over 30 minutes.  As advertised, the mower steers like a car, but when the steering wheel is turned all the way to either direction, the front wheels turn to near 90 degrees, and the rear wheels begin to operate in opposite directions to each other.  This allows the mower to pivot in place, just like the traditional zero-turn mower. ...

Great tractor that has cut 30 minutes off my mowing time from my old tractor.  Good power and comfortable.  The 0 turn feature works!!!!!  It makes some weird noises because of the dual tranny set-up but it doesn't bother me like it has the others.  If you can get this tractor on sale get it, otherwise I think its a little overpriced at the retail price of 3.6k.

We've had the mower about 2 months now and my wife loves it.  Almost didn't buy it even with the Consumers Report Reccommended rating due to some of these reviews.  Rather than talk about the things we like (read ****************) let me address a couple of the cons others have put in their reviews.

Whine or screaching sound.-- Yes, it sounds different because it is different.  I also own a rotary engine RX-8 and it sounds different then a piston car, but it does not mean itis bad, just different. 

Stops working after a couple of hours --  Read the book.  This is a fairly complex transmission...

I purchased this from the Sears store in Cary, IL.  Because of the reviews here, I also purchased the maintenance agreement.  The sales team in Cary was great.  They did everything you could imagine to make sure I was happy with my purchase, including giving me a terrific deal!  Everyone from the manager to the floor people really went the extra mile for me and are the ONLY reason I didn't give this a 1-Star. 

This mower was the most outstanding mower I've ever driven (including the X304 JD model).  It ran smooth and quite with only a slight whine when turning sharply.  It did lurch forward...