Reviews about Riding Mowers & Tractors

michelann says "A powerhouse of a garden tractor!" about Craftsman Craftsman Professional 28 hp 54'' Garden Tractor

michelann — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:04:03 GMT

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Oldsauroraman1 says "Mows great!" about Craftsman Garden Tractor 917.28874

Oldsauroraman1 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:08:38 GMT

We have been very pleased with the performance of this fine garden tractor. We have used it to mow the yard for the past two summers and look forward to using it again for many more mowing seasons. Runs great. Built solid. We really enjoy the electric lift mower deck! The marker for the height is very practical too so you always mow at the same level. The cleaning system does pretty well in removing the grass/debris after the job is done. We have no complaints. We keep it maintained greasing the deck spindles and changing the oil. Glad to see the filter on the engine too - that should greatly extend the life of the engine. Nice setup! Oh yes, love those arm rests too!

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RangerDale says "I love my GT5000, plenty power, starts 1st time at 20 degrees!" about Craftsman GT5000 model #28945

RangerDale — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:37:58 GMT

I am a recently retired (after 33 years) Parks and Recreation Supervisor from Florida and now live in snow country, Gibsonville, NC. I wanted to get a riding mower to mow my lawn. I originally had my heart set on a green and yellow machine, but after researching for 2-3 months (my wife calls it analysis paralysis) and in addition to mowing, deciding that I wanted to have a garden and be able to plow and disc it, and also be able to push and pull logs as I clear out my back lots, I discovered that the green machines capable of doing what I need, cost at least 7 to 10 thousand, and that was way out of my price range. I finally decided to get the Craftsman DGS5000 Garden Tractor, which was on sale for around $2,200 the previous month, when I was still researching. I decided on that model over the GT5000 because of better reviews on the Sear's web site. UNFORTUNATELY, the DGS5000 was no longer available except in California, go figure! I went online to order the GT5000 on Friends...

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SusanCornwell says "Mower has power and comfort." about Craftsman YTS 4500

SusanCornwell — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:55:11 GMT

the price was what made the sale for me, the features it had with the reverse mowing helped alot. the adjustable seat really sold the mower.

it was raining when I got it home, so put it in the shed and went out next day and it didn't start. read the manual and called repair and set up appointment. They came almost immediantly, and had to replace the battery. A new mower and had to replace the battery. I thought that was odd. but that was in some of the reviews I had read, and thought that it couldn't happen to me too. but it did.

other than that, i've had no problems with it. there is alot of power to get used to. I have pulled some heavy loads with it and not even stressed the engine. I do have problems not able to push pedals in far enough sometimes to start it. But I am a woman so that is probably and I have short legs. The pedals are stiff. The gas tank is ackward to pour gas into and you have to be very careful when putting gas into it.

It is a very good mower...

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isellutwo says "plows great can't wait to try it on the lawn" about craftsman 289221

isellutwo — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:07:03 GMT

So far so good. I purchased a 21hp Hydro on the fender Crafstsman lawn tractor in the fall. Unfortunatly I was not able to use on the lawn but have been able to use several times this winter to plow snow. The removal of the mowing deck was easier than my previous Craftsman. I did purchase a new plow blade which did require assembly and that was a labor intensive project. The tractor itself has performed very well. We just had a snow storm that dropped 8 inches of snow and I had no problem moving the snow with my new tractor.

The hydrstatic performed very well and the additional hp made a big difference coming from a 16.5hp tractor w/manual trans. The big debate over manual vs hydro for plowing snow in my opinion goes to the hydro trans. The shifting and changing gears was always cumbersome with my previous Craftsman which I did own for 12 years.

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hobbyfarmer says "Does everything I've asked of it." about Craftsman YTS 4500

hobbyfarmer — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:42:37 GMT

I've had my YTS 4500 with 48" mower for 3 years - both in Virginia and Ontario, Canada and it has done everything I've ever asked of it including cutting grass on very steep hills on a nearly 1 acre lot in Virginia (I'm 250 lbs) and cutting 3-4 acres of grass fields - half of that is coarse field grass - in Ontario. I've put a snowblower on it with no problem, pulled a large utility trailer full of materials and used it as a utility vehicle around the farm. It gets used every day except in winter when it gets a rest 3-4 days a week.

I tried using it to grade the indoor arena but even with my daughter (105 lbs) it was too much for it. The tranny struggled with that job. I've put 150 hours a year on it and it has never failed to start even on the coldest days.

The hydrostatic tranny with the foot controls is the best way to go. Don't buy a tractor with gear shifting as they are a pain in almost any job that requires back and forth motion. The HST uses a foot control...

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mykidsmomx4 says "Craftsman yard tractor is a great buy." about Craftsman 22 hp 46 in. Deck Yard Tractor

mykidsmomx4 — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:35:45 GMT

My boyfriend bought one of these last summer. We looked at all of the local stores and big names. After seeing the Craftsman series of riding mowers, everything else looked cheap (as in 'ready to fall apart').

It was funny to us that they offered to deliver it for a charge (which we declined, instead planning to borrow a trailer from a friend) and were told "but that charge includes us putting it all together for you". We declined again. When "J" inquired about when he could pick it up and asked about what he would need to assemble on it (just before we left) the associate told him they would call when it was in stock (we knew it would be 2 weeks) and that they would put it together for him, free of charge (um, I thought that was included in the price of the delivery that we didn't choose.) LOL

The product is awesome. It turns great, idles smoothly, cuts beautifully (even very close to his hedges). He also loves all the extras that are available for it (you'd think he was customizing...

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LisaDucher says "Quality not like it used to be" about Craftsman 42 in. Vented Deck 20hp Lawn Tractor

LisaDucher — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:18:27 GMT

I have always owned Craftsman Lawn Tractors-in fact, almost all Craftsman Power Equipt. at my house. The engine seized after a little over 2 years of service-and I am **** about keeping the oil changed, and checking the oil. I now have a 1300.00 piece of junk sitting in my garage. It has the Briggs 20hp Intek engine. FWIW-it never really cut the lawn level, either. I will NEVER purchase another Craftsman Tractor. The last few items I have purchased from Sears do not seem to last. I also have a broken self propelled push mower that doesn't work, the carb fell off my edger, and the muffler fell off the new weed eater.

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jonwendy says "YTS 4500 does the work, all the work, and leaves me to fish" about Craftsman YTS 4500

jonwendy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:36:39 GMT

Love my tractor, it does the job and looks nice. I installed snowblower, that takes several hours to do it right, Also have a wagon on back to help with chores. The tractor takes some getting used to, especially the foot pedals. I love how they work, it just takes time to learn a new trick.

Tractor is very comfortable. Pedals and knobs are a comfortable reach while remaining seated. Tractor starts right away, is quiet (than other tractors i have used)

Attachments are just complicated enough that you will have to change them more the once before you can do it without directions.

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willbeep says "awesome machine" about Craftsman Garden Tractor 917.28874

willbeep — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:33:42 GMT

I've had the professional garden tractor with the 54 in. deck and electric lift for 2 seasons now and love it. I can't believe how much mowing time this 54 in deck reduces my mowing time as opposed to my old 42 in deck. The automatic transmission and cruise control operate flawlessly and makes mowing 7 acres a real joy instead of just a job to do. I take care of my tractor as well as my car and even after hard use for 2 seasons it still looks brand new. A real tribute to Craftsman quality. Absolutely no maintenance issues other than routine changing of blades which even that is less than with the old 42 in deck because it covers more area. The high back seat takes a lot of strain off your back too!

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waltfl says "dont buy the snapper 23Hp tractor" about Snapper 23 gross HP 42 in. Lawn Tractor

waltfl — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:24:10 GMT

I bought this last year after my old murray quitt ( 4 years old) believing to get a brand name what lasts longer. the first tractor who arrived did not move and made a very loud transmission noise, it was exchanged the second arrieved 2 weeks later. there was even a louder transmission noise like a street car.after 2x 1/2 hour mowing the noise did get even worse and then the engine quit. call to manufacturer who advised to bring it to autorized shop after 2 weeks I get them back they say they could not find anythings wrong the noise is normal. after 2x more mowing 1/2 hour the engine startet backfiring and some gasoline did run out of the engine somewhere and did get very hot I could fry a egg on the hood. I checked the sparkplugs they OK checked oil also OK send email to manufacturer again and there advice to bring it in the shop. the first shop was overfilled for weeks but I needed the tractor my grass was allready 12inches high. the second shop had the tractor there for two weeks...

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chollis says "More than I expected" about Craftsman YTS 4500

chollis — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:42:43 GMT

Well, went looking around for lawn tractors, and ended up getting this one.

Wanted good horsepower, lots of attachments, and decent support. Local Sears hardware store had this one as a floor model, and they were willing to deal a bit. Got the 3-bagger and the snow blade at the same time.

Sears pretty much delivered as promised. Just got done mowing the lawn and picking up leaves (it's fall in New England).

Initial impressions: powerful engine, good build quality, controls are bit of a learning curve, nice job on my unruly and damp lawn, bagger is wonderful, has good power and traction up and down my 30 degree hills, wife approves of the results :-)

OK, we'll see how this all progresses, but -- so far -- I am a happy buyer of this product.

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janmw says "The Craftsman LTS 1500 lawn tractor is good, when it will runs." about Craftsman LTS 1500 17.5 HP/42" Lawm Tractor

janmw — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:32:20 GMT

I had this Craftsman LTS 42" deck lawn tractor delivered to my home, also bought the bagger attachment. It won't run with the baggers on half the time, when I can get it to run at all. The grass clippings blow out from under the bagger lid all over my back, when I have been able to use this lawn tractor. The owners manual is poorly written, also. I have done everything the manual has instructed to operate this machine and still have problems. Since I've had this mower it has failed to run when the brake is released, and appears to have a defective part in the throttle adjustment plate. Now I have had warranty service rescheduled 2 days in a row. Now I can't use the mower at all because it won't run and I am very unhappy with the quality of this product and the repair service I should be getting under the warranty

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meezark999 says "Buyer beware of Sears Zero-Turn mowers." about Craftsman 26 HP 52 in. Zero Turn Tractor

meezark999 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:02:00 GMT

We bought a Craftsman ZTS 6000 Zero-Turn Rear Engine mower in June. After mowing our acre lawn three times, it sputtered to a stop during the fourth mowing. After letting it sit for ten minutes, it started, but only ran for less than a minute before stopping again. After waiting a week, the repairman came out, only to tell me it was probably because "I" had the throttle lever in choke (which I didn't). After he left, I mowed the lawn. Two weeks later, I got five minutes into the lawn and it did the same thing. The repairman came out and said the choke was probably stuck and/or the transmission release levers weren't pushed far enough forward. This afternoon, I began mowing, only to have the mower stop again after three minutes. Now it won't start and it's in the front part of my yard and too heavy for me to push to the garage. After talking to repair, they said they couldn't come out until next Wednesday (six days). My lawn hasn't been mowed in three weeks and Sears...

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Lucy477 says "Craftsman lawn tractor: I recommend it to my female frients." about Craftsman 42 in. Deluxe Lawn Tractor

Lucy477 — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:45:20 GMT

I really like the Craftsman 21hp 42in deck 6 speed lawn tractor. I also purchased the two bag assembly with the flexible sides. I liked the flexible sides versus the hard for more air flow. It only took me 15 minutes to put the bagger attachment on and I was picking up all our fall leaves. It worked well even with wet leaves and grass which is a plus because it's been raining here for the last two weeks.

I also purchased the snowblower attachement for the front end, but I'll review that later as I haven't had the chance to use it yet (thank goodness!!). I also made sure I bought the craftsman lawn tractor with the cast iron axle as it is the most solid for heavy duty work with the snowblower.

Overall, it drives nice, has a very good turn radius, and is very easy to use. I would recommend it to all my female friends. But I will admit, I will have my husband assemble the snow plow attachement as there are there are over 64 steps for assembling it.

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Grandpa61 says "The Craftsman YT4000 exceeds my expectations" about Craftsman YT4000 yard Tractor Model# 28925

Grandpa61 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:05:42 GMT

I purchased the Craftsman YT4000 Yard Tractor with the snowblade (plow) attachment. The tractor exceeds all my expectations. Operation of the tractor is simple, has plenty of power and is easy to handle. The fit and finish is flawless. The delivery service was the best that I ever experienced. They called to ask if I wanted delivery earlier than scheduled. They showed up 1 hour early (called first). After being told by sales associates that I would have to assemble the plow blade, I was surprised that the plow blade was not only assembled, but also installed on the tractor.

We have always enjoyed Sears products because of their quality and their excellent customer/delivery service. I feel that the Craftsman YT4000 Yard Tractor was a correct choice.....Thanks Sears!

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panzer4 says "LT3000 21 hp 46" mower (JUNK)" about craftsman lt3000

panzer4 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:09:05 GMT

Got my new rider mower monday Oct 5th 09

Used it today for the first time.

Very disapointed in the whole experience.

My old rider was almost 10 yrs. old never had a days problem with it. The only reason i got a new one is i am giving my old one to my daughter.

Sears has a very bad QUALITY PROBLEM

The VIBERATION,SQUEAKS AND RADDLES

Can't see this one lasting anywhere as long as other.

If it where not for the restock fee and my wife I would return it tonight

$1.500.00 flushed down the drain.

Bet I have at least $8.000.00 in sears products in my home.

Think i'll start shopping somewhere else

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barnman says "The DYT 4000 lawn mower is the toughest mower I have owned" about craftsman DYT 4000

barnman — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:54:55 GMT

I have put 300 hours on the Craftsman DYT 4000 lawn tractor with out any issues. On 9/21/09 we had some major flooding in Georgia this lawn tractor was completely submerged in water for 2 days. I finally was able to get to it and pull it out of the water. I have changed the oil and filter along with the air filter pulled the spark plug and dried it out. I replaced only the oil, the way the gas tank and line is run I did not have to drain and change the gas. After replacing this items the DYT4000 fired up and ran like new and every thing works on the mower no damage to the electrical system. I have purchased several lawn tractors in the past but this has been the most durable mower I have owned. If you can leave this mower under water for two days and and only have to change the oil and filters that's tough.

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oxfordx4 says "Great cut and smooth operation, even with a few initial issues." about Craftsman YT 3000 21 HP 42" Yard Tractor (Model# 28922 )

oxfordx4 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:20:14 GMT

This mower is probably more than I need, but I could not pass it up due to the price. Let's just say I paid a good bit less than the "sale" price online. It's worth waiting until the end of the season. Great even cutting- 4 guage wheels are better than 2; hydrostatic is definelty the way to go- fairly smooth. A few things I've noticed- once in forward motion then moved to neutral it tends to drift forward. Will need to get used to NOT mowing in reverse- although it is capable. Cut my mowing time by ~30% from previous rider (32" single blade). Came with mulching blade, but no plate for deck! This has created problems. Initial issues: Dented hood was replaced as requested (Thank you Sears), but was attached incorrectly. Also, the belt for the blade engagement needed major adjusting. Did it myself- not too happy- thus the 4 out of 5. Uses less gas than anticipated. Still need a bagger (too much $$) and perhaps a plow & cart next year. Overall- recommended!

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mitchelllc says "Very good value, excellent quality. It's a Craftsman!" about Craftsman LT 2000 20 HP 42" Lawn Tractor (28910)

mitchelllc — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:25:36 GMT

I researched online and in stores to help me decided which riding lawn tractor I needed to purchase because I have never owned nor operated one. I purchase my Craftsman LT2000 July 31, 2009 and had it delivered Aug. 4th.

I started the engine and performed the transmission purge and then did a test cut of my back lawn. The tractor was easy to operate. You really don't need the left brake/clutch pedal because the hydrostatic drive transmission lever control gives you full control over speed and forward/reverse direction. After correctly adjusting the front gauge wheels it was almost impossible to scalp the lawn.

My wife also found this tractor very easy to operate. I haven't had any issues with this tractor and don't expect any. The value is very good and the quality is even better. I expect this tractor to last me many years with good maintenance. I purchased the mulch kit (33742) and installed it myself. This kit works really well. I don't have to bag lawn clippings...

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