Reviews about Garden Tractors

99cdf says "The Kohler engine smokes like a crop-duster." about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor CA Only

99cdf — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:52:43 GMT

The design of the Kohler twin 26hp engine is not suitable for the YT4500 mower. Oil circulation is the problem and allows oil to collect in the top of the engine and then somehow drain back into the exhaust system. This happens when the mower tilts as little as 5 degrees. Then a huge cloud of bluish-white smoke billows out of the exhaust as it burns. The oil level drops between 1/4 and 1/2 quart per smoke event.

The mower does cut grass and rapidly but the horrible clouds of burned oil pollute and contaminate the air, land, and water plus cause undue expense and engine wear. This model of rider mower should be recalled and a full refund given to any one who purchased this faulty- badly-designed mower.

One very disappointed customer.

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snmstuntbikr says "Good tractor, poor assembly" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

snmstuntbikr — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:33:39 GMT

Overall the tractor is a great machine. Didnt come with bumper like EVERY picture shows and had to fight for a week with Sears to get one. Most of the stickers were crooked and tractor got delivered covered in dust. First time mowing, one of the mower deck wheels fell off.

Minus these minor set backs, overall the tractor is really great. Runs great and mows even better. Lots of power and speed and the turning radius is excellent.

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gfhsr11 says "The Professional PGT9000 garden tractor is perfect for 3-6 acres" about Sears Garden Tractor

gfhsr11 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:02:44 GMT

I purchased the PGT9000 because of it's large mowing deck, the 28 horsepower, and the 23 inch wheels. I have horses and needed a large and powerful mower, but not a very large tractor. The PGT 9000 fit the bill, and has been dependable and is able to take various attachments with the ability of one man to hook everything up by yourself. I have been able to grade my paddocks, thatch my pasture, and in the Spring I will be reseading portions with the broadcast spreader that allows me to fill it once and seed about 1 1/2 acres. My neighbors have more expensive and biller tractors, but I find the PGT 9000 superior because I do not need help using implements, it stores easily in a regular shed, and it is able to pass through all of my gates with ease.

I would recommend this tractoer to anyone looking for a great tractor, powerful, and at a fraction of the cost of other "professional" tractors.

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thehog69 says "Poor Traction for a big tractor" about Craftsman GT5000 model #28945

thehog69 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:57:51 GMT

I bought my first house and along with it came a 1.4 acres of land that was hillly, after searching out brands and previously being a die hard craftsman person I looked at the GT5000 which was supose to be suited for hilly property ofer 1 acre plus of land, After the first use I had to buy wheeel weights to try and see if they would help with cutting on my hill I had no traction. I thought about changing out to different tires but was told by employees at sears that if I did put different rear tires on that afforded me better traction then I would void my warranty. overall the tractor is good I just think they could improve by offering different tires that allow people with hills to be able to cut easier.

The turning radius has a flaw that in order for it to be true to the quote of tight turn you have to be crawling, . you also have to watch out for tight turns otherwise you can pop the tire off of the rim.

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unhappy99 says "mower broke after three months of use!" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Garden Tractor - CA only

unhappy99 — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:51:02 GMT

this mower was not worth the money at all. tractor was not used hard at all. the only thing i used it for was to mow a 3 acre yard. had to have a tech out three times and they decided it was unreparable. the delivery team was a hassle to deal with, and no one knew where or when they would get it here. delivery day came for the replacement , and no tractor showed up. they then said they will have it here the following week! This is the last thing i ever buy from Sears!

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mrbill859 says "Not the tractor they said it would be!" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

mrbill859 — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:30:23 GMT

I picked up this tractor in April 2010 and right off had a vibration when mower deck was engaged requiring tech to come out and replace belt. Within 3 months the steering broek and would toe-in drastically (4+ inches) when backing. Tech repaired, said it was a broken weld on a spindle. Here we are again and the steering is doing the same thing and this time it is blamed on a broken frame? A broken frame? Are you kidding me? I haven't even worked this tractor, just mowed my 3/4 acre lawn, that is it. Sears said they were going to exchange the tractor but after a call today they said they are giving me a $2400 credi and the cot to replace the tractor is $2900. That doesn't sound like an exchange to me as the frame is non servicable. So I now have to cough up another $500 to replace my 9 month old tractor due to no fault of my own or buy a much smaller unit with the $2400 CREDIT they are giving me which will not accept the york rake I purchased ot my previously purchased front mounted thatcher....

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Ossie10 says "POWERFUL AND GREAT VALUE - 2010 GT5000 6 spd manual" about Craftsman GT 5000 54" Kohler 26 hp Gas Powered Riding Garden Tractor

Ossie10 — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:38:20 GMT

Bought this last year after looking at some larger and more expensive tractors but got this on special so I couldn't pass it up. I use it on our 31 acres that is 2ac lawn, 2ac fields and rest is woods with trails. It does a pretty good job on the lawn with the mulch kit, great for the fields up to about 18" in 5th gear. I also used it to do some trailcutting with saplings up to about 1.5", using the dozer blade to first push them over the mower had no problems. Has heaps of power, I tow about 1/2 ton of firewood out of the woods regularly - I added a set of the Chevron rear tires with bar tread and with some extra weight over the back wheels it will go just about anywhere. I use it with a grader blade and sweeper but by far the best is the snow thrower...no nor'easter is too big for that baby. I use a utility tray from Ohio Steel that hooks on the back to add up to 200lbs of salt bags or cinder block if I need big traction. I also added a 2000 lb winch on the back that i use...

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timgradywy says "Fast, but poorly assembled and cheap construction" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

timgradywy — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:22:03 GMT

This mower is fast and cuts well, however it's put together poorly and uses materials that are too thin.

The release lever for the brush gaurd bent the first time I tried to use it. The release lever is made of thin steel, but is held in place by a stiff spring. The spring has enough tension that the release lever/latch bends plastically before it releases. Since you have to lower the brush gaurd to access the engine, this is a very annoying design flaw.

Within 5 hours, a guide wheel fell off and the adjusting lever for the seat fell off. Within 10 hours, the the bolts holding on the brush gaurd backed out (by then, the plastic on the front of the brush gaurd was long gone). Every time you hit a bump or slope, you can watch the hood tilt and feel the entire tractor twist. I'm glad the transmission is good, I just wish they spent more money on the frame and assembly.

Other notes: The tight turn radius is a neat feature, but is so tight the rear wheels just spin uselessly...

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PropertyMaster says "Craftsman Garden Tractor is a powerhouse " about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Garden Tractor - CA only

PropertyMaster — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:16:36 GMT

I've had my GT 5000 for about eight years, maybe slightly longer and it has out performed my expectations every time. Pulled logs, hauled over a half ton of cut tree rounds, cleared weeds, and even use it to run down to the mail box. I live on 2.5 acres and there is always something to do that involves using this tractor. I never quits. The property is slightly "hilly" and even pulling that half ton, it never slowed down. Didn't even labour pulling that load up hill.

It is a true work horse.

If you are looking for a strong small tractor to help care for those projects on your property, this is it!

When this one dies, and that may take a while, I'll be looking to get another just like it.

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tractornutty says "26hp tight turn" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

tractornutty — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:15:53 GMT

I looked and looked at tractors. I was not sure what I really needed VS wanted. I was really interested in picking up a tractor with a three point hitch for some new toys. Oh but the price tag they wanted for that was crazy. So i shopped even harder to find a nice little unit to plow and till my new place in the country. I setteled on this tractor for many reasons. I was still a little hesatent but bought her anyway and boy I could not be any happier with a purchase. This tractor has plenty of power for any task i have needed it for. We moved in mid July and the field had not been mowed all year, well two passes with grass taller than me siting on the unit and the feild looked great. I could not beleive she didnt bog down not once. I just ordered a Berco plow from sears that has a power lift. If it performs half as well as the tractor has I will be satisfied. Yes buy one. I would again in a heart beat!!!

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MrDGadgetK says "GT6000 has great ground contact, dozer bucket works great!" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor CA Only

MrDGadgetK — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:40:33 GMT

The dozer bucket has a lot of parts - the assembly directions are pretty clear. Takes some time! The tractor does well with the dozer bucket! Need wheel weights for sure. Chains would help too. Chains weren't availible in store. The wheel weights they sold me didn't fit. need 5 lug spacing. All the wheel weights shown on line are for 4 lug wheels. Guess I could drill some holes. Had fun pushing the sand around. The tractor can handle a full bucket. Great Garden Tractor. Fun so far!

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dnjriley says "GT6000 plenty of power and cut my mowing time in half" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

dnjriley — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:43:12 GMT

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EdinFlorida says "Craftsman 54" 26HP Tight Turn Garden Tractor, great value" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

EdinFlorida — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:23:20 GMT

This is my third Craftsman garden tractor in 25 years. Last one, a GT 5000, was 12 years old and plum wore out, so I came back to Sears and upgraded to the GT 6000 this year. This one is even better than my others. 26HP Kohler handles anything you need. Hydrostatic is equally as powerful, with the nice foot control, which I like better now than my old fender control. Steering is very easy, however the Tight Turn feature takes a bit of getting use to in order to get the tractor to turn in that 8" radius they talk about. You really have to slow the tractor down to a crawl to get all the steering geometry to do it's thing. Too fast, or too tight and you'll lock the inside turning wheel sideways and tear up your grass. Once you get the hang of it, it does save you most of the multiple passes you would have to make to mow around those trees. Mower deck has two things I really like, a steel reinforced perimeter frame and grease fittings on each mandrel. Old mandrels were sealed and when......

abaehnman says "PGT9000 is a far better tractor for the money" about Craftsman 54&#34 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight Hydrostatic Garden Tractor 49 States

abaehnman — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:24:40 GMT

With out going into to much detail I will summerize my experience with the GT 6000 I purchased in May of 2011. The pros: strong powerful engine, 54 inch cut that can handle long thick grass in one pass. The cons: used the mower for 50 hours and it had to be replaced with a new mower. The issues: 1) turn to sharp and the wheels got stuck sideways, mower would not move 2) the tractor was to light, tractor could not manuver slightly uneven ground often causing the rear drive tires just spin in place without moving the tractor 3) difficult to get the tractor to go in reverse, wife quit using the tractor because seat kill switch would shut off the mower due to the amount of force needed to apply to go in reverse 4) Lights did not work

As I've indicated the tractor was replaced due to the front tire issue of towing out, Sears representative indicated the frame was bent. There was only 50 hours on this lawn tractor. We opted to move up to the professional model built by a different manufacturer. ...

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dougmower says "This tractor is a Dog." about Craftsman 54" 26hp V-Twin Kohler Garden Tractor - 49 State

dougmower — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:18:20 GMT

I bought this tractor this spring and I'm not pleased with its performance. It come down to 1 thing...No blade speed, or a lack in ability to maintain blade speed. Other than that it did everything else I expected but if you have a big lawn to mow and don't wish to drive 1/2 mile per hour or raise the deck and mow twice, consider something else. I wish I had gone 26HP 46" deck.

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