http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-reviews Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:05 GMT Latest reviews about Craftsman 42 in. Lawn Tractor Snow Thrower http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-5b2d1 I have used this snowthrower thru 6 winters on my 17.5 hp tractor. I have only replaced one belt, the small cheap one and one shear pin. The shear pin broken because I picked up a pine branch. The large belt looks like it will last at least 10 years. Chains and wheel weights are a must, I also recommend the cab for those cold windy blizzards, also drift cutter bars. It does not clogg with any type of snow wet or dry if you operate it properly. Intalation is simple but some what time consuming the first time. From 1 inch of snow to 3 feet of snow it has performed flawlessly.... Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-5b2d1 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-14020 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.... Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:45:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-14020 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-1b2b I've read a lot of the reviews and had a good laugh, I think I have had most of these problems. All of these problems can be addressed and fixed. The problem with the belt slipping off is because it is not on properly. You have to look very close at the diagram to see the correct way to thread the belt. Had this problem last year when we received 200 inches of snow. My belt broke this winter in december, the day before christmas. Sears did not have one in stock. If you bring the belt to an auto parts store they can match it! My driveway is gravel, it is impossible to avoid throwing stones. My impeller broke a couple of weeks ago. Problem with replacing the impeller, it is a very tight fit on the shaft. The powdercoat needs to be removed from inside the tube of the impeller or it will not go on. Shear pins, well lets just say that you should always keep a dozen on hand. Aside from these problems the thrower works pretty well. Extra weight on the weight tray is a must!... Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:15:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-1b2b sears-feed 3 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-a1171 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 $85. That one won't stay on either. I'm going to call and see what they will do because it's still under warranty.... Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:30:04 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-a1171 sears-feed 1 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-dd4f1 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 with twists in it that means every season you had better have a replacement on hand because it will prematurely fail due to the bad alignment and twists in it. Now on to the snow removal aspects. This particular set of storms dropped the wettest snow that we have had in the area in about 10 years and each storm dropped on average 8-12" with no break in between. The area being cleared is a 100 yard...... Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:45:03 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-dd4f1 sears-feed 4 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-1c6a 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.... Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:00:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-1c6a sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-09fc1 ... Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:15:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-09fc1 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-4d4d0 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 on the hill. Chains ARE A **MUST** if you have a hill. And on heavy snow the 24hp engine is a little stressed so Id be cautious about using this on a smaller tractor. I love this thing. You will get show all over you which is a bummer. I might consider the cab. Snowpants, hat, even glasses are a good idea. It throws snow miles away, which is a lot nicer than a big pile left behind by the plow....... Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:16 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-4d4d0 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-e3a0 I bought this last spring(08) with a 22hp Husqvrna. I love how it handles any snow, so far this year i have used it 4 times. Assembly wasn't bad i have seen worse. My problems with it are 1- the shute keepers broke over nothing 2- broke a shear pin over nothing 3-broke the belt and my local sears didn't carry the belt that i needed but could order it. 4- my finale and biggest problem is that the lift handle with its 2 spot welds broke off. with something that heavy you need more than 2 spot welds to hold it together. Lets work on that sears.... Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:16 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-e3a0 sears-feed 3 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-ae18 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.... Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:45:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-ae18 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-649f 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 that holds the blower just off the ground enough so a person could go from asphalt to gravel surfaces and just lift the weight of the blower to back up and turn easier. Also, customer service at Sears told me I needed the mounting kit for my 2008 Craftsman Pro mower, which I didn't. They also still haven't been able to find any parts listing for the optional drift cutters the manual says is...... Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:00:04 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-649f sears-feed 4 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-ce7f0 I purchased the snow thrower last June at the same time I purchased my lawn tractor. My lawn tractor is the YS4500 20HP, which is more than enough power to blow even heavy snow from my 150 foot driveway. I put the snow thrower together during the summer, it took several afternoons putting the thing together and attaching to my tractor (Approx 12 hours total) I didn't mind because it was the summer and 80 degrees outside I could take my time and do it right, I couldn't imagine putting the snow thrower together when it is cold outside (Those Nylon Nuts would be fun when they are frozen) and needing it right away because lake effect snow or a snow storm is on the way. Maybe this is why others have had problems with belts ect, because they are a rush and need it ASAP or just to cold outside to be fussy with the installation. Lake Effect Snow moved in and I used it for the first time on November 26th on 8 inches of snow. This was not the fluffy kind, but the extremely heavy snow my tractor...... Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:45:05 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-ce7f0 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-d561 ... Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:04 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-d561 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-1569 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 while blowing at slow speeds, I was still pushing snow out ahead of the blower and I had no malfunctions. It does take a bit of work to put it together but again, the instructions are word for word, step by step with accurate drawings at each step so as long as you take your time to read through the directions, there shouldn't be a problem putting it together. I did tighten the bolt/lock nuts...... Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:15:04 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-1569 sears-feed 5 http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-af16 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.... Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:15:04 GMT http://www.mysears.com/Craftsman-42-in-Lawn-Tractor-Snow-Thrower--359694-review-af16 sears-feed 4