Craftsman Lawn Tractor

[MarkV]

I should wait to post this until I have all of the information but may be I can get an idea of everyone's general thinking. We are buying a new place and the present owners have a 1 or 2 year old Craftsman lawn tractor they are offering for sale. I have seen the mower but didn't pay a whole lot of attention at the time so I don't have the model number. From what I remember it was 20 hp and I think it had a 48" deck. Are there any general thoughts on the Craftsman line of lawn tractors? Any particular models to stay away from?

Thanks,
MarkV

 

[pajoube]

The 20 hp with the 48 inch deck will probably be the Briggs & Stratton engine. It will have the vtwin and is fully pressurized which is good. Check to see if it is automatic or manual transmission. If you plan on using it for winter snow removal you may want a manual over automatic. If only for mowing the automatic is nice.
These machines have proven to be very reliable and easy to maintain.
PJ

 

[jlemon]

Depends on the year; craftsman (sears) doesn't make their own tractors, they just buy other people's and rebrand them.

This year's crop of tractors are actually rebranded Husqvarnas (the ones with the fender mounted hydro) and I think they're pretty good. They have v-twin kawasaki engines, and husky makes nice machines; I bought the 1542XP version.

Don't know if the older models are also husky or another manufacturer.

 

[wichiwichi]

IMHO, unless you are getting a real good bargian on it , stay away from it. The craftsman mowers I have seen probably have the poorest deck design on the market. Another downside to craftsman is the star design on the blades. You almost have to purchase blades from sears.

 

[MarkV]

Thanks everyone. You have given me the things to look for next time we get a chance to look at the mower. I'll find out the year, engine brand, and deck/ blade combination. Forgot to mention it but it is the auto tranny and snow is not an issue here.

Thanks again,
MarkV

 

[Alan L.]

I've had very good luck with Craftsman lawn tractors. Just bought my second one. I gave away the 10-year old one, it had gotten to where it mowed crooked. The person I gave it to says it was a missing spring in the deck.

I've never had any trouble with the deck on the old one, as far as bearings or anything else.

 

[banjobj]

I have a GT 18 I bought in 1996. It has a 44 inch deck and is a hydro. Until recently it had been very reliable. I'm having problems with keeping main drive belts on it. In another post I received good advice and am in the process of checking, replacing and realigning the pullies. I do think the design with the belts being twisted and wrapped so much is a poor design.

 

[frank_f15]

kind of late to this post ,but what the heck! bought a sears 18hp GT back in may 92, in the next 15 months they had to replace the transmission 3 times, finally they said i could pick a new model or get my $$$ back. went to the store and picked the new model comprable to the old one. going into the 11 year with that machine and the only thing i have had to replace other than normal stuff(belts, blades) was a starter motor. i work that thing hard and often. keep it well maintained and there is no sign of rust on the deck. would i buy another? YEP.

 

[shady1701]

I have 18hp kohler and 44" deck works great since 1990-91 on 2nd set of blades still runs great and still out cuts my neighbors deere's..

 

[glennd]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( IMHO, unless you are getting a real good bargian on it , stay away from it. The craftsman mowers I have seen probably have the poorest deck design on the market. Another downside to craftsman is the star design on the blades. You almost have to purchase blades from sears. )</font> Quality varies greatly on these machines. The ones with star mount on the blade are likely MTD machines. Poulan, Murray and several others have made them as well. Look 'em over well for quality of engine, steering components, comfort, ease of maintenace, etc... Heck, so many folks dislike Murrays and I currently have 3. 2 are hydros and 1 is gear garden tractor. All perform very well with the exception of the soft quick wearing blades. The 96 18.5hp 48in deck model just lost it's 1st mandrel bearing. It cut 6 acres for 5 yrs before I aquired it and the deck suffered some from the deck sitting for a year while I used it to pull trailers and a spreader. Frequent greasing, cleaning deck over/under and servicing engine go a long way. The newest had dry zerks all over, but don't know if it was an assembler problem where bought or factory. They get checked over and greased regardless. Also wrapped some wiring in conduit and did a bit of rerouting before it cut 6 acres the 1st day. Gear drive is a bit annoying after using hydro too. Highly recommend the hydro if you've got thick and thin areas where you'll be changing speed often. Good luck with whatever you choose... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif