Sears you suck!

[poncho]

Simple short rant. Live in sticks with big yard requires ride on lawn mower. So bought over a month or so ago. Get ahead of lawn care. Used it twice and then the mechanism that engages blade broke apart. Phone Sears and takes repair guy two weeks to show up. Told phone people the problem and even gave them part number of broken piece. Repair guy came to confirm that I'm not an idiot and looks at problem, 5 minutes he leaves cause must order parts. Two weeks latter, no parts in. Play phone tag with customer service and finding someone at the store I bought the dang thing at. Finally month of trying to get Sears to get parts and send out repair guy. Sears manager decides to exchange mine with a new one. Basically two months of phoning customer service and beaching with managers--they finally solve my simple problem by giving me a new mower.

For $2,500 23hp Craftsmen ride on, should have better build quality, its a POS and should have just bought the Deere. But would have had better customer service if their call center and "managers" had been in a call center in North America (Can or USA) and not Manila! Sure those foreign third world based call centers might seem cheaper--but in the long run they cause more confusion and things take much longer, more expensive to make right! I'm boycotting any business that outsources their phone customer services to third world country like Sears!

[VetteLT193]

craftsman mowers are made by MTD. as are most other mowers. MTD makes them and brands them accordingly.

There was a GREAT article I read about Snapper and wal mart that explains how mowers are built in the new age. try to google it, worth the read.

That said... my Craftsman rider (cheapest one they made at the time, 800 bucks 16 HP) is still running strong after 5 seasons.

[fixxxer22]

i have a 1994 ltx130 deere. it has a bigger deck than stock on it with a 9hp kohler. dosent skip a beat. even a used deer can sometimes be better than a new craftsman. my dad still has the same 111 deere that hes had since i was a toddler. deere is a good mower.

[mikes280]

1996 345 Deere over 1000 hrs on it and it cuts 3 acres of hills each week. 1 battery 3 new belts and 4n new deck wheels in 14 years oh and 2 front tires. Was 5600 new and i can still get close to 3000 for it now, but it is still to good to get rid of

[Buoy]

I bought a Craftsmen self propelled push several years ago - it lasted almost 2 seasons - witha needed service after season one.
I was pissed.
Bought the absolute cheapest brand/model I could find after that ~$140 figuring if it died I'd just buy another next season.
Never did any maintenance to it - didn't even check the oil.
After six years the deck rotted out, and I bought a used TORO, but the motor from the $140 mower still runs great and is sitting in my garage.
Now, (after a move to the desert) I have a yard with absolutely nothing to mow.

[DAREDEVIL]

I had always luck with SEARS...no problem and if something failed , very quick exchange on what ever i got there from craftsman !!!!

BTW, my mower is ..o god i don't know how old...maybe year 2000 and its a craftsman..no problems..changed the blades last season and rebuilt the carb....other then that .perfect !!!!!

Sorry about your luck tho..u should talk to the chief there not the indian ?!

I always take my stuff there,, phone people don't know squad !!!!

[Tony]

craftsman mowers are made by MTD. as are most other mowers. MTD makes them and brands them accordingly.

There was a GREAT article I read about Snapper and wal mart that explains how mowers are built in the new age. try to google it, worth the read.

That said... my Craftsman rider (cheapest one they made at the time, 800 bucks 16 HP) is still running strong after 5 seasons.

Yup. Most of the drive systems for todays standard "garden tractors" are made by Dana. They have a manufacturing and testing facility right down the road from here. On any given summer day you can drive by and see a swarm of hot college broads out mowing on their 60ish acre test patch. The motors usually come from Briggs or Kohler. The rest of the machine is pieces and parts that all come from the lowest bidder.

[Andrew]

poncho, how much yard you mowing?

When I moved from the suburbs to a rural development with 3.5 acres to mow I figured I just get a $1,500 Craftsman or similar model. After doing some research I realized quickly that I would have to substantialy upgrade to have a mower that would hold up to that much mowing. While I hated to plunk down $7K on a mower it was one of the smartest moves I made. Served me fine for 15 years (only the mower deck bearings started going bad the last few years I owned it), I sold it for $2,500 s few years ago and pay someone to mow it now.

[t500hps]

I've got a 5-6 year old craftsman with no issues.....but every $2000 +/- mover out there is a POS made in one of 2 or 3 factories. Even the John Deere's at that price point are made in the same buildings as the crap MTD mowers, just using different colored parts that day.

[Awaken]

I bought my Toro 14 years ago, the mower deck is showing some signs of rust but overall has been a good investment.

About Sears customer service; My Kitchenaid gas stove was still under warranty from Sears. The digital readout gave a code (instead of the oven temperature) when you turned on the bottom oven. I googled the code and found out that it was the temperature sensor inside the oven. Small part - easy to fix. Call customer service at Sears, they asked me to do a bunch of chit and finally agreed that the code was indeed the sensor. They sent out a technician to repair it - about a week later. Took off work to meet the guy, he was prompt and courteous but just like Poncho said. He had no parts, he had to verify that the code was really what I said it was. He called in for the part. They would mail it directly to my house and then once I received I was to call Sears back to schedule the install. I get the part in another week. Call back Customer service, they can't get a tech to my house for another week and a half. I said "no problem, I can easily access the part and can replace myself". They replied - "if I do, my warranty would be null and void". So I was without my stove and oven for over a month! Hell of a warranty - ugh!

[Mark]

I picked up Deere's new model - X530 last fall. Why did I wait so long?! It's a mack daddy! Plowed the crap out of my 650' long driveway all snowy winter. Wish I could have afforded the X700 series, but this is all I will ever need at this location.

[phragle]

Is it one of the lawsuit lawnmowers??????

[poncho]

Waiting for it to stop raining so can mow. I'm just under 2 acres of lawn area--rest is horse paddocks and barn buildings. Latter leased to race horse rescue, get to have Thorough bred horses without having to take care of them................

Should point out Sears Canada might be a little different over the American stores. Most of the older timers in my neighborhood have older Crafts. The new people mostly large executive homes with some property--yuppies have these pro golf course looking machines that are big money. So went with what people who mow their own lawns use.. Garden service would be an option but pricey out here. Tried offering my neighbors kid cash or see if his friends would be interested, but they are busy playing on their dirt track with bikes and ATVs.

Next time its gonna be a Deere from the local farm equipment dealer who has an in house parts and service department!

[HiZ]

I had always luck with SEARS...no problem and if something failed , very quick exchange on what ever i got there from craftsman !!!!

BTW, my mower is ..o god i don't know how old...maybe year 2000 and its a craftsman..no problems..changed the blades last season and rebuilt the carb....other then that .perfect !!!!!

Sorry about your luck tho..u should talk to the chief there not the indian ?!

I always take my stuff there,, phone people don't know squad !!!!

Got the same set up!
2000 Craftsman GT 22hp Kohler twin!

That is when they made a good machine!
I actually just inherited it. My grandfather purchased a new tractor from them as he had 2 a 2000 and 06. Wanted a new one.
Got the '10 26hp kohler with 54" deck etc!
JUNK!
He is on his second one in a month

First one scalped the lawn and was worthless
Didn't do a great job and he has 2 acres.

Meanwhile, I have his old GT and am loving it when I have to cut now!
Good machines

[CRC]

I bought my MTD at Montgomery Ward for $1,200 and it's been going for at least 12 seasons. I had to replace a broken gear in the differential twice is all and I can still order parts for it. I can't see paying the premium price for a John Deere for home use.

[TurboJoe]

I'm not a tractor fan at all. When I was younger I spent some time working for a landscraper, and it became very apparent there is only one good tool for the job. A professional walk behind or zero turn rider is the only way to go for big lawns. I got lucky and found a 60inch exmark lazer Z used with 1,000 hours on it for $2k. Sounds like a lot for a used mower, but they are 8-9k new now.

I cut ~2.5 acres of lawn in 45 minutes, with perfect lines. The zero turn flies, turns around obstacles easier, and the blade speed is a ton higher than homeowner equipment. The higher blade speed makes the cut look a ton better.

Anyone looking for a mower I recommend looking on craigslist for some used landscape equipment. These mowers are designed to run all day long, 6 days a week, so used is fine for a homeowner if they are in ok shape.

[ImaPoser]

I'm not a tractor fan at all. When I was younger I spent some time working for a landscraper, and it became very apparent there is only one good tool for the job. A professional walk behind or zero turn rider is the only way to go for big lawns. I got lucky and found a 60inch exmark lazer Z used with 1,000 hours on it for $2k. Sounds like a lot for a used mower, but they are 8-9k new now.

I cut ~2.5 acres of lawn in 45 minutes, with perfect lines. The zero turn flies, turns around obstacles easier, and the blade speed is a ton higher than homeowner equipment. The higher blade speed makes the cut look a ton better.

Anyone looking for a mower I recommend looking on craigslist for some used landscape equipment. These mowers are designed to run all day long, 6 days a week, so used is fine for a homeowner if they are in ok shape.

I was told zero turns aren't worth a crap on steep hills, and it sure as heck ain't gonna handle plowing the driveway during the winter.
But that 45 min cut time for 2.5 acres makes me jealous. It takes me almost 2.5 hours to do the same with my tractor. Of course, every inch of it is either up or down hill.

[Birdog]

I was told zero turns aren't worth a crap on steep hills, and it sure as heck ain't gonna handle plowing the driveway during the winter.
But that 45 min cut time for 2.5 acres makes me jealous. It takes me almost 2.5 hours to do the same with my tractor. Of course, every inch of it is either up or down hill.

They will mow any hill a garden tractor will mow {2wd}
I wont give up the ease of mowing to plow snow 2 or 3 times a year
I mow 28-30 times per season. Once you own one...You will never go back !

[Tony]

Depends on the tires and setup of the mower. My Dads first Grasshopper was a 721D Grasshopper with a deck out front configuration we had to put deep lug "tractor style" tires on it to be able to mow the steep banks around his pond. That machine went 2200 hrs. before blowing up becase he forgot to check the oil. His next grasshopper was the mid mount deck configuration and he has no problems with the steep banks with the standard turf tires, that one has over 1k hrs. on it right now without a single problem.

Last summer I picked up a 650 hr. 721D for $4k. I mow close to 4 acres in just unde an hour. Assuming this machine will go 2200 hrs. with anal maintenence. It should have enough life left to mow my yard 1500 times. Assuming I mow once a week from April through October which is a very liberal guess, thats roughly 28 mowings/hrs. per season. Needless to say I wont be needing to buy another mower for a very looooooong time. I'd hate to guess how many $1500 Lowes/HomeDepot mowers I would go through in the same time frame.

[TurboJoe]

I was told zero turns aren't worth a crap on steep hills, and it sure as heck ain't gonna handle plowing the driveway during the winter.
But that 45 min cut time for 2.5 acres makes me jealous. It takes me almost 2.5 hours to do the same with my tractor. Of course, every inch of it is either up or down hill.

My whole lawn is pretty much a hill, no problems.

You are right on the plowing, but there is a much better tool for that job. I have a 9'6 fisher v-plow on my f-350.