Craftsman Tractors -Better Than The Bad Rap?

[bp fick]

I know, I know, whenever someone wants to make a certain point in their conversation on this forum, all too often they allude to a Craftsman as if this was the lowest of mechanical debauchery in all the world. I don't know.

All I know is that I have had this YT4000, with Briggs 18.5 horse and 42" deck for over 4 years, cut an acre of grass every week, and other than a new battery, a spark plug, air filters, and annual autumn oil and filter changes, I have have had nothing ever go wrong. It starts, it runs, it cuts the grass.

Oh, I have had two broken deck lift rods. Quick and Easy to get, mail order direct and easy to install. (although, they are a very weak link). Moral? Don't hit a stump or bang a tree with your deck.

Anyhow, I know person after person likely has their Craftsman horror stories to share, but dang it, this little red job has been a pretty fair unit. No complaints.

 

[biggerten]

I've got a YT4000, love the d*** thing.

Has a 24 HP B&S two cylinder, 42" deck and HST transmission (my first HST). Sold by Sears, manufactured by AYM (Husqvarna).

Man, oh, man, why did I wait so long for an hydrostatic transmission? Zip, zip, zip, back and forth with no shifting and it's fast. It hauls my really big patoot up an incline twice as steep as the printed gauge suggests (no doubt a lawyer was invloved in that).

The twin cylinder is smooth running, cast iron sleeves and a pressurised oil system, but a spare filter from Sears is $14. I'll be looking to cross that filter!

I am very pleased.

 

[Baucom]

I'm glad your Craftsman has served you well. It appears that you maintain it well, and that goes a very long way to making any machine hold up well.

 

[bp fick]

I'm glad your Craftsman has served you well. It appears that you maintain it well, and that goes a very long way to making any machine hold up well.

Aye Captain. Very, very true.

Still, an acre of grass a week is no work for softies. In that regard, no babying it. As for the oil, filters, lubricating and monthly cleaning, yup. Don't they just run better if you do that? I don't know.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

I have a Craftsman GS6500 B&S 24hp - 54" deck, purchased 2006. Clock showed 114 hours a few days ago. As you say, "it starts, it runs, it cuts."

Put in gas, change the oil, grease the zerks, sharpen the blades from time to time, clean out the chaff & dust as needed, wash it occasionally, power wash the underside of the deck annually and yes actually waxed it once.

What more can you ask?

 

[Volfandt]

Used to have GT6000 w/44" cut and I used it to cut two acres a week for 7 seasons. Had to replace the electric PTO when I 1st got it and swap out the starter on the Kohler M18 a few yrs later but nothing else except normal scheduled maintenance items.
Cleaned it up and parked her in the front yard for sale when I bought a SCUT. She sold within a couple days for nearly what I originally gave for it. Probably still keeping on

 

[James Loehr]

I have a 2004 DLT3000 with 18.5 briggs and 42 deck. It's had some hard use and has done some stuff that should have been done with a larger tractor. Three sets of blades and a hydro fan (my mistake) and normal maint. If Craftsman tractors have a problem it has to be Sears.

 

[bp fick]

I have a 2004 DLT3000 with 18.5 briggs and 42 deck. It's had some hard use and has done some stuff that should have been done with a larger tractor. Three sets of blades and a hydro fan (my mistake) and normal maint. If Craftsman tractors have a problem it has to be Sears.

Well, here is my theory, and mind you, only a theory. Sears is but a sales point. That IS a problem. Do they really have trained sales staff? Up and down, I would say, Shrug?. Do they or have they always had a way of standing behind their equipment with service? Does the average Sears customer even feel confident he can get it serviced? And where? Who can they take it to for regular maintenance?

I am not saying that this is THAT much different from buying a lawn/garden tractor from a big box, discount, or "rural" store, and Sears may even be better than those outlets, but you see the issues? When you buy a Deere or other Name Brand, you know where it came from and where to take it for service and so forth.

Now, or so my theory goes, that since Sears sells so dog gone many of these machines, (which are indeed made by the Husqvarna subsidiary, now, while formerly they re-badged some MTDs, I believe) it is just easier to say, "Craftsman are junk", while it MAY be that their actual failure to hours of use ratio is not significantly any worse than a half dozen other name plates.

Given the number of testimonials here, my guess is that these tractor are pretty average or better, especially for the price.

Well, that's my theory anyhow. I don't know.

 

[LostInTheWoods]

Moral? Don't hit a stump or bang a tree with your deck.

I've hit stumps with my Craftsman. Lots of 'em. A few hard enough to stop the tractor and bend the front tires back to one side and jar your teeth at the same time. We built in the woods and on old pasture, and have about two-and-a-half acres to mow. After three years, its starting to shape up. But our Craftsman DYS 4500 (26HP 54" deck) has had zero problems despite being abused up and down hills, into holes and ditches that had been hidden by brush and briars that I really should't have been asking this machine to cut in the first place.

I change the oil and filters every season, which is probably barely adequate maintainance for the hard use. Other than that, no problems with Craftsman in my experience.

 

[Ron D.]

I have a Craftman GT 5000 hydro garden tractor w/48" deck I bought in April 2005 for 1.3 acs. It has been a great machine and has the Kohler Pro 25hp. I just purchased a zero turn because I've added a lot of landscaping, but still have the Craftman, and prior to the ZT used it every week to cut grass in season. My wife uses it constantly to pull a little utility trailer, usually full of dirt, compost or mulch.

The one odd thing I noticed when I first got it was that it turned sharper to the left than the right. I called Sears who sent out a repair guy that said it was normal because it discharges on the right. This really made no sense to me and it appeared that the steering gear at the bottom of the steering shaft wasn't clocked in the middle. I called Sears customer service who said the repair guy was not correct and that it should turn the same both directions. Sears sent me another tractor at my request, and they did so without hesistation. The replacement turned just like the one I sent back, and the steering gear appears to be clocked the same as the firt one. BP Fick has a point that the service people may not be as competent as a Kubota or JD dealership, but the replacement without question was pretty nice.

All I've ever done is service and just did the first blade set replacement. It runs like new and still mows excellent, even though I hung the deck a couple of times, evidently without messing up the aligment. I'm keeping it for a back-up mower and many other uses. I think mine is made by Electrolux according to the Sears person I asked.