Craftsman DLT 2000 a hazard

[Kodiak]

I have an 11 month old Craftsman DLT2000, hydro, with the 25HP Briggs and Stratton. In the 11 months that we have had it, it has been down for repairs for 4 months. Five times the Techs have had to come out because the combination brake, clutch/ bypass linkage refused to release, (replaced all linkage components twice). And the coupe de grace occurred last month when the grass that builds up on top of the deck was set on fire by the electric blade clutch (PTO), that was running to hot. Luckily I was right by a garden hose when this happened, and the only real damage was some burnt wiring. This is a mower that is cleaned off with compressed air and kept in the shop, after each use. It appears that that the front anti scalping roller and the new style front tires are throwing way to much grass clipping up on the deck.

Is any body else out there having similar problems on the DLT 2000 models?

I am really angry with Sears, and have tried to return it for a refund. But so far All I'm getting is a lot of double talk. We have @ $2500 tied up in this machine. That has proven itself to unreliable to trust.

 

[BKColeman]

I've had the same mower for a little over a year. I haven't had any problems out of it. I think it has right at 90 hours and I must say they are hard hours. I used it almost like a brush hog last summer when I didn't have a tractor, keeping about 8 acres mowed. Now my wife now uses it right around the house while I mow w/ the tractor. It still is mowing about 2 acres at least once a week.

I will agree with it throwing tons of grass on top of the deck. It amazes me how much gets up there. It's hard to get off too because of the plastic shields.

I have had a problem w/ mud building up under it to the point the blades won't spin. I have some bare areas around the new house and when the grass is the least bit wet, the moisture and dirt mixes to form mud. I clean it off bare after every use, but sometimes it packs up before I can even finish the yard to the point I have to stop and clean it. But I've always contributed that to the yard and not the mower.

Overall I'm very happy with it. I went in to buy the 20hp Kohler version and had it on order for weeks. When they called the 3rd time to tell me it was going to be later still, I pitched a fit and they got me the 25 hp in about a week later for the same price.

Sorry to hear you've had so much trouble with yours. I have always had good luck with taking stuff back to Sears. A friend of mine took back his tiller not long ago and it was more than a year old. It had been in twice for warranty work and on the third time he said he wanted to return it. No problems from them and he ended buying another from there.

--Brad

 

[pajoube]

Kodiak,
Sorry to hear of your troubles, this is not a common problem with the DLT series. Did you buy the maintenance agreement? They have a three time repair in one year policy for new product.
I agree that you have to keep the upper deck very clean.
PJ

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>I will agree with it throwing tons of grass on top of the deck</font color=blue>

I've just got the LTX1000 (21.5hp Briggs) and it, too, gets an unbelievable amount of grass on top of the deck, but no problems with it at all so far and it's always been pretty easy to clean off with the 3' nozzle on the air hose.

 

[Gerryma]

Pajoube,
What do you mean bt a three time repair policy on a new product? thanks Gerry

 

[pajoube]

Gerry,
My understanding is that if your unit is in for repair three times or more in a 12 month period they will replace it with like product. The customer has to request this otherwise they will continue to repair.
PJ

 

[Booth]

I have the exact same model. It does throw a lot of grass onto the deck, but I have not had it catch fire. I'll be more careful to keep it clear in the future. I have not had any other problems with the machine at all.

But if I was in your position I would be pretty pissed at Sears.

Actually I really like the DLT2000 a lot. The foot pedals make it soooo easy to drive. My property is pretty hilly and it feels very stable to me. The salesman at Sears tried to sell me a garden tractor for the same price but I prefer the lower cg and tighter turning radius of this machine. And it has enough power to mow uphill through thick grass at top speed.

I recently bought a larger tractor for more serious work (Kubota B2150 HST). But I don't think I'll buy a mower for the 2150 because I have the DLT2000 and I only have 1.5 acres of very hilly grass.

 

[Kodiak]

Hello Booth:

Well after 7 weeks of bickering with Sears. The local Sears store called up and said your new one is here when can we come out to deliver and pickup the old one. As I mentioned before I really wanted a refund, so I could puchase a different brand. But this was their take it or leave it solution. So now its siiting in the shop with 0hrs on it, and I'm negotiating with the Cub Cadet Dealer on a trade.

 

[Earnsfan]

Sounds like that you had a great deal of problems with the mower but at least Sears did the right thing in the end. I dont know of to many compainies that would just refund the money so a new machine is a huge win for you.
Mike

 

[Bob_in_Ma]

The DLT2000 reverse/brake/tranny lock-up problem is common and well documented.

 

[lieutenant]

I have a 2002 DLT 2000 I also have been somewhat disappointed. Mostly though with the front end.I have replaced the spindles once and now I need to replace the front wheels. Even with greese, it seems as though the design of the wheel leaves something to be desired. The wheels have worn away due to an inadequate fit on the spindles. It should have some type of bushing within the wheel for a smoother roll. Greese it a lot if you have one.

 

[lens]

I just purchased a dlt2000 used. The tractor is basically in good running condition but it would not go into drive. The former owner said it just suddenly would not shift into drive but reverse worked fine. We backed it onto my trailer and when I got it home I could not get it to free wheel so I could roll it off the trailer. We ended up scooting it and now it will not go into reverse either. It just seems locked up. Just makes a grinding sound when I release the clutch/brake (it did not do that before). I have heard about the brake/clutch mechanism binding up and thought I would start there. Any ideas you might have would be a great help. Especially if this all sounds too familiar.
Thanks

 

[greenmule]

Well,hope you got a real good deal on it.

 

[LBrown59]

I just purchased a dlt2000 used. The tractor is basically in good running condition but it would not go into drive. The former owner said it just suddenly would not shift into drive but reverse worked fine. We backed it onto my trailer and when I got it home I could not get it to free wheel so I could roll it off the trailer. We ended up scooting it and now it will not go into reverse either. It just seems locked up. Just makes a grinding sound when I release the clutch/brake (it did not do that before). I have heard about the brake/clutch mechanism binding up and thought I would start there. Any ideas you might have would be a great help. Especially if this all sounds too familiar.
Thanks

Why did you buy it when you knew it had this problem?

 

[Scooby074]

Im not 100% familiar with the Dlt2000, but some of the hydros have a freewheel engagement lever near the trailer hitch. Might be worth a look to check its position.

The break/clutch can sieze up on them too. I fixed my neighbors by lubing the linkages. Check the simple things first. I've read on other forums that some of the hydrostatic systems on the sears mowers were well known for failure. Give a search for your machine and see what comes up. I believe your machine has a "hydro-gear" brand tranny.