Craftsman life span

[frank_f15]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( He uses it to mow around 10 acres of lawn . It seems like he runs that thing 4-6 hrs a day 4-5 days a week during the summer . )</font>

now that is what i call using a GT /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif don't u think that u might be inclined to talk him into something a bit larger? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif i love driving my tractors but 10 acres with a 50 in deck? lots of seat time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ezzy]

Good luck with your Craftsman. Every craftsman item I own or have owned never treated me with the respect i gave them. I personally am through with all craftsman products, they have been nothin but trouble to me

 

[NIXON]

Ezzy
In some ways I agree with you . I have a craftsman rider that I love to hate .( i bought the cheaper end of the riding mowers ) But my brother in law has one that's been bullet proof . I think their hand tools are very solid as well . Mind you they aren't in the same class as say Snap on , but neither is the price . So I guess it's down to" buy cheap, pay twice" .
I do pole barns for a living . I use Bosch , milwaukee tools to do it . But at home for occasional use (home owner ) craftsman tools work fine . JMHO John

 

[jpr62902]

Ezzy, I agree with you. Both Craftsmans I've had have been woefully underpowered to cut/mulch/bag my thick Kentucky 31 lawn, and they just weren't that structurally substantial. Mind you, I never had any engine problems, but they did start to develop electrical problems within only 2 years, and I think the design of the 42" "EZ" deck is pretty poor. Craftsman's idea of a mulching deck is a covered discharge chute with slightly different blades -- no baffles to enhance mulching and blade design that is lacking. The bagger attachment continually clogs and broke in several places such that I had to bungee cord it together. The snow blade I had was also of very little use since the tractor was too light to push snow deeper than 2 -- 3". I also have a front mount dethatcher that makes the tractor nearly unmaneuverable since it digs in and lifts the front wheels off of the ground.

That said, the old saying, "You get what you pay for," rings loud and true here. I understand that many people have had lots of success with their Craftsmans and that's great -- for them. I, on the other hand, have experienced very little success with mine, coupled with a great deal of frustration. They should, underneath it all, design and sell attachments that work, or not sell them at all.

The bright side is, Craftsman finally convinced me to cough up the $$$ (over 10x as much) for my Kubota and I have never looked back. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Actually, I HAVE a 1977 John Deere 68 and a 1989 John Deere RX 72 Riding Mower . The engines are on the back and they have pressed steel front ends. They have both been used commercially and are both going as strong as the day the were rolled out of Horicon Works. THAT's dependability!!!

 

[normde2001]

Seems to me that everyone is talking about how hard and long they work their tractor/mower/whatever and missing the point of the original post, which was "Is it true that I shouldn't ride it around with out a reason?" To that, I would have to say, yes it is true, no more than I would let it sit and idle for hours because I like the way it sounds.l

 

[JJT]

Norm, The title of the post was "Craftsman life span". It sounded to me like the poster wanted some real life data on craftsman lawn tractors.

 

[ezzy]

you are right I loved it when it ran, but I have too much to mow here for it to last and I just didnt have the time to take care of it the way I would have liked. I move out here from a small town but still basically a city so I am still on a learning process here, and thanks to everyone here on the TBN it is really starting to come around

 

[ezzy]

I know what you mean I just bought my first tractor, an old 8n and so far I am loving it

 

[JDgreen227]

Wow...I didn't realize JD made rear engine riders THAT long ago. I've got an '89 318 garden tractor that has close to 1400 very hard hours on it. No way would a Craftsman rear engine rider last as long as your JD's have. GREEN RULES. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[rmonio]

I have to agree with Cerberus. Before I bought my JD4600, I had been using a Craftsman 23HP garden tractor with the 52' deck to cut my lawn and other assorted parts of my acreage. I have driven MANY hours on it, replaced some parts on the mower deck, change filters/oil/etc. - and it still runs very well. We still use it for finishing areas, my dad does touchup cutting in the pasture, etc. - and I even used it to blow snow early on. It still runs great and has no problems - even with everything it has been through. Your neighbor is definately off a bit on his expectations...

-Bob

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

I had an old hand-me-down John Deere 56 before that. It had a parking stand on it so you could stand it on it's hind end in the garage for the winter. It came with a 5 HP Tecumseh and a 2-speed trans. I remember my brother getting it new in the early 70's. I think John Deere's only fault is that they make their stuff so reliable that people keep them forever!!!

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

OK. To stay ON topic, my Dad had a 1972 or 1973 Sears 12 HP Suburban that he just retired because it finally died. I'd say 32 years is a pretty good lifespan heh? He hauled wood out with it and used it for fencing down back where you couldn't get with the bagger farm tractors. Ride that thing!

 

[BrokerBob]

It seems to me that the "how long will it last" question seems to pop up on a regular basis. Admittedly, I ask myself the same question with regard to a wide range of products which I have bought or I am about to purchase.

I owned a Craftsman for about seven years. I ended up buying a Kubota BX1800 simply because I fell in love with it. The Craftsman was in excellent shape and did not need to be replaced. I just gave it to a good friend. It continues to run well.

Like others on this forum, I consider myself mechanically "handy". Although there are plenty of people out there who will badmouth Craftsman after having traded up to Orange, Green or Blue; I think it represents one of the very best values on the market.

Craftsman units are easy to service. Parts are almost instantly available at very reasonable prices. Everything can be replaced, including the engine. My own view is that if well-cared for, the unit should practically last forever!!! Furthermore, just driving around places no load or strain on the unit. Go ahead and enjoy. Anyone who tells you not to use it because "you will wear it out" is probably revealing an inability to properly maintain power equipment.

My two cents.

BrokerBob

 

[cowsgomoo272]

glad to hear that riding it for fun every now and then wont hurt /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif has any one used it to plow snow? i was thinking about getting a snow blade for it, and some weights and chains. but i'm wondering just how well it would work for plowing.

 

[spencer200]

Well you know since its a Sears Craftsman I would think it would be covered by that famous Craftsman guaranty. If anything happens just bring it back for full refund or replacement!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[frank_f15]

how well would it do plowing snow? depends on how much snow u are talking about! never tried my craftsman for snow plowing. it is stricky a summer machine , for me, don't think it could handel more than a few inches and around here it just would not do the job. don't think it would handel something like this. see attachment

 

[byax65]

I bought a Craftsman 18hp garden tractor in '90, only ever used it for mowing, sold it to my dad in'97, he's never had to do a thing to it and it still runs/cuts fine.

My dad bought a Sears 7hp tractor in '66, my youngest brother still owns it today. Of course, the motor has been swapped out/upgraded a few times since. But my dad did some serious grading with that tractor for years. It didn't hurt that he was a tool and die worker and replaced cast iron parts with steel ones along the way. He now owns a Steiner which runs like a mini-bulldozer, it's amazing what he can do with that thing, but again, he replaced alot of parts with improved ones he made at work. He built a post hole digger for it, a hydraulic lift, a foot pedal for the hydro trans, took the hyd. off the blade and put some steel supports on in place for dozer work. He also uses his stumper attachment a lot on it. All in all a pretty tough little tractor.