Craftsman  22HP Kohler 46” Fender Hydro LT2500 Non CA

For the price this is an excellent mower. On the downside the speed is controlled with a hand lever instead of a foot pedal. This takes some time to get used to. The mower does not mow in reverse, but you can disconnect one wire in the back by the speed control to enble reverse mowing.

I have had this mower for about to months now when i first used it I did not think it cut very nice at all. But after reading the owners manuel and finding out how to adjust the deck left to right {mine was out about 21/2 inches} it now cuts great. I am now very happy with this mower.

It has enough power but lacks reverse blade functioning. It is smooth and compatible with the job we have assigned it to do, cut the grass. BEWARE though that if you claim a sears price protection, you will never be paid the difference.

I like this machine is good but a few mods would make it easier to use. The reverse shut down is something that makes the job harder The fender shifter is like trying to figure out a puzzle until you actually have to look at it or keep trying to find the slot. A modification to the shift gate to allow forward to reverse and reverse to forward smooth and effortlessly. A switch to over ride the seat shut down safety would be nice for ramp loading so you could safely stand next to the ramps with out having to be on the tractor I know you could press down on the seat but not having to do so would be safer.. Not recommending these mods but my life is easier.. I mean would be easier.

Generally a good buy. Just bothered by some easily avoidable limitations. The oil dipstick is a flimsy plastic part that use O-rings to seal (like those are going to last!). The manuals (both engine and mower) lack specificity on whether the model has of has not an air prefilter. Diagrams are weak/terrible. The drive belt requires professional service to repair (so don't expect to slap-on a spare to get going again). The mower belt requires tools to replace. The oil drain plug is plastic and requires an extender tube (why not make the thing 2" longer, and metal, and simply allow draining into a pan without the ridiculous need for a plastic extender tube?). The transmission "bypass rod" spring clip assembly is laughable and a dumb design.... need to monkey with that thing anytime you need to roll the tractor, like everytime you roll it in/out of a storage shed. Headlights stay 'on' ALL THE TIME engine is running.... so they are on 99% of time when they are not needed. ....more

Just bought this mower and it is fantastic. Would like to purchase some accessories but it seems Craftsman doesn't sell any. Wow a company that doesn't upsell? Crazy.

Have only mowed twice, but I'm very impressed with this mower. Coming from a 2001 LT1000 hydrostatic 42'', it's a huge upgrade. You can cut at full speed (though top speed isn't that fast), all the controls are smooth, engine always fires right up and runs smooth and is not too loud. Not being able to mow in reverse is as simple as pulling the yellow wire underneath the speed control lever. I'm not a huge fan of the speed control lever being on the left side, but that just may take some getting used too. Also, my other gripe is that the deck needs more/better height options. You would never need to cut lower than level 3, any lower and you'd be burning the grass severly. I use level 4 for my yard. So levels 1 and 2 are totally worthless, I wish it had higher levels so the deck would raise up higher and have more clearance when not in use. I took away 1 star for these issues, meaning the tractor is still a good deal for the money. It's the cheapest hydrostatic tractor I found.

I used this mower once so far on my 1 acre lawn.. This really made the lawn look great, no rows of grass looking like a hay field like my 21 year old mower did.. Just a beautiful flat green yard.. If this mower holds up well, I will be a very satisfied customer with this purchase.. I really love the way it cuts the grass, lots of power from the Kohler 22HP engine, etc..

This mower is a great value. The motor has pleny of power to cut grass cleanly with one pass even at high speeds. It doesn't have some of the features other mowers offer but that's the tradeoff for this much power and a deck this wide at this price point. The hydrostatic transmission took a little getting used to but works really well once you're used to it, and the turning radius is better than I expected. Clearly the biggest drawback to this mower is the automatic shutoff feature when you try to put the mower in reverse with the blades running. I back up a lot when I mow in some of the tighter areas of my yard so this would have been a huge issue for me, but it only takes about 5 seconds to disable this feature. If you look under the seat you'll see a little wire that comes up from the fender and clips to the seat. Slide the wire out of the clip, and you've eliminated this mower's only significant flaw. Would definitely buy again.

really like the mower it is easy to drive and seems to get around my yard better than my old mower. My wife cant drive it she is too short to depress the brake all the way. One of the head lights was out from the store and the deck height adjustment is a little hard to operate so it will be difficult for my wife is she needs to run.