Craftsman  46'' 22hp Kohler Powered Turn Tight™ Hydrostatic Yard Tractor Non CA

I purchased this tractor to replace a Cub Cadet LTX 1046M, with the same 22hp Kohler engine, 46in cutting deck, and hydrostatic drive. Right away the Craftman feels slower. Both claim 5.2mph forward, but the Cub actually seems to get there. Secondly, the Craftsman does not have a 6in turning radius, around small trees I'm getting more like 9-12, only marginally better than the Cub, which is rated at 12in, but actually delivers. Also, it only has 6 deck height settings; the Cub has 12. Lastly, the Cub gave a much cleaner cut either at top speed, or through thick growth. I can't drive the Craftsman at full speed while mowing, and through thick grass it really gets bogged down. The Craftsman blade engagement is much smoother; the Cub had a noticeable squink sound and seemed to "slam"; but the lever at the top of the dash makes steering at the same time cumbersome. All in all a decent tractor, but for similar or less money I'd rather have my old Cub back.

This is one of the best machines available right now. Feel the edge under the fender - rolled steel. Check out the hose to change the oil - great! Kohler engine is plenty of power for mowing and hauling, if you snow-blow get the 24HP twin. Great investment, don't go cheap and replace it three times in this ones lifespan!

The tires are CHEAP, THIN, and very easily cut... Make sure you only use this mower on immaculate sod. Any sticks or stuff like that will easily puncture the tread or cut the sidewall (it happened to me on my third cutting). The deck height adjustment lever stop assembly is extremely fragile. It can come loose from the fender very easily. Use extreme care when changing deck height, or you could end up waiting a FULL MONTH for warranty service (like me). The steering wheel has a cheap feel to it... It's not solid plastic, but hollow. The manufacturer saved probably 15 cents on plastic, but the mower's driving pleasure is drastically affected. The jury's out on whether the steering wheel will hold up for any length of time. On a positive note, the "tight-turn" steering is awesome! It's the next best thing to a zero-radius mower's turning ability. You can easily cut around an average-sized tree without backing up.

only real problem is even though a kind of hydrostatic trans , you cannot backup with blades engaged

Other then a minor problem where the ignition switch had to be replaced directly after deliver, this is the best Craftsman yard tractor I've owned (I've had 5).

I had to laugh reading the review that said the tractor goes no faster with the blade off than on. Duh!! It's hydrostatic, it goes off of engine RPM!! Some people amaze me. That being said, I've owned this tractor for right at one year. I've put about 23 hours on it, as I installed an hour meter. The only problem I've had with it is it broke the flush port on the deck 3 times. Each time I had to call Sears and they sent me a new one free, but good grief. Now that its out of warranty, the next one is on me. Other than that, I love it. The true turning radius is about 12 inches or so, but still, that's very tight. The "cruise control" works ok, nothing great there. Engine has plenty of power for a big 22hp single cylinder. I will say that if you google "Kohler Courage engine trouble" you will get an abundant supply of links. It seems the Courage line of engines is the cheap, bottom of the line version of the Command line. It was plagued with problems when it came out, but it seems a lot better now. I've never had an issue, but if you want to check your engine, pull the plastic cover off and check all bolts holding the engine case together. These seem to want to vibrate out. It seems a bunch of these came off the line without these bolts properly torqued. These failures on other engines were happening between 10-30 hours, so check it soon. If you fail to check it and bolts come loose, the weird stresses put on the engine bolt areas of the case will result in the cases cracking and the engine destroying itself. Checking bolts is really easy to do. 

This tractor is simply great! Have about 10hrs on this machine over a 3 week period and have nothing but good things to say. Starts everytime time, cuts grass with ease, pulls carts... meets all my needs. Added hour meter and 3 bin bagger to this unit - making things even better.

I bought this mower for my son for graduation. He has used it several times and absolutlely loves it. He and his girlfriend can both mow like pros. He has 1.5 acres and a ton of trees, bushes and fences and enjoys the tight turn feature. I rode it around and mowed his front yard the other day and at this point would highly recommend to anyone who loves craftsman quality.

It rides and cuts very smooth! The seat has good back support.(for those who have a back problem) I also like not shifting gears. Just use your foot to adjust your speed, also to go in reverse.

I purchased a Craftsman riding mower with a 20 hp Kohler engine and hydrostatic drive 10 years ago. My lawn is about 1/2 acre. I also have used it for other mowing areas. I've changed the oil 3 times, Changed the fuel filter one time. I've changed the blades 3 times. I have replaced the battery one time. All of these maintenance items are very easy to do. I have never replaced the blade. The deck is getting some wear - especially wheels. I have had NO problems and have been very pleased with the performance of the mower. We had one small issue when my wife first tried to operate the mower - she was not heavy enough to make the seat go down far enough to meet the safety switch contact. She finally learned to sit back to keep the kill switch off. Pretty funny at the time. Great buy!