Craftsman  50/54'' Cut Three Bin Bagger

This bagger was with the tractor was delivered on 8 September and is very impressive. I have only used twice but can tell you that it Cuts great. I wanted to provide this review relatively soon, to dispel some negative reviews that concerned me as well concerning the 3 bin bagger. Contrary to some other reviews, I was able to install the bagger with a tight fit and it works perfectly even in relatively tall grass. It came installed with high lift blades. It will clog in wet tall grass, but so will every bagger. I almost returned the 50" tractor based on some negative reviews about the 3 bin bagger. As a precaution, I actually order the 46" version for future delivery while I tested the 50". I just cancelled the 46" that was on order as the triple bagger on the 50" works just great! Even on a week?s worth of growth approx. 2-3 inches (so long as it is not wet from recent rain or dew). It fills/over fills the far two soft bins before starting to really fill the closet third. Without CLOGGING! Best time to discard clippings is when the closest bin is half full. I just hand spread the excess on the first 2 bins into the third and I have 3 full bins to empty. At first, I understood the negative comments, but after reading the instructions (which were challenging) I installed the adaptor frame and the deck baffler just fine and was able to ply the top of the bagger hose end over the deck adaptor frame and it fits snug with no appreciable gaps. Most importantly it works like a charm. I am glad that it works as I really wanted a 3 bin bagger and the few extra inches from the 50" over the 46". I highly recommend. You just have to work hard at following the instructions and then be willing to ply the top of the blow molded plastic hose connector upward to fit over the adaptor frame attached to the mower deck. It may sound complex but really simple now that I have done it (and my wife will tell you I have no patience or natural ability to fix things).

This bagger was installed on a 50" cutting deck of the Craftsman Professional Lawn Tractor with 26 HP B&S motor.  The bagger did not properly fit the mower and would quickly plug the tubing.  For the brief period that the bagger did work, all of the grass went into only one bin.  This one bin never got more than half filled each time I unclogged the bagger and restarted the process.  On a 1/2 acre lot, I unplugged the bagger eight (8) times before I just decided to just cut the grass as a mulcher.

This mower and bagger both will be returned.  It is very frustrating dealing with the delivery department of Sears.

I currently own a Craftsman PGT9000 to mow approximately 1.5 acres of hilly vineyard. This is the second season for the tractor and so far it's been excellent. I recently bought a three bin bagger (Model No. 247.24020) hoping to avoid significant effort clearing the site of clippings (I have to mow at least three time each season with the grasses reaching over 2 feet if I miss a mowing). At this point I'm very disappointed with this attachment. If the grass has any moisture content at all (and when doesn't grass have moisture content?), the Discharge Chute becomes clogged after a few feet rendering the bagging assembly useless. To help remedy the situation, I've taken to mowing with mulching blades without the bagger assembly, waiting 2-3 days for the cuttings to dry, and then making a second pass with the bagger in place to vacuum up the cuttings. Even so, I still spend more time disassembling the clogging chute and manually dumping the stuck cuttings into the bags, than I do riding the mower. I'd give this product a rating of zero (0) except for the fact that the above process is still easier than manually raking and bagging the property. Sears should be ashamed to have put the Craftsman name on this product. I believe it and possibly the cutting deck need a total redesign by competent aeronautical engineers to make the bagger more than a three-bin clipping caddie.