Craftsman  54 In. 26hp Turn Tight Hydrostatic Yard Tractor Non CA

We have had a ********** for about 12 years and decided to replace it with this beautiful Craftsman. The first tractor we got did not last long everytime I pulled it out of the garage something fell off. So Sears delivered another one. They backed it off the truck and some botls fell off. We did keep this one and did get to mow with it but hated it. The tractor has a real hard time backing up at times if there is a slight grade. If the ground is level it will back up. It almost seems as if the transmission is weak. Nothing is set up and ready for you to mow. The deck was so out of adjustment it would not float it would just dig into the ground. The deck does not lift very high so a small root will keep you from moving forward. When you call in for service you are connected to someone about 5000 miles away and speaks very broken english, so good luck with that conversation. We have decided to go back to **********.

After much research on riding mowers and trying to decide between a zero turn or a standard tractor I chose this after reading the reviews and also reading the Consumer Reports review, which rated this a ********. The mower has plenty of power to cut thru the grass and also maintain a spirited pace. The yard looks amazing after cutting with this mower. I've read some of the negative reviews and well, if you don't read the manual, you'll be frustrated and leave negative reviews. Will the mower get hung up on uneven yards? Depends, if you have large dips it's possible. This is a 54" mower deck and depending on the angle of the hill, which most likely is too steep to cut away you may get hung up. Also, be sure to adjust the tire PSI once you receive the mower, the tires should be no more than 10 PSI, they ship at nearly 18 PSI. Keep the mower maintained and it should last a long time, I've had mine for 1 month now and use it as the primary mower to cut my 8 acres. :-)

The tractor seemed ideal for our yard. Only about 1 acre of grass to cut, and relatively level and smooth. However, on only the third time out (two weeks after purchase) the drive belt shredded leaving the tractor stranded in the yard. We purchases the additional warranty, so called Sears Home Service. The first available technician appointment was over 1 week out. Still three stars because we have not yet used it enough for a full review, and for the belt to fail this quickly, it may have been installed incorrectly (as delivered by Sears!!). Time will tell. We did notice that the cutting deck rides a little low, as commented in other reviews. Overall, the belt failure has spoiled what should have been a very good value for money product.

I was the proud owner of a late '90s Craftsman riding mower. I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade this season. Big mistake. I went from a 42" 20hp to a 54" 26hp. The first one that was delivered vibrated when the blades were engaged.. much more than my old Craftsman. Sears willingly sent a second mower that was delivered today. This one vibrates even worse than the first one and it makes a metallic rattling noise. I will be returning the second one and hopefully finding a mower (probably not Craftsman) that is at least somewhat decent quality.

I purchased this mower in late January 2013 from a Sears Outlet store. The machine was used with less than 5 hours on the meter. The price was 30% less than the current sale price for a similar new machine at the retail store. Except for some scratches on the hood and a fairly dirty battery that said: ?Charge battery if installed after 08/11?, the machine was like new. So, I bought it. After the machine was delivered, I noticed the bottom of the hood said the machine was powered by a Kohler Courage 26 HP engine. Mine came with a Briggs and Stratton Intek 26 HP engine. I assume the previous owner ran the mower without oil and it had to be replaced. So, while I feel a little uneasy about the history of the machine, I think it will be OK. The grass here has started to grow. The machine cuts very even over groomed ground and powers through slightly uneven ground with half foot tall damp grass also doing a nice job. I have 3 contiguous pieces of property that total 5 acres. I expect this mower will simplify lawn maintenance for me. I have two suggestions for the mower. The lubrication discussion in the manual should suggest that part of winterizing the machine should include removing the rear wheels and greasing the axles. I?ve owned riding mowers in the past where the axle rusted to the wheel arbor and was almost impossible to remove. I?d also suggest an access port above the middle blade mandrel assembly that would allow easy greasing of that assembly. There are also no suggestions in the manual for how often to grease the mandrels. The manual tells you to check the engine section, which says nothing about the mandrels. One final suggestion: I went to Sears to pick up an oil filter for the machine. The clerk told me they could order one for me at twice the retail price. I think this is very poor support for a current selling mower. Basic retail parts, needed from year to year, should be available at the store or be brought in without extra charge. Most modern retail stores have computerized point-of-sale automatic reorder processes that make it easy and inexpensive to serve customer needs.

bought the mower in november so i cant use it till april, but at such a great price i love it!!!

what can I say!!!!! Husband LOVES It! I got to drive it once---

Very difficult to provide positive feedback. Picked up my new mower, had to return to Sears for keys. Tried to start mower with keys - battery died. Replace battery and couldn't get the mower to move or engage blades, safety parts missing from the seat. Lights didn't work, they were disconnected. Plate for the mower height control popped off ? asked Sears to fix, they didn?t, As a yard ornament it looks great and highly recommended. As a usable mower I would have to rate this as extremely poor. Sears Tip: test before customer is told it's READY. Comsumer Tip: have Sears show you it works. 

My tractor developed an alignment issue shortly after I began to use it.  A tech came out to adjust it and didn't use any of the parts that were shipped to me.  It was aligned when he left, but after 2 or 3 uses it was out again.  I didn't have time to address the issue for several weeks.  I made a couple passes around the back yard one fine Sunday afternoon and as I came around a spruce tree, the left front wheel decided to leave the axle.  The end of the axle buried itself in the turf as if it were an American robin looking for a worm for lunch.  I decided to give the machine a lunch break and went inside to have a phone conversation with someone at Sears.  Another tech came out and said he couldn't fix it.  The machine would need to be replaced.  Let's hope the new one keeps it's wheels on.  Perhaps I'll lay out some worms before I mow to make sure it's not hungry.  Cheep!

My yard is an acre.  My new craftsman mower cut my mowing time from 3 hours to 1 hour and

twenty minutes.  The small turning radius and 54 inch cut make mowing a snap.