Craftsman  54'' 26hp V-Twin Kohler Turn Tight™ Hydrostatic Yard Tractor Non CA

I just purchased this tractor, and I loved it after the first use. The second time I used it, it stopped and it would not move. the engine will run but it will not move. I checked everything they asked me to check but they have to send someone out to fix it. Now I have to wait a week for that to happen and I need the grass cut now.

I have had this mower for all of one mowing season and the second season is just about ready to start. I am currently looking for a better mower to mow my yard because this one is not performing well at all. Even though I have followed the manual and purged the transmission as was stated, the mower makes a loud growling sound when going up hill and barely has enough power to pull itself. I have replaced the drive belt which wasn't cheap and to no advantage. I have used craftsman mowers for many years (since 1990) and have not had the problems that this particular mower gives me. The first craftsman mower that I had was of much better quality. I expected it to be as great as the first one and for the money I really was expecting a lot more. I really wanted this to be a great mower, but it's not. The only thing I like about this mower is the tight turning radius. That being said. Sorry Sears this is not a good value for the money.

The mower belt broke within the first 5 days; the nuts holding the belt on had been stripped; the cast aluminum rotor for the mower blade broke twice within the first year -- and no, I do not mow rocks. The nuts holding the blades on were subsequently stripped by the Sears repair guy. The mower deck has gone crooked -- and no, I do not step on it. And now the front wheel has fallen off. Only the mower belt repair was covered by warranty. The rest? Out of my pocket. And the tractor is not yet 1 1/2 years old. And let me tell you about the tires on the pull behind cart.... replaced twice, and finally gave up and bought a different brand altogether. And the pull behind spreader? Parts were bent and so never would line up to function properly. This is the worst example of cheap manufacturing I've seen in a long time, and as Sears seems to think this kind of shoddy construction is okay, I simply won't buy anything from Sears again.

we are on our 2nd tractor from Sears. The first one did not stay started and continued to backfie while mowing. The second tractor now does not start each time. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesnt. we are having service people come. Not satisfied!!!

I have close to 2 acres and have some real thick grass in areas, and wanted something with a big deck and plenty of power to take care of a good sized yard in a good amount of time without paying an arm and a leg. This is my 1st tractor purchase and stepping up from a 22" Craftsman self propelled mower was a great step. This tractor has plenty of power and a good cutting path. I have had no problems with traction as I have read on other's reviews, the tired come over inflated from the factory and I let out a little more than what is the max tire pressure and it works great, and my yard is not the smoothest thing in the world. Really like the pedal drive and the ability to mow in reverse. So far it is a great product and would reccomend this to anyone!!

good lawn mower, tight turns, but not like you would get on a zero turn. fast mowing on straight shots. the pedals are a little hard to push, especially in reverse. we've had for a year and would recommend this mower. we are very happy and it has cut our mowing time in half, we mow 4 acres

I bought the Craftsman garden tractor in Calif. Mar. 3rd 2009.  I have taken good care to keep running and kept it garaged, It now has only 60 hrs on the Kohler engine, last week it went to the repair shop, It is about 7 months out of warrenty. they replaced fuel pump,  and re-set the carb ( no help) the engine would start but would not rev, ran very slow ( no power then it would die) then they took off the valve cover to see what was happing and found three valve push rods  badly bent, next the  heads come off to see what is going on. They say that if only valves are stuck maybe $300-$400 bill. might have to replace engine if all looks bad. I won't buy another Sears  / Kohler tractor this one was my second. first one the magnito went out at two years plus alot of gas in engine oil  a couple of times due to sticking carb float. ( not old gas) just bad float. As soon as I get it back from shop( if I do) It will go up for sale to try to re gain repair money I will still lose after paying $2164.87 for it. I will probably lose $ 1500.00 easy Good bye SEARS

Quality is gone for Sears Tractors....

The whole process was an unpleasant experience from start to finish. The clerk had trouble ringing up the sale and it took several times. The delivery time took almost 2 weeks from time of purchase. Once received the mower lasted approximately 10 minutes before the belts which engage the blades came off. It took nearly 20 minutes to convince the store manager I was not happy with the product and wanted it picked up. Once again it took nearly 2 weeks to get it picked up and out of my garage. As of this date I still haven't received notice of credit on my Sears credit card that the product has been returned. As soon as I do receive notification I will cancel my Sears credit card as I will have no further use for it. Needless to say I am not a fan of the Sears experience. Michael E McKenzie LtCol USMC Ret

I bought this mower back in June 2011, after using a 42 inch mower (Sears, non-hydrostatic drive).  The 54 inch deck gets the lawn done faster, but I've noticed a few things that are more than annoying. 1) The drive belt for the deck was not installed correctly, and was in the process of being torn up/apart by the deck pullies before I figured out what was wrong - and corrected it. 2) Unless your lawn is golf-course smooth, you are going to have problems with traction, and possibly get stuck.  If you used a different mower previously, you may have to re-think how you cut your lawn to accomodate the traction issue. 3) It is possible to get hung up when the deck goes over a bump.  The deck doesn't have enough room to move up to accomodate the bump (bumps are not large). 4) Turning on hills can be a problem with respect to traction. 5) Tight turning is nice, but the front tires can tear up the lawn pretty easily. 6) The mower deck does not appear to be capable of functioning in all of the available positions.

In general, the mower gets the lawn done faster, but it has some reasonably significant shortcomings.

Order number: 237928406 - I would welcome someone from Sears or the original manufacturer to come cut some, or all, of my lawn to experience what I'm talking about.  My lawn isn't perfect, but that may prove to be the best test.

I bought this one in Oct of 2011 for aprox $2100 after tax a good price for a tractor this size. I like the 54" deck and the 26 HP motor gives it enough power to mow wide open. I like the step through frame design makes it easier to get off and on.The cruise control is a plus for freeing up your feet on open lawn mowing.  I Like the feature that lets you back up with the blades engaged. For a yard with things to mow around the tight turn  design is great.

The traction on steep inclines is lacking and you need to go slow around tight obstacals in the yard. The hood bouncing can be solved with stick on velcro. I do wish they wouldnt put the saftey feature in the seat its a pain sometimes.

The machine looks like it will be moderate to work on will find out in a few years. It appears to be built good and out of good materials. The Sears salesman looked it up and this machine is built by Husqvarna for sears, so it should last.

If you want to get over a yard an acre or more prettty quick Id recommend this machine.