Craftsman  Garden Tractor Snow and Dozer Blade 16 in. High

I didn't see a lot of reviews here on how well it works in dirt so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've discovered the key to successfully using this in dirt, even heavy dirt is all about pushing power and traction. I've got the GT6000 garden tractor with the optional wheel weights, rear hitch weight, and chains and I was surprised at how well it worked. When the blade hits a root or deeply embedded rock it will flex 90 degrees flat using the blade springs it is designed to engage so parts don't break or bend. Getting it to dig into heavy/hard packed ground requires some patience. It does not have the weight and traction of a bobcat so you have to skim off a little at a time. If traction is an issue, you may need to back up and use a bit of momentum to accomplish the task. I also have a tow behind rototiller to break up sod and loosen hardpack and this works well to level it out.

Easy to put together, but even with weights and chains does not do the job. If the snow is deep or heavy or you have a long way to push, you will get stuck. I would not buy. I give it 2 stars instead of 1 because it is well built, and easy to put together but just does not do the heavy job.

not much i would change, assembly instructions could be better. had no snow but works great for pushing over gopher hills and in the garden moving dirt, mulch, compost ect. traction with tractor being limiting factor. mounted to 2011 GT6000 hydro. added AG tires in filled with RV antifreeze helps also

High quality construction, instructions were complete, this product works great.

Although it took a couple hours to put together it wasn't all that bad. the instructions were clear and concise. The only real negative feature I found was the blade lift handle. I have an older tractor and I have to push it almost to the foot plate to get it to lock in the up position. I'm not sure if that is how it works on the newer tractors but on my it's a real pain. I also was missing a couple of parts but a quick call to the manufacture list on the front of the instruction took care of that.

I primarily bought this to push snow this winter. I also purchased the 55# wheel weights for the back wheels, and I already had the tire chains. I installed it all this past weekend and was quite pleased. It took a good 3 hours to install, since the blade had to be completely assembled to the mounting bracket and all of the levers and everything, but the instructions were fairly simple to follow, and I would rate it about a 2 out 5 on a difficulty scale to install. I didn't have any snow fall yet so I thought I would try it out on some dirt. I was surprised to see that the blade was actually able to skim the top of packed soil, and no damage at all to the blade. I also ran it into a hidden stump as well, and couldn't believe it, no damage. I don't expect it to do much in the way of grading work since my tractor probably doesn't have the weight or power to push much dirt, but I think the blade will hold up to whatever my 26HP garden tractor will put it through. The angle arm takes a little bit to get used to in order to maneuver the blade into the right angle, but the lifting arm is no problem at all. The levers are easy to activate will very little effort. I have no complaints yet with this item.

I bought my tractor with two tasks in mind:

1) Cut Grass in spring & summer.

2) Clean snow from my driveway in winter.

I wasn't too happy with the tractor's snow cleaning performance without the tire chains, I was beating the tractor to death to move 4 inches of snow which in NH isn't a lot.

I picked up the tire chains and It works great! I have the 24hp v-twin motor on the 2010 YTS4000 model.  With the chains the tractor does an excellent job of moving as much as 8-10 inches of snow.  I'm a medium sized man (220 lbs) and I do not own the wheel weights.  This winter I intend on removing the mowing deck before the white stuff starts to fall as it got in the way last year.  Like everything there is some trial and error but I was very impressed with the tractor's overall performance.  Good job Sears!

For general clean up its great. As a grader your better off just to rent one. The blade bounces over the ground. However, I'm thinking about setting up an eletric lift kit to put some downward pressure on it. I use it alot in the fall to clear fallen branches and heavy piles of leaves.. For gravel work, no can do.

I have a couple of older versions of these I use on my garden tractors.  The type I have attach to the front of the tractor and about halfway underneath where the lift linkage is.  I use them to push tree tops into burn piles after cutting down trees, grading loose soil, pushing the shavings back into stump holes after grinding, and snow if it ever falls deep enough.  I don't like the way they bounce out of the hooks at the front of the frame.  It's cheaper to rent a skid steer.

I don't know why Sears makes it so difficult to go from plow to snow blower to mower and back. Each attachment makes it a long and complicated process to do. The blade is hard to keep lifting and lowering, as well as swinging from side to side. I've had to replace multiple shear pins and mounting bolts that either break or come loose and fall off during use. The mechanism that locks the blade in one of three positions I've had to remove at least three times this winter to hammer straight again as the two plates bend easily. The spring on it has broken and needed to be replaced with one that didn't rub against the other parts enough to wear clean through. The skid shoes wear out every winter also. I still have to use a bungee cord to hold the engine lid down so everytime I hit the snow it doesn't go flying forward, There should be a latch mechanism for that.