Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsAll too familiar Craftsman issues.
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019
I know what everybody says "I had my last Craftsman for 20 years." Yes. 20 years ago Craftsman made a heck of a product. Since then it has been down hill. I spent the spring trying to get my dads 4 year old Craftsman running again. New alternator, new starter, new solenoid, just about everything. With every repair the mower would work for a cut and then something else would go wrong. I was in a situation where I needed a mower quickly, so I bought this. A company named MTD makes Craftsman now and MTD is made by Murray. The tractors you buy at Wal Mart. I assembled my tractor and cut it last week. Went OK. Yesterday (cut number 2 of the tractors life) the seat started spinning while I was cutting! One thumb screw and 2 plastic (of course) spacers hold the seat in place. Without so much as hitting a bump, those plastic spacers sheared clean off. Gone with the wind! I have seen first hand the issues my dad has had getting service on his mowers through "Craftsman" and it is horrible. I blame myself. I knew Craftsman was cr*p and bought it anyway. So no mechanical issues, but just very low quality materials. It feels like it is made of tin. My goal with this tractor was 4 years (which is pathetic). I will be surprised if it lasts half that time. Godspeed to everyone who bought this thing.
As an update, in the past month the belt broke on moderately high grass. The tire fell off the rim. No issues with the tire. Pulled it off, placed it on the rim and re-inflated. The tire falling off was a new one.