Craftsman mowers?

[buck91]

Does anybody have any experience with the newer craftsman walk behind mowers? Looking to replace our old, under powered lawn boy and I'm seeing this craftsman M355 With a fairly reasonable price and a pretty good size engine that I find quite tempting. My only hesitation is that I've heard people have had issues in the past sourcing parts for repairs on these mowers down the road, is that a frequent issue?

 

[skyactiv]

I'm thinking that mower sucks. The drive system, the 23" blade makes for a heavier mower making it suck to maneuver. Another factor people don't think of is the time spent pulling the mower backwards. It's not self propelled going backwards unless you have the rare Toro. I think the Craftsman is a bad long term value compared to a more expensive Honda which you'd like. I would get a Toro Personal Pace with a 22" blade before the Craftsman. Honda has a 200 CC engine on some of the newest models. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Honda-2...Select-Drive-Control-HRX217VKA/304811171

 

[Throt]

God forbid anyone in this country have to exert themselves. So lazy. Referencing the power reverse, that is.

 

[benjy]

Craftsman aka Murry ok i guess. you want a rear drive not front + maybe a bagger, get a honda from a big box store, they have 2 blades + mulch with the back slide closed or open to the bag when installed. various models are available so check the honda web sites, buy from a big box store for less unless you want a top line hydrostatic drive + or electric start. $409 rear drive bagger $359 walk behind-push, a no brainer

 

[buck91]

Actually, I would strongly consider a non-propelled mower if my wife and daughter didn't occasionally cut the grass as well. My main goal is something that will be reliable, easy to start and will handle heavy grass during spring and early summer when I need to cut almost every third day in order to not over tax my 6.5hp lawnboy.

 

[ecotourist]

We have an about 10 year old Craftsman rear bagger with a Honda engine. It's been good. But I'm thinking of getting a Honda self propelled mower. Our yard is pretty big (0.51 acres) and I'm not getting any younger.

 

[nickaluch]

Considering you live in Michigan so you're not using it 12 months out of the year any mower with a Honda engine with yearly oil change,blow out air filter and sparkplug at 5 year mark you should easily get 10 years out of it. I'm on year 12 on my craftsman Honda engine probably a few left zero issues.

 

[Astro_Guy]

That's an oddball sort of mower. Most walk behind mowers feature a 21 inch cutting path. Personally I'd be cautious, as parts availability may be a problem. Not so much engine parts as consumables like the blade.

 

[4WD]

I have one

 

[Lubener]

I have three older Craftsmans which I have been happy with. They were once built quit well. The new(er) ones have been cheapened up and are very flimsy and would stay clear of them. . I would get something with a Honda engine or one of the better Toro's. Parts are somewhat expensive for the Toro's when the need arises.

 

[RyanY]

I second Benjy's suggestion to go with a Honda that meets your needs. I switched from Craftsman to an older Honda years ago. The Craftsman/Briggs unit was powerful but loud and inefficient, whereas the Honda is quiet and uses about 1/3 as mich gas for the same area. The Honda also starts on one pull despite being 23 years old. However, the best feature is the dual blade which allows me to mulch grass, leaves, twigs, etc into tiny pieces so no need to bag the clippings. IMO mulched clippings are the best fertilizer available!

 

[Skol8480]

I miss the good old days of going to Sears and buying Craftsman OPE and tools and feeling pretty confident that you were getting a decent piece of equipment. The last Craftsman mower I bought in 2006 is still running like a champ.

 

[jeepman3071]

The older Craftsman mowers used to be good bang for the buck. That isn't really the case any more. It's really hard to beat a Toro or Husqvarna for the money. Honda mowers I consider "luxury mowers", because while being nice to use, their extensive features are NOT cheap to fix when they break. I just put a new rear-drive transmission in one for a customer. Just the part cost $235 from an online seller. A Honda dealer would've been $250+.

 

[4WD]

Got mine at our Sears home store a year ago … It outperforms the 7 year old Craftsman I gave to BiL. (has more power and moves easier when the FWD is not engaged) Bought an all stainless Maytag DW for the condo from same store. 6 Kenmore Elite stainless appliances in the kitchen are 12 years old, heavily used, never needed repair

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by Throt

God forbid anyone in this country have to exert themselves. So lazy. Referencing the power reverse, that is.

I plan my business and landscape such that a running mower does not come towards me …

 

[Fattylocks]

Originally Posted by Skol8480

I miss the good old days of going to Sears and buying Craftsman OPE and tools and feeling pretty confident that you were getting a decent piece of equipment. The last Craftsman mower I bought in 2006 is still running like a champ.

I hear that. Used to love going to the Sears store on North and Harlem avenues.

 

[DuckRyder]

Honda HRX.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted by Fattylocks

Originally Posted by Skol8480

I miss the good old days of going to Sears and buying Craftsman OPE and tools and feeling pretty confident that you were getting a decent piece of equipment. The last Craftsman mower I bought in 2006 is still running like a champ.

I hear that. Used to love going to the Sears store on North and Harlem avenues.

I hear you both. The Sears nearest me and the last one in Ohio just started its "store closing" clearance.

 

[JTK]

Is that M355 an MTD or Husqvarna group built product? That would be the deciding factor for me.

 

[HelloToe]

A bit late, but I think that Craftsman M355 is basically a (Menard's-exclusive?) rebadge of the Cub Cadet SC 900, except with dual-lever height adjustment instead of single-lever, and a 2-year warranty instead of the SC 900's 4-year warranty, and maybe no deck wash? Considering that Menard's currently has it for about $100 cheaper after rebate than the SC 900, that's probably a fair trade. They use at least some of the same parts, like rear-discharge chute (on the Troy-Bilt website, lol - it's all MTD).

The SC 900 looks pretty solid (I'm considering one myself), probably about as much cutting power as you'll find in this class with its 23" deck and 196cc engine. Pro Tool Reviews had it as their top residential class self-propelled mower, and Popular Mechanics called it the best value.

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