Pulled the plug on a "new" Craftsman Snowblower

[charbaby]

As much as I dislike Craftsman products(always having issues with them not lasting), Sears always seems to draw me in with their prices.

A bit off topic...Last Oct. 2010, I bought a 25 cc Craftsman Leafblower($125 OTD) and it's already starting to give me hard starting troubles considering the little I have used the thing. Once it's running, it fine! The same leaf blower today is $99...Oh well!

Well yesterday,(saved an additional 5% online @ SEARS.com) I just went out and bought a brand new Craftsman 2 stage Snowblower 26", 208 cc LCT motor with few options for $768 after tax. Picked it up localy at the Mall.

That's only $12 more than I paid for my MTD 2 stage 24" 10 HP Tecumseh in Nov. 1999(which came unglued quickely after the first 6-7 years).

I expect the same out of the Craftsman after about 6-7 years but, as my wife says..."Don't go out and spend 2+ grand now, spend it over 20 years buying a $700-$800 blowers, keep it for 5-6 years and sell it while it's still *saleable* and not broken". "Then go out and buy another one"!

Considering the money that I'll sell it for "used", I can deduct those dollars off of my original purchace price each time. I always look at things like this! This way, they only cost about $60-$70+ a year to own/operate. Maybe this time I'll only keep it 5-6 years, sell it for decent money before it needs it's first repair($$$) and just buy another one.

I kept the MTD for 10+ years and it was hardly worth fixing(again!) but got $125 for the whole thing to a guy who just wanted the motor. Great motor for sure & great blower til it just started falling apart each time I used it after about the 7th year.

My price criteria was between $699-$999. The Craftsman unit I purchaced seems to have a decent review from some consumer reviews and magazine ratings. I searched and searched online for other brand products but could only match the price of the Craftsman and I would have to take into consideration of where I'll take it for warranty work.

Excuse all of my spelling errors with the names of all of these brands that I searched but, you'll know what I am talking about...I looked at Poulan, TroyBuilt, Huskavarna, Cub Cadet, McCoulah, Arins, Toro, SnoTec and they all had the same standard spec's and similar LCT engines(except Ariens & Toro). And all looked as cheaply made as the others! I don't think that there is anything that's very well made under a gr$nd. And over a gr$nd, it all seem to be priced higher due to the features(engine cc and larger unit but, not always) and not so much any better in the quality but, I could be wrong!

I also visited my local hardware stores(HomeDepot, Lowes, TractorSupply etc) just so I could view the actual units and construction/quality, bla-bla-bla! When I visited my local smaller guy business who speicalizes in particular brands, their prices were out of sight for less unit.

Wish me luck and please comment... I can take it!

 

[Turk]

Your Wife has an interesting POV...

Keep up on the maintenance, spray Metal Protector & WD-40 where it needs to go and you should be fine!

I went whole hog & bought a new Toro 10HP Snowlauncher and hopefully it'll last 20+ years, which would be the last snowblower I buy.

I always think that way...

 

[Chris Meutsch]

My buddy had that leafblower and had the same issues at the same time.

We had a Toro snowblower from 1985-1995 and it was flawless. Donated it to the church when we moved.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Oh I though you ment the spark plug!

I Still; have my MYD after 7 years and its getting a bit "long in the tooth". Hope it runs though this season. My buddy needs a new engine for his log splitter I might offer him this Tecumseh SK for 100 bucks. I think its 7 or 8 hp. Do the tecumseh use roller bearing rods or just plain bearings?

 

[charbaby]

"T"
I did all of those thing:

1)Fixed things as they broke
2)Sprayed the unit with oil/lube...Even kept the unit painted as it rusted.
3)Kept up on the PM's and all that Jazz!

The '79 Ariens 5hp that I had(which I didn't mention above in my opening post) lasted til '99 but had been slowly dieing, and it didn't fall apart like the MTD did.

 

[deeter16317]

I don't necessarily think Craftsman is bad as they are simply rebadged "name" brands.

 

[doitmyself]

I can accept the spelling errors. But, really, referring to Home Depot and Lowes as local hardware stores? That's inexcusable

Except for the Toro and Ariens, most of those other brands are made by MTD or AYP, so they would all look equally cheap construction.

Good luck with your new purchase and I hope the snow gods bless you well this winter.

 

[Nick R]

I have pretty much that exact same leafblower AND snowblower. I've only had the leafblower a year so starting hasn't become an issue yet.

The snowblower itself has been fairly decent considering it's going to be 3 years old. I just rebuilt the carb this year, and got the pull cord (That I broke) replaced. Other than the hunting/surging the engine used to experience, it's been a fairly solid machine. The engine is decently torquey, and extremely fuel efficient. Make sure you take that spark plug out, an buy an NGK replacement for it. Advance sells them.

 

[georgemiller]

Char Baby why in the world would you listen to your wife when buying a snowblower? Her mind set is all wrong. I'm not suggesting spending the big bucks for a Honda but a two stage Toro or Ariens is far superior than a Craftsman.

Living in Rochester you will get a fair amount of snow. I would have went with a better quality machine. My Toro is going on 15 years old and the only thing I've replaced just last year is the skid shoes and every snow storm I do several properties.

The Craftsman machine will fall apart around you. "The price is forgotten long after the quality is remembered."

 

[SS1970chrysler]

I've been using the same snowthrower you just bought since '02. Not the slightest trouble yet. Good machine.

 

[charbaby]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I can accept the spelling errors. But, really, referring to Home Depot and Lowes as local hardware stores? That's inexcusable

Except for the Toro and Ariens, most of those other brands are made by MTD or AYP, so they would all look equally cheap construction.

Good luck with your new purchase and I hope the snow gods bless you well this winter.


As Mr. Ed says to Wilber..."Yell but don't hit!"
Until I reread my own post, I didn't even realize that I mentioned the chain stores as the local and the local stores as the small guy.

Originally Posted By: georgemiller
Char Baby why in the world would you listen to your wife when buying a snowblower? Her mind set is all wrong. I'm not suggesting spending the big bucks for a Honda but a two stage Toro or Ariens is far superior than a Craftsman.

Living in Rochester you will get a fair amount of snow. I would have went with a better quality machine. My Toro is going on 15 years old and the only thing I've replaced just last year is the skid shoes and every snow storm I do several properties.

The Craftsman machine will fall apart around you. "The price is forgotten long after the quality is remembered."


Also, as I mentioned, I'll sell before it falls apart. My BIL gave my nephew his old 30 year old Craftsman Snowblower and it's a TANK and not a spec of rust. Same for my buddys 30 year old TORO. They're just not the same today unless you go really high end and big money. I'm not a young man any longer. This may be the last snowblower I'll need(maybe not!)

My wife(thank you George for limiting your remarks about wifes, this could have gotten ugly

) is quite sharp in business and her advise here("considering my price range") is right on the money. And spending more money on a "so called better" machine or "better made" Ariens/Toro only got me a lager machine(more mass) than I need to clean my area. And for the same price, I would have gotten less machine indeed!

As I mentioned, looking at the Ariens and Toro(in my price range), none of them looked any differently made than any of the others for any price. Reading customer reviews on the one in particular that I purchaced, read very well. We can't compare the 15-20 year old machines to the new ones of today. Everyone I know is having issues with the newer equipment(Ariens, Toro, Honda) today. They're not made the same way they were just 10-15 years ago!

I don't like to ask mechanics which machine they would buy, I like asking those customer who don't work on them which machine they like because I don't like working on small equiqment although I always end up doing so. I don't mind working on vehicles but, I hate working on small equipment.

All of the machines that I looked at just recently prior to my purchace, all looked like a POS. The more money they cost didn't make them look any better(just bigger), they only look like larger versions of the others(larger POS)

I must say, they do have nice paint job though!

 

[MNgopher]

My 2 Stage Toro Snowblower is now entering its 6th winter season. To date, I've changed the oil and spark plug yearly, verified the gearcase is full, and replaced two bolts that vibrated out. That's it. Still worth every penny I paid for it. And the plastic chute may seem like "cheap" construction, but to date, its held up just fine, even chucking ice chunks in well below zero weather.

 

[boraticus]

I owned two Craftsman 10 h.p. snow blowers over a twenty year period. They served me well. At least one of them did. The first one I bought used and it was a nightmare. For every 45 minutes it worked, I'd have to put an hour and a half into repairing it. It just simply rattled apart. The second one I bought new and properly maintained it. It worked well until it started snapping drive wheel axle bolts. Fixed that with a much harder bolt. Nonetheless, it did it's job fairly well for ten years in a tough winter climate. I have since bought a nice large frame Simplicity 928. The difference in build quality is readily obvious. It's just a much stouter machine in every respect other than possibly the engine.

What I found most appreciable with the Simplicity over the Craftsman machines is how much easier it is to operate. It's quite a bit less fatiguing. Personally, I thing the higher end machines are designed better, work better and last a lot longer. You pay a premium for it but, in the long run, I think it's worth it.

 

[charbaby]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
My 2 Stage Toro Snowblower is now entering its 6th winter season. To date, I've changed the oil and spark plug yearly, verified the gearcase is full, and replaced two bolts that vibrated out. That's it. Still worth every penny I paid for it. And the plastic chute may seem like "cheap" construction, but to date, its held up just fine, even chucking ice chunks in well below zero weather.


Well, this is all I had to do with the MTD unit that I bought in '99 for the first 6-7 years. Then the return springs started braking and I had to enter the lower unit and replace them each year or so. Each time I entered the lower unit area, I had to install the shield with larger screws. Finaly(the final straw) the friction wheel and wheel plate decided to fall apart and I did try to fix it with little luck

 

[Boss302fan]

I own an MTD(3 years) but should have purchased Ariens or Toro... Live and learn.

 

[georgemiller]

Simplicity is a great machine. Look at the handles, heavier sheet metal, higher strength auger gear box, the weld points.

I've seen many 20, 30 even 40 year old Ariens and Toro's still pushing snow.

Craftsman is junk.

 

[yeehaw1960]

If you buy at the level where a blower begins to have a "name brand" engine, your blower will last years with proper upkeep. Sears has Briggs and Stratton, and Kohler on their stuff that's worth a dang. Chinese on everything else. I may buy stock in whatever company manufactures replacement carbs and head gasket kits for the Chinese junk. Then again, I bought a $400 Toro mower (B&S) for my Dad last summer and had to put the carb linkage together correctly and replace the kill switch a month later. What a world!

 

[charbaby]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
If you buy at the level where a blower begins to have a "name brand" engine, your blower will last years with proper upkeep. Sears has Briggs and Stratton, and Kohler on their stuff that's worth a dang. Chinese on everything else. I may buy stock in whatever company manufactures replacement carbs and head gasket kits for the Chinese junk. Then again, I bought a $400 Toro mower (B&S) for my Dad last summer and had to put the carb linkage together correctly and replace the kill switch a month later. What a world!


I think that the Chinese can build anything to spec. I have a Honda engine on a TroyBuilt lawn mower and the engine is only OK smooth for a Honda. I just sold a "TRUE" Honda lawn mower w/GX motor and poly resin deck and it too was only OK smooth for a Honda.

The Chinese LCT motors I have tested lately could teach Honda something about viberation control and smoothness. The 10 hp Tecumseh engine on my MTD was great. It was the rest of the unit that came unglued. On my '79 Ariens 2stg snowblower before that, the unit was great but the B&S engine was C**P!

I do have friends/family that have great success with Craftsman. I could have the same unit and my luck is not the same

For me, it always seems to be Hit or Miss! As I stated, I do speak from some experience with small engined equipment. What I am going to do is, listen to my wife and sell after about 5-6 years and buy another

She actually gave me her blessing to buy another

SnowBlowers(residential use) are one product IMHO, that I don't think the mfg's are building as good as they use to. Although the engine mfg's are building better engines...Again, IMHO!

This subject has been quite fun and I appreciate all of the comments. Please keep'em comin'!

CB

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: deeter16317
I don't necessarily think Craftsman is bad as they are simply rebadged "name" brands.


Ive tortured mine, had a few hiccups, still runs strong. 2006 sf5500 24hp 48' must be all the MMO i pour in that sucker

 

[gd9704]

Ever since I stopped buying Craftsman OPE and started buying Stihl and Echo I've been a much happier man. In the long run, your will spend less of your hard earned money on better quality equipment. They work better and last longer.