Ok other than this I want to make it clear the mower is great. Its a 2008 Model Craftsman 22" Front-propelled 3-in-1 high rear-wheel mower, powered by a 675 Flathead briggs. That's not what's important though. The important thing is, the front wheels are VERY prone to stripping. We had to replace the front-driver side wheel last year, and the same wheel is working barely again. I'm just a little irked. The wheels aren't expensive, but they shouldn't need replaced every season. The drive gears inside are metal, but the plastic on the gears/wheels just seems to be very low quality plastic. It is just ground down! I don't run into retaining walls and trees very much, not enough to cause this kind of a problem. The wheels are like $5 at sears, but it's just a ltitle bit of an annoyance. Anyone else have this problem with theirs?
Craftsman lawnmowers- front wheel gears strip
- Thread starter Nick R
- Start date
- Status
uh... nope. altho mine is the same model from 1998.
Similar mower - though a hand me down with a tired Techumseh on it from '98 or so. One of the front wheels stripped out this year - first time ever. Not sure what to say...
We used to have one like that... We just gutted the self propelled part and replaced the wheels with normal ones.
It's good exercise!
It's good exercise!
Let me be clear, I do not mistreat this mower. Tomcat27- completely different. The 98 were not made by Husqvarna, the new ones are. I walk quickly, and keeping up with the mower isn't a problem for me. It doesn't show up for a while, but going up hills after a few months, or stopping after turning, it grinds for a second, then moves. After a couple more weeks of this... It's stripped. Not much more I can do besides not use the self propelled.
Greenaccord: The yard is waaaayyy to big to do without self propelled. It would take like 3 hours and the front and back would probably not be able to be done in the same day.
Greenaccord: The yard is waaaayyy to big to do without self propelled. It would take like 3 hours and the front and back would probably not be able to be done in the same day.
Last edited by a moderator:
I know what you mean about the wheels on most Sears mowers. I have a Craftsman, purchased in 2000, that by 2005 I had replaced all of the wheels on. It was a front wheel drive, and the fronts wore off so smooth that they had almost no traction. There was no problen with the plastic gears on the wheels, however.
The rear tires split apart about a year apart, for no reason other than poor design and manufacture. Back then, the front wheels were about $11.00 each. As mine are about worn smooth again, I just checked the price and they now appear to be $28.00 each. Tell me where you find them for $5.00.
I also had to replace the transmission on mine at the 5 year mark. Took it apart and the gears had worn almost smooth; case was full of leaves and other debris. The new transmission cost $75, and came already attached to a new axle. It did not look at all like the old one, but the attachment points were the same, and it has worked just fine for almost 5 years.
In the past, I would have junked this mower and bought new, but this mower has the Honda GCV engine and I want to see how long it will last. I am now an old man with plenty of time to do this kind of work.
I have an hour meter on this mower, and it usually shows 55 to 65 hours of use per year. I use it through the winter, cleaning up leaves and other debris. I change the oil once a year. I used Mobil 1 5W30 up until I used up my stash of SL; now I am using M1 High Mileage 10W30, which is still an SL oil. It has never used a drop of oil in a one year OCI.
The rear tires split apart about a year apart, for no reason other than poor design and manufacture. Back then, the front wheels were about $11.00 each. As mine are about worn smooth again, I just checked the price and they now appear to be $28.00 each. Tell me where you find them for $5.00.
I also had to replace the transmission on mine at the 5 year mark. Took it apart and the gears had worn almost smooth; case was full of leaves and other debris. The new transmission cost $75, and came already attached to a new axle. It did not look at all like the old one, but the attachment points were the same, and it has worked just fine for almost 5 years.
In the past, I would have junked this mower and bought new, but this mower has the Honda GCV engine and I want to see how long it will last. I am now an old man with plenty of time to do this kind of work.
I have an hour meter on this mower, and it usually shows 55 to 65 hours of use per year. I use it through the winter, cleaning up leaves and other debris. I change the oil once a year. I used Mobil 1 5W30 up until I used up my stash of SL; now I am using M1 High Mileage 10W30, which is still an SL oil. It has never used a drop of oil in a one year OCI.
I dont understand why front wheel drive mowers are made.. On my Troy Bilt, all the weight is on the back wheels when the bag is on, and it gets perfect traction.
Does it actually have enough weight to get enough traction all the time?
I'm just surprised it works at all by looking at the setup.. haha
Does it actually have enough weight to get enough traction all the time?
I'm just surprised it works at all by looking at the setup.. haha
My Toro personal pace mower has plastic/metal like that but on the rear.I took my wheels off and put grease on the gears.They were dry from the factory,my thinking is I dont see how it can hurt anything.
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Ok other than this I want to make it clear the mower is great. Its a 2008 Model Craftsman 22" Front-propelled 3-in-1 high rear-wheel mower, powered by a 675 Flathead briggs. That's not what's important though. The important thing is, the front wheels are VERY prone to stripping. We had to replace the front-driver side wheel last year, and the same wheel is working barely again. I'm just a little irked. The wheels aren't expensive, but they shouldn't need replaced every season. The drive gears inside are metal, but the plastic on the gears/wheels just seems to be very low quality plastic. It is just ground down! I don't run into retaining walls and trees very much, not enough to cause this kind of a problem. The wheels are like $5 at sears, but it's just a ltitle bit of an annoyance. Anyone else have this problem with theirs?
Again, where do you get these wheels for $5? It looks like I'll have to replace mine about every 5 years because they wear smooth in that time, and it appears Sears now wants $28 per wheel in their parts website.
Ok other than this I want to make it clear the mower is great. Its a 2008 Model Craftsman 22" Front-propelled 3-in-1 high rear-wheel mower, powered by a 675 Flathead briggs. That's not what's important though. The important thing is, the front wheels are VERY prone to stripping. We had to replace the front-driver side wheel last year, and the same wheel is working barely again. I'm just a little irked. The wheels aren't expensive, but they shouldn't need replaced every season. The drive gears inside are metal, but the plastic on the gears/wheels just seems to be very low quality plastic. It is just ground down! I don't run into retaining walls and trees very much, not enough to cause this kind of a problem. The wheels are like $5 at sears, but it's just a ltitle bit of an annoyance. Anyone else have this problem with theirs?
Again, where do you get these wheels for $5? It looks like I'll have to replace mine about every 5 years because they wear smooth in that time, and it appears Sears now wants $28 per wheel in their parts website.
I think this particular wheel is actulaly closer to $10 at Sears, but I don't know for sure. I should probably look when I'm out there next time since I will have to replace it.
I have had this same problem with a few hand-me-down mowers. I think the cause is grass getting in the gear tooth valleys and causing the steel gear to only contact the tips of the wheel teeth. So i remove the wheels every month or two and clean them out. My free troy built has about 60hrs with no noticible wear so far. In Hawaii we never stop mowing grass...
Got to make sure when the wheels are turning, the mower is moving or the front wheels are off the ground. These newer front wheel drive mowers (even the Toro) are not well made or thought out. The "transmissions" wear out quickly sometimes. It's funny. When I get one of the old Craftsman front wheel drives with the Tecumseh 5 and 5.5 HP engines on them, I take the front ends out and save them to install in the much newer Craftsman front wheel drive mowers that go out. Newer, more modern is very rarely better in mowers. By the way, the Tecumseh Engines are usually ready to rock as well. The decks rust out.
Wheels are about 12 or so bucks each at Sears and are probably made in China with the finest materials found in dime store toys--SURPRISE! If you lived in the Omaha area, I'd let you browse my stack of these wheels for free. I give them away all Summer long. Just threw away about 25 of the large, grey plastic rear wheels. Still have that many laying in my garage. They make great pets!
Wheels are about 12 or so bucks each at Sears and are probably made in China with the finest materials found in dime store toys--SURPRISE! If you lived in the Omaha area, I'd let you browse my stack of these wheels for free. I give them away all Summer long. Just threw away about 25 of the large, grey plastic rear wheels. Still have that many laying in my garage. They make great pets!
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I dont understand why front wheel drive mowers are made.. On my Troy Bilt, all the weight is on the back wheels when the bag is on, and it gets perfect traction.
There are a few reasons, actually.
Firstly, I think the FWD mowers were marketed as easier on the grass. Most RWD mowers didn't have differentials, and the inside wheel would tear up the grass when the normal home owner would spin it around trees and such. When I was younger, we never had that problem, but we had a Lawn-Boy also, and that mower was very light.
Secondly, most FWD mowers now are not variable speed, but a single speed, where you push a lever forward to engage the drive, and release the OP bail a bit to disengage it. It's a rather cheap and easy way to build it, but would present a problem on a RWD mower (as it does on my 2001 Honda HR215), having to always let the OP bail up a little to stop and turn around at the end of the yard. With the FWD mowers, you can let the wheels keep turning. Push down on the handle, rotate the mower around on the idling rear tires, let the front back down and keep going. It's pretty easy, for the average homeowner. And even when bagging, I never had a problem with traction on the front tires on my 2003 Craftsman FWD that I used to have.
All that said, I still much prefer RWD. My 1999 Lawn-Boy 10330 has a single speed RWD, but you can slip the tensioned drive belt, so you can easily "clutch" the system to produce a slower walking speed. I always walk at full pace, but will often slip the system around corners or tighter spots in the yard. My Honda has a 3-speed RWD, but it's not a clutch-able system. You pull the drive bail up, and it's either engaged or it's not. I don't like that aspect of it. I usually mow in 2nd gear, but it's a pain in the tight sections because when you have to stop and turn around, you can't smoothly start the mower again. When you engage the bail, the mower lurches forward and goes from zero to "top speed" in that gear instantly (or at least the tires do).
Another interesting thing: I find it easier to mow a straight line with RWD. You can keep some slight resistance on the mower and let it pull you. It'll drive straight every time. With the FWD, you have to let it drive straight, but it'll tend to wander left-right much more than a RWD mower will.
I dont understand why front wheel drive mowers are made.. On my Troy Bilt, all the weight is on the back wheels when the bag is on, and it gets perfect traction.
There are a few reasons, actually.
Firstly, I think the FWD mowers were marketed as easier on the grass. Most RWD mowers didn't have differentials, and the inside wheel would tear up the grass when the normal home owner would spin it around trees and such. When I was younger, we never had that problem, but we had a Lawn-Boy also, and that mower was very light.
Secondly, most FWD mowers now are not variable speed, but a single speed, where you push a lever forward to engage the drive, and release the OP bail a bit to disengage it. It's a rather cheap and easy way to build it, but would present a problem on a RWD mower (as it does on my 2001 Honda HR215), having to always let the OP bail up a little to stop and turn around at the end of the yard. With the FWD mowers, you can let the wheels keep turning. Push down on the handle, rotate the mower around on the idling rear tires, let the front back down and keep going. It's pretty easy, for the average homeowner. And even when bagging, I never had a problem with traction on the front tires on my 2003 Craftsman FWD that I used to have.
All that said, I still much prefer RWD. My 1999 Lawn-Boy 10330 has a single speed RWD, but you can slip the tensioned drive belt, so you can easily "clutch" the system to produce a slower walking speed. I always walk at full pace, but will often slip the system around corners or tighter spots in the yard. My Honda has a 3-speed RWD, but it's not a clutch-able system. You pull the drive bail up, and it's either engaged or it's not. I don't like that aspect of it. I usually mow in 2nd gear, but it's a pain in the tight sections because when you have to stop and turn around, you can't smoothly start the mower again. When you engage the bail, the mower lurches forward and goes from zero to "top speed" in that gear instantly (or at least the tires do).
Another interesting thing: I find it easier to mow a straight line with RWD. You can keep some slight resistance on the mower and let it pull you. It'll drive straight every time. With the FWD, you have to let it drive straight, but it'll tend to wander left-right much more than a RWD mower will.
- Status
