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jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084

Premium Member

Lawn Mower

OK-my 13 Y/O lawn mower has given great service and has mowed roughly 1 acre/week over its life. I fixed a shroud problem I discussed on another post, but the mower is near the end of its life for various reasons. I am fine with that-I more than got my money's worth.

I am looking at various models, and I have found roughly what I am looking for. Craftsman has an equivalent. I understand many of these models are the same. But, one nice thing about my old Craftsman was that it had the manual with parts breakdown, and I could go online and easily order parts as needed. Need a wheel, pulley, or handle-ordering was few clicks away.

Does Craftsman still do this? To me, that would be worth any extra cost versus having to go to a lawn mower shop to hunt down parts (if the Lowes/Depot models even have them)

So, how is purchasing parts post sale handled these days? Should I stick with a Craftsman variant of the same mower?

robbin
Mod
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

robbin

Mod

Don't know if there will be a parts list with the mower or not but that kind of information is easy to find online.

»www.searspartsdirect.com ··· x.action

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084

Premium Member

thanks, robbin. Well, it used to be easy to find online-and that is what I am checking.

The Sears Parts Direct link returned a generic MTD mower. But, I think I would need the true model number (i.e. 143.123456) from Sears to see the parts list.

I can get the same mower cheaper from Lowes/Depot. But, if I can get a nice parts ordering system, I would rather go with Sears. That is, assuming they still do this (which is the crux of this question)

shdesigns
Powered By Infinite Improbabilty Drive
Premium Member
join:2000-12-01
Stone Mountain, GA

shdesigns to jrs8084

Premium Member

to jrs8084
Sears has the parts breakdown for theirs and others.

So does MTD, Murray and others.

You'll find Sears prices to be about 50% higher when buying the parts direct from MTD, Murray, Toro etc. Ebay, most often, will be even cheaper.
XXXXXXXXXXX1
Premium Member
join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

XXXXXXXXXXX1 to jrs8084

Premium Member

to jrs8084
Husqvarna publishes parts schematics for all their equipment free of charge on their website. Interestingly, they make a lot of tractors that are then rebranded with the Craftsman logo.

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084

Premium Member

Thanks, all.

A Husqvarna w/ Honda motor is really what I am looking at. I just know that, in the past, I always had to buy an ancillary part every other year-cable hear, pulley there, wheel, etc. It was nice being able to quickly order the parts I needed.

I just worry where I am going to get these parts 10 years from now.

So it looks like I should just go with the Husqvarna version of what I want instead of the CM equivalent.
XXXXXXXXXXX1
Premium Member
join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

XXXXXXXXXXX1

Premium Member

My question to you is: what functions do you need/want the machine to be able to do? And is your land flat ... or hilly .. or have obstacles?

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084

Premium Member

Click for full size
Mower
The pic is what i am looking at, and basically is the equivalent to the Craftsman w/ B&S that I have. I want self propelled (with at least adjustable drive speeds-needn't be "personal paced"-just so I can slow down in thick grass), throttle control (I vary engine speed for the task-no need to run WOT all the time), single point height adjustment I got used to this, and as varying as my terrain is, this is a gem of a feature

My yard has some inclines with a ditch that requires you to live the life of a mountain goat. (Push upward with drive at 60 degrees to slide sideways to maintain horizontal)

I don't bag, (prefer mulching) but sometimes like to use the side discharge.

Now, what might be funny is that, despite the above features, I use my Fiskars Momentum reel mower every other week (love it). I don't know which is more work-push mowing, or lugging the big mower around. At least the powered mower will cut through the really thick grass.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

$469.00 pays for 10 weeks of my lawncare mowing. I was hesitant at first farming it out but not having to do it is great.

I have a one year old John Deere 42" cut 22 hp in my shed gathering dust.

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084

Premium Member

Jack: Of course not having to do it is great. I certainly could pay somebody. I, unfortunately, cannot justify that cost.

A quick run of reports from Quicken show me that, mower, parts, fuel, and all, has been less than ~$1500 for 13 years. I certainly could have paid somebody to cut my grass for 13 years for that.

You are retired-enjoy it.

I come home after a hot day at the plant and get to look forward to mowing grass. Actually, that is why I really like my push mower-you can do it in the dusk and quietly cut without the noise.

John97
Over The Hills And Far Away
Premium Member
join:2000-11-14
Spring Hill, FL

John97 to jrs8084

Premium Member

to jrs8084
said by jrs8084:

My yard has some inclines with a ditch that requires you to live the life of a mountain goat. (Push upward with drive at 60 degrees to slide sideways to maintain horizontal)

In that case, you should be looking at this:

»www.lowes.com/pd_421867- ··· =4346383

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084

Premium Member

Thanks-good idea. I saw that model in the store, but it had those single lever height adjustments for each wheel. That was a deal breaker for me. Not going to stop mowing simply to adjust wheels. With my yard, I have to do that multiple times per mow.

robbin
Mod
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

robbin to jrs8084

Mod

to jrs8084
said by jrs8084:

I just know that, in the past, I always had to buy an ancillary part every other year-cable hear, pulley there, wheel, etc. It was nice being able to quickly order the parts I needed.

I just worry where I am going to get these parts 10 years from now.

So it looks like I should just go with the Husqvarna version of what I want instead of the CM equivalent.

My experience is that if the part is still available, then you would be able to get it from Sears. Yes, you need the entire model number to look up parts. Sears Parts Direct is usually fast and easy. And yes, once you identify a part it may be cheaper to buy on ebay, etc. That's expected.

UHF
All static, all day, Forever
MVM
join:2002-05-24

UHF to jrs8084

MVM

to jrs8084
You can find parts breakdown for almost any lawnmower, except possibly cheap walmart specials.

Of all the brands of mowers, the repair shop I work part time at has the hardest time getting Craftsman parts. Although many times it will cross to an MTD or some other brand.
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ to Jack_in_VA

Member

to Jack_in_VA
said by Jack_in_VA:

$469.00 pays for 10 weeks of my lawncare mowing. I was hesitant at first farming it out but not having to do it is great.

I have a one year old John Deere 42" cut 22 hp in my shed gathering dust.

How big is your yard? I was quoted $1300-$1500 a season for my 1.3 acres! I could buy a used garden tractor every year for that price.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by TheSMJ:

said by Jack_in_VA:

$469.00 pays for 10 weeks of my lawncare mowing. I was hesitant at first farming it out but not having to do it is great.

I have a one year old John Deere 42" cut 22 hp in my shed gathering dust.

How big is your yard? I was quoted $1300-$1500 a season for my 1.3 acres! I could buy a used garden tractor every year for that price.

About 1 Acre including house