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One of my customers is thinking about buying a new Craftsman mower. He was looking to buy one of the lower priced mowers. The mower he was looking at has a Craftsman 4 cycle 420cc engine in it. The only information on that engine I could find is it is made by MTD. Has anybody have any experience with this engine or know any thing about it. For some reason I am thinking Chinese and keep away???? but I might be wrong.

A while back MadMackie gave us an indepth on Briggs stuff, but I think it was slanted toward the PRO series. I have looked at the Craftsman lineup with an eye to the "garden" tractor. I note they are discounting. They really don't give much information on their website.

A LITTLE info ......

What is, Who Makes the Craftsman 420 cc motor On The LT1500 Model 28882 Lawn Tractor and Model 29000 Rider? | TodaysMower.com

The engine is manufactured in China under the control of MTD. The industrial average for small engine failure is about 1% across the board. MTD is claiming a 1/2% failure rate on their engines as of last year.

the 420cc is rated for around 18 hp. MTD has been manufacturing engines since 2005 after the failure of Murray.

ILENGINE said:

The engine is manufactured in China under the control of MTD. The industrial average for small engine failure is about 1% across the board. MTD is claiming a 1/2% failure rate on their engines as of last year.

the 420cc is rated for around 18 hp. MTD has been manufacturing engines since 2005 after the failure of Murray.

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This is what I was thinking, Chinese. What I have been reading about this engine it looks well made. I haven't come across one yet but time will tell, then will parts be available? I had a Chinese built ATV in my shop a couple of years back which I couldn't buy parts for. A lot of political things going on with China so who knows??? Will China be another Japan?

Mark, my distributor is showing the carb repair kit in stock, somebody has a ignition module on backorder, so I would say parts will be coming shortly if not available now.

When MTD first started using their engines on pushers back in 2005-2006 they were a warranty exchange item. Meaning if anything went wrong the whole engine got replaced shipped to MTD to be torn down and checked over for any defects that could be correctly at the factory.

That is encouraging news . No reason why Chinese companies can't get it right. They copy everything so why not Japanese quality systems (which Japan perfected from the USA). As US consumers gradually warm to the occasional good product from China their reputation will improve, like Japan's did in the 1960's. Unfortunately ,many US consumers will suffer until that day.:2cents::2cents:

Since everything is made overseas today, I'd look at the mower and gauge if it's well made. Drain the gas when in storage and change the oil yearly and it should last 10 years.
Also do a feedback search on that item to determine if there are any complaints about the product in question. If the #1 complaint is something you can't repair, then move on.

tigercat said:

Since everything is made overseas today, I'd look at the mower and gauge if it's well made. Drain the gas when in storage and change the oil yearly and it should last 10 years.
Also do a feedback search on that item to determine if there are any complaints about the product in question. If the #1 complaint is something you can't repair, then move on.

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As for myself I really don't consider as 10 years as any length of time to keep a mower. 10 years it should just be getting started to use it. With good maintenance and repairs I would say more like 30 + years. And yes repairs. My John Deere model 68 I have owned 35 years, bought it used and still using it. I only reason I am looking for another mower to replace the model 68 JD is, its getting hard to find parts for it anymore. The newest mower I have is 16 years old and not even thinking of replacing it.

reynoldston said:

One of my customers is thinking about buying a new Craftsman mower. He was looking to buy one of the lower priced mowers. The mower he was looking at has a Craftsman 4 cycle 420cc engine in it.

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Yes, I understand your position. But you where speaking of a lower priced machine. Craftsman machines are all low end machines. They are sold to homeowners not professionals. Most don't have grease fittings and they all have stamped decks.
You pay for what you get. In my opinion, low end machines are all throw-a-ways. Much like everything else in today's world. So the ten years that I spoke of is pretty much what you will get when the deck cracks, the wheels wobble and fall off and the engine fails to run. :smile: