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Just wondering if the Craftsman Professional mowers are decent quality? They come with 190cc Briggs & Stratton 875 Platinum Series engine, varialble speed rear wheel drive and electric start. The John Deere mower has the same engine and similar specs and $200 more. I cut 4 lawns a week for friends and am looking for a newer better mower than my 10 year old craftsman home owner.

check for bushings and bearings, a heavier mower should have better engineering at all the swivel, rotating points... It would be great if the mower deck had actual serviceable greaseable spindles... I would try to find the most serviceable between the two... :smile:KennyV

Derek said:

Just wondering if the Craftsman Professional mowers are decent quality? They come with 190cc Briggs & Stratton 875 Platinum Series engine, varialble speed rear wheel drive and electric start. The John Deere mower has the same engine and similar specs and $200 more. I cut 4 lawns a week for friends and am looking for a newer better mower than my 10 year old craftsman home owner.

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you're refering to the craftsman 21" yellow profession model? i see that as a higher end homeowner mower(still not bad)with mixed reviews by people if you trust their remarks. but to compare it to a john deere profesional model for 200.00 bucks extra? that would have to be the john deere js series 26,36,46 mowers and they are not proffesional either(imo).i have the top end js 46 and i dont consider it to be proffesional grade although it is a decent mower,and around the same price as the craftsman 21" not 200.00.....now recently john deere introduced a true commercial mower 21" cut mower "we 80" and "we 85" but at a price at a tad over 1,000.00 it is a heavy duty with kawi engine,like kenny said get whats servicable and easy for you to operate.

Derek said:

Just wondering if the Craftsman Professional mowers are decent quality? They come with 190cc Briggs & Stratton 875 Platinum Series engine, varialble speed rear wheel drive and electric start. The John Deere mower has the same engine and similar specs and $200 more. I cut 4 lawns a week for friends and am looking for a newer better mower than my 10 year old craftsman home owner.

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If your last Craftsman lasted 10 years. The you should probably get another, if they have one you like.
How much grass are you talking about (acres)? Your only cutting for about 4-5 months out of the year that far north, correct?
You, no doubt, have a Sears store nearby?

Derek said:

Just wondering if the Craftsman Professional mowers are decent quality? They come with 190cc Briggs & Stratton 875 Platinum Series engine, varialble speed rear wheel drive and electric start. The John Deere mower has the same engine and similar specs and $200 more. I cut 4 lawns a week for friends and am looking for a newer better mower than my 10 year old craftsman home owner.

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I have an older pusher with the same engine, have been happy with it (engine). As much as I love Deere, in your situation you would be paying $200 extra for the name alone. I have looked at the Craftsman Pro mowers, they are well made.

Thanks for the replys, many more expensive mowers have the same engine (Deere, Toro) so that is why I was wondering if it was name alone that was the issue. It does have bearings in the wheels and a 2.6bu bag. There is another mower from Craftsman that comes with a 170cc Honda engine and same deck. I am far from a professional but am starting to experience word of mouth refferals. I have a great job that pays very well and has great benefits, but like to have a little extra thing to do. I figured end of the season was the best time to get into new mower. A Honda commercial mower would be overkill for my needs right now.

Mower manic said:

If your last Craftsman lasted 10 years. The you should probably get another, if they have one you like.
How much grass are you talking about (acres)? Your only cutting for about 4-5 months out of the year that far north, correct?
You, no doubt, have a Sears store nearby?

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We actually start to mow in mid to late March, some pro guys actually start in late Feb. if we have a mild winter like the Olympic year, and mow to late Nov. I have seen people do one or two cuts in Dec. but that is too late for me. I live near Vancouver so we have a very mild climate here. We are the California of Canada

Derek said:

We actually start to mow in mid to late March, some pro guys actually start in late Feb. if we have a mild winter like the Olympic year, and mow to late Nov. I have seen people do one or two cuts in Dec. but that is too late for me. I live near Vancouver so we have a very mild climate here. We are the California of Canada

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Mowing season for me runs from mid April to late October.

Derek said:

We actually start to mow in mid to late March, some pro guys actually start in late Feb. if we have a mild winter like the Olympic year, and mow to late Nov. I have seen people do one or two cuts in Dec. but that is too late for me. I live near Vancouver so we have a very mild climate here. We are the California of Canada

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Derek,
I'll bet that the Craftsman mower you're looking at will suit your needs just fine...probably no need, (and certainly no buget!) to step up to a Honda or JD true commercial mower at this time, let alone Exmark, Gravely etc., group of commercial mowers. I wouldn't let Sears know you are using their commercial rated mower for cutting lawns for hire..:wink: All I can suggest is use a premium synthetic oil in your engine, keep the blade sharp and balanced, watch for poo, and go make as much money as you can.:thumbsup:

For the money you will not beat the sears mower..