Whats wrong with buying a Sears/Craftsman?

[earthworm]

It all boils down to budget, as always...:frown: My personal favorites are Simplicity, the John Deere stuff that starts at about $3500, and Kubota. None of these choices are for the financially faint of heart, but they will typically put a smile on your face every time you use it. Just my $.02.:smile:

IMO, that smile:biggrin:is priceless.
Sears has gone from good quality/good value to good value, minimal to zero quality.
I am impressed with the selection., but the salesmen are at best,pesty; at worst, obnoxious.
No smiles at Sears

 

[tankdriver]

Blame our self´s. Would you pay $2,000 more for a mower than one at Lowes or Home Depot that "looks" the same? Same engine, same size deck, same size tires? 95% of the people do not care that the Sears one (not saying they do now)has a 8 gauge frame and the others or 14 gauge(heck the higher number is better anyway right) and the Sears has 14 roller US made bearings, and the others are 12 roller made in China bearings. They are round and look the same, and they turn the same. Who needs a 3 point hitch, I just want to cut the grass, so who needs ground engaging transmission. A transmission is a transmission; they're all the same.......

I could go on and on. To try to stay in business, they have to have a price that is competitive. The cheap ones do what 95% of the people need them to do, or they would not sell. Sears this year sold a $6,000.00 Simplicity and no one purchased them. They lasted 1/2 a season. Because they did not sell. If they were selling, they would still have them for sale. People now will not pay for Quality; they just grip because it is not there.

 

[Boonstein]

NO one could have said it better than Tankdriver. Every one says they want the best, but when you tell them that the best cost $8000.00 they back up.:wink:

 

[earthworm]

There's nothing wrong with buying a Craftsman. I have two walk behinds and 2 riders. They are basically medium priced and medium quality. However I no longer like to do business with Sears because in recent years they have become more interested in selling their credit card than merchandise.

The truth, IMO, and its my experience as well, is spoken here.
This is where the Sears salesman earns his money, here and the damned extended warranties.
Sears has a great selection and very competitive prices...
They can be much better by getting rid of all the salesmen, allowing the consumers to relax, browse, and try the product...also no more sales...just an everyday reasonable price.
Respect the consumer...this would be a new one !
Also, drop the second language business, just be honest and open...
Treat the customer respectfully...he is not a "mark" to be taken advantage of....
Sears, and all others have asked the manufacturers to cut "excess" quality to the bone....
Risky!

 

[earthworm]

Blame our selfｴs. Would you pay $2,000 more for a mower than one at Lowes or Home Depot that "looks" the same? Same engine, same size deck, same size tires? 95% of the people do not care that the Sears one (not saying they do now)has a 8 gauge frame and the others or 14 gauge(heck the higher number is better anyway right) and the Sears has 14 roller US made bearings, and the others are 12 roller made in China bearings. They are round and look the same, and they turn the same. Who needs a 3 point hitch, I just want to cut the grass, so who needs ground engaging transmission. A transmission is a transmission; they're all the same.......

I could go on and on. To try to stay in business, they have to have a price that is competitive. The cheap ones do what 95% of the people need them to do, or they would not sell. Sears this year sold a $6,000.00 Simplicity and no one purchased them. They lasted 1/2 a season. Because they did not sell. If they were selling, they would still have them for sale. People now will not pay for Quality; they just grip because it is not there.

Selling Simplicity at Sears is akin to Ford selling Mercedes Benz....Or Walmart trying to sell good quality...
And the people do bring grief upon themselves for not being knowledgeable about features and quality.
Cup holders...indeed....
Metal guage...requires knowledge...the manufacturer should state clearly what this is and what it means..
Treat the consumer with respect.

say a deck metal of 1.5 mm thickness, not this silly old guage business.

 

[wjjones]

There is nothing wrong with a Craftsman mower. The cost is the difference. A Craftsman is a cheaper mower to buy and after a few years of hard use you throw it away. You pay a lot more for (in my case) a Ferris and it will last for years of hard use. Now you will still have repairs on both mower but less on the pricier one.

Well said reynoldston i agree, and the pricier mowers have pricier repairs. I have used both, and a good commercial mower is great. I have noticed that Husqvarna has made a good up-grade on their tractors by installing a fab deck on some new models.. I do like my sears ys4500, and i dont show it any mercy but it keeps coming back for more..

 

[T J Blazek]

I owned 2 Craftsman riders;'01 and a '03. Both had the K motor. One ('03) threw a rod at the end of last years mowing. The other is still barely moving. Maintenance was kept up; blades; belts etc. Only complaints I had they were slower; turning radius wasn't as sharp as I wanted; and as mentioned by others parts. Anything other than blades or belts had to be ordered. Their field service (now) is contracted out by a company that also does the box stores. I saw the quick turn model ;but could not demo it. Went with the CC ZTR 50"; no complaints so far. Price for all 3 was within $100.

 

[AmericanTurf]

I can't believe all the people who buy crap *** push mowers. You could not pay me to own a craftsmen. Thought this was a professional lawn care forum. Haha!!!!
I still believe push mowers are obsolete.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

I can't believe all the people who buy crap *** push mowers. You could not pay me to own a craftsmen. Thought this was a professional lawn care forum. Haha!!!!
I still believe push mowers are obsolete.

I don't know how I feel about Craftsman lawn tractors/push mowers. Personally I wouldn't buy one, but some people say they only stop working when you don't perform maintenance on it, but others say they didn't work good from the start. :confused2: I know I would look for something a little more durable, like Honda or Snapper (there are many others), and I would buy it from a dealer.

But K-Pro-Mowing.....since you said you still believe push mowers are obsolete, think about this. Say you have a yard that has this much grass (see picture).
(http://blissfullydomestic.com/wp-content/uploads/hgtv-outdoor-room.jpg)

You would use a zero-turn on that lawn? Or say that WAS your own lawn. You would buy a zero-turn to maintain that once a week? OK, I know I am exaggerating this just a bit, but my point is some yards aren't big enough that you would need a ZTR mower. That is why they make these:

 

[T J Blazek]

If my back yard was that small; I would buy a weedeater and a shop vac.