"Steve" wrote in message
news:k%38a.277251$iG3.31426@sccrnsc02...
I have a Crapsman self propeled with front wheel drive. Too bad the
drive
crapped out right after the warrantee did. Now the real meaning of
self-propeled comes thru. I PUSH IT mySELF!

This seems to be the weak link in Crapsman's crap -- the self-propel
transmission. The engines are generally OK as they're Briggs or Tecsumeh
and typically will run for a long time with proper maintenance.

I think when people look back on their old 1960's Crapsman push mower that
ran for 20 years, they forget that it was basically an engine with a
spinning blade and steel shell. The new ones have a lot more to go wrong --
transmissions, safety cutoffs, etc. etc.

I should have mentioned -- I told the story of my Crapsman that had the
tranny go out before the end of its third season. I forgot to mention that
the speed-control assembly failed just out of warranty (one year) which put
me back about $50 (part only) as well. Basically a cable broke, but the way
it's manufactured, I had to replace the whole speed control lever and all.

We had a Deere lawn tractor growing up and I don't think it ever had any
parts added except belts, a battery, etc. It was bought in about 1982, and
it finally left the family last year when my brother sold his home and moved
to a house with a tiny yard. The mower wasn't that well cared for -- it was
missing several safety guards, mice had eaten the stuffing out of the seat,
etc, but it still ran fine, and he sold it within days for $1500. Kind of
scary when you can buy a brand new MTD for $900 at Wal-mart...

-Tim