I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That
the more complex a mower (i.e. Propel vs. push), the
more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a push
should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard
slants up about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an
option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of
stuff in general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886.
It's a push, large-rear wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing
or not (I'll go this weekend to look at it and hopefully
the salepeerson would know....we'll see....is there any
way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging
mowers, specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision
considering I've never owned a mower before, and I
figure a $220 Craftsman is better than spending $700 on
a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage payments...

G wrote:
I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That
the more complex a mower (i.e. Propel vs. push), the
more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a push
should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard
slants up about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an
option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of
stuff in general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886.
It's a push, large-rear wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing
or not (I'll go this weekend to look at it and hopefully
the salepeerson would know....we'll see....is there any
way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging
mowers, specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision
considering I've never owned a mower before, and I
figure a $220 Craftsman is better than spending $700 on
a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage payments...

FWIW, My beef with Sears (Craftsman) is they only guarantee repair parts
availability for *one years* now. Back when, the said parts would be
available for "life". Sears is nothing but a marketing outfit that
sells what they get from their vendors, and that can change monthly.

On 9/29/2005 9:34 AM US(ET), Stubby took fingers to keyboard, and typed
the following:

G wrote:

I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking at
self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER mowed before),
that a push-model is good enough. That the more complex a mower (i.e.
Propel vs. push), the more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a
push should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard slants up
about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of stuff in
general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886. It's a push, large-rear
wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing or not (I'll
go this weekend to look at it and hopefully the salepeerson would
know....we'll see....is there any way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging mowers,
specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision considering I've
never owned a mower before, and I figure a $220 Craftsman is better
than spending $700 on a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage
payments...


FWIW, My beef with Sears (Craftsman) is they only guarantee repair
parts availability for *one years* now. Back when, the said parts
would be available for "life". Sears is nothing but a marketing
outfit that sells what they get from their vendors, and that can
change monthly.


What Craftsman repair parts would you need for a push mower? After all,
it is just a chassis to hold an engine with a mower blade attached.
Replacement mower blades, wheels, and other non-Craftsman common parts
are available almost everywhere, like engine parts for B&S engines. My
Craftsman self-propelled, B&S powered mower is over 20 years old and I
have only changed the blade once and the pull starter cord once (neither
of which were Sears parts). It looks like s**t with the rust, dents, and
cracked plastic parts, but it cuts grass as well as it did when new.

--
Bill

I think you pay to much for the name and the gray paint. If that is the
quality you want you might as well go MTD.


From Mel & Donnie in Bluebird Valley

willshak wrote:
On 9/29/2005 9:34 AM US(ET), Stubby took fingers to keyboard, and typed
the following:

G wrote:

I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking at
self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER mowed before),
that a push-model is good enough. That the more complex a mower (i.e.
Propel vs. push), the more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a
push should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard slants up
about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of stuff in
general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886. It's a push, large-rear
wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing or not (I'll
go this weekend to look at it and hopefully the salepeerson would
know....we'll see....is there any way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging mowers,
specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision considering I've
never owned a mower before, and I figure a $220 Craftsman is better
than spending $700 on a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage
payments...



FWIW, My beef with Sears (Craftsman) is they only guarantee repair
parts availability for *one years* now. Back when, the said parts
would be available for "life". Sears is nothing but a marketing
outfit that sells what they get from their vendors, and that can
change monthly.



What Craftsman repair parts would you need for a push mower? After all,
it is just a chassis to hold an engine with a mower blade attached.
Replacement mower blades, wheels, and other non-Craftsman common parts
are available almost everywhere, like engine parts for B&S engines. My
Craftsman self-propelled, B&S powered mower is over 20 years old and I
have only changed the blade once and the pull starter cord once (neither
of which were Sears parts). It looks like s**t with the rust, dents, and
cracked plastic parts, but it cuts grass as well as it did when new.

I looking for saddle clamps that hold the blades (4) on my mowing deck
in place. Thanks.

I've had a craftsman rear-bagger push mower (not sure of the model) with
normal size rear wheels for 3 years now and it hasn't missed a beat. It
starts first pull every time. The only maintenance I do is to brush it off
after each use (mostly to keep rotting grass smell out of the garage) and I
sharpened the blade and replaced the oil at the start of it's third cutting
season. I'll drain the gas and wash it down at the end of each cutting
season.

Jon

"G" wrote in message
k.net...
I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That
the more complex a mower (i.e. Propel vs. push), the
more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a push
should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard
slants up about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an
option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of
stuff in general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886.
It's a push, large-rear wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing
or not (I'll go this weekend to look at it and hopefully
the salepeerson would know....we'll see....is there any
way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging
mowers, specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision
considering I've never owned a mower before, and I
figure a $220 Craftsman is better than spending $700 on
a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage payments...

"G" wrote in message
k.net...
I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That

Push it if you want, but look at a rider and weedeater to get the job done
in a shorter period of time.

Sears buys from whoever will make, their close to spec mowers, to meet a
price point.
I don't know who is making this year's or last year's models.
It's probably an MTD which are basically throw aways after 5 years.

In article ,
says...
I've had a craftsman rear-bagger push mower (not sure of the model) with
normal size rear wheels for 3 years now and it hasn't missed a beat. It
starts first pull every time. The only maintenance I do is to brush it off
after each use (mostly to keep rotting grass smell out of the garage) and I
sharpened the blade and replaced the oil at the start of it's third cutting
season. I'll drain the gas and wash it down at the end of each cutting
season.

Jon

Jon- How big is your property approximately? Also, do
you mulch as well, if yes, does it work well for you?

0.4 acres is pretty small. a push is OK, but I have always liked
self-prop mowers. I have a craftsman 5.5hp that is about 8-10 years old
now. rear bagger, mulcher (chute optional). I think it was $300 back
then. Replaced this year with a JD riding mower, but it still works
just fine.

What I would do in your case is buy a self prop or a big wheel mower. I
would also suggest a honda engine, but that often puts the price higher
than you want to pay.

If going craftsman, buy a new blade, air filter, belts (if any), and
blade to keep in hand when you need them.

Kirb


G wrote:
I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That
the more complex a mower (i.e. Propel vs. push), the
more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a push
should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard
slants up about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an
option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of
stuff in general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886.
It's a push, large-rear wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing
or not (I'll go this weekend to look at it and hopefully
the salepeerson would know....we'll see....is there any
way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging
mowers, specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision
considering I've never owned a mower before, and I
figure a $220 Craftsman is better than spending $700 on
a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage payments...

Ralph Mowery wrote:
"G" wrote in message
k.net...

I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That


Push it if you want, but look at a rider and weedeater to get the job done
in a shorter period of time.


I used to have a self-propelled rotary mower and I liked it. Then I
bought the craftsman tractor and mowing deck. I've used it for 17
years but frankly, I believe a zero-radius ride-on mower would have been
better or maybe a fancy self-propelled. I have about 2/3 acre with
lots of gardens to go around. I have worked hard to make the gardens
mowable -- no inside corners, mowing strips next to stone walls, etc.

About 1/4 acre and flat. Takes about 40 minutes to cut the grass. I use the
bag for most of the cuts, but will let it mulch every once in a while if I'm
in a hurry. The mulching blade cuts it pretty small but makes the deck and
wheels harder to clean. If the grass is pretty high and the deck gets a lot
of mulch build-up it can bog down the mower.

Jon


"G" wrote in message
k.net...
In article ,
says...
I've had a craftsman rear-bagger push mower (not sure of the model) with
normal size rear wheels for 3 years now and it hasn't missed a beat. It
starts first pull every time. The only maintenance I do is to brush it
off
after each use (mostly to keep rotting grass smell out of the garage)
and I
sharpened the blade and replaced the oil at the start of it's third
cutting
season. I'll drain the gas and wash it down at the end of each cutting
season.

Jon

Jon- How big is your property approximately? Also, do
you mulch as well, if yes, does it work well for you?

On 9/29/2005 7:02 PM US(ET), Tightwad took fingers to keyboard, and
typed the following:

Sears buys from whoever will make, their close to spec mowers, to meet
a price point.
I don't know who is making this year's or last year's models.
It's probably an MTD which are basically throw aways after 5 years.

What if it's still working after 5, 10, or 15, years?

--
Bill

G wrote:
I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That
the more complex a mower (i.e. Propel vs. push), the
more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a push
should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard
slants up about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an
option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of
stuff in general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886.
It's a push, large-rear wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing
or not (I'll go this weekend to look at it and hopefully
the salepeerson would know....we'll see....is there any
way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging
mowers, specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision
considering I've never owned a mower before, and I
figure a $220 Craftsman is better than spending $700 on
a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage payments...

If you get a push mower just about anything will be ok provided you take
good care of it. There is little to go wrong outside the engine. I
would look for a heavier gauge steel (or cast Aluminum or
Aluminum/Magnesium alloy) for the deck. Don't leave a lot of wet grass
clippings impacted on the bottom of the deck after you mow, as this will
encourage rust - especially if you have recently fertilized. Change the
oil at the end of the season and either run the gas out of the tank or
put some gas stabilizer in the tank. Don't leave your mower outside in
the weather uncovered (you'd be surprised how many people do this).
Preferably keep it in a garage or a enclosed outbuilding. If you can't
do that at the least throw a tarp over it and stick it under something
(deck, lean-to, milk crate, whatever).

Personally, for .4 acres I would go with a good quality self-propelled.
If you let the grass get high (and who on occasion doesn't unless they
have nothing to do but cut the lawn) a push mower can be a real chore to
manhandle through higher grass - even on a perfectly flat lawn. A good
brand self-propelled (Honda, Toro, Husqvarna, and maybe a few other
select brands) should give years of reliable service if you take care of
it (same kind of maintenance as mentioned earlier). I've got a Honda
Harmony self propelled that I bought at Home Depot about 5 years ago and
it has never given me a problem. The self-propelled unit is working
fine and it starts with one pull every time just like when it was new.
Your gonna pay around $400 ~ $450 for a good self propelled (yes, you
can pay more). You might squeeze in a little under that $400 figure if
you shop around now at the end of the season. I think I saw Lowes
selling a Husqvarna self propelled (with a Honda motor, same as on my
Harmony which I consider to be a definite plus)for just under $400.

On the motor, I can't overstate how pleased I am with the Honda 5.5hp
engine on my self-propelled. I've owned or known a lot of mowers
growing up and through my adult life. Most were Brigg and Stratton with
a few Tecumsehs thrown in here or there. Some were hard to start right
out of the box. All got harder to start as they got older. The best of
them would start in 3 or 4 pulls after a couple of years of service.
Some were quite a bit harder than that. I generally check and change
plugs often, but no matter what it seems that all my Briggs or Techumseh
motors would at some point give me trouble starting. Sometimes I could
fix it with new plugs, other times I had to rebuild the carb. A few
would just never reliably start over any reasonable period of time.
This Honda has performed flawlessly. You set the throttle to choke, you
pull the cord (and an easy pull at that) and the thing just fires up.
Five years on it starts as readily at the day I brought it home. One
year I didn't bother to run the gas out and forgot to put stabil in the
tank. Put the mower away in November. Come late February or early May
I pull it out of the garage for my first mow of the year, choke the
throttle, and pull the cord and the damn thing fired right up - first
try after sitting for a little over three months (I live in the
Southeast and we have a pretty long mowing season if you have a fescue
lawn).

Good luck with whatever you get.

In article mQn%e.185801$084.59373@attbi_s22,
says...

If you get a push mower just about anything will be ok provided you take
good care of it. There is little to go wrong outside the engine. I
would look for a heavier gauge steel (or cast Aluminum or
Aluminum/Magnesium alloy) for the deck. Don't leave a lot of wet grass
clippings impacted on the bottom of the deck after you mow, as this will
encourage rust - especially if you have recently fertilized. Change the
oil at the end of the season and either run the gas out of the tank or
put some gas stabilizer in the tank. Don't leave your mower outside in
the weather uncovered (you'd be surprised how many people do this).
Preferably keep it in a garage or a enclosed outbuilding. If you can't
do that at the least throw a tarp over it and stick it under something
(deck, lean-to, milk crate, whatever).

Personally, for .4 acres I would go with a good quality self-propelled.
If you let the grass get high (and who on occasion doesn't unless they
have nothing to do but cut the lawn) a push mower can be a real chore to
manhandle through higher grass - even on a perfectly flat lawn. A good
brand self-propelled (Honda, Toro, Husqvarna, and maybe a few other
select brands) should give years of reliable service if you take care of
it (same kind of maintenance as mentioned earlier). I've got a Honda
Harmony self propelled that I bought at Home Depot about 5 years ago and

Thanks for this great reply!!! I just picked up the
Sears Craftsman 38886 push mower with large rear wheels.
They have a 30-day return policy so if I find it's
really a chore, I'll return it and go w/ a Honda self-
propelled, the majority of folks seem to agree that
Honda engines are really the most reliable over time. I
hear that southeast grass can get thick, I live in the
Northeast so I'm hoping even if it does grow a bit long,
it will never be like those thick blades of the south so
I'll be ok. Hopefully this thing mulches up the leaves
pretty well as well. Thnx again for all the replies,
I'll repost with an update on how the mower feels.