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#1
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
Hi,
Can anyone recommend the following Craftsman lawnmower model? I could not find reviews of this model anywhere on the web/Usenet. I saw it advertised in the Sears sales flyer this week for $259.99. Is this a good price? Does this model or a similar one come on sale for less? Below is the description from the Sears website. Please send all replies to this bulletin board as I am having trouble with my email. Thanks! Steve ================== Craftsman 6.5 hp 21 in. Deck Rear Bag Mower (Model #37836) ---------------------------------------------------------- 6.5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton 1 engine is ready for any yard job. Single speed front wheel gear drive system propels the mower so it does the work, not you. -- Front wheel drive single speed -- 21 in. high tunnel rear bag propelled -- 21 in. rear bag, mulch ready -- Durable, maintenance free transmission -- Optional side discharge chipping deflector available -- Folding handle means you need less room for storage -- Factory installed mulching system can be changed from bagging to mulching with no tools -- California compliant |
#2
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
"Steven Kolak" wrote in message om... Hi, Can anyone recommend the following Craftsman lawnmower model? I could not find reviews of this model anywhere on the web/Usenet. I saw it advertised in the Sears sales flyer this week for $259.99. Is this a good price? Does this model or a similar one come on sale for less? Below is the description from the Sears website. Please send all replies to this bulletin board as I am having trouble with my email. Thanks! Steve ================== Craftsman 6.5 hp 21 in. Deck Rear Bag Mower (Model #37836) ---------------------------------------------------------- 6.5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton 1 engine is ready for any yard job. Single speed front wheel gear drive system propels the mower so it does the work, not you. -- Front wheel drive single speed Are you going to be mowing going up a hill? With the front wheel drive you need to lift the back 2 wheels to get it to propel. With the rear wheel drive the weight is already on the rear wheels. Judy -- 21 in. high tunnel rear bag propelled -- 21 in. rear bag, mulch ready -- Durable, maintenance free transmission -- Optional side discharge chipping deflector available -- Folding handle means you need less room for storage -- Factory installed mulching system can be changed from bagging to mulching with no tools -- California compliant |
#3
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
Hi Judy,
Fortunately, it will be used only on flat surfaces. I just heard the same recommendation from a friend of mine about the front vs. rear drive. Do you have this Craftsman model? Thanks, Steve "Judy and Dave G" wrote in message ... "Steven Kolak" wrote in message om... Hi, Can anyone recommend the following Craftsman lawnmower model? I could not find reviews of this model anywhere on the web/Usenet. I saw it advertised in the Sears sales flyer this week for $259.99. Is this a good price? Does this model or a similar one come on sale for less? Below is the description from the Sears website. Please send all replies to this bulletin board as I am having trouble with my email. Thanks! Steve ================== Craftsman 6.5 hp 21 in. Deck Rear Bag Mower (Model #37836) ---------------------------------------------------------- 6.5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton 1 engine is ready for any yard job. Single speed front wheel gear drive system propels the mower so it does the work, not you. -- Front wheel drive single speed Are you going to be mowing going up a hill? With the front wheel drive you need to lift the back 2 wheels to get it to propel. With the rear wheel drive the weight is already on the rear wheels. Judy -- 21 in. high tunnel rear bag propelled -- 21 in. rear bag, mulch ready -- Durable, maintenance free transmission -- Optional side discharge chipping deflector available -- Folding handle means you need less room for storage -- Factory installed mulching system can be changed from bagging to mulching with no tools -- California compliant |
#4
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
You'll probably ignore my advice grin but PLEASE stay away from Crapsman.
Do a newsgroup search on Craftsman Mowers and see what you come up with for advice. I had a self-propelled Crapsman walk-behind that lasted 2 1/2 seasons before the transmission failed. Cost new: $350. Cost for PARTS (not labor) to fix: $299. I junked it and bought a Honda Harmony, for $650. Money VERY well spent. I also now have a John Deere lawn tractor since we moved to a bigger property. So, if you like replacing your mower every 2-4 years, by all means by the Sears. If you want something that will last, spend a little more and get a Honda, John Deere, or Toro. It will last you a dozen years or more. -Tim |
#5
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
"Tim Fischer" wrote in message .net... You'll probably ignore my advice grin but PLEASE stay away from Crapsman. Do a newsgroup search on Craftsman Mowers and see what you come up with for advice. I had a self-propelled Crapsman walk-behind that lasted 2 1/2 seasons before the transmission failed. Cost new: $350. Cost for PARTS (not labor) to fix: $299. I junked it and bought a Honda Harmony, for $650. Money VERY well spent. I also now have a John Deere lawn tractor since we moved to a bigger property. So, if you like replacing your mower every 2-4 years, by all means by the Sears. If you want something that will last, spend a little more and get a Honda, John Deere, or Toro. It will last you a dozen years or more. -Tim I had even more trouble with my Craftsman Self propelled. I also paid 350.00 and mine lasted only one season. It is now sitting in my backyard waiting to be taken to the dump. It lasted one season. I have a rather large yard, but it is flat, and I probably should have gotten a lawn tractor instead, but I still believe the Craftsman should have lasted longer than one season. Brigitte |
#6
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
I had a self-propelled Crapsman walk-behind that lasted 2 1/2 seasons before the transmission failed. Cost new: $350. Cost for PARTS (not labor) to fix: $299. I junked it and bought a Honda Harmony, for $650. Money VERY well spent. I also now have a John Deere lawn tractor since we moved to a bigger property. So, if you like replacing your mower every 2-4 years, by all means by the Sears. If you want something that will last, spend a little more and get a Honda, John Deere, or Toro. It will last you a dozen years or more. -Tim I disagree entirely with what Tim has to say here. I have owned three (3) Craftsman lawnmowers in the past forty years. When properly maintained,each of these mowers lasted over ten years. I find that John Deere is severly overpriced with extra bells and wistles that most home owners don't need. Al |
#7
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
Tim,
Thanks for the advice. In my opinion, too, the John Deere, Honda, and Toro are exceptional brands and better than Craftsman, but you pay for that in $$$, too, as you said. My one friend is going on year 15 with his Toro. I actually have had 5+ years good luck so far with a Craftsman 6hp self-propelled at my mother's house, and another friend has gotten many years out of his as well. Once in a while they require a few strong pulls to start, but I am willing to throw the dice, per say. You are right, I probably won't follow your advice grin!!, but thanks for spending time giving it to me. If the mower fails in 1-10 years, I will know who told me so! Steve "Tim Fischer" wrote in message t.net... You'll probably ignore my advice grin but PLEASE stay away from Crapsman. Do a newsgroup search on Craftsman Mowers and see what you come up with for advice. I had a self-propelled Crapsman walk-behind that lasted 2 1/2 seasons before the transmission failed. Cost new: $350. Cost for PARTS (not labor) to fix: $299. I junked it and bought a Honda Harmony, for $650. Money VERY well spent. I also now have a John Deere lawn tractor since we moved to a bigger property. So, if you like replacing your mower every 2-4 years, by all means by the Sears. If you want something that will last, spend a little more and get a Honda, John Deere, or Toro. It will last you a dozen years or more. -Tim |
#8
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
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#9
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
"Brigitte J." wrote:
"Tim Fischer" wrote in message .net... You'll probably ignore my advice grin but PLEASE stay away from Crapsman. Do a newsgroup search on Craftsman Mowers and see what you come up with for advice. I had a self-propelled Crapsman walk-behind that lasted 2 1/2 seasons before the transmission failed. Cost new: $350. Cost for PARTS (not labor) to fix: $299. I junked it and bought a Honda Harmony, for $650. Money VERY well spent. I also now have a John Deere lawn tractor since we moved to a bigger property. So, if you like replacing your mower every 2-4 years, by all means by the Sears. If you want something that will last, spend a little more and get a Honda, John Deere, or Toro. It will last you a dozen years or more. -Tim I had even more trouble with my Craftsman Self propelled. I also paid 350.00 and mine lasted only one season. It is now sitting in my backyard waiting to be taken to the dump. It lasted one season. I have a rather large yard, but it is flat, and I probably should have gotten a lawn tractor instead, but I still believe the Craftsman should have lasted longer than one season. Brigitte Did you return it? Sears is pretty forgiving in the first year. -- Zl Arjfernqre vf orggre guna lbhef! (Rot-13) -- Tb# 40 42 12 |
#10
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
"Al" wrote in message
om... I disagree entirely with what Tim has to say here. I have owned three (3) Craftsman lawnmowers in the past forty years. When properly maintained,each of these mowers lasted over ten years. I'd be interested in your pointers on how I failed to properly maintain my mower to cause it to fail prematurely. Please advice the other poster with similar experience as well. -Tim |
#11
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
wrote in message
... No shit..by the way..mtd makes cub cadet,and many others. MTD does indeed make many others. They all suck, with the possible exception of Cub Cadet, which I understand is a decent brand. It's also priced in line with the other "decent" brands I listed, not in line with MTD's crap brands. -Tim |
#12
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
Hi all.
I really don't like it when anyone jumps in a thread and runs off at the mouth without giving background for their opinion. So here I go, over-doing it again. If you don't want to know the history, just jump on down to my opinion at the end. Less time, but not as much fun. I have owned Craftsman mowers for 30 years now. No, really, 25 years. The first 5 years were non-powered push mowers because that was all we could afford for our little bit of grass. They all worked well, I could never take a week off because they were broken. I just couldn't make those little suckers break. Then I met Craftsman. My husband is a Craftsman toolman. And has been for 40 years. So, of course, my first powered mower must also be a Craftsman. As everyone here who takes pride in their lawn knows, it may be a woman or a man, but usually one in the family does most of the mowing, and, therefore, usually decides on the mower. So, this one checking in, is a female, if that matters. Anyway, when this thread started, and similar in another group, I thought I was a staunch supporter of Craftsman. And I have prepared a number of cutesy replies. Then I started to think about it. The first Craftsman that I owned was a used one. Push mower. No self propulsion, none needed, I was young. And it ran forever, and ever, and ever. Then our lives changed a bit and we moved, up and out, so now we had almost an acre, with a whole lot of ups and downs. In a neighborhood that demanded weed control. And, being a bit older, I needed propulsion, no, I needed a rider. So, back to Craftsman. (Somewhere in here I have to comment on my absolute, undying fear of heights. One rung on a ladder is my limit and only if I have someplace to hold on. I can only climb on a chair that has a back to hold on to. OK, that said, I could not get on a riding mower that made me feel like I was too high up in the air.) Craftsman brand riders are pretty low, not sports car low, but lower than those 'other brands'. So I got me a rider, Craftsman, 12 hp, 1985. I loved it, I used it when the grass needed cut and I used it when I needed a breather. (I ALWAYS buy a maintenance contract on any large purchase, Craftsman or otherwise.) When I called to have my first end of the season maintenance, the gentleman who did the work, well, he was surprised, said my mower had a smaller engine that it was supposed to have. Hmmm. Oh well, it still was running very well. And it continued to run, and I renewed the maintenance each and every year. I did everything that I was supposed to. Then we moved to the country. My hills were steeper and my drop offs were more sudden and my acreage increased to 60. I realized the difference between the fun ups and downs in a lawn and the drop off edges of gulleys and streams. And the difference between KNOWING that my mower was not gonna stop as I was mowing one of those hillsides that the mower manual said I should never do. OK, the mower was 6 years old and the maintenance was more than a new one. So I used a local handyman. The first time I took it in, I paid over $600 because I told him to tear it down and rebuild it with new parts. I needed to get 3 more years out of it. Sure no problem. Til I tried to turn it on. Click. Took it back. Paid $150 more. Tried to turn it on. Click. Then I was angry. They came and picked it up and repaired it again, for nothing. (At least for those that cannot add.) Well, ****, give in and get a new one. Bite the bullet. Husband said he would be more comfortable if I had a larger engine on these hills. OK, back to Craftsman. I got the 18 hp. that had shift on the go. Now, I explained to the salesman about my hills and my need to increase my mowed area each year by a couple acres. And he sold me his recommendation. I burned up the transmission on that 18hp tank. It took me less than a month. Call for service. Sure. No problem. As long as you can stop your grass from growing for 3 more weeks. Maintenance guy said you should never have bought this kind, lady. Well, duh, I was just following the recommendation of their salesman. He said he was gonna recommend that Sears give me a new rider, but without the automatic shift. No problem. Got my new one 3 weeks later. Ran wonderful. For about a month. Shit. First the brakes. Then the transmission. Then something kept starting on fire under the front hood (where the motor is). Then the transmission again. Then it just goes click. Then you have to jump around on the seat to get it to start. Then the steering and front tires don't want to turn. Which of course had to happen on the edge of a gulley. And the brake was on the downhill side of the mower which was I was riding on the uphill fender, so I couldn't use the brake. So I jumped off. They told me they had replaced the whole drive, brakes, axles, tranny, the LAST time. Well, supposedly they replaced it again. If I had not bought the maintenance contract, I would have been even angrier. So, I absolutely followed the recommended maintenance. And added in at least 6 more visits per year. And that sucker isn't gonna make it to next year. And I will never purchase another Craftsman mower as long as I live. No matter what. Even if I have to get some goats. Never. And I feel really guilty saying it. Like I need to go to confession. But, I need to feel safe. I need an engine that I maintain better than recommended, to start. For more than 2 weeks at a time. I am thankful for these threads. Having to sit here and put it in writing. Wow, talk about perspective. My advice would be to NOT purchase a Craftsman. The quality that we grew to expect in the 60s and 70s and 80s is no longer there. The mentality of the craftsmen who maintained our machines has also gone the way of the auto mechanic that could fix your car by the sound. I saw that Sam's Club has a Honda 5 hp self propelled (can't remember the cut width) for $289.00. I would bet that that Honda will probably last longer than the "new, improved, Craftsman" mower, regardless of its standing on the price scale. But this is just my opinion. HTH. Judy |
#13
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
well I will agree the trades (all trades and industries) have many
technicians(if you call them that) who don't know which end of the hammer to hang on to, One shop I worked in the shop foreman (ok not really a foreman but was there the longest some 20 odd years) could not figure out why a lawn tractor he was trying to push in the shop would not move, the brake was on and this was the guy who was supose to run the shop??? But there are some good techs out there. No matter where you look or in what industry (from mechanics to bankers) there is more and more people out there who don't have a clue unfortunately that is life. When you find someone who is competent stick with them but please dont lable all of us as idiots. |
#14
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
Ps just because a salesmen say something don't mean it is the truth, they
will lie to make a sale especially if they make a commission, If I am not sure if the sales man (lady) is on commission I ask. |
#15
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Anyone recommend Craftsman 6.5HP lawnmower (37836)
"Dr. Doctor" wrote in message ... well I will agree the trades (all trades and industries) have many technicians(if you call them that) who don't know which end of the hammer to hang on to, Absolutely. I unequivocally agree. One shop I worked in the shop foreman (ok not really a foreman but was there the longest some 20 odd years) could not figure out why a lawn tractor he was trying to push in the shop would not move, the brake was on and this was the guy who was supose to run the shop??? But there are some good techs out there. No matter where you look or in what industry (from mechanics to bankers) there is more and more people out there who don't have a clue unfortunately that is life. When you find someone who is competent stick with them but please dont lable all of us as idiots. No question. But explain to me why it seems that Sears just can't find those who are competent? A real question. Do they pay like shit? No sick or vacation benefits? Come on, what is it? Because I am willing to complain to those who are responsible for the benefits that they need to be better. My record with Sears gives me just a small wrench to stick in the works. I just have to be sure where to stick it. ;0} Judy |
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