wgg@floyd.UUCP (05/01/84)
To - J. Halle -- open letter You say to avoid Sears lawn tractors, but you don't say why, except that they are junk. What's wrong? The engine? The drive? When everyone in your development who has a Sears mower has some kind of trouble, there must be a pattern. What is it? Bill Graves floyd!wgg
halle1@houxz.UUCP (J.HALLE) (05/01/84)
I will be more specific in my condemnation of Sears Lawn Tractors. My engine has not run right since I got it. I had it retuned after about 6-8 hours of use to no avail. It started out OK, but after about 45 minutes it seemed sluggish. Nothing I could put in quantitative terms, just it didn't feel right. This year I had the preseason service. The following week I tried to use it and it wouldn't start, despite the battery being recharged. I had to jump start it several times. Also, it flooded too easily when I tried to start it. The following week, with a new battery, I again had big problems. The belt for the blades kept falling off. A support for the mower deck kept falling off. The grass guard kept falling off (this last had been going on since day 1). I had to frequently stop to replace them. Finally, the lever that engages the blade snapped. A weld broke that was just asking for trouble. The blade is locked on, and the engine cannot start that way. This from a lightly used machine of less than one year old. Other neighbors have had engine problems, electrical problems, and other assorted ills, with long out-of-service times. My problems might be more severe than most, but they are far from unique. Note: this experience does not necessarily carry over to the push mowers or the riding mowers, although I have no reason to believe it is any different. Note: the lawn sweeper is worthless due to the way the bag is fixed (actually, not-fixed) to the frame. This is probably not unique to Sears.
duhon@ihuxj.UUCP (duhon) (05/02/84)
In further defense of Sears lawnmowers: I have a PUSH mower (except it's self-driven) and though I've had it just over a year, it still runs like a champ. Starts very easy, doesn't stall easily, etc. My only complaint is that there is no attachment available to cast the grass to one side (is a rear mounted catcher model). Joey Duhon ihnp4!ihlpm!duhon
wmartin@brl-vgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (05/03/84)
Another favorable report on an ordinary (push it, bag-on-the-side) Sears power lawnmower: When we bought our current house, we went from one with a postage-stamp sized yard front & back to a 170 X 80 lot. After a year of trying to cope with a non-power pushmower, or paying a kid to do it for me, I gave up and bought the cheapest, bottom-of-the-line Sears model on sale. 4-cycle, pull-rope start. I change the oil once a year, and put a new blade on it after I mowed my dog's tie-out stake (metal screw-in-the-ground thing) a couple times. Has worked with no maintenance for at least 8 years now. Started up on the first pull of the rope Monday when I got it out of the garage and fueled it up for this season. Moral: don't get fancy, and you have fewer things to break. Also maybe I was just lucky... Will
michael@azure.UUCP (05/03/84)
[line 1] My experience with Sears lawnmowers has been very satisfactory so far. I purchased a 3.5 hp, 21 in. push mower in 1978. This is the stripped down version. It is not self-propelled and there is no throttle control, just on and off. As I recall, It cost $129 at the time. I've never had any trouble with it. It has always started easily and run well. The only maintenence I perform is to change the oil once a season, and drain the gas tank and run any remaining fuel out of the engine before storing it over winter. It still has the original spark plug. There are a couple of design features I don't like. The switch for the motor is a small lever that you push against the spark plug to shut it off. It's awkward to get at, I usually use my foot. For safety and convenience I wish it was on the handle. I purchased an optional grass catcher that hangs on side of the mower. To install the catcher, you remove the guard that covers the hole where the grass blows out, and put on a bracket that holds tha bag. The problem is that sometimes, like if the grass is wet or I don't need the mulch, I don't want to catch the grass. Then I'm using a mower with no guard against flying debris, unless I remove the bracket and re-install the guard. Since this about a 15 minute job, I've opted to take my chances. I expect a mower to last several years and give reasonable performance, and so far I've gotten it. If you get one, Sears will try to sell you a maintenence agreement. I didn't buy one and haven't regretted it, but then I like to gamble. Michael Brouhard Tektronix, Inc.
fuka@convex.UUCP (05/06/84)
#R:floyd:-206400:convex:51300002:000:311
convex!fuka May 5 18:47:00 1984
I just got my 3 year old Sears Craftsman mower out for the season's first use.
I changed the oil, filed on the blade for a minute or two, and filled the
gas tank. It started on the first pull after ~5 months storage.
I'm happy with it.
Kent A. Fuka {allegra|ihnp4}!convex!fuka Convex Computer Corp.