Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Any opinions on the below lawn mower.  I have a small, flat lawn that does not require powered wheels. Craftsman 6.5 hp, 21 in. Deck Rear Bag Push Lawn Mower

Sears item #07138885000 Mfr. model #38885

A 6.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine delivers the power for either option, rear bagging or mulching. Fresh Start fuel cap provides for improved starting with precise delivery of fuel stabilizer. The Dust Blocker rear bag gives exceptional bagging results. 8 in. front and rear wheels are more than the industry standard.

These mowers are only good if they are used for home use and if they are not being used for more than 1 hour per use. These mowers will break easy if you punnish them too much. If you only do a 1 hour or less mow each time, this mower should last you at least 5 years. My landlord used to have a couple of 2003's craftsman mowers and they were used for the whole park and took a beeting! They only lasted 2 years because of it. Being this mower is a push and not self propelled, you don't have to worry about a tranny going a miss. Just take care of that engine and you should get some life out of it.

Sully, does it meet your needs? Do you have a budget? How much land are you mowing? Do you want to mulch, bag or side discharge? Nothing wrong with them, they're a good value for the money.

Marshall wrote:
I agree. Doesn't look too bad for $190. Just a picture on the net though. Didn't Dave have some trouble with the bag? Or did he love it? Can't remember.

One thing I have noticed on Craftsman and Murray lawn mowers is the handle cracking down by the area you tighten it up with the wing nuts, so to speak. Maybe others mowers have the same problem, I don't know? I have seen it happen on a quite a few of the brands I mentioned though. Maybe people tighten them too tight?

Marshall... People do tighten them too tight. I have had 6 mowers brought into me total that have had that problem.

Thanks termy, I thought that might have something to do with it. Where's your shop?

My shop is my garage. When we moved in, I converted that ugly carport into something useful. We had the garage enclosed with a great big automatic door, and we installed electrical. Then we installed a workbench and shelving. I now call it a shop with everything I need at my fingertips. I have a laptop inside the garage for typing in hours worked and documentation. If you would like to know more, PM me

Terminator20 wrote:
What was the fix to those 6 broken handles.




Edit for not making sense.

Answer given is...

JB Weld

I figured that was the answer. I tried that as well on an old Murray, I had to use hose clamps ontop of the JB Weld.

That's a good place to start your shop and business.

Hi...

I have a similar 3-4 year old Craftsman push mower... mow about 2,500-3,000 square feet... runs well...  no mechanical problems... wheels on mine are smaller diameter... dark green color...

The bagger on mine lets any dust blow right thru onto me... It's bad in this respect... I see the one you're looking at says... "The Dust Blocker rear bag gives exceptional bagging results"... hopefully this is a lot better...

To avoid a dust bowl when things are dry with or without the bagger... i bought a Brill reel mower... manually powered...

Mine has so-so deck suction with the standard blades... have to drop it to the lowest position to suck up any harder-to-pick-up stuff... but it bags the cut grass OK...

Dave...