Hey Jonathan - I have a 17.5/42 lt 2000 craftsman .I,ve had it this going on the second season . I,ve had several craftsman in this size range , and never really had any problems , other thanlack of maint. particularly were the deck was concerned . Last fall I decided to turn over a new leaf and do as the book said . It really took no time , and I'm glad I did as the bottom of the deck needed a good coat of paint . Do this every year , believe me it's worth it . Will save the cost of a new deck about 5 yrs down the road . Also sharpened the blades . I ran in to the same problem you did , everything checked out when deck was fully raised but not at my normal cutting height ( I use 4 ) . After thinking a few minutes on it I realized I don't much care how it cuts fully raised and Iadjusted the deck to be right at level 4 . NO PROBLEMS ! ! i ALSO STRONGLY ADVISE THE USE OF DECK WHEELS ESPECIALLY ON THE REAR . ELIMINATED ALL THE GOUGING , AND SAVES ON NEW BLADES . Happy mowing , Roscoe
