YT 3000 46" 22 Hp Kohler courage December 13, 2011

Bought in April 2011 to replace worn out ToryBilt with same engine. This is a ruff riding mower. I am having big time trouble starting this engine. I had no problems with this engine in the TroyBilt.  I am just starting down the path of getting them to fix it. Will let you know how it turns out. It is now December 2011. I thought it might need some "breaking in" I guess I was wrong. I know I should have called them after the first few months.

edit to add update - Update 12/16/2011 - Wow, service was fast and easy. Will be here next week Wednesday. I think the trouble is the choke valve not shutting all the way. Will let you know what service guy says.

Edit 12/20/2011 Update:  Called last Friday and said if I wanted to service could be here Monday. Well, yeah. Showed up and it was the choke, fixed in about 30 seconds. I had to finish getting all leaves mulched up, cold outside, started like a champ. I will update if anything else happens, but all seems well. This engine is a work-horse and I never had any problems with the one on the other mower in over 6 years. This really is a great engine.

A tad underpowered but pretty good value November 30, 2011

Just completed the 2nd season with this mower and am generally pleased. I use it on my 1.5 acre New England property with 3 different yard types to do, including one that is sloped. The engine will bog down and even stall if you mow somewhat overgrown grass, even on the highest cut setting. You'll have to go over overgrown grass at the highest cut setting and again if you want it any lower. I use the mulching blades. They tend to clump the grass rather than spread it around as you'd really like, but if you don't wait til the grass is overgrown it does a decent job. I think it'll help if the blades are kept sharp and I'll be doing that this off-season. The ride is good, the noise is bearable. Vibration isn't bad, the transmission is smooth. You'll lose traction on a steep incline especially if it's a bit damp (though of course you shouldn't be mulching wet stuff). But I've always been able to reverse out if it gets stuck. The tight turning radius is very helpful. I'm following the service schedule and use only the recommended parts and oil, etc. Only time will tell how durable the thing is, but it hasn't needed anything mechanical fixed yet. Shortly after purchase it did develop a rear tire leak, but that was taken care of by a nice Sears repair guy (I've got the maintenance plan). As Kenny in Arkansas said in his informative review, you might want to spring for the next level rider if you have the bucks and more than 1.5 - 2 acre. Although if the land your doing is pretty level and smooth you could probably go up to 3 - 4 acre and be satisfied. For my purpose the next higher level machine would be nicer, but for the money it's ok.

Good, but needs posi-track and a hood strap April 02, 2011

I got mine a year ago in 2010 and used it 1 year so far to mow my 1 acre rolling yard. Good mower without problems. Hydrostatic is the only way to go. For the $, it's a great mower. I would like to see it 1)Get a hood strap because the hood is too loose and bounces around: Nothing that wasn't fixed with a rubber bungee cord, but it could be better, 2) Tight turning radius for a tractor, but it could sure use posi-track in the rear end so I could take advantage of that tight radius without spinning the rear wheels, 3) Battery is hard to jump start under the seat: I forgot to turn off the key once (my bad) and in order to jump start it, you have to sit on the seat to crank it: Nearly impossible when connected to jumper cables. Overall, better than other $1500 mowers, but not perfect. Kenny in Arkansas.

the yt 3000 with Kohler 22 hp is one rough rider. July 25, 2010

The yt 3000 with 22 hp. Kohler is one rough rider as compared to the craftsman 15.5 hp rider that I'm replacing. The tires were inflated to better than 22lbs. when I brought it home , so putting the 12 -14 lbs required certainly helped. It still rides rough and makes mowing an acre seem more like two. I don't have the mulching blades on yet , but I did notice that the engine bogged down a bit some heavier grass. I'll be interested to see how it mulches. On the plus side it steers like a sports car compared to my old one and the ignition switch position to mow in reverse is not a problem. I thought I may not like the position of the fuel tank but thats no big deal either. The seat is a big improvement on my old mower , it gives some back support and takes some of the bad out of the ride. The cruise control is about useless, I wish it had the lever control instead of the foot control. It does seem to noisier than the old one but it also has a lot more hp. All in all if I had to do it over again I believe I'd shell out the big bucks and  buy a 2 cyclinder model. My neighbor has a 12 year old  20 hp briggs and stratton yard machine and that engine is smooth as silk and very quiet and very powerful. Live and learn.