YT4000 does a great job but needs a few refinements. June 29, 2010

This lawn tractor cuts extremely well. It has plenty of power, runs very smoothly, doesn't clog, and cuts evenly. There are a few minor refinements it could use. The safety switch in the seat is oversensitive to the point that the engine cuts out momentarily when you hit a bump or shift in the seat. This is particularly annoying when you turn your body to look back when backing up. Also, the hood doesn't stay closed on bumpy or uneven ground. I added a couple of small bungee cords to keep the hood from popping up by itself. I also would like to be able to raise the mower higher when moving the tractor without mowing.

Exactly as expected - very happy! June 16, 2010

I agonized for a long time between a walk-behind and a riding mower - my property is 1/2 acre, about half of which is grass.  That's really right on the cutoff for walk vs. ride, but a friend of mine mentioned one thing that pushed me towards a riding mower - bagging capacity.  Forget the matter of the energy and time it takes to walk a mower across a half acre, consider how much time you'll spend dumping bags and the answer becomes clear.

I settled on this Craftsman model after a fair amount of research and I've been very happy with my choice.  Delivery took exactly one week after ordering online.  A few checks/adjustments were necessary per the manual, but within 15 minutes of delivery I turned the key.  It fired up readily and I was mowing the lawn!  It does a great job cutting, is easy to start, and easy to drive even in confined space or around obstacles.  It does everything is supposed to.

My only complaint is the chassis flex and "latch" for the hood.  On uneven ground the chassis will flex enough to unlatch the hood, which will surely end up with damage to the hood or console on the mower.  It's a small detail for an otherwise well-priced, functional mower so I'm not upset.  If I were manufacturing this, though, I'd find a way to fix it.

Great Craftsman Lawn Tractor. June 12, 2010

I bought the non-California version of this tractor for my sig. other just before last summer.  He is still raving about it.  He mows three different lawns and now they get done without the sore back and subsequent complaints.  We're both happy with this machine.

OK so far... April 13, 2010

I ordered this online took 3 weeks to arrive at the store. I did order the additional warranty. I like the idea of having home service. I have used it on my home appliances a few times and usually get an appointment the next business day, I highly recommend spending the money for this protection. After I brought it home I was going over the unit and saw that the battery wasn't connected (probably because it was shipped). But, there was no battery bolt/nut sent with the unit so I used my own. I also bought mulching blades which were easy to install. I followed the directions to prepare the transmission which seemed to easy enough. I have owned it now for 2 months. I did have to adjust the cutting blades to cut more evenly which wasnt a big deal. My tires were way over inflated and one tire went flat so not sure if it has a small leak or what. It does start right up and runs real smooth. I would recommend this so product so far. My teenager likes it so far as well.