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

I mean they use the same engine as the Ariens and other machines, so does it boil down to the craftsmanship and mechanical issues on these blowers rather than engine problems?

I imagine machines like Toro or Ariens may be built better. I looked at those units and the build is impressive. I also looked at the new Craftsman 13hp B&S with Hydro transmission and it also looks like a good machine. I owned a 1887 32" / 10 HP Craftsman and the bucket broke from the housing from abusive and aggressive snowblowing (brother in law used it alot). I bought a used 1992 10hp 28" Track Craftsman and this weekend I put a kicking to it. The machine threw gravel, small peaces of wood and other junk that landed in my driveway. A piece of gravel jammed the impeller, after removing it back in business. Parts are super easy to obtain. I think the big name units, ie Toro are built a bit tougher. I know there are several technicians on this forum that could answer the question much better than me. They would know the design and inner workings (bearings etc.) as a skilled technician would. I am pleased with my Craftsman, but then again I never owned a Toro or Ariens to compare it with. My amature reply may be, matainence is very important for any unit. I think any unit well matained should work well. Compairing Craftsman to Honda, no contest, the Honda build is much better.

The older Craftsman machines were made by Murray and generally well regarded.

The newer machines are made by MTD and are regarded about the same as the other brand names they are sold under. Which is no comparison with Ariens and Simplicity, or even Toro.

Personally, The older Sears units were very tough. Most were made by Murray or AYP. The newer Sears really aren't that bad - but heres the catch. Any Murray made Craftsman currently available will be a bad choice if you need parts. Why? Murray was bought out by Briggs & Stratton & obtaining parts for any Murray product is a NIGHTMARE. Stuff like belts, skids & other commonly replacable parts can be had, but if you need a HARD part like a worm gear, auger rakes - forget it. To ID a "Murray" Sears, look at the model number - if it starts with "536" its a Murray. If you see "247" its made by MTD. MTD makes entry level machines that are so-so quality.

Marty

The guys who answered your question are top notch, so I could only add a little more here.

You are correct that engines are engines......but the parts that wear are the other parts.  The newer craftsman snowblowers are made with cheaper parts where these "wear points" are, like the ends of the auger shaft, etc.  I think these guys will tell you that they do not have bearings or bushings......something like that.

That being said.....Do Craftsman snowblowers have a place in the market??  Of course. 
Not everyone wants to spend a lot to move snow......not everyone wants a machine that will outlive them. 
Not everyone has long hard tough winters.  One would be foolish to spend hundreds or thousands more if you do not get the snow to justify it.

Also, if a person takes good care of his snowblower, whatever the brand, it should take care of him.  I'd rather have a well maintained Craftsman then a neglected, misused Ariens or Toro.

Bottom line.....buy what you can afford, take good care of it, and it should take good care of you.

Frank D.

I'll add my 2 cents:

Not all Craftsman Snow Throwers are created equally. Think of their other house brand, Kenmore. Certain refrigerators under the Kenmore name are really Whirlpools, while others may be Frigidaires, et al.

In terms of the Sears snow equipment, the 11.5 HP "88115" unit is apparently made by Electrolux (same as Husqvarna/Poulan) and seems to have much higher build quality than the other Craftsman units, many of which are made by MTD. I'm not sure which, if any, other Craftsman models are made by Electrolux.

See previous discussion.

For what it's worth, I think the Craftsman 88115 offers a lot of bang for the buck. (11.5 HP Briggs Intek/30"/Power Steering) It's usually on sale for anywhere from $1000 to $1100.

I used to own an older craftsman 10 hp blower that was a rugged well built machine.  After it hit 17 years old I figured I would buy a new 11.5 hp 30in. It turned out to be a big mistake. It broke on me 3 times not including when it was delivered the auger housing wasn't  completely assembled and the auger didn't turn!!  That should have been a sign!

I kept it for 2 years, the last straw was one day when I went out to run it and found that the welds that went around the impeller housing were cracked ! I wouldn't mind but my drive way is paved ! That was it, I researched and shopped and ended up buying an ariens 11528LE.  It wasn't much more expensive than the craftsman models (11-12hp) but it was made from heavy guage steel , it has bearings instead of bushings and it has a three year warranty.  Believe me, take your time and look over the machine your going to buy before you buy it ! 

The craftsman I bought wasn't as good a deal as I thought it was.

                                                                                                                                                                        -Rob.

Majorxlr8n wrote:

I just rebuilt my 87 8/28 craftsman's gearbox, auger shaft, impeller shaft, bearing assembly,impeller fan and augers and got all the parts right from sears here in Dartmouth.

the whole unit was seized on so I just cut everything off and started anew.

the machine was built by Murray and the last two storms threw snow like a new one.

singercs wrote:

WOW - you are VERY LUCKY INDEED! Glad to hear you got yours buttoned up! Next time I need parts, I'll call this very store & hope I'm as lucky...

Marty

Majorxlr8n wrote:

I don't know about being "very lucky "about getting parts for the machine, but I do know that Sears keeps quite a few parts in stock for the older units.

when I called for the gearbox parts both gears and casing halfs along with the shafts,keys and augers they had more than 6 of each available here and more in stock at the Toronto warehouse.

how long they will be available is anyones guess however they can be had with a bit of phone work, parts can be purchased from various small engine suppliers and most would be very glad to help track down any parts needed.

The typical wait for Craftsman parts is two weeks, best thing is as written above figure out who made your machine and find a dealer who carries those parts, then eventually buy one from them!  Murray/Noma parts have been resolved and are easy to obtain from a Briggs dealer (powersource canada in ont.)