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Craftsman 17.5 HP 30In. Side Rear Discharge Lawn Tractor Review
Sears item# 07128033000 Mfr. model# 28033 Sears Lawn & Garden Tractors
Intro:
It seems that every mower manufacturer makes many great mowers and one or two duds. This is Craftsman’s dud.
The design (idea) is sound, BUT the implementation of the design is terrible.
So what is really wrong with this mower?
1. The tractor wheelbase is wider than the deck.
2. The yard tractor only has a 30 inch deck, but will not fit through most 36 inch gates.
3. The lawn tractor is advertised as a side, rear discharge mower but the side discharge or mulching cover are not included with the mower.
A Little More Detail:
This type of mower is very popular in Europe. Many homeowners there compost everything so they don’t side-discharge or mulch. A small deck with an integrated bagger works great. Mow your yard and when you need to dump the bagger, just back up to your compost pile and pull a handle. Here it will work fine if you compost. So the concept is good, just the implementation of that concept in this mower is what is wrong. Specifically here is what’s wrong.
1. The tractor wheelbase is wider than the deck. The way the yard tractor is built the deck sits to one side of the machine. You can mow flush with the left side of the tractor, but the wheelbase is over 2 inches wider than the deck on the right side. If you mow back and forth on your lawn like most of us, each time you mow with the uncut side on the right you are knocking over the grass. If you have an area of your lawn where you can only mow in one direction you can not mow right up to the edge on the right side. The bagging chute does not come out of the deck flush with the edge and sticks out the right side of the deck (but still under the fender.)
2. The Yard Tractor only has a 30 inch deck, but will not fit through most 36 inch gates. Most 30 inch mowers will fit through a 36 inch opening and a 36 inch gate. What’s the difference? For example with my 36 inch chain link gate in my back yard the hinges stick an inch or so into the opening making the effective width of the gate about 33 1/2 inches. Since my 30 inch mower is only 30 inches wide, it fits through the gate easily. The Model 28033 on the other hand has a 30 inch deck, but the actual width of the tractor is 33 1/2 inches. It will not fit through my gate. A lot of other gates that use a pin style gate hinge will have the same problem.
3. The Lawn Tractor is advertised as a side rear discharge mower so I am assuming (as will most people) that the yard tractor will side or rear discharge. The first thing you notice when you unpack the unit from the crate is there is no side discharge chute. The second thing you notice is that the bagger discharge chute is bolted to the mower deck. A side discharge or mulching cover are not included with the mower. A discharge chute or mulching cover are not listed anywhere on the Sears website, the owners manual or SearsPartsDirect. Maybe I am just misunderstanding the name but 28033 Side Rear Discharge is not the mower the name suggests it to be.
Specs:
I’m not even going to go through the specs for this mower, because I am not recommending that you purchase this mower.
Summary:
Instead of designing this machine right it looks like some engineer went into the back warehouse and pulled parts out of the existing inventory and then built this mower without any modifications. Why anyone would allow a mower to be produced with these basic design flaws is beyond my reckoning. I know Peerless makes a hydrostatic trans that is narrow enough for this deck and it should be easy to manufacture the front axle 1 inch narrower on each side.
For 2009 I am going to recommend you purchase the Sears Lawn & Garden Tractors Model# 536.270320 and Craftsman 1-Bin Grass Bagger Model# 07124981000 if you are looking for a simple, small riding lawn mower. The RER is a proven design with a proven track-record of being a great little 30 inch riding mower.
Of course your comments and opinions are always welcome. Sears Lawn & Garden Tractors
I do own one, and if you want something that looks like a lawn tractor but doesn’t do much, this is the machine for you.
Like many Craftsman products, it seems to have been designed to do the absolute minimum that would be expected of it. It will cut 1/2″ off the top of a level lawn. That’s it!
-There are 5 items on the mower designed to make it not run, and I’ve had trouble with three of them in 6 months. Seat switch, bag present switch, and clutch switch.
-I’ve heard the “Bag Full” warning about three times, as the chute clogs first, and there’s no way to know it’s clogged.
-The blade is about the softest I’ve ever seen, and ground at too acute an angle. Dulls in no time. Very little lift.
-Light leaf pickup, picks up about 1/3 of the leaves (maybe 1″ thick), and blows the rest out the sides. It can take a dozen passes to do what should happen in 3 or 4. Remember, this toy is billed as a “Lawn Tractor,” not a “Lawn Mower.” If it won’t do this, just what in tophet does it do that makes it more than a light duty lawnmower?
For leaf pickup, you need to generate a bit of suction. This machine has several large holes in the deck to make sure there is none. The action is entirely centrifugal.
-What idiot installs a switch to kill the motor if you try to back up with the blade engaged, then provides an alternate key position to negate the switch?
-The clutch is way too abrupt. I have a motorcycle to do wheelies on.
-Craftsman provides only their own part # for belts, and the belts themselves have no markings. That’s just rude. I’ll have to remove them to measur the length.
- Mine has thrown the blade belt twice, and you have to drop the deck off and remove a large plastic shroud to put it back on. Anybody want a plastic shroud?
- It’s louder than my Harley.
IMHO, this thing was designed by lawyers, and NO thought was put into making it actually work. At the price, I’d like to say I’m happy with it, the reality is, I’m just stuck with it.
DWM
Why would our new Sears model 28033 riding lawn mower backfire and quit when the blade is engaged?
We were first told it was the gas cap needed was to tight, then we were told there was a switch under the seat that needed checked. There Is NO switch under the seat.
Would there be a faulty engine in the mower?
We are wondering if we got a lemon?
@Beverly,
First, who told you these solutions? A Sears Tech? Is this a brand new mower or have you had it for a few months?
Second, The gas cap is vented and is designed too work even if it is too tight.
Third, The switch is inside the seat. There is a wire and connector under the seat. They should be connected together.
Fourth, The backfire and then die doesn’t fit either of these solutions. If it was a fuel cap the motor would run rough for a while and then die. If it was a seat switch the engine would just die when you engaged the blade. It wouldn’t backfire. The backfire when put under load is a carb, ignition, bad fuel problem.
For this one, you should call 1-800-4MY-HOME and have the Sears Tech troubleshoot this problem. Random Briggs & Stratton motors have ignition problems and this may be the case. Dirt in the carb or bad fuel may also be causing this.
Let me know what happens.
Go to the back of the mower to the right side where the bag is up against the bag sensor. You will see the black bar from the bag pressing up against the sensor. What you should also see is a black piece of soft plastic about 2 to 3 inched long on that same bar. You need to move that plastic piece. Move it up or down to align it with the sensor. When you close the bag that piece should be pressing against the sensor all the way. What is happing is that the sensor is only engaging half way and the mower is getting confused of engaging the blades. Try that and you should love the mower as much as I do.
According to the owners book (pdf from Sears parts)there is an optional rear discharge chute. The salesman had mentioned that rear discharge is possible. You are correct in mentioning that there is NO information about aquiring this optional rear chute. It must work with the safety sensors too.
Folks have made comments about the bag sensors not cooperating. I would hope that Sears can make corrections AND issue announcements about product enhancements to close a sale.
@John,
There is a mulch kit available Part # 33046. Click on the Searspartsdirect button over in the right hand column, enter 33046 in the part # field and then select the mulch kit from the list that comes up. You will have call them to get the part. One commenter said it took a few months to get his, but was well worth the wait.
I would assume that a discharge chute would just be a deflector that fit into the rear of the tractor and locked the safety back there. I had a Scag TurfRunner a few years ago that had a similar setup.
Hi Paul, stopping back in to let you know how the mower has performed through a summer's use.
First off, the mulch kit. Sears had it on backorder and I did have to wait most of the summer for it. But it was worth the wait.
Now that the mulching kit has been installed (and it was easy to install), it's a very versatile mower. It's easy to switch between muchling or bagging. It cuts clean, has plenty of power and turns sharp. The mulching blade cuts just as clean as the original blade the mower came with.
Overall now, I'm very happy with the mower. I wouldn't have bought it without the possibility of the mulch kit and I'm glad it was FINALLY available.
Virgil
@Virgil,
Excellent. Now I can give it a much better review now that the mulch kit is here.
I ORDERED THE MULCH KIT, DO YOU KNOW IF IT COMES WITH A MULCHING BLADE OR CAN THE REGULAR BLADE BE USED??
JUST GOT THE MOWER AND HAVE SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THE BAG ATTACHEMNT SEATING PROPERTLY AND PRESSING FORWARD ON THE PRESSURE SWITCH ON THE RIGHT SIDE…ANY SUGGESTIONS???
@Dave, The regular blade will work. For some reason I am having difficulty finding the mulch kit. If you paid less than $39 is won’t come with a blade.
I’m going to Sears tonight. I’ll look at your mower to see if there are any adjustments that can be made to the pressure switch. Check to see if the bag is seating properly on the top. If it isn’t this will cause the misalignment.
I get back late tonight.
What is the length of the model 28033
I found the width but not the length.
@Beverly,
I will have to go measure one but the wheelbase is the same as the other lawn tractors Sears sells. The bag sticks out the back 26 inches. If you are concerned about storage the bag lifts right off the unit so it doesn’t take up any more room that any of the others
FYI – the mulch kit for this lawn mower 28033 became available from Sears as of 4/26/09. I was able to speak to a personal shopper who used the owners manual to find the part number for the mulch plug and kit. I was then able to order from their parts direct web site at a reasonable price, part #33046.
I get the mower on Tues so with the mulch kit I'll have the option to mulch. I know it will fit through my gate so width is not an issue. Other than that, I hope it's a better mower than your review has stated since most of the items you listed are not issues for me.
Have a nice day,
Virgil
@Virgil,
Great, let us know how you like your new Revolution!..By the way I welcome comments like yours that will help us make better buying decisions.
I've owned this mower 4 mos. Love it. side rear discharge as name suggests is exactly what it is. doesn't say side or rear discharge. mulching on this machine is the way it's designed, it mulches then deposits in rear bagger. 33 1/2 is perfect for most gates, pin or not. at least the rear bagger doesn't hang 1ft+ off the side as most do. You're in no way an authority on this mower and personnaly wouldn't recomend your reviews on mowers. Sorry for the harshness but you really missed the point of this superb mower.
@Smart,
I'm glad you like this mower. I do think this type of machine has real possibilities in the U.S. market. You are correct, I don't own one so I am no expert on the mower. When I discussed this mower with the manufacture's rep on April 7th, he basically said the same thing as you. "Just because it says side-rear-discharge doesn't mean it is." He also couldn't see the problem with the tractor being wider than the deck. He reminded me that thousands of Motts mowers were sold for the Farmall Cub in the 1960's and they were 18 inches narrower than the tractor.
<code><a href="http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07128033000P?vName=Lawn+%26+Garden&cName=Riding+Mowers+%26+Tractors&sName=Lawn+Tractors+(less+than+2+acres)&keyword=mower#descriptionAnchor" rel="nofollow">(read Sears description here …30" SRD (side rear discharge) Deck)</code>.
I based my judgment of the width based on a chain link fence gate so let me rewrite that paragraph here:
"Please measure the gate you going to go through with the mower. It is not as narrow as the 30 inch 27032 Rear Engine Rider. For example, With the 36 inch chain link gate on my backyard fence I can't open the gate more than 90 degrees to the fence. I have wisteria arbors on both sides of the gates. Because I can't open the gate all the way this mower won't fit through my gate. "