Comments on: 2009 Craftsman PTY 9000 Model 28972 26 HP 48 inch Professional Yard Tractor Review

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:02:38 +0000

@Vance,

This is the last three blade 48 inch Sears made. The new ones are two blade 42, two blade 46 and three blade 50 inch. Remember, if you purchased the Protection Plan there is a lemon clause and you should be able to get the tractor replaced.

By: Vance

Vance — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:27:54 +0000

I bought one of these in October 2009. I have have problems with many things falling apart. It is still under warranty and the technician has had to come out three times already and will be here again in another week or so. The parts that he has ordered in the past and now are the wrong ones. I am assuming that it is because the machine is discontinued. The mower works well when it is running, but I have not been able to use it for 2 of the 7 months that I have had it because of the issues it has had. The deck lever plate pops out, so I cannot adjust the height. Something has come loose in the deck and the blade hits it, so now I cannot mow at all. I’ve had 2 flats. The bumper nearly fell off and every piece of rubber imaginable has fallen off. The engine runs great, but I would have preferred that the mower would have had the parts tightened correctly and adheared better and that they would have focused on making the rest of the machine work as well as the engine. The tires appear to be super thin because I have not used it to tow with or drive over anything unusual. Sears service line is a headache. I have talked to 5 people today just to get someone to have the tech to give me a call so that we could get the right parts order, hopefully. The service line people are programed like robots and shuffle you from department to department as the repeat their scripted apologies over and over again without solving the issue. At least that is all of them except one who was actually able to think outside the box and has sent word to have my technician give me a call. Really, when this mower has past its time, I strongly doubt I will ever consider a Craftsman mower again.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:06:15 +0000

@Roy,

Over on the right side of the screen you will see a banner for SearsPartsDirect. Write down the code in the banner and then click on the link.

It will take you to the Sears parts site. Enter your model number (it’s under the seat and starts with 917.28972- ) Using the diagrams and lists order the parts you need. Use the code you wrote down during the checkout to give you a 10% discount. If you are looking for something specific and you can’t find it write back and we will help.

By: Roy

Roy — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:57:06 +0000

How am I to buy maintenance parts for the PYT 9000 Model 28972 48″ 26hp mower now that Sears no longer lists this product for sale?

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:52:56 +0000

@John, There are few 28972′s around. My Sears up here has a bunch of 28970, 28933, 28908, and the rear engine rider. For everyone, you should be able to use the link in the article and go to Sears.com. Put in your zipcode and see what is available in your area.

By: John Westcott

John Westcott — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:52:51 +0000

I just bought one these at my local Sears Store. It was “on Sale” and marked as a clearance item. I bought the floor model. After looking at other lawn tractors in the 1300-1800 range I knew I found a great deal. I hope I was right.

By: Craftsman PTY9000 Model 28972 Update. | TodaysMower.com

Craftsman PTY9000 Model 28972 Update. | TodaysMower.com — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:10:27 +0000

[...] See the original review here: Model 28972 [...]

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:44:58 +0000

@John

Thank You.

By: Barry

Barry — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:32:54 +0000

Paul your assessment of this 48″tractor is right on target. The only next step for the public is another 3000.00 or more and go with a professional mower. My son bought 2-1/2 acres back in June of 09 and of course he needed a tractor. I let him use my 3 year old LT1042 42″Cub with a Kohler, and of course he likes it and when I cut his yard for him two weeks later I told him he would need a 46″ deck or so. After looking at the new Cubs LTX1046′s I felt the quality was falling off from my LT series, So I started looking at other mowers and talked to some Lawn Mower shops and one name kept coming up. Craftsman Professional Series. Sears had them on sale, but I had to drive two states west to pick this thing up because they were selling out everywhere, but it was well worth it, The Deck, and steel hood scream quality and the ELS engine is super strong and the front bumper is extremely strong. It cut the yard about 30 to 45 minutes quicker than my 42″ (is that about what you would have guessed?) and as my son said, Dad this is a man’s tractor. Well I love my Cub and its been solid for 3 years, but I wasn’t confident with the new ones and the saleman wasn’t either. Yeah this mower I feel is better than mine, but isn’t that what we want for our children. I highly recommend this mower and feel confident it will last for sometime to come. Yes, when I picked it up, Sears cranked it and made sure the PTO worked and it ran well, But 24 hours later we broke it in on 2-1/2 acres and just loves cutting grass, Yeah the 26 HP BS sounds great and is stronger than my Kohler 19 HP, but it should be right? Thanks Paul, and keep up the good work.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:24:56 +0000

@John

The current snow thrower is designed for 2006 and new tractors. Sears does not make a retro-fit kit for your older snowthrower to the 2006-2009 machines.

The model 24838 snowthrower will fit ALL the current YT, GT, PYT, and PGT series tractors. It will NOT fit the Revolution.

Most people want a 42″ or 46″ deck for their suburban yards and the rest want a big deck (54″) for their acreages. The 48″ has not been popular and because of that there is only one tractor left with that deck.

The GT and PGT are the ONLY two tractors Sears recommends for heavy-duty use. From what I have heard the K46 trans is no longer being produced and will be replaced next year.

Think of a hydro just like the accelerator on your car. To go up hill you have to press harder on the accelerator. Even with the $26,000 commercial mowers (New Holland Boomer) the hydro’s take more power to go up a hill than on flat level ground.

The Courage Kohlers I have seen in the GT tractors I have seen have a manual choke. The only carb/ignition problems I have heard of is on the 28 hp Briggs. The ignition module for that motor is on extended back-order

The hoods are metal with plastic front grill. They are lasting well.