From Craftsman:
6 inch Turn Tight
At just 6 inches, Craftsman Yard & Garden Tractors continue to set the bar with the tightest turning radius among all major brands in it’s class, beating the closest competition by 50%! The Turn Tight Technology has not changed from 2011, but Craftsman Lab testing has validated that the technology and has found the turning radius is not 8 inches as previously advertised, but 6 inches! If you have a 2011 model, be assured that the steering on your tractor is actually 6 inches.
From Me:
I like the Turn Tight Technology. I think it is the answer that most of you have been looking for that want the maneuverability of a zero-turn mower but don’t want the hassles of a zero-turn. Zero-turns are expensive, notorious for tearing up your lawn, being hard to learn to drive and the residential zero-turns in particular, being terrible on hills. Besides…these new tractors will pull stuff!
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Craftsman did it again!
I purchased a model 28857 in July 2011. I did a lot of research on many different models including zero turns. Due to this unit being used on a farm for fence rows and along side roads which are hilly I had to rule out zero turns after using a neighbors yellow and green zero turn to mow the area a few times. It did not work well on the hills. After readinding reviews regarding setup from sears I was a little hesitant but I have been using Craftsman lawn mowers for more than 30 years and I cannot buy another brand due to the quality I have received from them. Granted, they were not riding mowers, but i had a lawn mower that I used for 25years and never changed the oil, of course I added oil but never changed it and it ran for more than 20 years without any engine problem and started every time without any effort. I would not reccommend this practice. The reviewa regarding setup ( tires not inflated properly, deck needing adjustment etc.) was not an issue with my unit. The tires were inflated at the exact PSI that that you listed in one of your reviews, the deck was spot on and after I did every thing as listed in the operator manualy prior to usage( transmission purge) this unit ran flawlessly. Only long term use will give a final verdict but for now craftsman did it again, they made a great piece of machinery!
Paul, Thanks for this site; I’m sure there’s been some folks scratching their heads over this, but now we have a place to take our query.