Craftsman 6.75 Torque 22 in. Deck Rear Bag Front Propelled Lawn Mower
by jojo
(texarkana, ar)
I purchased the 22in self-propelled mower from Sears about 3 years ago. My old mower wasn't self-propelled and I felt it was time for an upgrade.
Never having had a self-propelled mower before, I didn't know the difference between the front and rear propelled options. Boy did I make a mistake. This mower is front propelled, meaning whenever you make a reversing turn (180 degrees) the propelling wheels don't contact the ground.
You have to muscle the unit around the turn. My old mower had large rear tires, making for easy turns over most terrain. This mower has 4 small tires. Not so nice.
Other than the complaints about the self-propelling option, the engine has held up well and the deck performs adequately. I have found that the airbox tends to fill with grass clippings very quickly and needs to be cleaned regularly.
This means getting out a screwdriver to loosen the screw and remove the cover. A small inconveniene but would have been much nicer with a knob that could be loosened by hand.
I use the mulching option with the metal discharge plate installed. Cuts evenly and cleanly. I haven't tried the bagger but it seemed to install easily enough.
Overall: 7 out of 10 pointsI'd give it fewer points, but I got it on clearance for $80 after the mowing season started. I guess you get what you pay for. Rear propelled only from now on!