Here we take a look at the Craftsman 21 hp 46″ Automatic Lawn Tractor.
This lawn tractor from Craftsman combines power, comfort, and durability into a package that stands out in the crowded mid-range lawn tractor ranks.
Features at a Glance
- 21 HP, 540cc displacement engine
- Gold Series OHV engine with spin-on oil filter and MRS
- 46″ (116.8 cm) wide cutting deck
- Cast iron front axle with lifetime warranty
- Automatic transmission (infinite speed both forward and back)
- For use on flat areas or minor slopes with minimal obstacles
- 2 year full warranty and 5 year frame warranty
Engine/Transmission
This lawn tractor boasts a powerful 21 horsepower engine – to put that in perspective, a medium duty full sized farm tractor generally has 30 – 60 horsepower.
Marrying the engine power to the drive wheels is a dynamic automatic transmission that functions similarly to an automatic car transmission and makes driving this Craftsman very intuitive for a new owner.
Forward speed is 0 – 5.5 MPH and reverse speed is 0 – 2.8 MPH.
The Cutting System
The floating deck is adjustable via a single lever. Using this lever, the rider may select between a choice of 5 different cut positions ranging from 1.5″ to 4″.
The cutting deck hovers above a pair of cutting blades that render cut grass into clippings that are fine enough to be considered mulch ready.
The clippings are side discharged and bag ready.
The cutting deck also features a deck wash system to make cleanup as easy as possible. The small 18″ turning radius enables cutting around plants and other obstacles.
Attachments and Accessories
As a dedicated lawn mowing machine, this Craftsman lawn tractor has no additional accessories or attachments available.
Whether this is a bad or good thing is a matter of taste. If you are someone who prefers a separate phone, camera, and MP3 player, this lawn tractor is right up your alley as a serious tool that does a single job really well, this machine could be your next durable and reliable stand-alone tool.
If you prefer a jack-of-all-trades tool and are willing to deal with the hassle of dealing with attachments and the risks inherent in such a system such as connections being vulnerable to failure or damage to the core machine rendering all the attachments useless until repair or replacement, you will probably want to look into a different machine for your mowing needs.
Special Features
If there is one area in which this lawn tractor stands out, it is comfort.
This machine is designed with the ease of use and convenience of the owner in mind. To this end, the intuitive automatic transmission, padded high backed seat with auto slide adjustment, and soft grip steering wheel combine to make the experience of mowing even a large thick lawn a far less stressful event than your average riding mower.
Conclusion
In making the Craftsman 21 hp 46″ Automatic Lawn Tractor, Sears was obviously out to create a lawn tractor for people who demand quality but without breaking the bank.
Its power and comfort features are extras that anyone cutting large chunks of acreage will appreciate.
While they call it a lawn tractor, it is really more of a souped up riding mower. Without the extra soil cultivation attachments and a PTO drive many lawn tractors in its class have available, this machine is truly limited to cutting grass.
But if that is all you want it to do this Craftsman may be the machine you have been waiting for.
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