Rating By Owners for the Craftsman 42″ Lawn Sweeper
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Who Is The Craftsman 42″ Lawn Sweeper For?
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper has one of the highest owner ratings on the market.
It has highly positive owner reviews due to its solid lawn clearing performance, sturdiness, and ability to pick up all types of debris.
The dissatisfaction with the product is mainly around assembly. However, that does not necessarily impact performance. The Craftsman 42″ has a spring adjusted universal hitch mechanism, meaning it can connect to any type of tractor quickly and easily.
Overview
Review Background
- Author: Ray
- Published: April 19, 2015
- Updated: July 2, 2016
- Research Sources: Sears.com
- Verified Purchases (?) Used For This Review: 38
- Average Sears Rating*: 4.2 out of 5.0
- Average Total Owner Rating (Sears)*: 4.2 out of 5.0
* On Publishing Date.
Product Facts
- Official Homepage
- Model Number: 24222
- Lawn Type Compatibility: works with all common residential lawns.
- Lawn Tractor/Riding Mower Compatibility: works with machines that have a universal hitch (check with the manufacturer about your specific towing machine).
- Weight: 91 lbs (41.3 kg)
Riding Lawn Mower Required
Residential riding lawn mower
(this one is hybrid gas-electric)
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper needs to be towed by a riding lawn mower or lawn tractor. They come in compact residential versions (see image on your right).
Are you looking for a good one?
Then check out the best selling riding lawn mowers/tractors on Amazon. Most will be shipped to your door for free.
The Craftsman 42″ has a universal hitch attachment that works on standard hitches. Therefore any best selling riding lawn mower should work with it.
Product Video
What Owners Say About The Craftsman 42″ Lawn Sweeper
What Owners Like
Many owners are highly satisfied with the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper. It is described as being able to “work wonders”.
It is adept at picking up leaves and yard debris without major problems.
One gentleman says that his wife is astounded with how amazing their lawn looks after using the Craftsman. The lawn was covered with leaves and other debris prior to sweeping.
The Craftsman 42″ is good at picking up larger leaves that would be missed by the lawn mower or grass catcher.
Several people comment on the value that the Craftsman provides for the price.
People are satisfied about how easy it is to hook and unhook the lawn sweeper from a towing machine.
The cantilever hitch design and extra-large wheels (11″ x 2″) with diamond tread pattern provide maximum traction and weight to the wheels, which power the sweeping brushes. Such a power delivery mechanism ensures excellent performance when sweeping both dry and damp lawns.
Contrary to many other lawn sweepers (especially smaller ones), the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper does a good job on wet lawns.
What Owners Dislike
The wheels on the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper may drag or lock if the collection hopper is overloaded. This is because the brushes are directly geared to the wheels. There is no way to unlock the wheels by reversing as backing up is always a problem with towed attachments.
The Craftsman 42″ works best when sweeping just a thin layer of leaves on a flat lawn. Otherwise leaves may need to be blown into the open prior to sweeping.
One owner says that you may have to go over an area several times to pick everything up, although that tends to be the case with any lawn sweeper.
One person says that the tractor hitching was cumbersome. This is in direct contrast to the majority of people who found the hitching to be easy. The problem experienced by the one person is probably due to not taking the time to study the instruction manual.
Of the people that are particularly unhappy with the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper, two main issues are that the hopper bag can quickly sustain a tear and the wheels sometimes get stuck.
Another person mentions how the plastic gears are of poor quality and that it is best to buy back-up gears to have on hand.
There is a report about the hopper chute sometimes getting blocked.
Other complaints center around poor assembly instructions.
What The Lawn Sweeper Picks Up Well
- Leaves
- Grass
- Pine needles
- Pine cones
- Twigs
- White pine needles
- Walnuts
What The Lawn Sweeper Does Not Pick Up Well
There are no specific problems mentioned by anyone.
Reported Lawn Sweeping Time Savings
Many people emphasize how the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper has saved them hours of work, which is especially welcome in the summer when the weather is hot and raking is especially tough.
Fun Factor
One owner says that he “can’t wait” for leaves to cover his lawn in the fall because he enjoys working with the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper so much.
Ease Of Assembly (With Approximate Assembly Time)
Reports on ease of assembly are mixed.
Those who think the assembly is straightforward say it took between half an hour and 45 minutes. Others used the online video to help with putting the machine together and say it made the job much easier.
Several people find the instructions unclear or misleading, which made the assembly “tedious and cumbersome” as well as “complicated”.
However, even people who are unsatisfied about the assembly instructions say that the hassle is worth it because the Craftsman 42″ works so well in the end. One user who struggled with the instructions says that he “loves the finished product”.
The instructions could be made clearer if parts were easily identifiable through color or number coding.
Ease Of Use
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper is described by most owners as being easy to use.
Fatigue Reduction
One person says that the Craftsman 42″ has been a real back saver, despite his lawn growing quickly due to living in a climate with abundant rain.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper is praised overall. One owner says he has used it for two seasons without any maintenance need. Another says that his previous Craftsman sweeper lasted 10 years, which is one reason he got another one.
The overall consensus among owners is that the lawn sweeper is sturdy and solid.
Emptying Mechanism
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper has an easy to use dumping function that works through a pull-rope mechanism. You do not have to leave your tractor/riding mower seat to empty the hopper.
Make sure to pay attention to the dumping rope so it does not disengage and get caught in the sweeper brushes.
Safety Issues
None reported.
Customer Service Experiences
The satisfaction with customer service from Sears is very high. People mention fast delivery and one person says that a slight issue with the hopper bag was replaced straight away.
Performance Tips From Owners
- Buy a thicker rope as the one provided hurts the hands when pulling. One person replaced the nylon cord with a stronger woven rope.
- Ensure that the hitch and brush height are set correctly to ensure that the lawn sweeper works optimally.
- One owner replaced the hitch pin with a trailer hitch because it works better when backing up the sweeper.
- When picking up debris that is heavier than leaves (e.g. sticks, acorns and rocks), do not wait for the Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper to get completely full before emptying. That really weighs down the hopper and could tear the underside.
- To avoid cluttering your lawn when emptying what you collect, dump the debris in a line and blow the leaves into a pile that can be composted, burnt, or put into bags for garbage removal.
Additional Details
About The Manufacturer
Craftsman is a company that produces a variety of tools, work wear, and gardening equipment. It was established in 1927 and is controlled by Sears Holdings. Craftsman is one of America’s best-selling tool brands.
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper is manufactured by Agri-Fab on behalf of Craftsman.
Manufacturing Country
United States of America.
Warranty Coverage
The manufacturer’s warranty lasts one year. Further information can be found on the Craftsman web site.
Return Policy
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper is sold by Craftsman.com (via Sears) and directly by Sears. Both have a return policy of 60 days.
Replacement Part Availability And Cost
Replacement parts can be ordered online from Sears Parts Direct.
Product Manual Download
A PDF version of the manual can be downloaded from the Sears product page.
The Verdict
The Craftsman 42″ lawn sweeper has an 8.5 to 1 brush to wheel ratio, which is one of the highest of any lawn sweeper. The result is around 70% more brush revolutions than most other brands, which means more efficient debris pick-up.
In addition, the brushes themselves are 12″ long and reinforced so that they easily sweep up a variety of debris. Owner reviews confirm that these features result in excellent ability in picking up all kinds of debris.
