The Craftsman 28985 Professional Premium 54″ 30HP Lawn Mower is just about the biggest lawn tractor mower you can buy today from the Craftsman team. It features a powerful Briggs and Stratton Professional Series engine that pumps out a massive 30bhp. This 2-cylinder engine uses a cartridge-type air filter to remove dust and other particles from the air intake. The total displacement of the mower is 0. 81 liters. The engine runs smoothly thanks to a pressure lubrication system. Power from the engine is transmitted to the wheels of the Craftsman 30-horsepower 54-inch riding mower through a hydrostatic transmission that makes it automatic with no gears to shift. Instead of gears there is just a pedal that the operator uses to speed up or slow down.
The mower deck that comes standard on the Craftsman 28985 Professional Premium mower has a 54-inch width of cut. This mower deck is made of strong 10 gauge steel and is raised and lowered electronically giving an infinite number of cutting heights. Inside the platform are 3 blades. A mulching kit is sold with the Craftsman 28985 riding mower, but you can also optionally purchase a rear bagger to collect grass clippings that will leave your lawn looking much neater.
Because the Craftsman 28985 Professional Premium riding mower weighs so much, 916 lbs (415. 5 kg), it has extra-large tires so it won’t leave large or deep string marks when moving over soft, wet ground. The front wheels each measure 16×6. 5 (16 inches in diameter, 6. 5 inches wide) and the rear wheels each measure 24×10. 5 (24 inches in diameter, 10. 5 inches wide). In addition to mowing your lawn with this 54-inch Craftsman mower, you can also attach a snow blade as well as a snowblower to it to clear your driveway in the winter.
2 Reviews of the Craftsman 28985 Professional Premium 54″ 30 HP
I have listed my experiences under pros and cons.
Except for the engine, this tractor appears to be identical to the Simplicity Prestige (model 2690953). Also, the part numbers that Sears uses are the same as the Simplicity part numbers. Whether Simplicity actually makes the tractor or just markets it, I can’t find out yet. Some think that MTD is the manufacturer. I can’t confirm it. Still, you can often get parts faster from a Simplicity dealer than from Sears.
Sears’ trapezoidal straps do not have the quality of Simplicity. This tractor needs hig h-resistance straps, so I’m trying to find some that are reinforced with Kevlar. Until then, I get the PTO of the Simplicity Motor (part #1722039).
I still can’t get an original repair manual. Neither Sears nor Simplicity facilitate the search, because they want you to take the spectacle to their service center whenever possible.
Anyone who buys a garden tractor must make the provision of a repair manual as part of the purchase treatment. The owner’s manual is unfortunately inappropriate, although the Craftsman Manual has a large list of pieces that Simplicity does not.
As of 2012, Sears is offering this garden tractor under a new catalog number. Both are the same, but I hope that the 2012 model avoids the cons that I had to deal with.
Anyway, this is a lot of tractor for the money that Sears is asking.
From the moment I bought it, the tractor dragged relentlessly forward as soon as you lifted the brake foot. This is the reason for the low security rating. In the end I locked the problem in the articulation of the progress pedal that was hanging from the head of a prisoner screw.
In addition, from the moment I bought it, the front wheel bearings did not turn correctly. The guarantee service did not improve them, so I went to my favorite machinist, who discovered that none of the wheels was properly perforated to receive the bearings, so they were stuck. An adjustable foothills passed through the bushing of each wheel and now the bearings turn like silk.
I am still working to get the engine to work evenly at low revolutions and I have asked for the repair manual to Briggs & Stratton. Do not bother to look for it on your website. Contact B& S and ask for the piece number 273521. With shipping costs it costs about $ 25.
The Trapezoidal Correa of the strength (1722039sm) only lasts 50 hours.
It has cost me a lot to get accessories for this tractor. Now that I have found the electrical assistance sleeve hitch (without Sears’ help) I can use the agrifab accessories that Sears sells. I am not happy with the cutting platform. Do not cut at the level and as mentioned above it has a design defect that I am still waiting for Sears to correct. The service response time is simply not tolerable and definitely leaves Sears in a bad place. Only for this reason I would not recommend anyone to buy this tractor. They claim that we live in a rural area and that is why they cannot arrive before. Well, did you expect to sell these tractors in the Metropolis center? We are only 20 minutes from a Sears store in a large shopping center, so I don’t give them a pass in this. If you live in a rural area, then I suggest that you buy a tractor of a local distributor and not sears. I understand that perhaps things are going to break, but if you can’t get it to be set below, that makes it useless.
