Craftsman 4500 Riding lawn Mower

by MICHELE
(BEDFORD, PA)


This Craftsman riding lawn mower is an excellent piece of equipment. The large cutting deck is great for large lawns. The engine is strong on small hills, this mower does not run really loud and I find it to be a lot quieter than most riding lawn mowers.


The controls are very easy to use. A foot pedal controls both forward and reverse. This mower even has cruise control, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have very few objects to mow around. It also has an adjustable deck with six different setting.

In the winter this mower can be converted in a snow plow, there is a blade you can purchase for this mower. You can also attach a cart to this mower to make your lawn and garden work a lot easier. Both the plow and cart are very easy to attach.

The only down side to this mower is I've noticed that it can cut a little uneven is the ground is rough. If you want a mower that mows more evenly, you may want to consider one with a automatic leveling system, it would be extremely helpful if you have a lot of landscaping to trim around.

Overall I am very pleased with the mower, it seems to handle very well, has a comfortable seat, and I couldn’t expect much more for a riding mower at this price.

Comments for Craftsman 4500 Riding lawn Mower

Average Rating starstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

May 29, 2014
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Kohler engines are Junk
by: Greg Ybarra

I bought a Craftsman 4500 in 2007 it came with a Kohler Courage 21hp engine and in 2 years and three days the engine cracked right down the short block and spewed oil everywhere so since Sears wouldn't replace the engine or repair it I ended up buying a new Kohler courage 21hp engine and again after 2 years the engine cracked right down the side and threw oil everywhere what a piece of junk but I love the comfort of the tractor it self and the functions I decided to buy another engine for it this time I went with a Briggs and Stratton because both my brothers bought the same tractor but with the Briggs and Stratton and have not had one problem with there engines. I have kept up with the oil changes but it didn't matter the Kohler Courage 21hp is a bad and cheap design so beware.
Nov 28, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Craftsman 4500
by: Johnny Pool/Waco Tex

I purchased a Dys 4500 in March 2009. It has the 24 hp briggs -Stratton V-twin engine. Folks I have not had any problems with my mower. at present I have 322 hours on the mower. I have to cut 5 1/2 ares with it. I do that in about 4 1/2 hrs and three tanks of fuel, and there is a pretty good size slope that has to be negotiated during the cutting. This is a tractor, and it has to e treated as such. You have to be "in tune" with it's needs...keep the oil and filter changed, keep the blades as sharp as possible, keep the nuts and bolts tightened, watch the tire pressures, watch the belts for wear etc etc!This engine has tons of power. It does not "back up" when I hit the deep grass and weeds. I allowed my 84 year old mother drive it and she thinks it's a toy, but it's definitely not a toy. This is a great machine that will get the work done in fine style. I'm very satisfied with this machine
Oct 31, 2013
Rating
star 		sears goes out of business (I hope soon)
by: pat clark

In mar 2009 I bought a 4500 mower with a 21 hp engine. the first mowing season,I had several warrantee claims (Headgasket...blown out spindles, etc.) on about day 93 I went to sears and said that I wanted my money back as the mower was a piece of shit compared to the 19 year old Honda I had been using. They said I was past the 90 day return period so no deal". I said fine, I have been a customer of sears my whole life and have spent thousands on washers, dryers, all kinds of stuff, but I will never spend another dime in your stores and I will ask all my friends and acquaintances also to avoid you, like the plague. I added that I was eagerly awaiting the news that Sears was out of business!!About 10 days ago ( that would be the 5th mowing season) The engine actually blew up , throwing smoking pieces all across the lawn. At $1600 for the mower that equates to approx.$11.42 per cutting, as the mower is now worth less than the cost of repair.
I'd say shorting sears stock would be a great play. Have a nice day sears. See you under the freeway bridge. You could even use a nice fridgerator box for your next home.
Jun 07, 2011
Rating
star 		DY 4500 is a piece of junk and SEARS SSS
by: Anonymous

My warranty ran out in April and this is our back-up mower. Our John Deere sheared a spindle pin so I got the craftsman out. Still smoking(I thought tech had repaired in 2009 when I complained)but it is worse now and running out the head gasket. Sears said we can't help you. I believe the greed of this corporate monster will be it's demise and I will not go back!
May 13, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Good Mower - Bad Engine
by: Wayne

Mower ran good until warranty ran out. It blew the head gasket then threw the rod through side of engine block. I put another B&S 22hp engine off another mower onto this one, ran it two more seasons and it started blowing smoke and cutting out and dying when riding down hill. Took it to repaire shop; cylinder and rings need replaced on both sides. Looking at $900 to repair. I think the craftsman mower is a good machine but I have been very dissappointed in the two B&S engines that have been on it. Guess I'll try to find another used engine. In the mean time I've purcahsed a Cub Cadet RZT zero turn with 25hp Kohler and 50" deck, now this machine... I absolutely love.
Oct 11, 2010
Rating
starstarstar 		burns oil
by: Anonymous

i have owned a 4500 for 4 years.it has recently stated to burn oil and smoke up the lawn when cuting. its a great bug repellant now !
Aug 22, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Smoking! Not as in hot, as in burns oil
by: Anonymous

I have owned a 4500 since 2007. It has smoked since day one, and has gotten much worse this year, to the point that the spark plug gets fouled and kills the engine every 60 to 90 minutes. I've had several repair people look at it, and no one can solve it. No leaks, no seal problems, no gasket problems, no ring problems. It just smokes. The closest thing to a solution was the comment by one repair shop of "yeah, I know 3 people with the same problem. can't find what's wrong with those either."

Now it's to the point that I get a headache everytime I mow from the fumes. Should have had it looked at under warranty when it was only a minor inconvenience, but now it's enough to make me buy a new engine or a new mower.
Apr 17, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Classy-tough meets economics
by: kevin mclain

The Craftsman 21 HP 46 inch deck YS 4500 is the most efficient and comfortable riding lawn mower that I have ever own. One of the cool things about this tractor is that it is even backed by a major retail store.

Sears. This lawn mower comes equipt with the Briggs and Stratton Intek engine. The 21 horse power Intek plus engine has overhead valves for cooler running and extended life.

This craftsman comes equipped with a enormous 46 inch cutting deck that allows the operator to choose from 6 cutting stages.

This lawn mower comes equipt with what is known as turf-saver tires. These tires make your ride more smooth without all of the bouncing and vibrating. and it operates a manual transmission that has 6 forward gears and a reverse.

This mower comes equipped with a spring loaded deck lift system, a 6 speed transaxle with the controls located on the fender, a handy cup holder, wider step through area, A very comfortable slide seat system, and a 2-year limited warranty.

Finally sears has came out with a decent riding lawn mower that is affordable, and in today's economy that is exactly what we need. Classy-tough meets economics.
Feb 06, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cuts mowing time in half
by: Michael

Do you dread going outside on a hot day to cut your lawn? Well I sure did,so I decided to go and buy myself a riding lawn mower. It is now a pleasure to go out and cut the grass and I do it faster than I ever did.

The reason why is that I purchased a Craftsman DYS 4500 riding mower. It was the best investment I ever made. This mower has a huge 54" cutting area which cuts my mowing times in half.

It has a 26 HP Kohler engine which is very powerful.This is not the most powerful engine available,yet it runs very quietly. It gets the job done very well.

The mower is very easy to understand and pretty much has the controls of a car. Has forward and reverse gears with an automatic transmission.You can also adjust the cutting height of the blades to 1-4 inches. Through my use of this mower I also found out that if I missed a week of cutting the lawn that it would easily cut through the higher grass with ease.

There really is not much that I can say bad about this mower.Maybe just one thing.If you turn too fast you will get some uneven grass cut. That is a minor problem if you just mow normally and not run it like a race car.

Any homeowner will be glad that they purchased this mower.There are so many choices of mowers available today.This is not the most expensive one available but certainly not the lowest priced one around. You will get your money's worth out of this mower and I give it my highest recommendation.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to RIDING mowers - craftsman.