# Craftsman 8 hp 26"



## mtre23 (Jan 2, 2015)

Hey guys new to this forum, but I thought I would share what I got. I just picked this Craftsman up for $300 (I think it was a steal) I got it from 2 young men who were going to start a snow removal business, and now need $$. I believe their story about buying it from an old lady whose husband died last Summer, because overall it is in excellent condition. However I think the kids were hard on it since they had it. The Thrower angle lever is broken underneath, probably from the kids trying to hit each other with snow and jamming the lever. It runs tight though, and all gears work good, and motor runs good. I am sure I can find the lever part on E-bay (I like my stuff perfect)! I am going to use this to clear a 4 car driveway and a small parking lot next door.
So my question is : What is the durability of these models and do they have a good reliability record. Thanks!


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

hello mtre, welcome to *SBF!!* good luck in your search for a track for your machine


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

Welcome to SBF mtre! 

I don't know much about the Craftsman trac drive however I'm well acquainted with that 8hp Tecumseh. 
- Keep the RPMs at/below 3500. 
- Watch the oil level like a hawk.
- Turn the fuel off & run the carb dry after each use


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## mtre23 (Jan 2, 2015)

classiccat said:


> Welcome to SBF mtre!
> 
> I don't know much about the Craftsman trac drive however I'm well acquainted with that 8hp Tecumseh.
> - Keep the RPMs at/below 3500.
> ...


 Good to know, thanks!


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

classiccat said:


> Welcome to SBF mtre!
> 
> I don't know much about the Craftsman trac drive however I'm well acquainted with that 8hp Tecumseh.
> - Keep the RPMs at/below 3500.
> ...


 Good suggestions but I would omit the last one as it is totally unnecessary to run the carb dry everytime but at the end of the season or before 30 days of not running. Good Luck


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## mtre23 (Jan 2, 2015)

Thanks guys. Yea if I would have "asked" before I bought maybe I would have stuck with the Toro. Their was a drift buster around here for $500, but it was gone before I could make up my mind. Anyway if this thing can hold up well this Winter, I will go through the whole thing (I'm a tinkerer) this Summer. It seems in good shape though. I live about an hour from Glacier Park MT, so this thing will get some use. Thanks for all the replies. The steerable trac is pretty handy though. I have only used it 1 time for about 15 mins. OH, it is snowing hard now. It is supposed to snow for the next 3 three straight days. I hope so!

Ok, maybe it wasn't a "steal" but around here anything less then $300 will really only get junk or to beat up.


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## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

I have a Craftsman 5/24 that is just about 20yrs old, I bought it used for $300.00 16 yrs ago and its a beast. Are there better machines out there… of course. I try to kill mine every year yet it just keeps going and going, I've done maintenance on it over the years but it truly is a good machine. For the money I think you will be happy.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

nycredneck said:


> I have a Craftsman 5/24 that is just about 20yrs old, I bought it used for $300.00 16 yrs ago and its a beast. Are there better machines out there… of course. I try to kill mine every year yet it just keeps going and going, I've done maintenance on it over the years but it truly is a good machine. For the money I think you will be happy.


 The Craftsman of those years were built much better than the MTDs of today and rivaling Ariens and Toro of the same years.


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## mtre23 (Jan 2, 2015)

nycredneck said:


> I have a Craftsman 5/24 that is just about 20yrs old, I bought it used for $300.00 16 yrs ago and its a beast. Are there better machines out there… of course. I try to kill mine every year yet it just keeps going and going, I've done maintenance on it over the years but it truly is a good machine. For the money I think you will be happy.


Thank you for this post, it made me feel a little better. It is good to know that if I take care of it, it will last for awhile! I use my stuff, but I don't abuse it, or try not to, lol.


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## joee5 (Nov 30, 2014)

Welcome from the Garden State.


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## mtre23 (Jan 2, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. I used this all day today, and she is a beast, ran perfect. I went straight through 3 foot drifts with no problem, and helped out some neighbors. We had 30 inches of fresh snow dumped in the last day and a half!


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

Normex said:


> Good suggestions but I would omit the last one as it is totally unnecessary to run the carb dry everytime but at the end of the season or before 30 days of not running. Good Luck


 Maybe "totally unnecessary" if you get frequent snowfalls. In our area, you might use your machine 1 time per season ...or 20 times. I guess running it dry & draining takes the guess work out of it. 



mtre23 said:


> Thanks for the replies. I used this all day today, and she is a beast, ran perfect. I went straight through 3 foot drifts with no problem, and helped out some neighbors. We had 30 inches of fresh snow dumped in the last day and a half!


 That's great to hear!!! I bet the neighbors appreciated it too!


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## Sid (Jan 31, 2014)

I have a 48 year old sears/murray, and it's still going. Maintenance is the thing, plus I don't run it wide open. Tough old machine, with some upgrades. You should get a lot of good years out of it.
Sid


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

One thing to watch on the tracks is rusting onto the shafts, that's a bear to take care of. I've heard of people drilling and tapping for a grease zerk so they can easily be greased when needed.


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## bombidude (Jan 8, 2015)

I like the older craftsman's. They were built like tanks.. Not like today's cheap mtd ones.. Welcome to the forum from upstate NY..


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Since you are a "tinkerer", I'd recommend taking it apart, cleaning everything and lubing it up on reassembly. Nothing worse than finding out something is seized and you have to get past it to replace or adjust something to get the machine running in the middle of winter with snow on the ground.
Like HCBPH mentioned about adding zerks, if you find a spot and can, do it!


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