Craftsman LT1000 Specs and Review

If you’ve been admiring the beauty of a big and well-manicured lawn, you ought to know that it didn’t just happen. No one can maintain a well-kept lawn with just their bare hands. You need something like a good riding mower. So, if you want your lawn to look beautiful, consider this Craftsman LT1000 specs and review.

The Craftsman LT1000 is a sturdy riding lawn mower with a wide body common to high-end YTs or yard tractors. It is fitted with a heavy-duty deck with solid controls and can last practically forever. It is powered by a Kohler single-cylinder engine or a Briggs and Stratton single or twin-cylinder engine.

Production of the Craftsman LT1000 started in 2000 and lasted until 2007. This garden tractor is designed to do heavy-duty work with its 18-horsepower engine and a 38-inch to a 42-inch wide deck. Craftsman motorized lawn machines are known for their engineering excellence. They have features that offer comfort, flexibility, inventiveness, and reliability.

Read on to learn more about the Craftsman LT1000 and its specs, some actual customer reviews, and its pros and cons.

Craftsman LT1000 Specs and Review

Designed to Do Heavy-duty Work

The Craftsman LT1000 is a garden tractor designed to do heavy-duty work. It was produced from 2005 until 2007. These riding lawn mowers are strong, sturdy, and very reliable. They have wide bodies that are common to higher-end YTs or yard tractors.

Comes with a Wide Deck

The Craftsman LT1000 comes with a wide deck of around 38 to 42 inches, with solid controls, and is powered either by a single-cylinder Kohler engine or a single or twin cylinder Briggs and Stratton engine which cranks from 15.5 to 18 horsepower.

Craftsman Brand Is Popular for Its Engineering Excellence

Lawn tractors that carry the Craftsman brand are well-known for their engineering excellence. They offer comfort, flexibility, dependability, and innovations. If you want easy maneuverability and enhanced cutting efficiency, consider the Craftsman LT1000.

Can Provide Up to 20 Years of Service

Craftsman garden tractors, on average, can provide up to 20 years of service. So, you can get your money’s worth with these powered lawnmowers. As a trusted brand, Craftsman is among the country’s leading manufacturers of power mowers.

Made by MTD in Ohio

Currently, all Craftsman garden tractors are made by MTD. The Craftsman brand had its origins in 1966 when Roper Corporation bought the David Bradley plant from Sears. That was when the Craftsman brand was born.

Up until 2017, all Crafstman garden tools and equipment were still being manufactured in the United States, particularly at the Husqvarna’s Orangeburg plant in South California.

Then, in 2018, all garden tractors, yard tractors, and lawn tractors with the Craftsman brand were produced by Modern Tools & Die (MTD) in Ohio.

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Notable Features of the Craftsman LT1000

The Craftsman LT1000 riding lawn mower is also referred to by its serial number 27639. Power is provided by either a Briggs and Stratton engine or a Kohler engine. It comes with many features that can make your lawn mowing easier and faster:

1. Adequate Power

If the Craftsman LT1000 has a Briggs and Stratton engine, it is usually the Intek model that can crank out 18 horsepower with one or two cylinders. The other variant is the Kohler engine, which can generate 15.5 horsepower with only one cylinder.

2. Long Service Life

This engine is fitted with a cast-iron cylinder sleeve to last long.

3. Lubricated Engine

The engine of the Craftsman LT1000 has a fully pressurized lubrication system, so it stays oiled all the time. This engine provides power to the wheels and the mower deck.

4. Efficient Mower Deck

Its cutting deck has a width of 42 inches. Two blades inside the mowing deck work synchronically so the lawn grasses will be cut smooth and even. The operating range of this deck is 2.5 inches. It can go from a low of 1.5 inches to a high of 4 inches from the ground.

5. Gear Shift Transmission

The Craftsman LT1000 has a gear shift transmission that delivers the wheels’ power. Also, this lawnmower has six forward gears and one reverse gear.

6. Efficient Bagging System

You can fit a bagger to the Craftsman LT1000 so grass clippings or cutting won’t just fly around and mess up the garden. You can also fit a mulching kit into this garden tractor to turn the grass clippings so they can rot as mulch faster.

7. Adequate Fuel Tank

You can operate the Craftsman LT1000 for long hours because its fuel tank can accommodate 1.25 gallons or 4.7 liters of gasoline.

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Specs of the Craftsman LT1000

To determine if the Craftsman LT1000 is the riding lawn mower you need, you must look at its specifications.

Here are some of the most important specs that you need to know about the Craftsman LT1000:

Part/Component	Specifications
Engine
Briggs & Stratton	502 cc., single-cylinder, overhead valve gasoline engine, producing 15.5 to 18 horsepower.

Transmission
Manual	Six forward gears and one reverse gear

Steering Wheel Type	Standard

Weight of Lawnmower	492 pounds

Air Filter Type	Dual

Brake Type	Disk

Cooling System	Fan

Cutting Deck Type	Vented

Turning Radius	18 inches

Fuel Tank Capacity	1.25 gallons gasoline

Number of Cutting Blades	2

Cutting Positions	6

Frame Material	Formed steel, gauge 11

Front Axle Material	Steel

Seat	Adjustable

Front Tire Size	15 x 6 x 6 inches

Rear Tire Size	18 x 8.5 x 8 inches

Dimensions
Deck Width	42 inches or less
Deck Thickness	13 gauge
Cutting Width	38 inches
Cutting Height Minimum	1.5 inches
Cutting Height Maximum	4 inches
Cutting Height Adjustment Type	Hand lever

Options
Bagger	Two bin bagger, part no. 24890
Mulch Kit	Part no. 33038

Again, what year is a Craftsman LT1000? Craftsman made Craftsman LT1000 models from 2000 to 2005. These models are durable, equipped with heavy-duty decks and robust controls.

Actual Customer Reviews

To see if the Craftsman LT1000 works as its manufacturer says it does, you need to read the reviews from those who own them and have already used them on their lawns. Here are some customer reviews that will show if this garden mower is what you’re looking for:

No Problems Over the Winter

A certain Michael Mayfield has been using this garden lawnmower for some time now. He bought it used or second-hand. His wife paid only $100 for the garden tractor. The previous owner said that its engine had already frozen up.

He discovered that the engine had not frozen up yet when he checked. So he did some basic repairs on the machine, put some gasoline, and tried to start it up. It did.

Michael says that he’s been using his Craftsman LT1000 for more than a year and the only thing he needed to replace was the belt on the mower deck.

He uses a 42-inch wide mower deck, and he fills the tank with non-ethanol 92 octane gasoline. No problems over the winter and started up easily when the spring approached. His Craftsman LT1000 was manufactured in 2001.

Still Runs After 17 Years

Another Craftsman LT1000 owner, Nic D, says he is pleased he never had to buy another lawnmower. His unit is also a 2001 model. It still runs, stops, drives, shifts, and is still cutting grass after 17 years of service. But he had to replace the usual perishables like the battery, seat, and hood hitch.

Ran Great Except for the Vibration When the Blades Are Engaged

And then there is this Craftsman LT1000 owner, Bob Butler, who says that he got the unit for free. It was a 2004 model, and it was badly abused for many years. So, he replaced the faulty brake system and corrected the misaligned mandrels.

He also performed the necessary maintenance involving the battery, synthetic oil, oil filter, spark plug, fuel filter, and reset the valve cover gasket. After that, the Craftsman LT1000, he says, ran great except for the vibration when he engaged the blades.

He spent about $230 for the reconditioning of the badly abused Craftsman LT100, and he would love to solve its vibration problem. An excellent used unit of the Craftsman LT1000 usually goes for around $600 plus.

Readily Available Parts

Ed McWhorter is another owner of a Craftsman LT1000. He operates a 2005 year model of the Craftsman LT1000 garden tractor. Ed says he’s been cutting grass for the past 13 years with this power mower at least once a week from April to September.

He adds that it has a Briggs and Stratton engine that still keeps working. Ed also says that the findings parts were also easy. However, there are some things he didn’t like about his machine.

He says it’s challenging to keep a level adjustment to the mower deck. Additionally, he finds that the transmission gets easily blocked with dirt and grass.

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Pros and Cons of Craftsman Lawn Mowers

Considering the pros and cons of the Craftsman LT1000 will also help you assess whether this garden tractor is the one you’re looking for. So, take a look at some of its pros and cons:

Pros

Excellent maneuverability: The Craftsman LT1000 garden tractor has excellent maneuverability, like most riding mowers that carry this brand. It has an impressive turning radius. You can easily twist it through the edges allowing you to mow extensively.

Adjustable: It can be adjusted extensively. You can alter its cutting height. It allows you to choose from 6 to 7 cutting heights.
User-friendly: It has a ‘user interface’ that is pretty straightforward. The Craftsman LT1000 is relatively easy to use.
Durable: You can expect a Craftsman LT1000 to give you a long service life.

3-in-1 Capacity Feature: An option is available where the power mower can simultaneously mow, mulch, and side discharge. This is Craftsman’s 3-in-1 capacity feature which saves time and effort.

Cons

Their premium cost is the major downside to all Craftsman garden tractors. Compared to other riding lawn mowers, the price of a Craftsman power mower is higher, all things being equal.
To some users, the fuel tank of a Craftsman riding mower is rather small.

Conclusion: Craftsman LT1000 Specs and Review

The Craftsman LT1000 is a riding lawn mower that is strong and durable. It has a wide body typical of high-end yard tractors or YTs. Plus, this garden tractor comes with a heavy-duty deck and solid controls.

It can practically last forever and can accomplish heavy-duty lawn mowing with a Briggs and Stratton single or twin cylinder engine or a Kohler single-cylinder engine.

The motorized lawn care machines of Craftsman are known for their engineering excellence. They come with features that offer great maneuverability, comfort, inventiveness, and reliability.