Craftsman 917.377250 Push Lawn Mower

by Deloris Parks
(Cranberry, PA)

I currently own a 2005 Craftsman push mower, model number is 917.377250. I have owned this mower for five years now. When I first purchased the mower at Tractor Supply in Cranberry (Not Township), PA, it was actually very inexpensive. It cost me approximately $200.

It was at the beginning of summer, I believe around April or May of 2006, that I got this Craftsman mower. I had to wait a few weeks to mow my lawn, because of all the rain. My entire lawn is about 1- 1.5 acres. I put the gas in the mower and started the process.

I have to say, the mower was very powerful, but did not handle small sticks very well. Every time I went over a stick, the mower would sputter and shut down. I figured this wasn’t the way a new mower should act, considering I had just bought it. So I called my dad and asked him what would be wrong. He came over and saw that inside the mower, a blade was bent, and looked as if I had run over a block of wood instead of a twig.

After ordering a new belt, the mower worked just fine. Over the years this Craftsman push mower has worked as if it were brand new. I have mowed my lawn every week over the summer for the past five years.

It is mostly gas efficient, using only approximately 4 gallons of gas every two weeks, when the grass needed mowed continuously. The maintenance on this mower has been little. The only things I have needed for it are a replacement rip-cord and a new bungee cord for the handle on top. Even now as I mow my grass, I notice how much power this mower has.

In my yard I have a pretty steep ditch and also flat ground. The mower works better on flat ground. When you get it into the ditch, the mower tends to want to swerve the opposite way. Even though I have only used this mower for my small lawn, I think it would work great on bigger lawns also. I keep this mower in my shed throughout the winter. I have not noticed any rust for the past few years I have owned it.

The rip-cord to start the engine is getting a little harder to pull though. When I first purchased the mower, I could pull the cord and the mower would start right up. Now I need to hold the handle on the mower and use mostly all of my strength to get the lawn mower started.

I also now need to ‘prime’ the mower to help pump the gas through before the mower will start and keep at a steady pace. Other than those few little things, this Craftsman 917.377250 lawn mower has given me ease in mowing the grass. I really like this Craftsman and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of getting one.