Craftsman 88874 28" 357cc 3-Stage Snowblower with Power Steering
Points you can use
- Fitted with a powerful 357cc engine, this Craftsman 3-stage snowblower handles hard-packed snow
- The 28" clearing width and the 21" intake height help you cover large areas easily
- 4-way chute control with 200° chute rotation and pitch control discharge the snow where you want it
- An LED headlight on the dash improves visibility by illuminating the clearing path
- Choose from 6 forward and 2 reverse speeds to work at your pace
- Deluxe Glide-Tech skid shoes eliminate garage rust stains and driveway damage by sliding along pavers and bricks
- Power steering takes some of the strain out of pushing your snowblower
Most Helpful Reviews:
After the first big storm of the year I got real tired of shoveling so I thought it was time to buy a snowblower. I researched them a bunch and decided to go with this 28" 3 Stage, big engine one after I watched neighbors with small engine 2 stage blowers getting bogged down. My 1st time using it I plowed thru 20" deep snow including hard snow and ice the snowplow truck pushed on my sidewalk on speed 2 and I had to turn the chute because I was almost shooting it across the street into the neighbors lawn! Powerful and awesome. Great value for the money. Don't speed $850 for a weak one.
Have lived at 8800' for over 30 years and have owned several snowblowers. This is the worst one. The new design of a blade in the center rotating perpendicular to the other blades is worthless. Unless the snow is VERY dry it will not pull the snow into the blower. It only pushes the snow ahead of you. The handle to turn the chute is difficult and clumsy to use while operating the blower. The deflector on the end of the chute moves when snow hits it and will not stay in position NO MATTER how much you tighten it. 6 speeds? No reason for 6 speeds and the lowest gear is not slow enough!!!!! Two reverse speeds which are almost identical in speed and are Very SLOW. The power steering is a good idea, but often does not operate as designed. May be a matter of an adjustment, but haven't figured that out. The chute has a limited range from left to right. Engine bogs down under a load very quickly. I have used this through one winter and will try to return it. Controls are in an awkward position relative to the handle and are awkward to use. Does start up VERY well. Used an Ariens 28" for 15 years with much more success. I see other reviewers may have receive incentive for a review. Not me. I just wanted to warn others to hopefully not make the same mistake I did! I have used this for a season and will try to return it. Suspect they will not take it back at this point.
Those benefits were not conditioned on the positive or negative content of the review.
Does Not Last
|I bought this in 2015. I have had very mild winters and there are not many hours on it. The Auger stopped working. I would never buy it again
No go!
|Bought this about a year ago....and bam it wont start! Quality product right here....I emptied the gas and stored it indoors dry.....
Makes short work of snow!
|I bought this a couple of weeks ago in July and the snow has been no match for this beast of a machine.
1st 3-stage - last 3-stage (its very good-not great)
|I bought this snowblower new and have used it since January 2017. While this snowblower loves to throw snow, I really do not think that the 3rd stage adds any additional benefit. This is my 1st 3-stage and it will be my last. I was under the impression that the 3rd stage would help pull the snowblower when clearing snow banks, but it really didn't help at all. It was no more effective than a regular 2-stage. When I would pull the snowblower back from the snow bank, all that i would see would be the outline of front auger.
If you are considering this snowblower, I would recommend getting a wider Sears 2-stage with the same HP/cc. Make sure that the engine is a Briggs and Stratton!!! Tecumseh suck and are very hard starting. Also, never buy a Husqvarna!!! They also suck and are poorly designed. They have a large gap behind the impeller that loves to get packed with snow/ice. My girlfriend bought a Husqvarna from ***** because of the price - that was a $700 mistake. The 3rd time I used it, the driveshaft snapped!!! I have never seen a driveshaft snapped. They are designed to snap the shear pins to avoid this type of damage. I happened to mention that I heard a couple of small 1/2" gravel go through just before it broke. Well she mentions this when she was talking with Warrantee, so they denied her claim. After spending $450 to fix a $700 machine, I realized that it wasn't the small little rocks that snapped the shaft, it was the snow/ice packed behind the impeller! I have never had this snow/ice buildup issue with any of my snowblowers. I love Sears snowblowers, but I think that I like the simple design of a 2 stage over a 3-stage and wished that I bought a wider 2-stage snowblower. Do get me wrong, this is a very good snowblower. It does really love to throw snow and seems to throw better with more snow. While I would not recommend this specific model to a friend, I would recommend a different Sears 2-stage with the same HP/cc size.
maybe take a look general info on gas snowblowers and some suggestions lower page like
"Won't clear snow well" "Won't throw snow far enough" that could lead to text chat or voice phone focused on help on exactly what your machine is not properly doing ....best of luck
searspartsdirect.com/diy/gas-snowblower-repair/1235932