Before getting to the Craftsman m110 mower review, we should first take a brief look at the company and some basic, but important tips on using this machine.
Craftsman is an iconic American tools and equipment manufacturer that focuses on a wide range of home and lawn products. If you’re looking for a budget lawn mower, it’s a little challenging to find the perfect pick as there are tons of lawn mower types and models available in the market.
Although a lot of buyers prefer high-end battery-powered or electric mowers, they cost far more than standard ones. Craftsman M110 is an inexpensive gas-powered push lawn mower that’s perfect for smaller yards.
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So in this article we will highlight some of the product’s important features and review its overall performance.
Here we go:
Craftsman M110 Review, Key Highlights and Features
A 21-inch convertible deck provides you a better convenience compared to previous models like M100. The large 3-in-1 deck makes it easier to process, compost, or store the grass in the rear bag. You can utilize a mulching kit or use the side discharge option as per your preference.
It consists of a dual lever for adjusting the cutting height at six different levels, allowing you to cut or trim higher grass with ease. It has a cutting range between 1.25-3.75 inches. As it’s a push mower, you won’t get a variable speed option with it. But the 7-inch front wheel single-speed drive is surprisingly pretty efficient and smooth.
Some features you’d miss if you buy Craftsman M110 include a blade brake clutch that auto shuts off the blade when you let go of the handle, a vertical storage option, and a foldable handle. The discharged chute is supported, but you’ll need to buy it separately.
Performance of the Craftsman M110 Gas Push Mower
The model yields some serious torque and outperforms most of the gas-powered mowers in the similar price range. A 140cc engine combined with a low product weight of around 65 lbs produces much higher power. It increases the overall blade speed and cutting power, making it effective to cut thick grass. It manages to maintain an average RPM of 3000 under a high workload. Not a lot of lawnmowers can compete with Craftsman M110 when it comes to cutting strength.
It isn’t very pleasant to refill the tank multiple times to mow your lawn. Fortunately, Craftsman runs for more than one and a half hour with a full tank and covers an area of up to 1/4 acre. However, it can be difficult to start the mower in the low season or when you don’t use it often.
A nice supplemental fun activity you can enjoy alone or with your family after you mow your lawn is coloring books or building your own ship model.
What If Your Craftsman M110 Push Lawn Mower Won’t Start?
Sometimes this model will have issues starting after prolonged stay or after winter and the cord may cause you problems, so if you are having similar difficulties check the video below:
First, try to turn on the lawn mower and see if it starts. If you hear a clicking sound but it doesn’t start, then you might have flooded the engine with gasoline. Pour a gallon of gas into your lawn mower and wait for at least 20 minutes before trying to start it again.
Basically, you have to take it apart and clean the engine and fuel system.
Usually a lawn mower like craftsman m110 won’t start because the engine is not getting fuel. This could be caused by a faulty fuel pump, a blocked filter or stuck carburetor.
The fuel line could be clogged, broken, or kinked. The gas could have been dropped and not cleaned up, so it’s stale.
It is very important to make sure that there is enough fuel in the gas tank before starting the lawn mower. If there is not enough gas in the tank, then it will only function for a few seconds or just won’t be able to start.
To start the mower after it has stayed for a long time you may need to cleaned out the carburetor with carburetor cleaner, then rinse it with some water, dry it really well with a towel and use some starter fluid before attempting to start it again.
Additional Features
Some additional and notable features of Craftsman M110 that make a big difference include an adjustable handle and mulch kit. The three height adjusting options make it suitable for short as well as tall users. The mulch kit makes it easier to create compost and provides essential nutrients to maintain the soil quality.
Maintenance and Warranty
Craftsman M110 is a demanding lawn mower that requires proper and high quality maintenance. The product is shipped semi-assembled, and getting it started at first is a very tedious task. The engine oil also requires frequent replacements to maintain the engine’s health. Washing the deck is also a bit troublesome as it doesn’t have a wash port.
The company offers a 2-year warranty on the manufacturing or other defects in the mower. Physical damages, improper maintenance, normal wear and tear is not covered in the limited warranty.
Value
It’s evident that Craftsman doesn’t manufacture this push mower to compete with the best products in the market. It lacks a lot of features and requires high labor. You can find a wide range of battery-powered or electric mowers for an extra hundred buck. But suppose your budget is strictly below 250$. In that case, Craftsman’s heavy-duty and powerful engine, along with a great brand reputation and customer support, can surely help you with small and medium-sized lawns.
Pros:
- Highly Affordable
- A powerful 140cc engine
- Produces more torque
- Lightweight and easy to push
- Height Adjustable lever for different cutting lengths
- A huge 3-in-1 convertible deck
- Fast blade speed
- Comfortable adjusting handle
Cons:
- High maintenance cost
- Limited warranty
- It takes a lot of storage space
Though, if you prefer electric lawn mowers you can check this model which is made by the same company.
Some models of lawn mowers are equipped or have the option for a mulching kit to be added. And this is the case with Craftsman M110 lawn mower too.
It’s essential to know enough about mulching and proper care for your lawn when mowing. So, lets look a bit deeper into lawn grass mulching.
Craftsman History
Craftsman is a range of tools, lawn and garden equipment and workwear. Originally it was an in-house company established by Sears , the brand has been sold and is now owned by Stanley Black & Decker. As with all Sears products, Craftsman tools were not manufactured by Sears during that company’s ownership period, but manufactured under contract by various other companies.
They were first sold in 1927 in the Sears catalog and in Sears retail stores. After the Sears-Kmart merger, the tools were also available at Kmart stores and several other retailers.
In March 2017, Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand from Sears Holdings, which retained a limited license for Craftsman products.
The Craftsman trademark was registered by Sears on May 20, 1927 by Arthur Barrows, who eventually became known to the company’s hardware department, reportedly bought the rights to the use of the Marion-Craftsman Tool Company for Mar 500.
The first customers of the brand were mostly farmers. D Barrows ‘ successor, Tom Dunlap, improved the quality of the tools and added chrome plating to them as America entered the automotive era . The range of tools from Sears, partners that many other product lines, uses a structured price of “good, best, best”, with the Craftsman brand partners that intermediate level and Craftsman
Professional craftsman and Industrial Craftsman are marketed partners that being comparable to brands such as Cornwell Quality Tools, ‘ SK, Sandbox on, Proto, Mac y Matco .
The Craftsman standard range is marketed by partners that are of comparable quality to other mid-price brands, including UltraPro (NAPA), Westward, Great, Husky y Kobalt . The most bus level was originally called “Sears”. The company also used with the “Dunlap” to see poor quality tools from men of the 1930s to men of the 1950s. The Sears tool line was discontinued in the 1980s and replaced by the”Companion”tool line.
The accompanying tool line was itself abandoned and replaced by the “Evolution” tool line it was in 2008, with a focus on homeowners and do-it-yourselfers . Since 1991, Sears has run the Craftsman Club customer loyalty program , one of the oldest programs in the c type I is the place by a retailer.
Craftsman tools are sold in Sears and sister store Kmart , as well as the US Army and Army exchange stores , Navy Exchange stores , Summit Racing Equipment , Blain’where & Fleet , Menards , WEST Grainger, In Hardware, Montgomery Ward y Lowe’s.
On January 5, 2017, Stanley Black & Decker announced its intention to acquire the Craftsman brand as part of a deal worth a total of UN 900 million (with an initial payment of 55,525 million and a payment of 250 million after).
Sears will hold a royalty-free license to the Craftsman brand for a period of 15 years after the conclusion of the sale, and will receive a review on all new Craftsman sales during that period. Subsequently, Sears will pay Stanley Black & Decker the light license of 3%.
The agreement was concluded on March 9, 2017. Sears retains the right to manufacture and sell he tools using existing supply channels under the 15 ” gold Craftsman pendant. Lowe’s announced in October 2017 that it would begin transporting craftsman tools. Iii this was the first new distribution announcement made after Stanley Black & Decker at the concluded in the Craftsman agreement.
Some of the lawn mower models also have the very useful mulching feature . So, now lets take a look at mulching and its benefits.
Mulching: What You Need To Know?
Is your mower equipped with a mulching kit? And what is mulch?
A mulching mower minces/grinds the mowed grass and puts it back on the lawn: this is mulch. No more emptying the collection tray and fertilizing the turf: chopped grass serves like a protective mulch layer against drought and makes for a great (free) natural fertilizer!
With just one mowing session, you can restore your lawn to a flawless appearance and nourish your precious plants. All this is made possible with mulching! It’s already integrated into some lawn mowers or could be added as a kit.
So, mulching is basically the same as recycling and composting. It’s ecological, practical and economical. Such mulching kit helps in reducing the mowed grass into fine particles then distributing it evenly to the ground. Discover this new and beneficial mowing process below.
For some time now, everyone wants a mulching mower, or with mulching kit, but this choice is not often supported by good arguments. People see mulching as a labor saving and not as a true value.
But let’s start from the basics.
Mulch. Sounds like a nasty monster slime thing. Well, in short, it’s a plant matter turned into natural, organic fertilizer for your garden.
What is Mulching?
Mulching is a mowing technique without picking up the grass waste. The mulching mower cuts the mowed grass into tiny particles that are re-added on the lawn.
The profile of the blade and the special shape of the casing produce an air vacuum inside the cutting tray, which transports the cut grass several times between the blade until it is finely chopped. In doing so, the cut grass basically “disappears”.
Note: There are several mulching kits to fit on the mower. They consist of a deflector, and sometimes a special blade that can be equipped with 4 knives.
What Makes For A Good Mulching?
- This is mowing a third of the height of the grass ;
- It is mowing frequently (every 4 to 6 days) ;
- It’s always mowing when the grass is dry ;
- This is to ensure that the crankcase is always clean;
- It is adapting its mowing speed.
Main Benefits Of Mulching Your Lawn Or Garden
- 30% time savings in mowing ;
- The lawn has an impeccable appearance : the cutting height is low, mowing is carried out closely ;
- No grass pickup ;
- Natural lawn fertilization: easy maintenance, more beautiful lawn ;
- No storage of green waste to collect (if you do not have a composter) ;
- Keeps soil moisture: the cut grass contains 95% water, and evaporation is decreased by the mulch created ;
- Your lawn is protected from drought.
One more benefit is that you avoid the accumulation of bunch of grass waste sitting in your backyard.
Disadvantages of Mulching
- Maintenance of the cutter housing with each use ;
- Does not work in high grass ;
- Requires regular and fairly frequent shearing: 2-3 times a week ;
- Less effective on wet grass ;
- Grass no longer enriches compost ;
- Be careful to clear the lawn of any plant debris that could damage the mulching blade of the mower.
Craftsman M110 Mulching Kit
Usually lawn mower mulching kits include:
- Suitable for Craftsman riding lawn mowers and zero turn mowers using part 6-point star pattern.
- The kit includes 3 mulching blades, 1 molded plug and mounting hardware.
- Blades should be inspected and sharpened or replaced after each season. The sharp blades cut the grass cleanly and make the path through the grass more efficiently, reducing mowing time and effort and creating a healthier lawn.
What Are Some Disadvantages Of Mulching You Should Consider?
As we mentioned, it is the action of finely grinding the grass with your mower so that it creeps between the strands of lawn, decomposes there and feeds your lawn at the same time.
Yes! When done right, the mulching method nourishes your lawn and makes it more beautiful day by day. To do this correctly, you must have a mulching mower, or with a mulching kit. In general they are either suitable mowers, with a special blade and a special casing shape, or a kit that adds to the blade to grind the grass more finely. Also, there must also be a system that keeps the cut grass inside the mower casing in order to grind it even more and plate it to the ground.
- The mulch can become a hiding and breeding place for pests
- it can suffocate your grass or plants
- expose your plants to excess heat by covering them if not dispersed evenly
Unfortunately, we see quite a few so-called mulcher mowers that, in reality, are not. They just have a system that prevents the evacuation of the grass and forces it to come out from below once cut.
Benefits Of Using A Mulching Mower
The advantage of mulching mowers is that they transform your lawn mowers basically into handy fertilizer machines. You don’t have to trow away the green waste and you enrich your land in the same time. Mulch keeps moisture inside the lawn, which is not negligible especially in summer. You don’t waste time removing mowing waste either.
– Mulching saves time.
Why?
Well, because to make a clean and effective mulching, you need to mow more often and regularly, otherwise you run to disaster.
If you pass a mower on a lawn that is too high, this is what happens. – The amount of chopped grass is too big to handle. The mower can’t get in to mow the grass. It stays on the surface, rots quickly and destroys the lawn below.
In addition, if your lawn contains a few large-leaved, fast-growing weed plants, they will quickly take over. You enter a vicious and destructive circle: – large leaves, -> mow waste, -> plant matter rot and you get even less turf, and so on until the near disappearance of your beautiful original lawn below.
If you want to use your mulching mower, without entering this catastrophic circle, you must definitely mow often and regularly. Do not wait until the grass on your lawn is 20 or 30 cm, otherwise you will have the same results as in the photos, or even worse.
If your lawn grass is already 20 cm high, then you don’t really need to mulch. Mow while collecting the grass with the basket and resume the mulching technique the next time. When you do mulching while mowing, you only need to cut a third of the height of your turf, no more.
For example if you want a lawn 8 cm high, you must mow no more than 12 cm of the length of the grass. By respecting these criteria, I guarantee you that you have to mow often, on average 1 time per week.
Mulching will not necessarily save you time, though.
Is Mulching Needed?
By mulching, in the season, you will have spent much more time mowing than if you had picked and collected the grass and made compost with it. The classic mowing allows you to be much more flexible on the deadlines and numbers of mows you do.
I am not saying that mulching is a bad practice, quite the contrary, but it does not really save time and it must be done with care, otherwise your lawn will suffer.
So, what do you think about the Craftsman m110 lawn mower and the mulching feature? Let me know in the comments below.
