Craftsman

by Joy of Mowing | Mar 7, 2023

History

The Craftsman brand was introduced in 1927 with their first lawnmower available in 1934. In 1953 the first Craftsman riding mowers became a hit in America’s suburbs – price $350.

Other production highlights include:

Craftsman introduced the first mower with an enclosed engine, key-lock self-starter, automatic blade clutch, and hand-controlled blade brake in 1961
The Sears Custom 600 was introduced in 1964, priced at $380 for recoil and $460 for electric
The LT10 was introduced in 1979 and manufactured until 1984.

The tractors have been manufactured by various companies over the years, including Murray, AYP (American Yard Products), Husqvarna, and MTD, among others. In 2017, Stanley Black & Decker purchased Craftsman from Sears.

Fun Facts: Craftsman and Sears – source TodaysMower

The basic design of the Sears garden tractors can be traced back to the original David Bradley tractors.

In 1910 Sears bought David Bradley Manufacturing Company, in Kankakee, Illinois and started producing David Bradley garden tractors in 1946.
In 1959 Sears started selling a 4-wheel garden tractor called the David Bradley Suburban.
In 1964, the David Bradley name was dropped, and Sears brand name was added to the Suburban tractors
Roper Corporation acquired the David Bradley plant in 1966
Electrolux acquired Roper in the late 1970s and manufacturing was moved to Orangeburg, SC
Electrolux changed the name of the L&G division to American Yard Products (AYP)
In 2006, Husqvarna was spun off from Electrolux and acquired the Orangeburg plant
The name was changed to Husqvarna Group
The garden tractors are still made in the US at the Orangeburg plant

Sources: TractorForum, Craftsman,TodaysMower, TractorData