Need help selecting my first lawn tractor...

[Les]

Nobody has the mower deck that Simplicity has. Since you have a hilly yard you should be concerned about scalping. The Simplicity deck attaches and moves with the front axle, causing less scalping. Steep hills are tough to mow. You need as much weight as possible to keep you from sliding. Also you need a limited slip differential for traction climbing hills, esp. in wet conditions. I believe that you will be unhappy with the Sears(because it is too light) and would be better off buying a used tractor that is bigger and heavier. What you really need is a Sovereign with limited slip differential and wheel weights, but that may be a budget buster. I dont know anything about Wheel Horse except that my neighbor had a lot of trouble with the mower blades on his. I dont know anything about Broadmoors either.

[Al]

Matt, I think if I were looking at your tasks, I would look larger than the Broadmore and definitely beyond the other 2. I would look around for a Simplicity 7100 series. For that kind of money you should be able to find a 7119H, Sovereign or AC 900 series [same tractor] even a good 12, 14 or 16. This the kind of war horse you could really use. I think if you start piling weights on and using it on steep hills the Broadmore is a little light. It is a very good tractor, but is a lawn tractor. It is still a lot more than the other 2. Look at the decks, mower spindles, the frames, and the linkage that is associated with the belts etc. We work on these every day, and rest assured they are cheaper because they are CHEAPER. There ain't no free lunch. Also look at how hard they are to service, remove and replace the deck etc. My 2 cents worth and its free, thats probably what it is worth. AL

[Tracyg]

Matt all I have to say is Simplicity Look on their web page. These are true pieces of equipment. you won't be sorry thats my two cents. Mine is second generation of hard use year round and still going strong. good luck Tracyg

[Guest]

Get a Cub Cadet. I have a simplicity and a cub and the cub does a lot better on the hilly yards

[Guest]

Matt, I have a '95 Broadmoor with a 44" deck. In '95 the Broadmoor did not have the ACT limited slip diff. I think all '95 Broadmoors with the 44" deck came with the 16hp Vanguard twin - a great motor. I agree with Al and Les a bigger Simplicity is better if you have a lot of hills. I am very happy with my Broadmoor although my lot is fairly flat. I do dream of getting a Legacy with a loader someday... Of the options you have listed I would take the Broadmoor, but I'm a little biased. My local Simp. dealer also carries Wheelhorse. WH lawn tractors are low quality in my opinion, but their garden tractors look a little better. They are more money then what you are looking to spend. At the price you are talking, one other option is a used Case/Ingersoll. I almost bought a used one from a dealer but the price was a little steep. Good Luck.

[Guest]

I'm currently looking at 3 brands of lawn tractors and would appreciate any advice you might have about them. As to my needs/budget: - I have a very hilly yard and will be doing mowing/mulching, core aeration and some light hauling. - I'm willing to spend about $2800 on the tractor. On to the candidates (so far) in no particular order: 1) Sears Craftsman (new) 18.5 HP, 42" deck, Auto, $1399 2) WheelHorse (new) 17 HP, 44" deck, Auto, $2449 16 HP, 38" deck, Auto, $1999 3) 1995 Simplicity Broadmoor (classified ad) ?? HP, 44" deck, Auto?, $1600 - includes broadcast spreader Here are my questions: 1) Does the Craftsman have a castiron axle and can it handle pulling an aerator attachment? 2) Any other make/model of tractor that I should look at? 3) I came across an ad in the paper for the 1995 Simplicity Broadmoor model lawn tractor (unknown HP - not listed in ad) with a 44" deck and a Broadcast Spreader for $1600. Can anyone tell me if the '95 model has the ACT traction feature advertised by Simplicty as "Automatic Controlled Traction, an advanced system that provides power to both drive wheels when needed, to handle hilly terrain and slippery conditions with ease"? Does anyone know if this feature is all it's cracked up to be?Does this sound like a good deal (assuming it's in good shape - I haven't seen it yet. Thanks for any advice. MattO

[Guest]

I have a few comments to add. I purchased a AC 716-H two years ago and since I've really been utilizing my mechanic skills. It seems that every time I mow something else breaks, and YES I'm keeping up on the PM schedule for the machine. I recently had to rebuild the bevele gear box which cost over 150.00. I've also had several problems with deck operation. The big problem that I've encountered is that there is no one in my area that carries replacment parts. I have to drive 40 minutes one way to a simplicity dealer. Currently I'm experienceing Hydro problems which I will be posting a message about. I'm not disagreeing with all of the other comments, when you look at one of these machines it's obvious that they are (or where) well engineered. Keep two things in mind when buying used. 1, Acess to a parts dealer. 2, When buying used you are buying something that someone else maintained for the life of the mower. Because of the poor acess to parts I'm considering selling my AC. ANY TAKERS!!! Luther.

[tej]

A used Simplicity or AC garden tractor is the way to go. You can't get the Simpicity cut with any other mower deck. Even my wife who could care less about tractors has commented on how evenly cut our lawn looks after mowing compared to our neighbors lawns. There is a Cub lawn tractor across the street and several Sears and a dark green department store tractor at various other neighbors. The guys with the lawn tractors all live across the street on the flatter side. I have a very hilly yard and mow it with a AC B-12 and 42" deck. I have a 50# wheel weight on each rear wheel to keep it from spinning when turning up hill. For this kind of terrain you need the garden tractor size which has more weight and bigger wheels. You're much better off buying a good used Garden tractor and getting the size you need than settling for something less because of the price. A friend of mine was looking for a lawn tractor and had looked at all the ones at the home centers and Sears and was really discouraged at the quality but wanted to spend around $1500. I told him I'd sell him a Simplicity 3212 Garden tractor with deck and snow blower for half of that. He bought it and is very happy with it even after 4 years and it's a 30 year old tractor. If you buy a Simplicity or AC you have found the right club for advice on maintaining it. Happy tractor hunting Tim

[Les]

Hey Luther, I am sorry that you are having problems, your 716 obviously was abused. But you bring up a good point, the 716 was last made in 1978 -- it is over 22 years old! How many 22 year old cars or other brands of garden tractors are still running??? Any piece of equipment that old will require attention, if you are not mechanically inclined, you should not buy one. Spend big bucks on a new one or buy a new cheap one every 3 years. The hydro trans is not made by Simplicity but by Sunstrand, almost all garden tractor hydros are Sunstrands(Ingersoll is an exception). They just dont give problems. I am running a 1963 AC B-1 and a 1967 B-112 both with the original bevel boxes. The only time a Simplicity bevel box goes bad is when the tractor is used for a lot of hard hard tilling work. This leads me to believe that your 716 was abused by its' former owners. A lot of hard tilling creates a lot of vibration and dirt, which is probably what damaged your bevel box and trans. Believe me, with care the Sovereign type Simplicity will mow grass for 30 years or more! I have heard of older John Deeres being on their 3rd mower deck!! My neighbor spent more than $2000 on a new deck for his green machine. It is rare for a Simplicity dealer to sell a replacement deck.

[JeffG]

Amen Tim, if you want lasting quality, you've gotta go AC or Simplicity. Those department store MTDs are like disposable bic lighters. I speak from experience, as I used up a Murray (18 hp) garden tractor in just 2 years. I was young and naive then, but I learned. My AC 720 is ultra-reliable and the most stable thing going for the hilly terrain. It's unbelievable the grades I can mow up and down, without loss of traction or stability. It'll do all things lawn, garden and small farm! Jeff

[JP]

Tim, Do ya seem to here a general consensus here? I would agree with all the previous comments (barring the Cub one, must be lack of caffeine). I think what I hear my fellow AC/Simplicity folks saying, Bang for your buck is what you're after. Can you repair minor things like oil changes, mower bearings and belts? Les, Al, Tim and I are of the opinion of getting an older tractor w/more capacity and components and making it work. My neighbors as well have gone through NUMEROUS Sears, MTD etc while I have changed the oil on my 30 yr old Simplicity. I sold my first 'old' 3010 to a good friend; He uses the 'heck' out of it and is STILL amazed of how it cuts and what it can do. There are plenty of 'good' deals here (for sale) and I'm sure in your area. If in doubt, ASK! I don't know of another site that offers so much for SO little (nuthin'!) Geez, think of all the money you'll have with everyone's two cents! JP

[Les]

The old Cub Cadets do have a good drive train, but it sounds like there is at least one Simplicity tractor out there that needs to have its' limited slip differential adjusted. The owner of that tractor should post a message for help.

[Siggy]

I agree with all of the good remarks about Simplicity or AC. You can't go wrong. Just, please, what ever you do...STAY AWAY FROM SEARS!!!

[tej]

Parts availability is definitely a consideration. My nearest AC dealer is a good trek but there is a Simplicity dealer with in 5 miles of my house so I can get most parts there. If you don't have a Simplicity or AGCO dealer in your area then your should look at what ever tractor brand does have a local dealer. All the name brand tractors are good but I wouldn't mow my lawn with anything but a Simplicity deck. Tim

[JeffG]

Soon (if not already)- you'll be able to get any part shipped right to your door via the internet. I already get Onan engine parts shipped to me through Cummins by calling a 1-800 #. Jeff

[grandpawrichard]

Not to be telling you what to buy or not to buy, is a tuff job. I will say that you'll be SORRY if you buy a Craftsman, Murray, MTD or ACE! Your money will be POORLY spent on these disposable lawn mowers! They don't have the weight, power or versatility that a Real Garden Tractor like a Simplicity or AC have! I own a Simplicity, that belonged to my Dad. He bought it over 25 years ago, all I have to do is pull out the choke, hit the ignition switch, throttle up and I can till my garden, doze dirt all day or put on the mower deck and cut grass to my hearts content! I also have a Cra(p)ftsman mower, it's always breaking down and in my opinion it's a piece of junk! Please consider buying a REAL Garden Tractor like a Simplicity or an AC! You won't be sorry! Dick

[Les]

That response #4 taught me something new!! I already knew that the internet was inter-galactic, but I never knew that Simplicities and Cub Cadets were exported to other planets!!!!!