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Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

Briggs to buy Simplicity


JBucketman

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Guys, If you haven't heard allready, This just came over the wire in a Milwaukee news web site. http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/jun04/233808.asp?source=tmj4 John
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Can u say HELLO box stores?!gonna go to home dep. to get a green or orange beauty!, wouldnt want to be a Sim dlr here they will most surely sell em down the river just like JD!,, antiques//parts just probably became more valuable??,like the world already dosent run on box sytore c**p,.BTW<Briggs stock UP $5.75 currently,
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I talked to my dealer today and he said they told him that they plan on doing business as they have in the past thru dealerships. Just hope that he is right for his sake, I would hate to see a guy that has sold there product for 40 years turn into a service center for a box store.
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That could be kinda strange, Briggs putting their engines in Simplicity's and selling their engines to the competition, like the jd's or cub cadetsB) Maybe they wont sell to the competition?
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I dunno. With the quality of current lower end Briggs engines, is this a good omen for Simplicity? Not imho.
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we have good experience with the vanguard twin,plus many old briggs engines still going strong.(partial to kohler in small tractors myself though).
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IMO, if it had to happen I am glad that the buyer is someone thats main business is small engines and not sinks and cr*pers.....;) This deal could be a very good thing...
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I'm just glad it was a good Wisconsin based company that bought Simplicity. Briggs has been trying to broaden its base recently, ie. outboard motors. Hope it will be a good thing for our favorite products. BTW all my engines are Briggs and Stratton. Mike
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Wasn't Briggs & Stratton in trouble,financially,in recent times? I hope this doesn't turn out like AMF buying Harley Davidson a number of years ago. That was a train wreck from the beginning.
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Look at it this way, if MTD would have bought Simplicity we would all know what would happen, just look what they did t Cub Cadet....B). IMO this is a whole lot better situation....
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From the Briggs web site press release:
quote:

"We're pleased with the acquisition," said James A. Wier, Simplicity Manufacturing's chief executive officer."We believe Briggs & Stratton has the financial resources and support to allow us to continue our current growth strategy.The management team and our production facilities will remain in place and continue to focus on delivering high value products sold through the independent dealer channel.We plan to operate as part of Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group and will aggressively seek synergistic opportunities with the entire Briggs & Stratton organization." Looks like they want to keep the dealerships!
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quote:

From the Briggs web site press release:
"We're pleased with the acquisition," said James A. Wier, Simplicity Manufacturing's chief executive officer."We believe Briggs & Stratton has the financial resources and support to allow us to continue our current growth strategy. The management team and our production facilities will remain in place and continue to focus on delivering high value products sold through the independent dealer channel. We plan to operate as part of Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group and will aggressively seek synergistic opportunities with the entire Briggs & Stratton organization."
Interesting comments………….. Read them carefully …………… "We're pleased with the acquisition" “Briggs & Stratton has the financial resources” “focus on delivering high value products” “seek synergistic opportunities” “Synergistic”………… VERY interesting word. Simplicity + Briggs………… 1 + 1 = 3?
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quote:
Originally posted by TomMaryland
Looks like they want to keep the dealerships!
Yeah........ but probably only those dealerships that get with the program and meet profit quotas. The majority of Americans want "cheap" and don't care if products are made here or in China. Even most of our loyal union members will put on Chinese shoes, Malaysian clothes, and drive their Korean cars to their American jobs. If Simplicity wants to survive they need aggressive dealers with modern facilities to compete with Deere, MTD, and the box stores. Simplicity needs to sell new tractors. The old time former dealers with run down shack shops can sit around, spit on the wood stove, and talk about the good old days with customers who want to save $2 on a belt for their 30 year old machine.
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Actually Simplicity stopped making decent garden tractors when they discontinued the sovereign line. I looked at the new Legacy model a few weeks ago and really wasnt impressed. For the same money I could get a Kubota that had a real rearend and transmission and a lot more steel in it. I still recommend Simplicity for mowing over anything else, but if you want a garden tractor there are a lot better choices out there now. I reckon I'll be one of those talking about the good old days. I cant afford to buy a tractor that will do what either of my Sovereigns do, and I dont think they make anything like that now. ddh
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quote:
Originally posted by Charlieson
Actually Simplicity stopped making decent garden tractors when they discontinued the sovereign line. I looked at the new Legacy model a few weeks ago and really wasnt impressed. For the same money I could get a Kubota that had a real rearend and transmission and a lot more steel in it. I still recommend Simplicity for mowing over anything else, but if you want a garden tractor there are a lot better choices out there now. I reckon I'll be one of those talking about the good old days. I cant afford to buy a tractor that will do what either of my Sovereigns do, and I dont think they make anything like that now. ddh
DIESEL too. they last a long time :)
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I guess its time for me to make a fairly large round trip to the county seats of the nearest 10 or so countys to place the following add.. Buying old Simplicity and AC lawn and garden tractors .. One would hope that Briggs would stand back and allow Simplicity to run itself but thats wishful thinking. You can see in the engines they build now and the way they deal with people that Briigs has become just another big Corp. Back before Briggs took over, I could make a call and there would be a rep in my shop in a day or two who would bend over backwards to solve a problem. ( Just as Simplicity did, at least up until yesterday ) BUt when the lower bearing went out in a BIG way on my 16 vanguard, Briggs was rude and unwilling to even talk. Leaving me with the option to ship the entire engine to Wis or scape it. ( Once again, a big heartfelt thanks to "Al" who nailed the problem for me ) To give a recap, I called the briggs service number and I am given the phone number of the local NC distributer. Who as it turns out is not only unwilling to try in any way to help me figure out what the trouble is, THey raise sand because I called, Wanting the name of the Dealer who put me in contact with them ! As much as calling me a liar when I told them it was Briggs who did so. So, I can hope for the best but I expect the worst. I will use briggs when I must on new equipment but only in a have -to case. Before, I would have nothing else. I fear things will be the same with Simplicity now...
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I'm going to stay with the glass half full view.
quote:
1 entry found for synergistic. Entry: concomitant Function: adjective Definition: contributing Synonyms: accessory, adjuvant, agreeing, ancillary, associated with, associative, attendant, attending, belonging, coefficient, coetaneous, coeval, coexistent, coincident, coincidental, collateral, complementary, concordant, concurrent, conjoined, connected, contemporaneous, contemporary, coordinate, corollary, coterminous, coupled with, fellow, in tempo, in time, incident, isochronal, isochronous, joint, satellite, synchronal, synchronous, synergetic, synergistic Antonyms: accidental, chance, unrelated Concept: accompaniment
I really hope the missing one in 1+1=3 is not box stores.. As MDB said, its not MTD, thank god! This could be a good partnership.8D
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Briggs needed to improve the way they served their customers, they did not need simplicity. ALL WE WANT IS A GOOD ENGINE FOR A GOOD TRACTOR. dedicated service and products builds a great reputation, I agree all salthart wanted was advice on what went wrong with his engine, he did not blow briggs out but they did to my understanding. :)
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When Simplicity was putting Lombardini diesel engines in its tractors lombardini was owned by Briggs.(in whole or partly?) Simplicity bought the Diesel engines from Briggs. When briggs divested from Lombardini Simplicity stopped using them. That and Diesel engines in garden tractors wasn't catching on with the public at that time.
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quote:
Originally posted by TomMaryland
I'm going to stay with the glass half full view. I really hope the missing one in 1+1=3 is not box stores.
I too am going to view the glass as half full. Simplicity has a product (tractors) and Briggs has the money and other resources to market that product. There's nothing wrong with that type of strategy. Sort of like one man has a screwdriver and another man has a wrench. Neither can fix a carburetor alone. But together they can. BTW..... what's wrong with box stores? I shop in them and I'll bet everyone else in this club does too. Most people want as much as they can get for their money. Box store customers may actually feel sorry for the poor independent business owner as long as someone else buys from them. In my area the box stores have put many small businesses out. Other small businesses have thrived because they adjusted to the modern market.
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My problem with the box store is they don`t service what they sell except for Sears. Weathers its mowers or dishwashers. I bought a washing machine from Lowes and had to have it fixed they told me to take it to a authorized whirlpool dealer to get it fixed. I had a hard time finding someone to fix it and most told me to have Lowes fix it knowing very well that they don`t repair what they sell. Or at least 6 years ago they didn`t and frankly I can now see there point of not wanting to fix it.
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quote:
Originally posted by RayS
My problem with the box store is they don`t service what they sell except for Sears. Weathers its mowers or dishwashers. I bought a washing machine from Lowes and had to have it fixed they told me to take it to a authorized whirlpool dealer to get it fixed. I had a hard time finding someone to fix it and most told me to have Lowes fix it knowing very well that they don`t repair what they sell. Or at least 6 years ago they didn`t and frankly I can now see there point of not wanting to fix it.
Ray, Anyone buying from a box store knows, or should know, that they don't do repairs. But box stores have VERY liberal refund policies. Some people want the cheapest price when they buy, and then complain if they need a repair. They don't want to accept the fact that they can't have it both ways. Last year I bought a GE refridgerator from a local business and paid over $200 more than I could have bought it for from Sears or Home Depot. In the past, that local business had a sterling reputation for service. That's why I was willing to pay a premium. Two weeks later the fridge broke. The local business informed me they no longer had their own serviceman and told me to call GE repair. GE repair told me it would be one week to send a service tech. The local business refused to exchange the fridge for another. So much for supporting that small business. That small business deserves to go belly up because they're also SMALL MINDED and either too LAZY or too STUPID to compete with the box stores.
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