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Considering purchasing a Simplicity Tractor and lo


MarcM

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I am considering buying a lawn tractor. I was leaning towards a John Deere when I went to a dealer that sold Simplicity tractors. He said Simplicity tractors are superior to John Deeres. I am looking to spend approximately $2500. This dealer had a Simplicity Broadmoor tractor with a 17 hp B&S Vanguard with hand control and 44" deck for $2850.00. There were no other accessories that came with it. Does anyone own a Broadmoor tractor that could give me their opinion on it? I have a 1/2 acre lot of which half of the yard is grass. I have some hills and slopes as well as tight corners. The dealer was telling me that this tractor has a very tight turning radius of 16" He also said the ACT feature is very helpfull with traction on hills. Would appreciate any and all feedback and sugestions before I part with my hard earned money. Thanks, Marc
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any simplicity with do as well oe eve better than a deere .deere is ok but overpriced.you are buying a name with deere but you buy what you pay for when you buy simplicity.very well built and very reliable.agco918
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I thought I would time out-Jack-happyjack Hi Marc, I own a 2000 Broadmoor and my brother owns a 2000 Johndeere of the same size but I don't recall the model of it. We went head to head and the my Broadmoor out cut his deere as his deere scalped his lawn where my Broadmoor didn't. His deere has the 2 pedle engagement system which is better then the Broadmoor's 1 peddle that you have to use your toe for forward and heal for reverse. With the deere you just lift your foot for either one which is easier. My Broadmoor has the 16hp where his deere has the 15-1/2hp no big diference there that I could tell. They both are able to get into very tight places with no trouble at all. His gas fill is located in a more easily place for filling the gas tank. I don't like the way the blade disengages with the deere is when backing up where as the Broadmoor will mow forward or reverse with no problem at all. But the Broadmoor backs up slower then the deere no biggie. Traction wise the Broadmoor wins hands down with its ACT which really does the job whether wet grass or hills where as the deere just spins a tire needlessly and goes nowhere. I have the 44" deck and I think my brothers deere is about the same. I use either the grass catcher system or without but my brother just lets the grass fly unless he mutches. The price that you got is a real good one to say the least for the Broadmoor as that's what mine cost at near wholesale. Neither tractor has had to go back for service which is good for both. Which ever tractor brand you buy make sure you buy the rear wheel weights for it not only traction but stabilty on hills. I also have the weight in front to help keep the front down. I have tried it without the weights and it can be scary to say the least with my hills. My brother wont' even try his on any hills at all. They are both good tractors but from what my brother and I could tell the Broadmoor seems to have less frame flex on area's that we crossed that lifted one front tire in others words high siding the tractors. The deere seems to flex more or twist its frame. Also the Broadmoor is a heavier unit then the his deere. Would I buy the deere "sure" but having the chance to use both at almost the same time and given the choice the Broadmoor is the better of the 2 "but" I still like a coulple features on the deere alittle more. But weighing the diference between them both like my brother said maybe I should have bought the "Simplicity" but my deere does what I need it to do and besides he paid less for it. If you plan on pulling a trailer or using a snow blower-snowblade or the one for dirt-may I suggest the ACT that you only can get on the Broadmoor. Best of luck what ever one you purchase, >>->happyjack<-<< P.S. You can see a picture of my Broadmoor by clicking on Simpletractors then the gallery and then click on Homelite t-12 and scroll down the page. I had been plowing about 14" of snow with it.
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Hello, The newer JD's are made by MTD. They mass produce them and the quality just doesn't come close to Simplicity. Unless you buy the the really expensive JD's like the 400's (I think) witch run you up around $7-9,000.
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Let me throw my two cents in. I own a 64 Landlord and am still cutting grass weekly with it--why? it has the best cut I've ever seen. I used J.D. equipment while landscaping and have used the cheaper sears stuff and nothing beats the cut of a simplicity. The floating deck seems to smooth out the ruts in the yard and the machines are just plain well-built. Had to weld front axles on the deere twice (2 machines-EACH one broke at the same place) The weld on the lift lever broke on the sears as well as just cheaper materials AGCO is right-all the dealers are going to puff their product but dollar for dollar I think you'll be happy with the performance and reliability. One good test is--this club--these machines are STILL up and running and out there.
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Marc, As I told you in the chatroom; you can't go wrong buying a Simplicity! Take a tour of the members gallery, look at all of the Great Ac's and Sims, then read through the previous posts. If something does go wrong your Sim dealer and all of the wonderful members in this club will get you back up and running! Deere's are nice, but they are Way Over-Priced! Dick[A href='http://www.simpletractors.com/gallery/grandpaw%27s_7016.htm'][img src='http://www.simpletractors.com/images/gallery_images/grandpaw/Grandpaws_Workhorse_small.jpg'][/a]
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Herb, I like your sense of humor. I'll try to avoid standing under a falling B&S motor. Upone further investigation I learn the the 17HP B&S Broadmoor I am looking at with hand-controls does NOT have the ACT differential. This explains why this tractor is $2850 vs 3400. Does anyone think the ACT feature is important enough to warrant the extra expense?
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I would at least try out a foot controlled unit as well, after using mine on my 2000 Broadmoor I wouldn't want a hand control anymore! But everyone has their preferences of course. Don't worry about Briggs, they are solid motors. My opinion is that Briggs and Kohler are both very good motors, that's why Simplicity uses them. A high end company like Simplicity never would put a knowingly crappy motor in it's product, wouldn't make sense! For a 1/2 acre lot I would consider the Regent as well, unless you need a heavier unit for other tasks or if you need more weight on the hills. As for striping, I don't really even notice where I go around things, I suppose someone could nit-pick it but everyone that sees my yard after I "stripe" it says wow! If I'm in a hurry I just mow normal sections and that looks nice too. Good luck with whichever Simplicity you choose! :) :)
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I bought a new Broadmoor in April 2000. I have a 1.25 acre lot and the whole back yard slopes downhill at a pretty good angle. Here are my thoughts after one year: - I needed to add weight to the rear wheels. Had spinning problems and got stuck whenever turning on the hill. Much better now but it still spins once in a while. I think it's because the rear wheels on the Broadmoor are so small compared to garden tractors that makes them easier to spin. I can go up any hill straight though very easily, so I guess the ACT does work. You just have to get the "feel" for turning on the hill. I have learned to live with it and I doubt the same size JD would be any better. - Turning radius is AWESOME - I have the Vanguard 16 V-Twin, very smooth motor - I used the 42" snowthrower this winter, it performed flawlessly - The cut my Broadmoor makes on the lawn blows away my neighbors who have JD and Sears tractors. If you take the time to do striping it looks awesome. - It is amazing how fast you can remove the mower deck for cleaning - I can probably have it out in 2 minutes. - I have had no problems with my Broadmoor and it is no doubt a quality machine.
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Jack-happyjackl@mediaone.net I like JFol's comments and he has brought up many that I neglected to mention about my Broadmoor. My kids actually bought my Broadmoor for me but needless to say I thought I was picking out a tractor for them. So I looked at the regents and even suggested one of them "but" no ACT availble on them and that's one of the draw backs. Its not just the ACT that is different then the Regent but other things that might not be so noticeable. Engine size 14-16 regent-14-18broadmoor Single cylinder on regent only gas tank size-2gal regent 4broadmoor deck size transmissions available diff. rear tire size on some models no free floating deck on regent no stripeing with regent regent is about 100lb lighter Not nit picking the regent just looking at the Simplicity's colorfull book that's all. I also prefer the foot control over the lever. After owning the Broadmoor I feel very fortunate my kids let me pick out my "own" tractor even if it wasn't a Sov. or a new Landlord. But I feel the Broadmoor is worth every cent they paid for it and then some. Yea easy for me to say someone else paying for it but it really is the one I would have picked out for myself. Is it worth the extra money for the ACT? Every time I use it whether pushing snow or mowing "yep" they got their money's worth. Thanks, >>->happyjack<-<<
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I would like to thank everyone that replied to this message. I appreciate all your detailed feedback. It is obvious that Simplicity has a loyal group of owners. I have gotten some feeback to avoid the Briggs & Stratton engines. Does anyone have any comment on that? Also, since the Simplicity mowers stripe the lawn, how does it look when you have to maneuver around small areas? I was very suprised by William Jordan's comment that the lower end John Deeres are made by MTD!! Has anyone else heard that? Thanks again for the feedback. Keep replying if anyone has more to add.
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This is a 67'.....and it runs great. Consider the patents that Simplicity owns to this day. Terry[A href='http://members.home.net/terry9/Tractor/index.htm']http://members.home.net/terry9/Tractor/index.htm[/a]
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The only time I try to avoid a Briggs & Stratton engine is when it is going to fall on me. I learned to ask my wife how she likes this tie with that shirt before I tie the knot. Her satisfaction is what's important to me because I don't care (about ties). Same with lawn striping. Don't like that stripe or curve? Do it over again. You're just bending the grass. You could easily spend 8 hours on a 1 hour job getting it "just right." Never heard about the MTD/Deere connection, but it could be true. Even if it isn't I think it would be a great rumor to lay on the JD fanatics.
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