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What got you started?


SimplicitySwede

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idk if this is the right spot for this but here we go. What got you collectiong Simplicity and AC LTs and GTs? I have always been interested in things with a motor and wheels. I been around tractors aslong as i can remember. It started out with my grandpas Farmall H and Farmall 450. Then I ended up getting a Farmall 350 and a Farmall M. Well what got me started on Simplicity and ACs was kinda by luck. Browsing ebay I always liked the look of Simplicity. Well one day I was helping my dad on his on the side electrical business. Well I went back in this dirt floor barn to take a leak lol. I saw a Simplicity sitting in there. I told the guy I was interested in something in there. He said Is it those motorcycles? I said no The old Simplicity in there ( prolly thought i was a weird teen wanting a mower over a bike lol). I asked if he wanted to sell it. He said to just take. So It had sunk down in this dirt floor a couple of inches. Then I kept gettin caught on motorcycle kick stands and then there were push mowers in the way lol. Finally got it out. Turned of it was a 1968 Simplicity 616 Yeoman. and now I been trying to collect ever since lol
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growing up on a farm. constantly tearing things apart and then having to put them back together. anything with a motor fascinates me, and being a hands on person who can not stand to sit still for more than 5 minutes (no joke). i always worked with my dad and probably the deciding factor on my obsession with garden tractors was building my first pulling tractor. then converting it back to normal. and buying my first allis for $1 got me started with this club and this obsession.
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Grew up on a farm in upper peninsula of Michigan. Dad's first tractor that he bought new was a 1948 Allis WD. Always liked that tractor. Also had three uncles who had left the farm during the depression and were in West Allis, working for Allis Chalmers. When I got my hobby farm, I ran three Allis tractors, dad's old WD, a 1938 B, and a 1966 190XT. We sold the farm to do ministry work for a few years and the tractors went as well. Now living in Oshkosh, in town, so no farm tractors here. But the bug was still biting, so I bought my first Simplicity, a Wonderboy 575 stick steer, followed by my first Allis, an 810 GT. Since then have added a cavalier and a coronet, both fixed up and then resold, two 616 yeomans, and most recent a 1993 Regent12. Can't take the country out of the boy, I guess! Steve
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When I got is house I needed a riding mower, two and a half acres to mow. The guy I got the place from had been using a Big Ten since 1965 and told me to find an old Allis or Simplicity. I got a 7012H and used it a couple years but wanted more power. Found a 7016 on ebay and bought it. Ugly, it had been painted green and need some work. I redid that and had a good time doing it. Now, I've got 10 tractors and spend free time in the warm months working on them in the barn.
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When the wife and I bought our house we needed a riding lawn mower. 2.3 acres to mow and ended up with an Allis 808. Blew the motor the first day I had it mowing the hill, I am not a mechanic, have since had a B-10 (sold and still kick myself for that), B-110, 3 7016's and those are all long gone. Now have a Big Ten and a 64 Landlord. Am slowly becoming a apprentice mechanic.
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What got me started on the Allis Chalmers garden tractors, was coming to wisconsin every summer when my parents and my brother and I were off for summer break. We would come up to visit my grandparents, they had a Allis Chalmers 917H with the electric lift and a 48 inch deck and 42 inch snowblower(white). The tractor the kohler KT17 series I motor in it( we just loved using that tractor). Now, between my brtoher and I we have 1) Allis 916H, 2) Allis 917H, 1) Allis 912H, 1) Deutz Allis 912H, 1) Deutz Allis 611 5sp, 1) Deutz Allis 1920H, and 1) Agco Allis 1614H. I'm suprise my wife has not killed me yet.:D
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Knew of Simplicity and Briggs as firms I worked for made parts for both. Married in 1979, house on West Allis (MKE) and very small lot. Moved to Cedarburg area in 1988, about 2 acres to cut, and noted to the wife "that 20" Craftsman push mower will not cut it." Bought the 5212.5 before we moved in. 20+ years of cutting and blowing it had served very well. This spring found a 6216 with blower, 42" deck and cab very reasonable. Some work and has been a good worker both cutting the grass, and blowing snow. Now for a blade to put on the 5212.5.. Does this ever end. NOT! ;)
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My first was an Allis 712H that I ended getting from the same person that I had went to get a cub cadet from. I had a good ford LGT145 at the time but the cub was a good deal and I thought $ on resale. Had made the deal on the cub which sat in his barn, and on the way out seen the rear of the A/C sticking out under a tarp, thought it looked kind of beefy. Asked him what it was and ended up getting that too. Have since traded that first one but now have my main workers 919H AC and 7016H, and several more of course. BUT NO MORE CUBS OR FORDS:D. Greg
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Dad and his Simplicity Broadmoor then Sovereigns, then Sunstar. Then a 728 of my own. Pretty nice when you can still find the same model you used as a kid, and go right back to work with it, feel right at home, know how they sound and what they can accomplish. Haven't seen anything new in the store that comes close.
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Wannabe farmer. I have run tractors and machinery off and on since high school. A few years back I bought a new Cub Cadet because it was a great deal and I was tired of taking 2 hrs mowing the community park and roadsides with a 26" walk behind. That was fun so I decided a GT resto would be a good retirement project. I found an AC 710 runner for $300 and it proved to be a good choice. I am setting it up for landscaping work at my house. I know where there is another AC that might be available . . . so it begins.:D
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Growing up in the 60's and 70's my dad had a Hardware store and he was also a Simplicity dealer. He always had a Landlord or Sovereign. I learned a lot growing up assembling new tractors for the store as well as working on and with our own. i am now 51 and cannot remember a time that i did not have at least one Simplicity tractor around somewhere.
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Three sons grew up, left home and left me with much grass to mow and little time to mow it. This occurred some 28 years ago, and led to an impulse buy of our B-210. I thought, at the time, that I paid too much for it, but it is still mowing grass, so it was really a bargain. It has been joined by other A/C's and Simplicity's after I retired in 2001, but is still our favorite mowing tractor. I also have a A/C Mod. C farm tractor, a 32 hp Mahindra utility with FEL and some 3ph attachments for it. I started driving tractors at age 12 on my granddad's Farmall F-14 and can't recall very many years when there was not a tractor around.
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I have been a mechanic all my life and I love well built machines. A few years a go a friend bought a landlord and i was really impressed with how well built it was. I was very disgruntled with the Husky I had bought 3 years prior so I traded it for a car for my son and found a 3410, then a 3415 followed me home. Thats all for now I am restoring the 3415 in the spring.
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My father being an a-c dealer. Pushed the first B-1 off the truck, [ No gas, oil or battery] I was about 14 . Have loved them eversince. And yes I have that very tractor in my collection.
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Nice idea Jared. A few years ago, I needed a new hobby. Being home alone during the day was very boring due to the fact that I work second shift. My antique motorcycles were getting too expensive to find parts for. I actually set out to look for "Forrest Gump's" Snapper rear engine rider to restore. I actually saw one that the local used equipment dealer. I stopped and asked about it and Kevin told me that it was his dad's and he was on his lunch break. Weeks and months went by and I went to Kevin's "Mukwonago Community Auction". I saw this sitting there with the mower attached, but I didn't stick around long enough to see it sell.


A few more months went by as I was on no hurry to get something. One day, I went by Kevin's place and I noticed the ratty white seat from the road. Now since I was a teenager, my dad and a friend of his owned Simplicity tractors. My dad had this 4111,


as teenagers using a tractor, we really put it through a lot of abuse and it held up. My dad's buddy had an FDT Broadmoor, and that tractor was quite bullet proof as well. Now when I was young, I knew that Simplicity made this little Yeoman, but I had no idea that there was a front engine tractor that was even smaller. A $150 later, I picked up the Serf and brought it home and started to tear it down for some cleaning and upgrades. I found a 27" snowblower for $80 and later a 30" tiller for $60 from CL. I rounded up some more parts and got everything dialed in for mowing, blowing and tilling. The tiller proved to be too much work for the little 5hp engine. So, After joining this club, I set out to get a large frame FDT. So, back to the "Private hunting grounds" I go. I went a few days early to snap some pics for the membership here.


I loaded this and other pics onto the site and attracted a couple other members to the sale. On the date of the auction, there was an NOS mower deck leaning up against the tractor. I purchased the lot and nearly made all my money back on the sale of the mower deck. I was there looking for a tractor strictly for the dirt as my wife wanted a garden.


I went a little further than just a tiller and set the machine up to look, and work like a mini farm tractor. With the help I get from members of this wonderful site, I would not have had the opportunity to get as far as I have with the machines in my shed.
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While I was helping my fiances sister move off her farm and cleaning out the barn, under a tarp in the back I first seen the 725. What struck me first was the look of the tractor to me it looked like a miniture farming tractor. I loved the lines of it and wondered whether it ran. I ran to ask about it and she said that it hadn't ran for about 2 years. I asked her what she was going to do with it and wass told that I could have it if I wanted it. I immediately put it on my tailer and took it home. Then I went back to help with the move. I didn't want her to change her mind(out of sight out of mind). My nieghbor who is a mechanic got it running right away, thats when I found out that it was stuck in 3rd gear. I hunted down a rearend and had it running a few weeks later. Loved it ever since. ^ I still am no mechanic and without my nieghbor would not even have it running today. We have become great friends because of the tractor. Hail, Shawn Harter!sm01
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Back in 83 I got married, got a house, and my father-in-law said the local dealer had a used little Simplicity with a new motor and deck. I brought it home right then and still have it today, my 738 Broadmoor. Just spent 2 hours blowing snow with it today. Several friends and relatives had Simplicity's from the 60's back then and told me they were bullet proof. Been keeping 3 or 4 around since then. I am sure my son will get many more years out of them after me.
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In the early 80's I had had all the used junky stuff to mow and plow snow with like riding mowers, an old Wheel Horse, a Bolens 600, A Massey Ferguson Executive that I couldn't find a deck for and had always wanted a Simplicity. At that time in this area they held their value very well and were hard to find used. In the spring of '84 I found a '64 B-10 at the local dealer for 300.00; supposedly the first B-10 he'd ever sold, and bought it. Ground valves in the engine, new rings, battery and 1 valve seat and ran that engine about ten years. I don't have to explain to anyone what happened next---for some reason they kept following me home! I've got a very early 700 and have had everything up to a '91 Sovereign with all the bells and whistles and the old B-10 is still my very favorite. That tractor has always done anything I asked of it even though I haven't used it in years---but someday---
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Though I had roots in small engines all the way back to about 7th grade, I Bought my first tractor (an AC Homesteader8) from one of my High School teachers. Been collecting ever since.
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My 1st AC was an 808 that was given to me by 'bowhunt4life' Chris...so, its his fault! I still have that 808, its been repowered with an 18hp twin...I think i need to get that running again this spring!
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My father bought a used 707 Broadmoor in about 1976 when I was about 2. I still have that tractor, although it needs a complete resto. I resealed the trans with dad as a kid, then in high school metal shop welded up and turned down the axles which were very worn. As a freshman, I rebuilt the engine in the small engine part of general shop. The teacher figured on everyone just doing a tune up on a push mower, but I had it bored, new piston etc.. Ended up having to finish it after school on my own time because class time wasn't enough to do it. It was retired back in the mid 1990's, and partially disassembled. A new short block and all sandblasted shrouding had been painted with Briggs black paint, and then promptly got oversprayed with Buick blue by my brother. I got ticked, boxed everything up, haven't touched it since. I have been gathering new and used parts for it for years though. Just need to get back to it. Tim
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Father had a dairy farm left farm worked as a mechanic then a logger then started my own lawn mowing service using riding tractors can't afford zero turn this last summer bought a AC 712H A REAL tractor Real steel none of that cheezy crap stamped steel and plastic.I'm hooked going to buy every one I can afford to buy this coming year.
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I was a weekend warrior on a farm that was nothing but Allis when I was a kid. Bought my first B 10 from my father 23 years ago. He bought it from an Allis dealer in 1968 I believe when he bought his Allis G Gleaner. When He passed away I got his HB 212 that was abandoned in a barn yard. Since then it has been an addiction that could probably use some serious help! I have been around these old tractors all my life.
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All my life ive absolutely LOVED farming since i was a realllllly little kid! I have been collecting farm machinery and what not for 5 years. (im 16) I bought an Allis Chalmers B to restore, and i then caught Allis Fever! so I bought a B-10! best $300 i ever spent! :) My 1940 B [IMG]http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/johndeereunstyledb/my%20farm%20machinery/15956_181396408476_666833476_285-1.jpg[/IMG] My 1 Bottom plow (1942ish) [IMG]http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/johndeereunstyledb/my%20farm%20machinery/15956_181396458476_666833476_285-1.jpg[/IMG] My B-10 :) [IMG]http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/johndeereunstyledb/Allis%20B-10/100_1410.jpg[/IMG]
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  • 1 month later...
What got me started was I moved to South Carolina and had about a half acre to mow three times my last lot and the non self propelled push mower wasn't going to cut it. I decided I wanted riding lawn mower. Well like most people I started looking at the box stores. I soon came to realized I didn't want a new one. So I started looking on CL but even newer used ones were $500-900. Then one day I spotted the little Simplicity 616 I thought it had character and I like anything old so I bought it. That was March 13 2011 my 33rd birthday so just starting but already thinking I will need a bigger machine after looking at all these nice tractors on this site. Maybe a Landlord here we go.
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