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New Simplicitiy and AC tractors


MrSteele

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A friend of mine called to ask about the new Simplicity tractors yesterday. He is a farmer, uses AC exclusively, and his dealer is my pseudo local supplier. The dealer carries several lawn machines. Zero-turn would be great in this man's yard, but, as he said, at 80, he thinks he is too old to learn! Can someone here tell me of the quality of the brand new in the box Simplicity or AC lawn machines? Are they built by Briggs or AGCO as he was told?
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IMO, the new Conquest/Prestige tractors mow just as well as the oldies, perhaps even better, and the only question is will they last nearly as long. I personally don't think any modern aluminum-block engine will last as long as the old cast-iron Kohlers and Briggs, because they cannot be rebuilt as readily or affordably. Because new ones are pressure-lubed, they might last longer before their first needed rebuild. But, when they need rebuilt it becomes a different cost equation...
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He currently has a Husqvarna, with a 24 HP Briggs that has lost compression in one cylinder. His son simply wants to replace the machine, and they know about my Simplicity. I have used it in their yard on a few occasions while I was working on their Husky, and mine did a superb job in about the same time, with less gas, and a lot older noise! They won't get a zero-turn, but it would be the best solution for them, given the amount of trees and other obstructions. They are going to take any advice I might offer, too, so I thought I would get a little advice, myself. Thanks!
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Both the new Broadmoors and Regents have a MUCH, MUCH smaller turning radius than our oldies. This will help a lot when mowing around trees and obstacles. The Broadmoors will even handle up to a 52" mower deck. I think either one of those models would serve his needs well -- as long as you make sure they get the Regent EX with the full-width deck rollers and not the less expensive base Regent model which does not...
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My Dad bought a new Simplicity (Ferris) zero turn and after 70 some years of using a steering wheel, he could never get the hang of the levers on the zero turn. He also had some slopes to deal with and the zero turn wouldn't stick. Once you loose traction, you've lost steering and brakes. With the levers being confusing and one or two uncontrolled trips down a hill, he was done with the zero turn mower. He sold it quickly and bought a Simplicity Prestige. Aside from a wiring/PTO problem, he is a very happy camper - and LOVES the power steering. It is also very easy for him to get on and off the tractor too. Good luck, Bill
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Just to answer part of the first question, Briggs now owns Simplicity and we have to wait and see how how that works out. Hope it doesn't go down the same road as IH to MTD did. The Agco and Massey Ferguson mowers are all made by Simplicity We currently have a Sunstar, Sovereign, and a Prestige. Trying to replace the current Sovereign with one with power steering. My favorite of course is the Prestige with the foot controls. Foot controls are not as important to me for mowing as it is for snowblowing. gives me another hand for raising and lowering the blower and turning the schute. Can't comment on the smaller units as I haven't driven them.
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I recently upgraded from a 94 Broadmoor to a new Prestige 4wd. I am very happy with my purchase and the quality of the Simplicity cut remains awesome. The power steering is a great feature as others have mentioned. My dealer has been carrying the line since 1974 and is very committed to the product line so that was equally important in my buying decision. He said the Briggs relationship has been great so far.
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Hi, Don't sell these new tractors short. They are good units. They steer easier, have pedal hydros etc. We are trading these in that are 10 to 20 years old and they can be gone through and sold with confidence. I keep hearing that the old tractors are a different breed, and to a point maybe this is true. But we have Broadmores from the 90s that are still good tractors and sell and preform well. These Vangards and Commands are long lived engines and run many hours before being tired. A few issues like head gaskets have been in the "upbringing" of these engines. I have a customer that had a 12.5 Broadmoor with over 4000 hours on the engine and still didn't use oil. He changed the oil and filter every 50 hours and kept clean air cleaners on it. These new engines are very tough and long lived. Be open and take a good look at the newer tractors, you might be very surprised. Al Eden
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My dad bought a Prestige 23 hp with 54" deck not long after they came out. The power steering and power lift are really nice. It still works great to this day. I knew I would hate the foot controlled hydro, until I actually drove it. I now wish my Sovereign was foot controlled! And the difference in turning radius between a Prestige and Sovereign is incredible...the Prestige turns so short that it will mow round almost anything like a zero turn could. I love my SOvereigns and will never sell them, but I can't say anything bad about a Prestige!
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Well, I'll stop and talk to him this afternoon. Foot control? The other thing about this old retired farmer, is that he is also a retired owner of an excavation company. Hydraulics and foot controls are second nature. If they had a cable controlled deck, he would still be at home on it, and likely buy one for the novelty of it. Our AC dealer has been in the business for about 40 years, and he stands behind his equipment, too. We are looking at no larger than a 48" deck due to a couple of tight spots. Walking behind a mower is out of the question. Ease of getting on a machine is a plus. The walk through design of the newer ones makes life a lot easier than our old ones. Power steering is not necessary, though most like it after they use it for a few feet. We will not need the hydraulic lift, certainly not for remote applications, so they likely won't bother with that. As for the 24 HP Vanguard on the Husky, he was never satisfied with it. His deceased wife bought the lawnmower, and though she liked it, he never has. I'll go to the Simplicity site and have something to recommend for later. Thanks guys!
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We have a Sovereign, non-power steering, Agco, same as Sunstar, and a Prestige, my third one. All three do an excellant job of mowing and I don't mind the hand controls for this job. When it comes to snowblowing I love the Prestige with the foot controls. It frees up the hand for raising and lowering the blower and turning the shute. I will find out how I like the new Briggs they switched to on the Prestige versus the Kohler, haven't got used to the no-choke feature yet but I suppose when you manufacture engines it makes sense to use your own. Good luck on the tractor hunt.
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