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My first mowing with a Simplicity!


n8in8or

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Hello all, I'm a new member to this club as of last week. I just got into the Simplicity thing. 2 weeks ago I bought my first Simplicity off of Craigslist - a 7016H Sovereign. It ran and was complete with a deck, though it had the wrong seat. Then a week later I bought another 7016H off of Ebay that had a blown pump. During that time I have picked up a tiller, snow blower and front blade, plus a working transaxle to fix the second tractor. I bought a backed seat with arms off of Ebay for the tractor, unfortunately the arms are cheap and pretty much non-functional so I'll have to make my own I guess, but the seat itself is comfy. I also took the ag lugs and front ribs off one of my tube-frame Bolens and mounted them on the running tractor. I have been watering my lawn this year, but just enough to keep it alive - it was green, but never grew enough to be mowed. In anticipation of needing to mow I got the tractor ready to work: I changed the belts, adjusted the hydro and brake linkages and the PTO and changed all the fluids. I also went through the deck and made sure the spindles were all good and greased. Last night the grass and I were both ready to mow..... Since we bought this house late 2010 I have been mowing the yard with a Craftsman LT1000 lawn tractor. It mowed the yard, but that was about it...you could feel the frame flex underneath you, and it wasn't heavy enough to get traction if you needed to maneuver on hills. Mowing with the Simplicity was a whole new experience for me! It was very sure-footed and had ample traction for hillside maneuvering. Also, the awesome Simplicity deck did a beautiful job on the grass!! I'm very happy with the results. I was so pleased that I just had to post on here. I hope this doesn't bore anyone with how long this post is, but I'm glad to have an outlet to share my pleasure with like-minded people. I hope to get the second 7016H running soon so I can play with my attachments. I also hope we get more rain so I can mow again soon! ps. Don't worry about the Bolens reference, I'm selling those off to pay for my new Simplicity affliction.




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Welcome, and don't worry about boring us with your excitement about how well a Simplicity mows... we share pictures of our stripes frequently! No other lawn/garden tractor mows as nicely as a Simplicity, especially on uneven surfaces, and once you've experienced it, it makes you a believer! :O:D If you have questions about your "new to you" tractors, feel free to ask away -- we were all "newbies" at one time!
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Thanks for the welcome! Oh yeah and the other cool thing from last night was a guy driving by in a truck gave me a "nod of approval" seeing me on the Simplicity...that never happened with the Craftsman! I'm happy to be a member of the club, I'm glad to have access to such a great resource. Thanks to all who maintain this, I'm sure I'll be using it a lot in the future.
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Welcome Nate! You've taken the first step on what is sure to be a long and pleasant road ;) That machine looks super slick with the AG's and front ribs...what kind of tire is that on the front? Also looks like you're right in my back yard! I'm only a shrot drive north of Kzoo, and always wiling to lend a hand or bend an ear. There are quite a few local members, and you're only a half hour or so from our fine President! (search on posts by RayS, and you'll see what kind of resource you're neighbors with!) :D
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Hello Mr. Green. Actually I already found Ray through Craigslist just a couple days before becoming a member, I was excited to find out that such a great resource was close by. I'm hoping to make a trip to see him soon to get a couple parts I need to hook up my snowblower and rototiller. Thanks for offering the support, I do appreciate it. Although I have Kalamazoo listed as my location, I'm actually in Comstock. Good to know there are allies close by. -Nate
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Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to reply to your query on the tires. They're Firestone 3 ribs. I got them from Miller Tire at the Winter Tractor Show in Auburn, IN, but they sell them online as well. I think I've also seen them on Ebay from other vendors as well. I'll warn you, they're not cheap, but also there isn't really anything else that looks like them so I guess you get what you pay for. One benefit on them that I found was that it lightened the steering effort on the tractor because there was less rubber on the ground. I'm not sure that I'm liking them for mowing so far though...when making sharp turns they kind of turf the lawn a little. I'll keep trying them to see what I really think. If I don't like them for mowing I'll put them on the other tractor and put the turfs back on this one. Also, I loaded both front and rear tires with washer solvent for a little extra weight. Each front tire held about 1.5 gallons and each rear one I think held about 8....with Methanol weighing 6.6 pounds per gallon I've added about 125 pounds to the machine to help it out and it didn't add any bulk to the machine. -Nate
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Welcome to the club and thanks for sharing the pics. It's always great to hear the "Simplicity addiction" start to take hold on a newbie so these fine old tractors are used forever.
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I have a set of those tri-ribs on a 2110. I've found they're much better in loose soil or snow than on turf. The squarish rib in the center has a definite tendency to tear up the turf especially when pushed hard! I'd like a second set for my loader becuase they do turn easy but as noted they're not cheap!
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The only ribs I've tried are the Deestones, and I do like them, but those Firestones have a different visual appeal. I agree, steering is night and day, and they excel in the snow or in the garden. I don't use that FEL machine on turf much, however. I'm a fan of Comstock...or at the very least, the brews they come up with downt here ;) Did you happen to catch the VGTCOA show @ the Gilmore Museum a few weeks back? I hear it was phenomenal, and probably only a couple miles from you.
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Welcome Nate, Sounds like you were bit by the Simplicity bug for sure. ^ I enjoyed your story and share your excitment for these great tractors.dOd I have 10 Simplicity/Allis Chalmers now but still kept my wifes old "Husky Lawn Tractor" (an MTD p.o.s.) I use it to mow the ditchbanks down the road and alond the farm feilds or anything to "abusive" for my Simp/AC's...I even tried to "blow snow" with the mower deck. That was a Blast, but not recomended :Osm00:D
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I did go to the show at the Gilmore museum briefly on that Friday. I always enjoy going to that show because it actually costs less to go to that tractor show than it does on a regular day and you get to go through all of the barns in addition to seeing the show. I recommend it to anyone that gets a chance to go. And yes, we do have some very good beer that is brewed in Comstock! I completely understand on using an MTD mower for certain tasks. I sold my Craftsman to a co-worker of mine because it was perfect for him. It was in great mechanical shape and had a lot of life left in it, plus he just wanted a mower and not something that would finish his lawn off fantastically so I was happy to make him a good deal on it. They have a place, just not in my barn any more sm01.
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Welcome from me too. sm01 I'd say you are off to a flying start with a couple of fine tractors. I thought Bolens owners never switched. 8D But I fully understand stepping out of the crapsman. I remember my first ride on my AC716H; it only took about 47 seconds to figure out I was driving a tractor and not just another lawn mower; in fact, I thought it resembled something much larger as the unit crawled up a hill just a little off idle. Had lots to learn, and still do; but this is one great place to do that. Great bunch of people here; you'll blend in nicely. sm01 As for long posts - I'm the master 8) - I call them epic novels. :D Sometimes I think I have something to say. crk8 Other times, I really do. 4i Lucky you, living close to that crowd. dOd I have a guitar that was born in that neck of the woods - nuff said.
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Nice to meet all of you! Yep, lots of nice products are/were made in Kalamazoo...more than many of us realize. I was just at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame this weekend and I saw many fine items from our town hanging up there. 8D
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