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Simplicity 725 Craigslist Find


ss74nova

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Simplicity 725 Craigslist FindI just picked this up today. I believe it's a 1963 725. It has the pan seat. The model # is very faint but it says 990269 & serial # 22514. The engine doesn't seem origonal though. The engine # is 300421-0127-01-70011. Is this a 12HP from 1970? Was the origonal engine a 19D in 1963? I've seen this on craigslist for 2 years for $300, but sometime recently it was lowered to $200 FIRM. I got it for $180. Came with a new drive belt. PO said it ran really good but he couldn't get it started when I was there (no spark). Turned over OK. BGB was pretty tight. There was only roughly 1/4 or less movement of the rope start pulley before the driveshaft would react. Gearshift seemed tight. Steering gears have quite a bit of play. Tires dryrotted pretty bad. Battery bad. Tin is pretty straight just rusty. Throttle cable frozen. No key. PO said he picked it up at a junkyard & has too many projects right now. We got talking & PO has similar interests in old Ford trucks as me. Seemed like a decent guy so I'll trust what he said about the engine running good but I may be wrong, time will tell. Is there a way to convert this over to a 12v automotive battery? I need to buy a battery soon & all my other tractors are automotive batteries. I think I will leave the origonal patina on this tractor. Anyone ever clearcoat a rusty tractor? I see matte clearcoat in a spraycan, that would have less of a shine. I'd like to mow my yard with it & have the neighbors say " How does that tractor even run it looks so old ". It also came with a 42" bolt together mower deck that had 2 new blades on it. It has a couple rust holes & a crack in the deck, but it still seems pretty solid & everything turns but may need bearings. Tractor seems complete. I think I'm addicted now! :P Here's some pics.Thanks,Tim

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Looks like you found a really solid tractor. That's a great find. And for the engine yes it should have a 19 in it. But hey 5hp more won't hurt either. Once up and running your gonna really like it. I think there a cool little machine to drive and even cooler seeing them on the move.

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I like the keeping the patina idea. Maybe a brushed on satin poly would do the trick. One thin layer brushed in one direction should provide enough protection and still leave some texture on the surface, accenting the patina.

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SweeetdOd

Nice tractor...I have one in similar condition. You are correct about original motor being a 19D. These engines were used on WB tractors and they do come up from time to time. There are a few members that do have extras that you my be able to purchase if you wish to put it back to original.

I love the idea of the clear coat idea.This method is being used alot on classic cars as of late.I will be interested in how this method works out for you.

Overall the tractor looks to be an excellent buy and almost the exact same price I paid for mine.

Enjoy the new ride!

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Thanks Bryan, Michael,& Mark. Think of it as a "RATROD". I always think I overpayed for these tractors but thanks to this club I'm more comfortable now especially in my area where these don't come up too often. Everybody on this site is great. Always help when you asked for it, opinions when you need it, & parts, attachements, & tractors when you need it. Best $10 a year well spent!dOd

Thanks everybody,

Tim

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It has a nice stance to it. Different from the LLs. Maybe it's the angle of the hood.

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You may be able to rub this baby out a bit with rubbing compound.You may be surprised at how good it comes out.You may also be able to free up your throttle cable with some PB Blaster. If you bend the cable slightly, you can get a little space in the covering and get oil into the cable coil covering. The covering on the cable is kind of like a tightly wound spring around a solid wire and if you work it slowly and use a good amount of oil, you can get the cable wire loose. Use caution when removing the plastic portion off of the dash as it will be brittle and will crack if not careful.

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quote:Originally posted by ss74nova

Also, boy is that bolt together 42" deck heavy!


id="quote">
id="quote">That's for added traction.^
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I just rub them out, and lightly rub oil on them to stop the rust. You can't simply spray clearcoat on, or it will flake back off. Proper prep needs to happen for that method, so the clear coat gets proper adhesion.

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Thanks Josh. Saves me a lot of wasted time. I never even gave it a thought about not sticking or flaking. I never thought about oil. Good idea.

Thanks,

Tim

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FYI...There is another 725 posted right now in the Ebay and other ads section of this forum. 175.00

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Great news! When I looked at the tractor saturday the PO couldn't get it running (No Spark). Tonight I fiddled with it. Pulled the points off & cleaned the contacts, reinstalled & set the points to .020. My book is confusing it says .020 in one place & .010 to .014 in another. What is the correct points setting for a Briggs 300421-0127-01-70011 engine? Anyways it got spark & I had it running for 15 min.dOd Then it shut off by itself. Maybe it's a intermittent spark problem. When I get more time I look into it. At least I know the engine runs!:J

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Got my 725 to run again. Tonight I tapped the points & condenser with a screwdriver & all of a sudden it got spark again. Put a new drive belt on & drove it up & down the driveway for 15 mins. All the gears work. Then it died again idleing in the garage. Going to order points & condenser but I'm guessing the coil is OK.

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Your welcome. If you can rev the engine above idle then the coil should be ok but it can lie like a dog, after the new points it will tell you.

As usual, the 725 is too far away, looks good.

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Nice find for sure! I love the early FDT's

I'm a "Paint vs Patina" guy, but cant wait to see how it turns out

Congrats dOd

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