BLASPHEMY!

[PatRarick 1]

I just heard a disturbing rumor. A friend told me that MTD was looking at purchasing Simplicity. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

[Woodydel 0]

If you go here you can look for gossip and facts about this type of stuff..Woody[A href='http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/categories/detail.asp?SubCatID=30&CatID=4']http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/categories/detail.asp?SubCatID=30&CatID=4[/a]

[SmilinSam 4,242]

Have not heard that, but even if it were true, since dropping the old standby, the Sovereign, Simplicity seems to be continually leaning towards the MTD philosophy of stamped frames and all around cheapening things up like all the rest of the manufacturers these days. Likely wouldn't be much of a change in equipment design from what it is now. Since the demise of the Soveriegn, theres not anything in the "NEW" line up that interests me. The older stuff is where my heart is. Rescue and preservation.............. Like the motto says "Keep it Simple, Keep it Going, Keep It" Well, .........I can't keep em all I guess........but there's no harm in trying.

[powermax_paul 1]

Isn't Simplicity still heavily employee owned? I would think a buyout would be difficult if that were still the case. Paul

[SmilinSam 4,242]

Didn't say a thing about not building anything good anymore , Did I?.........Nope, just looked, didn't see where I said that. Its true though that ALL manufacturers, not just Simplicity, are cutting back on cost of materials, simplifying production, and all around "Cheapening" things up to stay competative with all the "dime store brands" that are eating up a big share of the market. Its what MTD has done to Cub Cadet, and also what Toro has done to Wheel Horse, though they do offer their old mainstay but not in a hydro anymore. Even the Legacy in all its splendor doesn't hold a candle to the strenght and construction of the old Pow'R Max. If the Legacy were built like the Pow'r max it would likely be $5000 more than the Legacy is now. One reason its not made that way - not competative. Like you also said in so many words, they began to ask too much of the Soveriegn by adding excessive horsepower to the frame, a sign of needing something new to fit the bill, not necesarily a sign of weakness. Simplicity makes great products, no argument there, but its to todays definition of "great". If measured to Simplicity equipment of years gone by- Well.........maybe not so great.

[JohnN 0]

What is with the horse power race anyway? I have a B-210 thats cut high wet grass, tilled a nice size garden every year, and plowed very wet snow, towed my F-250 up the driveway, dragged and trailored the firewood, and God knows what else it's done for me. Its done all this for me with all of 10hp. The 16hp Kohler I put in the 7117 is a real pig on gas, or so it seams. I'll know this summer when I cut the grass. So that I can compare. What I'm saying is why do you need all that HP when most people are content to cut grass and maby move some snow. There is a lot of potential in these old machines(but ya'll know that), and implements can be fabracated for new jobs (I have some ideas just need money and time)

[MPH 12]

John, the hp race puzzles me also. When I get into talking tractors with my brother he thinks I'm full on it when I brag about my 725 tilling down to the point of dragging dirt. Maybe nobody else figured out how to make efficient attachment, I don't know. The Similicity tiller does as nice of a job as my ole Troybuilt and the Gilson is sorry for quality tilling and 16hp works really hard with 40inches, the sears self powered tractor attachment tiller turns about as fast as a mower, which I will say chops weeds that got too tall pretty good but leaves a really rough finish product. seems some people just like lots of hp weagth they need it or not. Kinda like the cast iron front axle, it sellsssssssMPH

[Woodydel 0]

If you go to the Simplicity webpage and look at their history you may notice that most changes to the company have been clearly listed. I think the employee ownership would prevent a takeover. I sent an email from their site and maybe someone there will get a laugh out of this idea that MTD is taking over and respond accordingly. Woody

[MPH 12]

Some of the seeming lack of hp in bigger # new engines is the smaller cu. in. Just like the CC case we had when I was kid could have pulled the farmall H all around the 320 acers backwards, we used to call it lugging power..MPH

[Kent 436]

Heard that there were some talks going on between MTD and Simplicity at the end of last summer (about the time MTD "picked up" Troy) but had not heard anything more. Hope it doesn't(hasn't) happen. Concerning caving in...alot of companies who have a superior product (aka Simplicity Sovereign), find themselves caving in to the latest "fad" in order to $ell even if the new product might be a watered down version of the former. Remains to be seen how the new models will fare but they have big tire tracks to fill.

[Guest]

There's no question there's been a horsepower race in lawn & garden equipment for quite a few years now. It's true, you don't need all that power, but it sells tractors. Or more importantly, if you don't have it, you DON'T sell tractors. A lot of this is driven by the box store brands. It costs a manufacturer very little to install a 14hp engine instead of a 12, a 16hp instead of 14, etc. But with the bigger motor, you can advertise that you have it over the competition. A lot of this horsepower stuff isn't real, anyway. Take the Kohler Command single cylinder engine as an example. That engine is available in 9, 12.5, 13, 14, 15 and 16hp. There really aren't that many different engines, they just have different stickers on them. There's really only 2 or 3 variations. It's all just a game to fool the consumer.

[BigSix 0]

I hate to say it, (especially as a new member and all) but several months ago, I was chatting w/ a guy who worked at a Home Depot who was in charge of the garden tractors. This man was into it, and allegedly held some sort of "rodeo" at the store, to demo the various tractors, and he really seemed, to me, to know what he was talking about. And he told me that MTD had taken over Simplicity ALREADY, and this was like late summer, or early fall. So, in answer to your question, yes, I've heard that, but that it's already over. You know, years ago you could open up Standard & Poors business guide in the library, and actually research who was a subsidiary of who. Perhaps that's on line now and available, possibly for free? And has anyone considered calling the company and asking them about MTD? (Forgive me if I've missed this here on the site.) I used to take customer calls at a major car co., and we would get those type of questions all the time.

[StinKy 0]

I remember we had some discussion on old vs. new hp. last winter or spring. Seems in a nutshell the guys concluded there is a difference in hp. developed from high rpm with light internal parts (new type) and lower rpm with heavy internal parts (old type). I would without doubt pit my 9 hp. Landlord against any higher hp. tractor of equal weight for mowing high grass, pulling or pushing etc. The key is not how much hp. you have, but how efficiently you use what you have. The old Simplicitys & A/C's had that in their favor. Has anyone ever figured out by what percent the purchase price of the new Simplicitys has grown over the years? For example a late 60's Landlord compared to the newest Landlord? Just curious. Dick