Within a couple years, I'm going to have a much larger yard, and would like to get a Simplicity Lawn/Garden tractor to mow and care for it. I've talked to a couple dealers about new tractors, one is hesitant to sell Broadmoors because of transaxle issues on lawns with many hills (mine is pretty flat, but I can also see myself using a drag of some kind to prepare the yard, sweepers and rakes later). He's also had trouble getting new units (he's a pretty small dealer) since Covid, and the prices are scary - $5,000 for a basic Broadmoor, $8,000 for a Conquest. I've seen a lot of used Conquests, Prestiges, and Legacy's in the $2,000 range. What kinds of things should I be looking for that are tell tale of a future pricy repair? I worked at a John Deere dealer for a couple of years, and learned some stuff I didn't want to know about them (for example some compacts have a nearly unreachable U-joint that needs to be greased periodically or the shaft between the engine and trans has to be replaced, which requires removing one or the other) but I don't know a lot about recent Simplicity, other than listen for odd or loud noises, vibrations, etc. I'm moving south, so I won't be blowing snow with it. I owned a used Broadmoor several years ago (it was probably build in the 70's), traded it for a Regent when the transmission shifter broke a second time - getting it repaired the first time was very pricey, the second time the dealer told me he couldn't get parts for it. I was less happy with the Regent (2008?) I could feel the frame flexing as I mowed or blew snow. This time I'd like to get myself a tougher more robust tractor, but don't want to get myself into something that is going to kill me with pricey maintenance or repairs.
Avoid Regent. Had one and hated it. Traded after two years.
Have a Broadmoor now. Three things I hate about it.
1) when making turns, the transaxle is a solid shaft and one wheel drags. Happens on smooth, level ground as well as any terrain. Leaves drag marks in the grass.
2) deck bearly comes off the ground in traveling position. When transiting from grass the driveway, the deck hit and drags. Very annoying.
3) deck is a total bitch to raise. The lever is located on the right rear fender and has a short travel. This results in a LOT of effort needed to raise. Its actually easier to raise/lower the deck standing next the tractor and not sitting on seat.
Simplicity isn't the mower they used to be. Very poor engineering design in the modern Simplicitys.
Consider buying a used unit and get the best model you can afford/find.
#3
bkeller500
I had a Broadmoor about 12 years ago and it was fine. I have some hills so traction became a challenge in a couple of spots so I upgraded 4 years ago to a Conquest with traction control. The Conquest is a much beefier tractor and more powerful. I pulled a aerator and a sweeper and a dethatcher as well as mow. Not many repairs were needed and I did all of the maintenance. Simplicity has changed the way their decks hang, so the striping effect is not as good as it used to be. The Conquest served me well as did the Broadmoor. This year I bought a Simplicity Courier XT zero turn ( probably not the best for traction on those hills) but I can better tweak the mower deck to get the best looking cut and still get good striping.
