Rough Cut

[DKnight65]

Bought a new Simplicity Courier Zero turn this past spring. Bought the 42” with Kawasaki engine. It has been a major disappointment. So bad my neighbors have come to the house and commented. I did all my research and read that Simplicity’s “floating deck” and suspension were considered upgrades and surpass the competition. I was super excited to get it home.
First thing I noticed was it threw grass clippings across the road to the sidewalk at my neighbors house. This was after I mowed the first pass with chute pointing into my yard. This wouldn’t work so I bought the factory mulching kit. No more thrown grass.
The Floating deck, mounted on three points, coupled with the suspension creates a very uneven cut. Simplicity really missed the mark with this one. The cut is so bad it leaves the yard looking like it was mowed with a bush hog. I have leveled the deck,checked the blade levels and made sure they are straight. Have loaded the front shocks to the top setting and the cut is so poor I have parked the mower. I now have it on Craigslist for sale. The dealer just shrugs when I mention it, and agrees that the lack of gauge wheels, three point deck hangers, and suspension system was a flaw on Simplicity’s part.
I am about to take a huge loss on this mower and Simplicity wants you to mail a written letter to them, no email address. This too speaks volumes about that company.
I will never buy another Simplicity product and will not hold back if ever asked my thoughts on their equipment.
I am back to mowing the lawn with a push mower with a new zero turn sitting in my garage.

 

[MParr]

The three point adjustment is way better than the two point adjustment that Toro and Exmark use in their entry level residential mowers.
The first thing I would do is get the air pressure right in the tires. I would put 10 psi in both rear tires and 12 psi in the front.
Next, I would set all of the shocks to their middle position.
I would then move on to the leveling.
You can use 2x4s, 4x4s, a couple of levels, a ruler, or a custom made deck gage.
Get it close from side to side. 1/16” to 1/8” will be close enough.
Now, move to the front and pitch it 1/4” lower than the rear.
Recheck everything and tweak it if you need to.
Do your mowing at full throttle. You control your ground speed with the lap bars.
Lastly, don’t pay any attention to your neighbors. As long as you are satisfied with the results, that’s all that matters.

 

[MParr]

They do have a phone number for support.

Contact Us | Simplicity

www.simplicitymfg.com

 

[DKnight65]

The three point adjustment is way better than the two point adjustment that Toro and Exmark use in their entry level residential mowers.
The first thing I would do is get the air pressure right in the tires. I would put 10 psi in both rear tires and 12 psi in the front.
Next, I would set all of the shocks to their middle position.
I would then move on to the leveling.
You can use 2x4s, 4x4s, a couple of levels, a ruler, or a custom made deck gage.
Get it close from side to side. 1/16” to 1/8” will be close enough.
Now, move to the front and pitch it 1/4” lower than the rear.
Recheck everything and tweak it if you need to.
Do your mowing at full throttle. You control your ground speed with the lap bars.
Lastly, don’t pay any attention to your neighbors. As long as you are satisfied with the results, that’s all that matters.

Appreciate the reply. I’ve done all that. Oddly enough the deck is perfectly level. The problem is this machine has so many moving points, between the single/center connection point on the deck, and the suspension that if you are not on a perfectly flat area the deck shifts and the downhill side digs into the yard. if you are turning, even in a sweeping turn, it really cuts into the yard.
I have thought about taking the shocks off and putting solid bars in their place to prevent the suspension from shifting but threw my hands up in disgust and got the push mower back out.

 

[MParr]

There are no front gage wheels until you move up to the 48” mower.
The deck is not supposed to be carried by the deck gage wheels.
I honestly don’t believe that you have your deck leveled and pitched correctly.
My neighbor, across the street, has a 2020 Snapper zero turn and it does a beautiful job on his yard. There isn’t much difference between a Snapper and a Simplicity.
We are waiting on your feedback.

 

[MParr]

Appreciate the reply. I’ve done all that. Oddly enough the deck is perfectly level. The problem is this machine has so many moving points, between the single/center connection point on the deck, and the suspension that if you are not on a perfectly flat area the deck shifts and the downhill side digs into the yard. if you are turning, even in a sweeping turn, it really cuts into the yard.
I have thought about taking the shocks off and putting solid bars in their place to prevent the suspension from shifting but threw my hands up in disgust and got the push mower back out.

The deck is not supposed to be “perfectly” level. It needs to be level from side to side and pitched down 1/4” in the front. It’s digging in because, you are mowing too low for your yard’s terrain. It takes some practice getting the hang of a zero turn mower. The deck is suspended and you are going to get some side to side and fore and aft shifting.
Does your deck have rollers on the back side? They are shown in the parts book. If so, they should not be touching the ground. They should be set no lower than 1/2” below the rear edge of the deck. If you have set your cutting height at 2” or lower, you need to remove the roller bar.
DON’T GIVE UP!
Lastly, set your shocks to the firmest settings.

 

[DKnight65]

The deck is not supposed to be “perfectly” level. It needs to be level from side to side and pitched down 1/4” in the front. It’s digging in because, you are mowing too low for your yard’s terrain. It takes some practice getting the hang of a zero turn mower. The deck is suspended and you are going to get some side to side and fore and aft shifting.
Does your deck have rollers on the back side? They are shown in the parts book. If so, they should not be touching the ground. They should be set no lower than 1/2” below the rear edge of the deck. If you have set your cutting height at 2” or lower, you need to remove the roller bar.
DON’T GIVE UP!
Lastly, set your shocks to the firmest settings.

Again I appreciate your replies, but you don’t know what height the deck is at so to assume it’s too low is not giving me much credit. But for what it’s worth it’s set at 3”. It’s not digging in at the little bumps and such, it’s leaving a line on each side of the path it just mowed. The side the low cut lines are on depends on which side of the deck is on the lower side of the very slight slope in my yard, but I digress.
I took your advice and called Simplicity’s contact number. Here’s how that went…

after going through multiple prompts, of which determined I was a homeowner, I was greeted by a very nice man named Dan. Dan asked what he could do for me and when I explained what had been happening he very politely told me there was absolutely nothing he could do for me. He was only a customer service agent. I would need to contact my dealer. I then explained that my dealer was the one that said Simplicity missed the mark with that mower‘s design and there was nothing they could do. Dan then told me to call another dealer that was 60 miles from my house.
I called that dealer and spoke with their Service Manager. He said that if I had bought the mower from them, they would have me bring it to them and leave it so they could mow some lawns to see if they could duplicate the problem, but I didn’t buy it from them so I need to call my dealer. Very nice guy but driving my mower and leaving it with someone to cut lawns is weird.
I then called my dealer. After about 20 minutes on the phone here is what I was told. he agreed it needed anti-scalp wheels but they don’t make a kit for that mower. There isn’t room between the casters and the deck to install them. He suggested that I take a cargo strap and cinch it down around the front suspension to keep it from moving. he said the movement with the suspension plus the lack of anti scalp wheels allowed the deck to move too much. I said I wasn’t in love with the cargo strap idea, so he suggested I remove the shocks and replace them with turn buckles.
I buy a piece of equipment and the manufacturer offers exactly zero support. The dealers have no recourse because of the design of the mower. So I have a mower that I will have to modify if I decide to keep it because it was designed poorly.
they did offer to buy it back at about $1500 less than I paid for it. ?‍??

simplicity is not a customer oriented company. They could care less about their customers. as a matter of fact they do not even see us as their customers, they consider the dealers their customers, the rest of us can fly a kite.
I will take the loss on the mower as I am sure it will cut someone’s fescue, rye, zoysia, or centipede lawn just fine. i will also not hesitate to tell someone about my experience. This forum is only a start.

 

[MParr]

I hate that you are not satisfied with the mower. Like I mentioned earlier, my neighbor has a Snapper ZTR that’s similar to your Simplicity. His is a 48” with the anti-scalp wheels up front. Also, the Snapper doesn’t have the suspension and pivoting front axle. His Centipede lawn looks fantastic. Snapper, Simplicity, and Ferris are Briggs and Stratton owned companies. They have been bought out by adventure capitalist firm. The lack of good customer service may be from their bankruptcy and buyout. I had a Toro Timecutter MX5000 that I could never get to cut right. I just traded up. Sure, I took a hit but, the next Toro did a much better job.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope it will work out for you.

Briggs & Stratton Announces Completion of Sale to KPS Capital Partners

Briggs & Stratton, a recognized global leader in providing power to get work done, announces that KPS Capital Partners, LP (“KPS”), through a newly formed affiliate, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Briggs & Stratton Corporation and certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries.

www.briggsandstratton.com

 

[DKnight65]

I hate that you are not satisfied with the mower. Like I mentioned earlier, my neighbor has a Snapper ZTR that’s similar to your Simplicity. His is a 48” with the anti-scalp wheels up front. Also, the Snapper doesn’t have the suspension and pivoting front axle. His Centipede lawn looks fantastic. Snapper, Simplicity, and Ferris are Briggs and Stratton owned companies. They have been bought out by adventure capitalist firm. The lack of good customer service may be from their bankruptcy and buyout. I had a Toro Timecutter MX5000 that I could never get to cut right. I just traded up. Sure, I took a hit but, the next Toro did a much better job.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope it will work out for you.

Briggs & Stratton Announces Completion of Sale to KPS Capital Partners

Briggs & Stratton, a recognized global leader in providing power to get work done, announces that KPS Capital Partners, LP (“KPS”), through a newly formed affiliate, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Briggs & Stratton Corporation and certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries.

www.briggsandstratton.com

Many thanks! I am very frustrated and mark it up to a life’s lesson.
I just ordered a Husqvarna TS348XD. It has 4 gauge wheels and a nose roller. fingers crossed!
have a great day.

 

[MParr]

Many thanks! I am very frustrated and mark it up to a life’s lesson.
I just ordered a Husqvarna TS348XD. It has 4 gauge wheels and a nose roller. fingers crossed!
have a great day.

I think that many of us have had a similar life’s lesson. I know that I have.
I hope the Husqvarna will perform well for you. Hopefully, it will be here before the mowing season has ended. Give us a report back on your new Husqvarna.