Simplicity Owner Check-In --- Read This First!

[RichB]

Hello,
I have a simplicity Broadmoore lawn tractor, which I purchased in 2018. Love the mower but over bought on a 48 inch plow blade, if anyone is interested in it I would intertain any reasonable offer.

RichB

 

[Haine2]

Howdy. New here and from WV
Bought a new Simplicity Broadmoor this past May 2019....and love it

 

[tmyers]

Oh my where do I start. Inherited my dads Regent 38" with the Kohler Courage power plant in 18 HP. I am here mainly to figure out how to stop buying belts at $40 a pop. Secondary to that but maybe not is how to stop grinding the PTO pulley into the deck brackets, and thirdly I have to check to make sure the sump bolts are not coming loose on the engine.

A lot to do but I want it running correctly.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Oh my where do I start. Inherited my dads Regent 38" with the Kohler Courage power plant in 18 HP. I am here mainly to figure out how to stop buying belts at $40 a pop. Secondary to that but maybe not is how to stop grinding the PTO pulley into the deck brackets, and thirdly I have to check to make sure the sump bolts are not coming loose on the engine.

A lot to do but I want it running correctly.

:welcome: :welcome: :welcome:

I see you have done the right thing by putting your problems into individual post, even if you tacked the deck onto the end of another persons .
Get your numbers then go to the simplicity web page and download the service, owners and parts manuals.
They are all up there for a free downlaod but they are dependent upon your actual serial number as Simplicity did make a few changes.
In the back of the owners manual should be the service schedule so start with doing the biggest service listed.
Use the parts book to locate all of the grease fittings
If you have a compressor then get a long ( 4 foot or better ) air duster to keep the mower clean so you can see what is going on.
Wear is the killer with these older mowers made with real steel rather than converted baked bean cans and the combined effect of a lot of fittings slightly ovalled is a big belt bill.
Till you get the deck sorted look at Rotary, Stens, Prime Line or Oregon for OEM spec belts which should knock down the belt replacement costs till you have done some welding & fitting on the deck & mower
Avoid all of the cheapie "unbranded" belts you will see all over the web.
There is a reason why the maker was too scared to put their name on the belts.

 

[Ggerg1186]

Hello, new to forum, I have a Massey Ferguson (Simplicity) 2925 garden tractor and have a few questions. Neat little tractor with a loader attachment and 60" mower deck. I am currently fabricating a scraper blade for the rear three point hitch.

 

[wick1963]

Howdy,

Thank you for the add. I'm looking at purchasing a simplicity citation or cobalt. Looking forward to learn from all of you as I get educated.

 

[printing724]

Greetings, new to forum. Bought a new Cobalt last July, it replaces a Swisher ZT2660 that did fine for 12 years until one of the (obsolete) hydro drives failed. Had an International 782 for many years before that. Also have currently (besides the Cobalt), a John Deere 1026R with bucket & forks to push/pull/carry stuff around and a John Deere 1020 with a 7 ft Landpride finish mower for the pasture.

The good:

• I like the Simplicity, bought it for the comfort as my ground is rough, Besides the four wheel suspension, it has the fancy seat. I have pretty serious back problems, used to have to split the yard in half with the Swisher, with the Cobalt I breeze through it all at once and feel fine when done. It really is like mowing in an easy chair..
• The machine seems to be well built (except possibly for the wiring, more about that later).
• The extra power (compared to the Swisher) is interesting and takes some getting used to, you can easily tear up the turf. It takes a much more gentle hand on the sticks.
• The EFI is nice, no choke to worry about. Starts every time (except once, more about that later).
• I was amazed at the 500 hour oil change interval. If I wait it out, it's distinctly possible I may not live long enough to change the oil in this thing.
• Overall, I give the machine itself a 9.0/10 rating.
  • I'm taking 0.5 off for the guard on the engine that makes it difficult to put a solid hitch on. Maybe they did that on purpose.
  • I'm taking another 0.5 off because of the deck lift mechanism. Takes a fair push on the pedal to bring it up. I'm ok with it, but my wife has great difficulty raising the deck.

The bad:

• The original dealer and I do not get along. I will have to travel an extra ten miles to a different one in the future. I am told I'm not the only person who has that problem.
• The machine is in the shop (original dealer) right now. Died while in use. I loaded it on a trailer and dropped it off. From what little they will tell me, the fuel pump was not getting any power due to a fault in the wiring harness. They are waiting on a replacement harness which means it will be down for at least a week by the time I get it back. No one asked if I wanted to pay for expedited shipping. They won't tell me what part number they are waiting on, I offered to see if I could find one on my own dime so I could get the machine back sooner. Nope. They get downright hostile if you suggest something that's out of their comfort zone. So the relationship is broken, and I'll be going to my John Deere dealer who I have dealt with for many years (they handle Simplicity, too, they're just farther away).
• The biggest problem: I didn't know this when I bought it, but apparently Simplicity/Ferris/Briggs will not provide (at any price) service manuals to customers. I always purchase a factory service manual for equipment I buy, new or used. Had I known service manual was not available, I would not have bought the machine, that would have been a deal breaker. It just never occurred to me that service manuals would be restricted to dealers by any sane company so I didn't ask in advance. Won't make that mistake again.
• Why do you care about a service manual, you ask? [begin rant] I've been working on farm and industrial machinery for 50 years. And nuclear power plants. My dealer has access to service documentation and brand specific experience not available to me. But I've got experience myself, tools at least as good as theirs, and time. In the last 25 years I have never had to take a machine to a dealer, managed to do all repairs myself. But right now my $9000+ machine is down for a week plus because of a loose/broken wire that I probably would have fixed in two hours myself (at no cost to anybody) if I had a full wiring diagram for it. So every time anything goes wrong with it, I'm going to have to waste maybe two hours hauling it to the dealer and another two hours bringing it back. Or pay them to transport it at $70 a pop. All because I don't have the service documentation, without which there are many things I can't /won't attempt. [end rant]
• Because of the service manual issue, I'm going to be keeping my eye open for a replacement for the Cobalt. Don't know if I'll find anything because the Simplicity/Ferris design is pretty unique. But I'll be looking.