Simplicity Regent deck question.

[BrianSki]

This might not be the whole problem. But it is sure not helping it. I think the pulley may have been rubbing, in tight turns for years.

One bolt loose, one missing.


BTW they put 4 or 5 mower decks on this model. Maybe this small one did not have front wheels.

 

[bertsmobile1]

It looks like only the wheels in the back. A line of them. No marks on the front where they were ever mounted. There are a couple bolts. But they are there to hold metal in place on the inside by the blades.... You can't see the rear wheels in this picture....
View attachment 38241

It sure did take a bite out of this mount. You can see where the secondary mount was wearing on it..
View attachment 38242

Fixed up before the paint...
View attachment 38243

Not meaning to sound preachy, but that is why we are always begging people to post the full mower model numbers from the tag under the seat, although simplicity put it on the side of the frame from memory.
Simplicity used to put tags on their decks as well.

Nice piece of welding but now that you have painted it I am really going to annoy you.
A weld is a casting and castings are weaker than wrought steel so you will need to put a brace over the welded area.
The heat from the weld will also have softened that side so I would run a strip of the same size steel full length on the outside .
I use old blades as I have tons of them and a small forge to flatten the curves & bends.

Now for some worse news, it looks very much like your bottom oil seal is gone on the engine.
So untill you have time to pull the engine & replace it keep an eagle eye on your oil level and the sooner the better, there is not much oil in a mower engine to start with and they all rely on splash to lube the bore piston pin & valves.

I don't have an IPL for that deck but it looks like it hangs from one side so check the lift / height adjuster to see if it could be connected to both the outside & inside of the mechanism on the mower.
If it can then refit it connected to the inside which should push the rear a little to the left.

 

[BrianSki]

Not meaning to sound preachy, but that is why we are always begging people to post the full mower model numbers from the tag under the seat, although simplicity put it on the side of the frame from memory.
Simplicity used to put tags on their decks as well.

<<<< I will remember that in the future...

Nice piece of welding but now that you have painted it I am really going to annoy you.
A weld is a casting and castings are weaker than wrought steel so you will need to put a brace over the welded area.
The heat from the weld will also have softened that side so I would run a strip of the same size steel full length on the outside .
I use old blades as I have tons of them and a small forge to flatten the curves & bends.

<<<< Sounds like a good idea. Most of the steel was still there... I wanted to grind it smooth and fill it in, so it is not sharp to tear up a new belt.

Now for some worse news, it looks very much like your bottom oil seal is gone on the engine.
So untill you have time to pull the engine & replace it keep an eagle eye on your oil level and the sooner the better, there is not much oil in a mower engine to start with and they all rely on splash to lube the bore piston pin & valves.

<<<< Yea trying to get her to keep an eye on the oil level. From what I could tell. The oil was leaking from the valve cover. I took care of that, but I did see the drip in the picture.

I don't have an IPL for that deck but it looks like it hangs from one side so check the lift / height adjuster to see if it could be connected to both the outside & inside of the mechanism on the mower.
If it can then refit it connected to the inside which should push the rear a little to the left.

<<<<It only has a lift cable on one side. It looks like it is only used to lift the mower for transport. But I will look next time a see if there is an attachment on the other side for a second one.

And thanks for your help...

 

[jskiles]

I have the identical problem. Same Simplicity Regent with 38"deck. My father also owns a newer version (2014) of the same lawnmower. His has the same problem as well. There clearly is too much play allowed by the Simplicity single point mount. The problem on mine seems to be too much play where the deck is bolted to the hitch. I wrapped some electrical tape around the spacer for the bolts that connect the deck to the hitch. It seemed better but not cured. I've ordered a couple of spacers in case they are just worn. The other possibility is that the holes in the hitch itself are roached out. The spacers are only a few bucks though. The hitch is close to a hundred. I'll see if the spacers help. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Did a bit of research on this with Brians post.
He has not come back so we must assume his fix works.
The deck is a very clever design where they use a parallelogram lift to raise or lower the back of the deck to match the height of the front.
I actually had a 66 Rover ( local brand) that used a similar set up.
So without the bolt in the mounting, the mounting moves instead of raising the rear of the deck,
If the back of the deck is dragging lower than it should be the the front will be higher thus allowing the mounting bracket to foul on the pulley.
As those bolts are in a high shear situation you really should go with a grade 9 bolt.
If the hole has flogged out oval then clamp the plate & deck together then drill it out to the next size up that makes a complete round hole.
IT looks like that rear bracket needed to be thicker and wider.
Don't forget to level the deck when you have finished doing the repair.
It is a deck we did not get down here.

 

[BrianSki]

I have the identical problem. Same Simplicity Regent with 38"deck. My father also owns a newer version (2014) of the same lawnmower. His has the same problem as well. There clearly is too much play allowed by the Simplicity single point mount. The problem on mine seems to be too much play where the deck is bolted to the hitch. I wrapped some electrical tape around the spacer for the bolts that connect the deck to the hitch.

I think it is a design problem. After the fix I did (tighten loose bolts), I think it is a lot better. Making sure all the bolts are aligned and tight. I do agree with to much play in the front hitch. I do not think it is a wear problem, just designed with too much play. Strange it only seems to do it on one side. I think it has done it since it was new. It is my Mothers mower, so I don't cut her grass often. The last time I used it, it is considerably better, if not almost gone.

I wonder if the larger decks track better.

 

[bertsmobile1]

So out of curosity when you change the cutting height does the rear of the deck raise & lower.
And are the blades actually leveled ( they should be about 1/4 lower at the front.
Part of the problem could be that the deck is sitting lower at the back.
And yes, a good idea on paper, but not the best on the grass.

 

[BrianSki]

So out of curosity when you change the cutting height does the rear of the deck raise & lower.
And are the blades actually leveled ( they should be about 1/4 lower at the front.
Part of the problem could be that the deck is sitting lower at the back.
And yes, a good idea on paper, but not the best on the grass.

I will try to grab a tape measure the next time I am out there. BTW it seems to best to do it on a concrete driveway to get the best measurement. The last time I tried it was hard to reach under the deck to get a measurement without lifting the deck. Maybe a short tape measure on a stick to reach under it, through the chute.

 

[BrianSki]

So out of curosity when you change the cutting height does the rear of the deck raise & lower.

The rear of the deck does goes up and down when changing the cutting height. The adjustment controls the rear height. There is a rod that goes from the rear to the front to adjust the tilt. (Front to rear blade/deck tilt.) A picture would help...



Ok, I attached the wrong picture... The one with out the adjustment rod... I added the correct one, but can't remove the wrong one.

 

[bertsmobile1]

To check the blade level I use some cubes of hardwood. 2" x 2.5" x 3"
Then set the deck to a height that just touches one side of the cubes.
Most of us can judge the 1/2" to 1/4" difference front to back required if we have something to refference against.
There is a tool made for adjusting decks, but it is plastic and easily broken so i gave up on them.