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I purchased a Simplicity Prestige 4x4 lawn tractor that has been nothing but trouble. The motor went bad at less than 10 hours of running time and the transmission was just replaced and the tractor has less than 50 hours on it. After the transmission was replaced I was assured the tractor would run like new. I ran the tractor up and down my lawn and the transmission started acting up again. I called the dealer and they sent out a mechanic to test the tractor and he said the tractor was under powered and would not work on my property. The dealer is willing to work with me BUT Simplicity is not. I called Simplicity and (Jim ) the service rep.said it was not there fault I bought the wrong tracto for my property. This is a $8ooo.00 piece of equipment with 27 hp and it can't make it up a hill without messing up the transmisson or burning up a motor. I've cut the same hill with a John Deere 2 wheel drive and a Cub Cabet with less hp so I figured and the dealer that a 27hp 4x4 Simplicity would be an overkill for my yard but it would last for along time. I would not buy a Simplicity for a couple of reasons 1: Tractors are under powered and will not stay together.2: Simplicity service will not work with you. 3: Simplicity's motto should SELL AND FORGET . I guess it's true that nothing runs like a DEERE.
Well I always had simplicity tractors and my current tractor, a regent, went 12 years until it broke down. $400 and it’s running like a new mower now! I swear by simplicity.
My dad just purchased his brand new Simplicity Broadmoor 44" mower back in 2020 and is still making payments on it when earlier this summer the axle just broke and the wheel fell off. We took it back to dealer who took pictures and sent them back to the Simplicity transmission manufacturer. Good news is they will cover the replacement. Bad news is they have no idea when they will be able to get the parts. So here we are paying a mowing service all summer because we cant get my dad's mower fixed this year (so I am told by the dealer).
Great mower when it worked, but heaven help you if it needs repairs. So disappointing!
My son bought a 48" Broadmower earlier this summer. The first time he mowed, the engine ran rough and would cut out, the electronic dash kept flickering on and off and, it left two streaks of uncut grass directly under the center of the outside blades. The dealer picked it up and corrected the dash and running problem. It still left the uncut streaks. The dealer gave him new high lift blades. This made the problem worse. He called the dealer and asked if Simplicity would help. They said they had called twice but received no response. They told him if he contacted simplicity maybe they would answer. They did. They told my son that they don't deal with customers and to never contact them again and they were blocking his emails. The dealer then gave him a set of super high lift blades. Again it made it worse. On a Monday the dealer picked it up because they were going to put a different deck under it. The dealer was excellent and did everything they could to help at their expense. The dealer again contacted simple city and recieved no help.. At no time did simplicity help. Anyway on Tuesday my son got a call from simplicity. They guy told him to go to the dealer and get his money because they weren't going to deal with him anymore. My son had no idea what was going on and he asked . This guy said, we are not going to deal with you anymore, we are keeping your mower. That's what i call theft. My son said he liked the tractor and wanted to keep it. Again he got, we are done with you and not dealing with you anymore. My son told him the dealer was putting a different deck under it and he wanted to keep it. Again, we are not going to deal with you anymore, no matter what WE do you aren't satisfied. First there was no we, simple city didn't do a damned thing it was all the dealer. Second he never [censored]ed at anybody but would you be satisfied with a mower that left streaks? My son then said that he needed to mow grass the next day, what was he supposed to do? This [censored] told him that it wasn't his problem, go buy a different brand. My opinion of simple city is they don't give a damn about their customers, they flat out refuse to help a dealer or customer and, they won't stand behind products. My son bought a Cub Cadet and his lawn looks like a golf course. He's totally satisfied. He'll never think about a simple city again. I've bought my last one and we tell this story to others. At least two sales already have been lost to John Deere. At least they stand behind their product
I bought a 2020 Regent 42 in late May. At 4 hrs use, the roller bent. Dealer said it was "abuse" and was going to charge me until I physically went in and complained. They contacted Simplicity or Briggs and Stratton or whoever and they replaced the parts and sent shoryer lift cables, so I know they were aware of a problem. 2 almost 3, weeks later i get my mower back. At 7 hrs on the clock, the roller bent AGAIN. Simplicity "technician" says my yard is too rough, even though they have never seen it. Trust me, its not. The dealer said they would take it back even though i have owned it a month, 2 weeks of which it was in their shop, for a 20% reatock fee. So now...I have paid $500 for the honor of mowing my yard 5 times with a Simplicity. I am so humbled and honored. I researched and spent more money than needed for quality. What i got, was robbed. I am pucking up my new John Deere tomorrow. I paid extra to not get the Briggs and Stratton engine. Good luck if you buy one.
I have a 2021 Regent in the shop again. Weak Hydrostatic Clutch and poor location(design) of wiring harness that shredded and now has to be disassembled and repaired with a new Clutch and wiring harness. $1,000 in repairs. I am now purchasing a John Deere Xtreme duty tractor with the Kawasaki v-twin engine also includes a 4 year Bumper to Bumper warranty.
I have a 4 year old Simplicity Regent 48" fabricated deck mower. The center blade bearings went bad and ruined the housing. I ordered the parts needed to repair at a simplicity dealer and after three months, no parts. They contacted the company several times and got the same answer that the parts were out of stock and no idea when they would be available. I have not been able to mow since august (three Months) and feel this is terrible customer service from Simplicity.
I personality can't say anything bad about my Simplicity Conquest, I've abused the heck out of it running over blackberry vines and you name it. I have 5 acres with some fairly steep hills and it's been a work horse and a half! It's gave me very little troubles in the 6 years I've used it and it was used before I started using it! I'm not sure of the year of the model I have, just that it's a 18 horsepower engine with a 52" mowing surface. I did have to replace a pulley at one point when it decided to no longer move on it's own power. Which I tore the lawn mower apart and found the problem and bought a new pulley and fixed it myself. I wouldn't say I'm a mechanic by any means of the word, but I'm not really a novice that knows nothing either. Suppose I know just enough to be dangerous as some people say! (LOL) Still when it's broke, most the time I figure it out. Of course there's problems I'm not so quick to fix too! At the moment I'm having troubles with my mower engaging. I know it's in the wiring that goes to the main shaft that gets power from the engine. I can wiggle the wires and get the mower to engage for a second here and there. The wires go up above the first pulley on the shaft and on top of what I'm guessing to be some kind of clutch to engage the lower pulley to make the mower start turning. unfortunately these wires are up above this clutch assembly and I can't really tell how their attached or how it's shorting out? But looks like I'm going to have to figure out how to remove the bottom pulley, which I don't believe is going to be a problem. But the clutch assembly, if that's what it's called? I'm not sure how easy or hard that's going to be yet? I don't know if anything is press fitted on to the engine shaft or not, if I will need any special pullers? Hopefully I won't need a pulley to fix this, but it's got to come off where I can see how the wiring is attached and see if there's any bare wires shorting the system out from running correctly? If anyone knows anything about this issue I'd gladly listen to any advice they may have!
Anyway, as I said I really can't complain about my Simplicity, it's done a very hard job of working hours and hours cutting grass, weeds and everything in between! But everything gives out sooner or later and needs repairs! I bought a new Craftsmen Lawn mower last year and it's complete junk compared to my simplicity! It's supposed to have 26 horses, but my 18 horse Simplicity runs circles around it horsepower wise! It gets clogged up under the Craftsmen mower and the clutch stops working and you have to stop what your doing and clean out under the lawn mower to get the clutch working again! The Craftmen mowers lights are almost non existent compared to my old Simplicity! The only thing I've found that I like about the Craftsman over my Simplicity is the way you remove the mower assembly from the tractor. Craftsman got that part right! Although the Simplicity not that much harder to do either! Over all I'll try another Simplicity over another Craftsman any day! I really like the John Deer that has the new easy attachments that you just drive up to and they pretty much attach themselves. But I have nothing as far as knowledge goes on how good of a machine the John Deer really are? I only know I don't want one from Home Depot or Lowe's, I've heard there not really the same quality as the John Deer bought from the John Deer dealer! But John Deer sure got me sold on their commercial showing their attachments hook up practically by themselves! If the John Deer turns out to be a faithful machine, then I may replace my Simplicity next year. If not, I'll stay with my Simplicity!
I have to start with John Deere lawn tractors. I own a four steer. It is the best machine I ever had.
As for the L series, they are not really John Deere. The motor isn't even a John Deere motor.
Now, here comes Simplicity. My girlfriend had a Simplicity riding mower. She just upgraded to a zero turn. The starting series for professional level. THEY SUCK. I don't know if it's because of the third cutting blade, manufacture defect or not having enough horsepower to throw the grass out the chute completely. They both did the same thing. They left a trail behind and kept me from starting a new row. The zero turn has 26 horsepower compared to her old 16 horsepower. Just so you know, the lawn is square, semi flat meaning just a small incline. So, it's not the yard causing the problem.
I do like having a zero turn and the different style of riding as well as the speed.
I just got a 2008 22HP 44" Simplicity Regent lawn tractor with a Tuff Torq K46BL transaxle and I towed a 400LB water filled drum plug aerator around my 3/4 acre yard twice which has some hills with no problem, no posi rear either. Drum aerators are much harder to tow than a lawn roller.
There are very few complaints about Simplicity lawn tractors but I found dozens of them on the internet about John Deere lawn tractors, especially the L100 series they sell at Lowes and Home Depot. That was one of the many reasons I choose Simplicity over John Deere.
I think you just got the rare lemon or your not being completely honest about how you are using your tractor.
Not a rare lemon from where I see it. Just bought brand new top of the line 27 hp Prestige. It does not have enough power to mulch with its own mulch kit? I have killed a good portion of my lawn with clippings, cutting three times per week. The grass is not getting mulched as mower deck reduces power continuously to compensate for more grass in deck...but the more that goes in the slower it goes, the slower it goes the more grass is in...FRUSTRATING! No help from Lorleberg True Value in Occonomowoc, WI and can not get anyone on the phone from Simplicity / Briggs. Anyone want to buy a worthless brand new lawn tractor! I will sell it cheap.
Simplicity will not deal with you. This is from personal experience. We were told right out that they won't deal with customers and to not contact them again