Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question

   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question #1  

MelLandry

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2009
Messages
5
Thanks to everyone who has helped me refine my decision on a new mower.

Since I have first started looking, I have discovered the Simplicity brand of mowers (thanks to this board). It looks like it might be an affordable quality mower that will fit my needs, but I have one question.

My law is flat, but not exactly smooth. It has an assortment of small bumps and holes. I'd like an opinion from somone who has a similar lawn and how well their Simplicity cuts with the "Free Floating" mower deck. It seems that having a large roller across the back of the deck could hinder the cut quality on a bumpy lawn. Is this true? What has been your experience?

Also, the list price for the Broadmore 20/44 on the Simplicity website is $4,650. Is this the price I should expect to find at the dealer? Many of the other brand websites have a MSRP, then a discounted price... and it's usually the discounted price you find at the retailer. $4,650 is beyond my price range, which would move be down to a Regent 22/44 (listed as $2,900 on the Simplicity website).

Thanks,

Mel

Update: I just got off the phone with my local dealer. The Broadmore 20/44 is discontinued and they'll be replacing it with a 46" that will likely be more expensive. So this is out of my price range. The prices the dealer gave me on the Regent DID reflect the prices on the website, except the 22/44 was actually more expensive ($3299).
 
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   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question #2  
The last simplicity I owned had 650 Hrs on it,and it done a fantastic job on a very rough lawn.Best deck/deck mount design ,period.

As far as buying one,just look around some more.There's some deals out there.Or maybe a slightly used one would be good too_On a new one offer 15-20 percent below list and work a deal.
 
   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question #3  
I would go for the Simplicity and get a roller to smooth out the yard this fall and next spring when the ground is damp and soft. The rollers on my two tractors do just fine with rough ground, just slow down a bit if its real rough. These decks are built much heavier duty to withstand running on the ground. I have a small 4212hydro lawn tractor for the smaller areas that our big 920 cant get into. Join the lawn striping crowd, you wont be sorry. If a brand new broadmore is out of reach, watch Craigslist and ebay for a slightly used one, many coming up for sale as folks upgrade or sold due to job/house loss in this bad economy. Great time to buy if your in the market. Good Luck!
 
   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Thanks to everyone who helped me out. I am on a limited budget right now, but wanted to get the best mower I could get for my money. I went OCD yesterday and made a big spreadsheet of models I considered with their specs. For the money, I chose the Simplicity Regent 20/44. The closet dealer was 60 miles away, so I made the drive yesterday and picked it up. My lawn didn't really need a trim, but I couldn't stay off the mower yesterday.

My favorite feature by far is the turning radius. No more backing up to close the circle around trees and gardens.

With my old Craftsman 46" hydro it took me 1.5 hours on a good day to do my acre-ish homestead. With the 44" Regent I cut the entire spread in 45 minutes. I took the time to do alternating rows to check out the stripe which probably added time.

I'm cutting mixed St. Augustine and didn't really notice any visible stripe. I was cutting low (deck set on about 1.5") so that probably has something to do with it. This isn't really why I bought the mower anyway, so even if it never works on my grass, I won't be disappointed.

As for the flatness of the cut on the rough terrain... I did notice some areas where the passes didn't line up well. I think this will improve as I raise the deck and get used to how to handle the mower over those areas. On the very smooth areas the cut was FANTASTIC.

Thanks to everyone again. I would have never heard about the Simplicity brand if it wasn't for this board.
 
   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question #5  
glad you like your new machine, cutting it taller will help with the striping issue. You really shouldnt cut it any lower than 2 to 2.5 inches, lower than that can cause issues if a long dry spell comes along. I keep ours at 2.5 till the last cut of the year, then I drop it to 2, helps finding the dog mines during the winter and the grass isnt as smooshed down from the snow in the spring. Glad it worked out for you! Enjoy your new tractor. Mike and Michele T
 
   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question #6  
Hi -

This is a great board! I've found lots of good info here but still have more questions about Simplicity Mowers. I'm looking at buying a Regent 19.5/38 to mow my 1 acre yard. Because of the general lumpiness of my yard I think the free floating deck is exactly what I need.

I've always used a 22-inch push mower that mulches and the results I get with it are very satisfactory. I usually cannot see the clippings unless I let the grass get way too tall. So I talked with the Simplicity dealer about setting up the Regent I might buy with a mulching kit. He strongly advised against it - said if I liked raking, that's what I should do. He said the side discharge does a much better job dispersing the clippings and that the deck design doesn't really lend itself to mulching because the clippings all tend to fall at the blocked-off discharge port, leaving a trail of clippings behind. So my first question is:

DOES ANYONE USE A MULCHING KIT WITH YOUR SIMPLICITY MOWER AND WHAT KIND OF RESULTS DO YOU GET? IS THE DEALER RIGHT ABOUT IT MAKING A MESS THAT NEEDS TO BE RAKED?

I'm trying to keep the cost down so I'm looking at the smallest Regent machine - the 19.5/38. I also think that the smaller deck may be a more powerful choice with the small (19.5HP) engine and may also handle lumpiness better (less scalping because the deck is smaller). This deck uses 2 blades instead of the 3 found on larger decks. This is my thinking and of course it is an uninformed view. I'd like to know if any of you with experience using these machines think I am on the right track or have experience that leads you to think a different machine may be better for my needs.

THANK YOU!!
 
   / Simplicity Free Floating Mower Question #7  
Congrats on the new Regent. I also have a 22/44 and love it. It does a nice job for me and is just fun to drive but by now you knew all that.
 
 
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