Bought a Simplicity Citation 61"...comments and a maintenance question

[Vic_N]

I had a thread back in March asking questions about the Simplicity Citation 61? I did buy the mower and I'm very satisfied with it. It gives a very nice cut and when the lawn is dry I stripe it and it looks fantastic. I have a Mojack Pro I used with my previous mower, a JD lawn tractor, and it works with the Citation so cleaning the deck and changing the blades is easy. I'm happy I bought the 61 though I believe the 52 deck would likely have been fine. I have a few hills on my 3 acres of lawn and I've had no problems with the mower there. I do have to control the speed though since this thing just wants to race ahead; it's quite a change from my lawn tractor. It powers through deep grass like it's not even there. The only issue I've had to get used to is the blast of clippings hitting me on windy days. Other than that this mower is fun to use and so far does a superb job. I've reduced my mowing time from 3 hours to 1 hr 45min.
Maintenance question: Where are the grease fittings on the front deck lift linkage pivots? The manual shows them but I don't seem to have any.

 

[Tompet]

I responded to a couple of questions of yours back in March and am glad you are enjoying your Citation. Btw, I also purchased a new 52" deck Citation a couple of months ago. I sold my Champion on CL.
Does yours have the ICD deck? You can tell if the front of the deck is slanted versus a squared off front. The new Citations are now about an exact clone of the Ferris mowers of similar size (Simplicity bought Ferris). I will say my other Citation with the older square front deck stripes a little better at all heights than the newer deck. The lower you cut the better it stripes so i will have to see if there are any adjustments on the rear rollers. The newer mulching kit kind of self cleans which is better than the older wrap style. Btw, it was a bear to install compared to the other mulching kits I installed...instructions sucked compared to actual fit and drilling required. I also bought some aftermarket mulching blades that I have yet to install. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

I will have to look for those specific fittings. I don't recall a grease fitting on those pivot points. I did change my deck adjustments, added a mulch kit and greased/serviced with the 5 hour initial oil change. They also had a deal with a synthetic oil to double engine warranty. Mine came with the Kawasaki engine.

 

[Vic_N]

By the way, Briggs and Stratton now owns Ferris, Simplicity and Snapper Pro. Yes, I do have the ICD deck. Although I never expected it, I am doing well without the mulching kit. The Citation seems to dice the clippings up quite well and spread them over a large area. Some of that area is me, of course. So I'm doing great without the mulching but I look like a lawn myself on windy days. Let me know if you should ever find those grease fittings. I have a feeling they're in the manual but not on the machine. My JD3520 manual shows some grease fittings that are also non-existent. Enjoy your mower. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

 

[Tompet]

I did forget that Briggs bought them all. I needed a couple of small items for the Citation and the wrapper had Briggs on it. Anyway, it sounds like you gave the mojack pro a thumbs up. I will have to check it out as I use an auto jack and jack stand and that doesn稚 tilt it up enough for easy access. Yes, the deck does a nice job of spreading out the clippings, but one of the reasons I have the mulch kit is to keep dust and grass off of me and out of my eyes (even with eye protection)! Especially on windy days. If I find those fittings on mine I will let you know.