Simplicity Legacy Tractor

yooperdave · Aug 22, 2005

How does the Simplicity Legacy Tractor compare to a John Deere Garden Tractor? Which model would it compare to?

Is the Legacy higher quality than a Cub Cadet?

Thanks

Yooper Dave

Phoenix1 · Aug 22, 2005

Just purchased the Legacy XL. 4WD, 3 cyl. diesel, 3-pt hitch. 60" MMM is heavy duty. Compared it to JD, Kubota, NH and Cub. Liked this better. More bells and whistles, but solidly built. Also less money, which I suspect might be due to name recognition. Simplicty was purchased by Briggs & Stratton and they beefed up the equipment. Everything I've read from other forums puts this tractor right up there. Haven't had mine long enough (past weekend to be exact) to tell you any more but so far I'm extremely happy. FEL is slick.

JohnSinVA · Aug 22, 2005

The new Legacy XL would be considered a subcompact tractor and would compare most directly to the JD2210 and its 2305 replacement.

Is it higher quality than the JD or a 5xxx Cub Cadet? That's for you to decide /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

PhilNH5 · Aug 23, 2005

( Simplicty was purchased by Briggs & Stratton and they beefed up the equipment )

Where did you hear this. I checked the Simplicity website and they say that the stock is held in an Employee Stock Ownership Trust with an investment firm being the major holder but employees holding a lot as well.

 "The ESOT, in 1994, sold a majority of shares to an affiliate of Kohlberg & Co., a private investment firm headquartered in Mount Kisco, New York. Employees continue to have substantial ownership of the company through the ESOT. "


In fact Simplicity has been on a buying spree and now owns Ferris industries and most recently Snapper.

Phil

KentT · Aug 23, 2005

Briggs & Stratton bought Simplicity a little over a year ago.

To date, they've seem to have stayed pretty much "hands off" and let Simplicity execs run it.

This purchase had NOTHING to do with the redesign of the Legacy to make it 4WD, i.e. the Legacy XL....

PhilNH5 · Aug 23, 2005

I stand corrected. I posted the above info from Simplicity's webpage on owner ship. After your post I checked with B&S and they did acquire Simplicity last year.

Phil

yooperdave · Aug 23, 2005

I was specifically wondering about the Legacy (not the XL model) and how it compared to the other garden tractors out there.

I did not want to compare the XL as a SCUT to a Kubota or similar. Does it compare with a Deere 425?

Thanks

Yooper Dave

Phoenix1 · Aug 23, 2005

I think the Legacy was 2WD whereas the XL is 4WD. When I looked at JD, I was comparing the XL to the X4** and X5** series.

Phoenix1 · Aug 27, 2005

Here it is. A really excellent machine. Have been digging all day and the 4WD makes a big difference. Pretty simple to get the FEL on and off, although it took me a few tries the first time. Manuals are written for tractor nerds, not weekend golfers.

I wondered whether I would like the 60" deck because I have a ton of trees and lots of manuevering. This thing drives better than my car. Power steering is to die for and the turning radius runs circles (literally) around my 22 yr old 14HP.

I had grass that was knee in some places. This baby didn't even burp where my old one would have been totally choked out.

If I have one complaint (really felt I MUST have one) it's that you can't see the edge of the bucket when down. Probably a common trait for tractors this size and the more I practice the better the feel for it.

LBrown59 · Aug 29, 2005

If I have one complaint (really felt I MUST have one) it's that you can't see the edge of the bucket when down. * Probably a common trait for tractors this size.


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 *No it's a common characteristic of buckets. 
Something I like better about the front blade on my Bolens tractor is you can see where the cutting edge of the blade is better than you can see where the cutting edge of a feel bucket is.