Repair-It

Who was it? Where are they located? I'm curious.

https://www.simplicitymfg.com/na/en_us/ ... -INC..html

Looks like there are no corporate dealers - at least not out here. It saves money for the OEM but the dealer's interest in helping me is limited, frankly, to how likely I might be in the future to buy something from them, particularly a new machine. And the chance of that is zero. However, what this model overlooks is the value of pleasing me as the owner of even such an old machine as mine. Why? Word of mouth brand recommendation. My ownership experience of even a 30 year old machine could feasibly lead to a sale if I turn someone on to the brand who may have not known about them because they aren't carried at Home Depot or Lowes. That is actually quite valuable. And Simplicity has no control over that - it is in the hands of the dealer's willingness to help me.

kevm14 wrote:

Sorry, I don't want the unit "tested" on a tractor that may not fit in case something happens. You can take any measurements you want. I have an OEM pulley spring.

Joe

Joe,

The testing would accomplish two things:
1) Make sure everything bolts up. If everything aligns I think there is very little risk of damaging anything. If it is compatible, it is going to bolt on without having to force anything. That part number is identical to the one Simplicity specs for my machine anyway. I am now pretty convinced that it will fit properly but it would be nice to know for sure.
2) It allows me to actually see/hear it operate. I'm talking about something like a bearing that starts screaming.

So my opinion is there is no risk to you for me to do #1. If it doesn't bolt on I'm not going to shove a pry bar in there to make it fit. But there is risk to me if I can't do #2.

If you still do not agree, I don't think I can sign up to buy something I can't try out first.

Let me know.

-Kevin

Guy has a Honda snow thrower but wants me to trust him that it's the same as a Simplicity, but won't let me test it. I should have actually mentioned that but I did not.

Well look at this. From out of the blue:

Hey Kevin,
Sorry, I have been away. It would be fine for you to try it if you're still interested.

Joe

Yeah cuz nobody else is interested. Just as I said...

Good thing Tim is back from vacation...

I replied on the 5th.

He just got back to me.

Ok, let me know. We’re just getting power back.

Joe

Seems like he checks his e-mail once a week...

Did my spring tuneup on the machine.

- Inflated tires (front left was very low but I was able to move it from the back to the front first, so nothing was totally flat)
- Air filter
- Spark plugs
- Oil change
- Sharpened blades

What's left:
- Replace front wheel bushings. Both are sloppy and the left is REALLY sloppy. That should tighten my steering response. They are like $7 each or something on Parts Tree ($4.80 on Amazon as an add-on). I need 4. https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Stratton- ... =2156316SM
- Grease front axle (4 points)
- I looked at the fuel filter and it seemed fine...so maybe I'll leave it.

I still haven't serviced the differential or hydrostatic transmission.

I did drive it around for a while and shut it off to heat soak. I wanted to test my new coil. Well, every time I tried starting it up it fired up perfectly. So, I think that is fixed.

Just to document this in case it comes up:

I was talking to Bill about carburetor rebuilding vs replacement. He recently obtained a ~$35 replacement carb (a clone) for one of his machines and so far it seems to work just as it should, which is good. He is considering one for his Simplicity. I said for me, I never even looked for a new carb when I had my carb issue. I rebuilt it basically (~$25 kit maybe?) and that cured my issues. I admitted that for $35, getting a brand new, already assembled carb would certainly speed up the job, for only a little more money.

Well, I just looked up carbs for my Simplicity. At least on Amazon or eBay, there are NO clone carbs available. Only OEM B&S. Here is one:
https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Stratton- ... B002WNR4WK

$153.

eBay also has them for $174 to over $200. There is a used one for $75. There is also a new/used one for $82:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Briggs-Stratto ... Sw13Zayreq

If you believe his story, it is an OEM carb that he bought and no longer needs (engine was blown, i.e. not a carb issue) so he's selling a $153 carb for $82. Even for $82 I still stand by my rebuilding. Maybe my engine is just too old for it to be worth making a clone carb for. That is probably it.

BTW, my engine is a 404707-1205-01 in case someone wants to find a clone carb but I doubt it.

What we learned: maintenance and repair approaches for a 31+ year old machine may be different than for a 10-20 year old machine.

I used the lawn tractor a lot this weekend, for trailer stuff. I must have started it 50 or more times this weekend. Not a single hiccup. That coil fixed the hot restart issue (no spark). Once warm or hot, I restarted it at a full idle every single time, too. With the governed idle, it idle flares a little bit like a car/truck engine starting, which is cool. I don't think this twin is very fuel efficient, but then does that really matter?

Another use for the machine was to compact the dirt that I was laying out, using the tires to roll over it. I must have gone back and forth 100+ times (plowing anyone?) and there were no issues, though I got it stuck a few times while doing that in the soft dirt with the drop off at the edge. I still should give it fresh diff fluid and trans fluid.

I guess the final "heavy duty" use was pulling the trailer itself. I filled it full of dirt (6 yards total), which was extremely heavy, and made probably 20 trips to the back yard. As usual I tried moving the tractor with the full load at idle and it did it no problem. I felt some wheel slip up some inclines and plenty of times when dumping the load, there wasn't enough traction to pull the trailer out in the dump position, because it would get stuck in the soft dirt.

kevm14 wrote:
What's left:
- Replace front wheel bushings. Both are sloppy and the left is REALLY sloppy. That should tighten my steering response. They are like $7 each or something on Parts Tree ($4.80 on Amazon as an add-on). I need 4. https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Stratton- ... =2156316SM
- Grease front axle (4 points).

Done. Super easy. Just pull grease cap, C-clip and thrust washer. Wheel comes right off. A punch and hammer removes the bushings (like removing a bearing race from a rotor). Reinstall. Grease. No play now.

Look how worn the old ones were. The two really worn ones were on the left side.