Bad Start To The Week

[kdexpd]

Well, I had o put my Lazer Z in the shop today. It seems I have quite an oil leak, as I do not have to stain the deck on the trailer now. I'm pretty sure she's water proof now. I had to drive 35 miles to where I bought it. I have to admit that I have been very pleased with the service I get when these things happen. The salesman always gives me a loner mower because of my business and the last time he gave me some Exmark demo model. The freakin thing was more of a tractor than a lawn mower. It was a 60" deck like mine but had some 35 or 36 horse motor on it...fuel injected and all. Hell you could mow a hay field with it!(and yes I tried a few strips around the edges at our farm!)
It was a great mower and all, however after he tried the old salesman pitch on me..ya know, the "You really should trade in your old mower for something like this..it's only $14,000" HAHA! I almost felt a mild coronary coming on. I just told him maybe next year.
I'm sorry folks, I like my mower, don't get me wrong. But $14,000 for a freakin riding lawnmower is ridiculous!! Hell, I paid $3800 for this used Exmark and I think that's pushing it. I just don't see how they think that a riding lawnmower is worth that kind of money. Heck, you could buy a new car for that! Anyways, back to my story. So this time I asked him if he had another zero turn for a loner as I didn't feel comfortable with that expensive of a rider. He kinda looked at me funny and said that was about all he had, except for a Simplicity with a 60" deck. It's about the same year as mine but way less hours..something like 200 or so. I said that'll work and he loaded it up for me. He looked mine over and seemed to think that my oil cooler may be the issue. It was loose and I couldn't tighten it up when I replaced the oil cooler lines last time around, and that's kinda what I was thinking too. It leaked oil when I bought it, and it was around where the spring clamps held the lines to the cooler. So I went to Auto Zone and bought me some screw clamps and replaced the line too. That worked up until yesterday.
So on my way back I stopped at a buddy of mine's to mow his lot. I don't know if it's just that I'm used to my Exmark or what, but this Simplicity doesn't even hold a candle to mine. The only thing I like about the Simplicity is the ride. The deck absolutely SUCKS! It mows like a drunken monkey. It leaves uneven cutting lines, gouges, and scalps all over, and I ended up having to mow over it a second time to get it to look right. I stopped and looked at the deck several times and couldn't find anything wrong. I checked the blades to make sure one wasn't bent and remembered the salesman saying he just put brand new ones on today. I looked and they were brand new..still had the stickers on em' and they were sharp.
Who knows, maybe I'm just still a green horn and don't know much about this business, but I do know one thing...I MISS MY MOWER AND I WANT IT BACK!! I'm scared to death to mow my customers yards with this machine because I'm super picky and they all know it. I'd just freak out if it gouged one of my nicer customer's properties!! I'll keep ya'll updated..in the mean time, if you hear a loud explosion don't worry. It's just me losing my head if this destroys my nice turf!

[tommyganz]

Tell me about it...we used to pay 14K for our trucks! I feel for ya. Just keep looking for a good used machine you can pick up as a backup. Regretably, you'll get someone going out of business. Be patient. Good luck!

Tommy

[Steve]

Were you able to use that mower in all of your properties? Or do some of the yards have obstacles that won't permit the use of a 60" mower?

[kdexpd]

I got my mower back today...And not a moment too soon! It's amazing how a person takes advantage of the things he has until they are gone for a while. They found out it was only the oil cooler lines. Somehow they had worked themselves loose and began leaking. I know I checked those before I took it in, but that's what they said was wrong and I guess that's what they get paid $60 an hour for. Anyway, I also had them check my tensioner spring on my deck because I noticed when I got into tall or thick grass, it was mowing pretty sloppy. They said the old one was pretty worn out and replaced it with a new one. I got a $164 bill and out the door we went. I have definately noticed a difference now when I mow through tall grass, especially at higher speeds.
As far as the Simplicity mower I used, I have come to the following conclusion:

Pro's:
-Ride quality is much nicer than my ExMark due to all the independant front suspension
-Has a 61" deck (not for sure if it's a "pro" but I thought it was neat)
-Raising and lowering the deck is strictly by foot and is very easy and smooth
-Had a great power to load ratio even with the 25 hp engine
-The hydro's are very smooth and practically silent

Con's:
-The deck does not "float" as well due to the front suspension being on springs
-The quality of cut is not good at all. I think due to the front suspension. I think the suspension fakes you out as to how rough the terrain really is, and allows you to think you don't need to slow down to avoid floating over and missing grass.
-The steering levers have a feature that forces them back to the neutral position constantly. This is very tiring when you are mowing large accounts. I noticed my arms and shoulders wearing out much sooner in the day.
-The discharge shoot doesn't have the ability to stay up on it's own. I had to use fencing wire to tie it up.
-Fuel economy isn't very good. It's a bit of a gas hog compared to my 27hp and 60" ExMark
-Does not handle as well as my ExMark on steep slopes. I was a little disappointed because the Simplicity had newer tires with more tread than mine and it was still squirrely on slopes where mine wasn't.


All and all, it wasn't a "bad" mower per say. I'm sure that someone out there runs these and loves them, and I'm happy for them. I know I won't purchase one as my next mower, but then that's just my opinion.
Steve, to answer your question: Yes this is my only mower and I really don't have any problems using it on even my smallest residential's. The only thing I run into with it, is when I have to bid yards with fenced-in backyards. Sometimes the owner will have a double gate entrance and that is sure handy! However, if I go to bid a lawn that doesn't, I will either refuse, bid it too high, or explain to the customer that I will have to charge extra because I will have to push mow the backyard.
Now I say I don't have many problems, but my next purchase will be one of those little stand on type rigs. Those look like a lot of fun and I bet I could get one in all the backyards around here.