Short version: how good is the traction on current Simplicity Regent tractors?
We have a Simplicity Broadmoor from the 1990's. 38" deck, bagger/turbo. We use it for mowing of course, but also for cleaning up leaves in the fall -- we live in the woods and we have leaves on the ground from September through December, so this is a major deal. Our yard also will get wet in spots periodically. Finally, we pull a trailer behind the tractor fairly regularly. The yard itself is on a mild slope; we have a steeper hill in back with a path into the woods, and I'll drive the tractor up there with a trailer full of junk left over from, say, splitting firewood.
The old Broadmoor did all of those tasks well enough for us. A bunch of little stuff broke on it over the years, but I kept it patched up. The turbo bagger has been a lifesaver many times and has even allowed me to suction up wet leaves -- once they even had a bit of snow on them! But the hydro gave out this year, and the motor has been down on power for a few years. It's time for another mower. I would really like to keep the turbo bagger feature, and we have a couple of good Simplicity dealers nearby, so I've been focusing on them. But I'm not married to the brand.
I'm looking at Regency models because they're the same size as our old Broadmoor. I don't think I need anything bigger, in fact a wider deck would be problematic in several parts of my yard. We have gardens, trees, etc. everywhere and I spend more time trimming than I do mowing open areas. The old Broadmoor supposedly had traction control, and my research indicates that the hydro in it was not a common model for the time -- maybe it did have some form of positraction. However, while Simplicity still touts their "ACT" traction control system, I do not believe the new Regency line has it.
With all that information in hand I'll repeat the question. Will a Regent do the job for us in terms of traction? Even on the Broadmoor with it's supposed traction control I routinely found myself shifting my weight onto the side where a tire was spinning. If that's all I'm going to have to do with a new Regency I'm fine with it. But if it is going to spin a tire easily, all the time, I may have to think about a bigger machine with better traction.
Thanks for reading the ramble. Comments, thoughts, ideas welcome.
We have a Simplicity Broadmoor from the 1990's. 38" deck, bagger/turbo. We use it for mowing of course, but also for cleaning up leaves in the fall -- we live in the woods and we have leaves on the ground from September through December, so this is a major deal. Our yard also will get wet in spots periodically. Finally, we pull a trailer behind the tractor fairly regularly. The yard itself is on a mild slope; we have a steeper hill in back with a path into the woods, and I'll drive the tractor up there with a trailer full of junk left over from, say, splitting firewood.
The old Broadmoor did all of those tasks well enough for us. A bunch of little stuff broke on it over the years, but I kept it patched up. The turbo bagger has been a lifesaver many times and has even allowed me to suction up wet leaves -- once they even had a bit of snow on them! But the hydro gave out this year, and the motor has been down on power for a few years. It's time for another mower. I would really like to keep the turbo bagger feature, and we have a couple of good Simplicity dealers nearby, so I've been focusing on them. But I'm not married to the brand.
I'm looking at Regency models because they're the same size as our old Broadmoor. I don't think I need anything bigger, in fact a wider deck would be problematic in several parts of my yard. We have gardens, trees, etc. everywhere and I spend more time trimming than I do mowing open areas. The old Broadmoor supposedly had traction control, and my research indicates that the hydro in it was not a common model for the time -- maybe it did have some form of positraction. However, while Simplicity still touts their "ACT" traction control system, I do not believe the new Regency line has it.
With all that information in hand I'll repeat the question. Will a Regent do the job for us in terms of traction? Even on the Broadmoor with it's supposed traction control I routinely found myself shifting my weight onto the side where a tire was spinning. If that's all I'm going to have to do with a new Regency I'm fine with it. But if it is going to spin a tire easily, all the time, I may have to think about a bigger machine with better traction.
Thanks for reading the ramble. Comments, thoughts, ideas welcome.