# Newbie looking for advice & opinions



## Lancer (Aug 13, 2009)

Hi guys
I'm new here and new to lawn tractors in general.

Here's my situation.

My yard is only about 1/3 acre. My wife (wife loves to mow grass, she's a real keeper  ) and I are in our 50's and always used a walk behind mower up until about 5 yrs ago when her knees and mine just couldn't do it any more. We bought a 28" Snapper rider that worked out well. 

I have a business with about a 1/2 acre of grass that I always just paid an employee to mow until the economy forced me to economize and and mow myself. I wasn't happy with how long it was taking me to mow both yards and early this spring, was able to buy a 1990 model Murray 40" for $100 that runs well. The 40" deck is working out very well, it has cut my mow time considerably but it's 20 yrs. old, also, because of the design of the Murray, my wife is unable to get on it because of her bad knees. I would like to update to one of the newer "step thru" designs so she can use it.

The question.

What lawn tractor to buy?

My neighbor has a Deere LA 135 that we found she could get on quite easily. The 42" deck is the size I want, the v-twin engine runs very smooth with little vibration but the $1999 price tag is at the very top end of what I'm willing to spend though have no problems paying this much if I think I'm getting more than just a name for the extra money. I'm a person that appreciates quality. 

It seems a lot of people on the forums question the quality of the 100 series Deere tractors though generally speaking they tend to compare them with the 300 series Deere's (which are $1000 - $1500 more) rather than other makes with comparable features in the $1500 - $2000 range that the 100 series was designed to compete with.

I'm not a JD fanatic, I'll buy any quality machine that fits my needs. I'm looking for opinions about which other machine I should check out in the $1000 - $2000 range and specifically why it might be a better choice than another machine in the same price range.

Please, if you want to criticize JD's or any other make, be specific about what you believe to be a defect or shortcoming. 

Any and all opinions will be greatly appreciated.


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

First of all welcome to the Tractor Forum Lancer!

If all you need this for is mowing grass I would recommend a lower end Simplicity like their Regent or Broadmoor. They are known for smooth even grass cutting and are fairly dependable with good dealer support. They are a little more than your price limit if you buy it new but if you check online or at the dealer you will find many solid mowers with lots of years of life left in them for around $1000. 

It also depends on how much you are willing to fix and maintain as to whether you buy new or used.

Andy


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## Lancer (Aug 13, 2009)

> _Originally posted by chrpmaster _
> *First of all welcome to the Tractor Forum Lancer!
> 
> If all you need this for is mowing grass I would recommend a lower end Simplicity like their Regent or Broadmoor. They are known for smooth even grass cutting and are fairly dependable with good dealer support. They are a little more than your price limit if you buy it new but if you check online or at the dealer you will find many solid mowers with lots of years of life left in them for around $1000.
> ...


Andy
Thanks for the welcome and taking time to voice your opinion.

Your post prompted me to check out the Simplicity web site. It looks like a very nice machine! I need to study it a bit more but I quickly determined the Broadmoor is way out of my price range. The Regent is above what I wanted to pay ($2600 for the 38" deck, $2900 for the 44")but will consider it if I am able to perceive a value for the extra dollars spent over what the JD 135 w/42" deck costs($2000). 

A quick comparison of the JD and Regent tells me they both have B&S V-Twin engines, both have the Tuff Torq® K-46. Why specifically do you think the Regent is worth so much more than the JD?

It also comes to mind that the JD X300 (which is much more highly regarded quality wise than the 100 series) is priced only a bit more than the Regent, $3000 vs $2900


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## y_first (May 1, 2007)

I just bought a 2008 relic Broadmoor 18 HP single cylinder Kohler. engine deck 44 inch 1.4 hours per meter, about 6 weeks ago. I paid $ 2950.00 for. 
I think it's a great machine. The Broadmoor has a super nice cut. Negotiations on a 13-year old Simplicity Regent, 38 deck and have never been a big problem, the dealer gave me $ 200.00 so the price of $ 2750.00 Broadmoor made. 
You will notice a big difference between the message and the comfort factor battle between the Regent and the Broadmoor after six of their number for a relatively long period of time. I'm 6'1 "and 220 pounds, and the Broadmoor is a more pleasant ride. You can get closer to the wider bridge as Brodmoors protrude beyond the wheels, but is not as tight as my old Regent. 
Do not worry about the three blades on the bridge, once you see what a large cut you will be very happy. 
My lawn is more than an acre, and has many mature pine and shade trees and many roots, and not really smooth. This machine just does not scalp everywhere, perfectly cut, I can not tell from the other machines, but I can say I like the Broadmoor. 

I hope that what you buy good work and good luck with it.


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