Any tractor heads??????

[campgottagopee]

My wife is always picking on me about my tractor saying I take better care of that than any car or what have you I/we have ever owned. Admittingly I do like it and do take REALLY good care of it. I have a Simplicity Legacy XL 4X4 w/ 54" deck, 49" blower, flail mower and small loader. After every mowing it gets hosed off, wiped down the perfectly parked back in the garage. Could be the velvet ropes around it that she's talking about, but I'm not sure. Best thing about my tractor is that it's "SU" orange. Again, she thinks I'm nuts.

So, I ask you any other tractor heads out there besides me???

 

[drjeff]

Guilty! Also a Simplicity fan too! I started with one of their Express tractors which I had for 6 years, and then last year upgraded to the Prestige! Mine also gets washed down and precisely parked in the shed after each use (heck I've been known to armor all the tires every now and then too ) I just absolutely love the cut it gives and with the deck rollers, the lawn designs you can make are really cool!

While I haven't yet upgraded to the snowthrower attachment for my Prestige, I do have one of their 8hp model snowthrowers too. I will also say, that my local Simplicity dealer is absolutely great and understands my "tractor love" issue

 

[hammer]

Not me...

Aside from changing the oil every season and getting the blades sharpened or replaced when needed, I don't do anything else for my John Deere tractor. Only time it gets a complete cleaning is at the end of the season. Same goes for the wagon.

I'd like to get/use a snow thrower attachment, but my garage is too small to store the tractor where I can get to it in the winter without moving a car out of the garage.

I'm the same way about my cars...I do a pretty good job keeping up on maintenance service but I usually let mother nature take care of the car washes.

 

[campgottagopee]

Guilty! Also a Simplicity fan too! I started with one of their Express tractors which I had for 6 years, and then last year upgraded to the Prestige! Mine also gets washed down and precisely parked in the shed after each use (heck I've been known to armor all the tires every now and then too ) I just absolutely love the cut it gives and with the deck rollers, the lawn designs you can make are really cool!

While I haven't yet upgraded to the snowthrower attachment for my Prestige, I do have one of their 8hp model snowthrowers too. I will also say, that my local Simplicity dealer is absolutely great and understands my "tractor love" issue

Sa Weet another Simplicity fan!!! Get the blower you can have some real fun with that baby!!! Oh, I find Maguiers Tire Wipe is better than Armorall for those tires.:-D

 

[bigbog]

Loved mowin' my grandparents' place with their John Deere from 66'-72'...and would still enjoy it(uhhh...only now in my place;-))...might have ta' wait a few....but look forward to those days....Ahhhh.. :lol: :lol: *Hey, even more than getting back into a regular Deere seat....how about a hybrid, Lithium-ion Deere!....Yeah!!!! *Or have I even noticed some nano-technology being explored as predecessor to lithium-ion..?

 

[Hawkshot99]

I wash and wax my mower every week. Take very good care of it, but then again it is how I earn my money. Broken mower makes me no money. Plus having it look cleaner, is more professional looking in my opinion.

 

[Paul]

I'm usually referred to as a dickhead, never been called a tractorhead.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm usually referred to as a dickhead, never been called a tractorhead.

similar camp......just a deadhead here

 

[drjeff]

Sa Weet another Simplicity fan!!! Get the blower you can have some real fun with that baby!!! Oh, I find Maguiers Tire Wipe is better than Armorall for those tires.:-D

Here's a pic of me on my "old" Simplicity Express on a particularly dusty day a couple of September's ago (I still haven't gotten any of pics of me on the new Prestige). I'm pulling a Cyclone Rake Commander Pro which is an absolutely awesome yard vacuum!

 

[Terry]

I have a 1970 125 international that has been a very faithfull and rugged piece of equipment. It gets used hard mowing, snowblowing, and clearing out trees out back. It gets reg maintenance but it does not get washed and waxed.

 

[campgottagopee]

Here's a pic of me on my "old" Simplicity Express on a particularly dusty day a couple of September's ago (I still haven't gotten any of pics of me on the new Prestige). I'm pulling a Cyclone Rake Commander Pro which is an absolutely awesome yard vacuum!

Nice---just love that orange....Anyway, how often do you have to empty that vacuum??? I mow 2 acres and currently I use a large sweep after mowing that I only have to empty 2 times. Due to the price of fuel I figure by going around twice a vacuum would pay for itself quickly, but I don't want to get off and on the darn thing too many times (would cut into my beer drinking time).

I have a 1970 125 international that has been a very faithfull and rugged piece of equipment. It gets used hard mowing, snowblowing, and clearing out trees out back. It gets reg maintenance but it does not get washed and waxed.

Oh common, that old girl DESERVES to be treated better than that. She's a beauty and needs to be treated as such.

 

[campgottagopee]

I'm usually referred to as a dickhead, never been called a tractorhead.

Now, now....in this day and age it's richard cranium NOT dickhead....you should know that

 

[drjeff]

Nice---just love that orange....Anyway, how often do you have to empty that vacuum??? I mow 2 acres and currently I use a large sweep after mowing that I only have to empty 2 times. Due to the price of fuel I figure by going around twice a vacuum would pay for itself quickly, but I don't want to get off and on the darn thing too many times (would cut into my beer drinking time).
.

With the exception of the couple of cuts in the spring "mega growth" season where I'm lopping off 6" or so of grass, I won't even fill up the catch bag for my roughly 1.25 acres of grass. During fall leaf clean up, I'll need to empty the bag 2 to 3 times for the entire yard. Especially in the fall, that machine has saved me countless hours of time, where as it used to take me the better part of a day to get the whole yard clean, and now it takes me less than 2 hours! Plus it does a GREAT job a creating a very finely ground mulch. Additionally I got the "estate vacuum" attachment for it, which is basically a 25' 8" diameter hose that you attach to the machine just before the impeller and connected to it is an 8" diameter rigid suction tube and shoulder harness that you can easily use to clean planting beds/etc. This machine is great, since the grass/leaves atleast in my experience have NEVER been too wet and/or too long to vacuum up!

Fuel wise, my usual roughly hour of cutting time will burn about 3/4ths of a gallon for the vacuum, a little over a gallon in the Prestige, and then maybe 1/2 gallon combined in the push mower and trimmer for the edges. Some my 5 gallon gas can gets me 2 complete yard cuts before it's fill up time again.

 

[wa-loaf]

Here's a pic of me on my "old" Simplicity Express on a particularly dusty day a couple of September's ago (I still haven't gotten any of pics of me on the new Prestige). I'm pulling a Cyclone Rake Commander Pro which is an absolutely awesome yard vacuum!

:lol: you look like Doogie Howser in that pic! I thought he was an ER doc not a dentist.

No tractor for me. I've got 1/4 acre with half of that taken up by house and garage.

 

[campgottagopee]

With the exception of the couple of cuts in the spring "mega growth" season where I'm lopping off 6" or so of grass, I won't even fill up the catch bag for my roughly 1.25 acres of grass. During fall leaf clean up, I'll need to empty the bag 2 to 3 times for the entire yard. Especially in the fall, that machine has saved me countless hours of time, where as it used to take me the better part of a day to get the whole yard clean, and now it takes me less than 2 hours! Plus it does a GREAT job a creating a very finely ground mulch. Additionally I got the "estate vacuum" attachment for it, which is basically a 25' 8" diameter hose that you attach to the machine just before the impeller and connected to it is an 8" diameter rigid suction tube and shoulder harness that you can easily use to clean planting beds/etc. This machine is great, since the grass/leaves atleast in my experience have NEVER been too wet and/or too long to vacuum up!

Fuel wise, my usual roughly hour of cutting time will burn about 3/4ths of a gallon for the vacuum, a little over a gallon in the Prestige, and then maybe 1/2 gallon combined in the push mower and trimmer for the edges. Some my 5 gallon gas can gets me 2 complete yard cuts before it's fill up time again.

Cyclone Rake Commandor Pro----hmmmmm, will have to check 'em out. Thanks for the info. I always try to buy OEM stuff---did you look into Simplicity vaccum???

 

[drjeff]

Cyclone Rake Commandor Pro----hmmmmm, will have to check 'em out. Thanks for the info. I always try to buy OEM stuff---did you look into Simplicity vaccum???

I did. However 4 things swayed me to the Cylone Rake. #1 Actually talking with and seeing one demoed in the yard of one of their customers who lives not that far from me - gave me the no B.S. version of it's pro's (alot) and cons (slight learning curve with how the tractor drives with it attached)

#2 Woodlawn power equipment (Cyclone rake's manufacturer) is a Connecticut Company - I try and support my local guys

#3 It was completely different than Simplicity's version, and also my Simplicity dealer without directly saying buy the Cyclone Rake over the Simplicity product DEFINATELY insinuated that.

#4 The Cyclone Rake comes in 3 sizes, so I could choose what size was the best for my yard( a 32 bushel capacity bag), whereas the Simplicity is a 1 size fits(or doesn't fit) all(a 17 bushel bag)

 

[campgottagopee]

I did. However 4 things swayed me to the Cylone Rake. #1 Actually talking with and seeing one demoed in the yard of one of their customers who lives not that far from me - gave me the no B.S. version of it's pro's (alot) and cons (slight learning curve with how the tractor drives with it attached)

#2 Woodlawn power equipment (Cyclone rake's manufacturer) is a Connecticut Company - I try and support my local guys

#3 It was completely different than Simplicity's version, and also my Simplicity dealer without directly saying buy the Cyclone Rake over the Simplicity product DEFINATELY insinuated that.

#4 The Cyclone Rake comes in 3 sizes, so I could choose what size was the best for my yard( a 32 bushel capacity bag), whereas the Simplicity is a 1 size fits(or doesn't fit) all(a 17 bushel bag)

#1 AND #4 do it for me.....googling now, thanks for the help doc

 

[drjeff]

#1 AND #4 do it for me.....googling now, thanks for the help doc

BTW, installation was very easy! The Cyclone rake folks have made them for so many different makes/models of tractors/deck sizes that their database lets them have the hose pre-cut to proper length for your tractor!

Assembly of the Cyclone rake itself took me less than an hour (and while I'm pretty comfortablle putting teeth back together, assembling large metal objects usually isn't one of my strong points , their assembly manual is very clear and concise and the tool kit they include has everything you'll need with the exception of a drill and a small saw to custom cut the opening on the connector "boot" that goes on the mower deck.

This is seriously a product that I'd recommend 100%

 

[campgottagopee]

Catalog and DVD on the way......Being they are factory direct only gives me a warm fuzzy too. Too many times I've purchased items, had problems only to get told to "contact the factory", then doing that is like pulling teeth!!!!! I blasted them off a quick email and they've already gotten back to me. Seem like good peeps....

 

[drjeff]

Catalog and DVD on the way......Being they are factory direct only gives me a warm fuzzy too. Too many times I've purchased items, had problems only to get told to "contact the factory", then doing that is like pulling teeth!!!!! I blasted them off a quick email and they've already gotten back to me. Seem like good peeps....

You'll get to read my quote in the catalog *And no I don't get any kick backs from them. When I sent in my warranty card, I put down a comment about how I'd found my Cyclone rake to "practically laugh at 6 to 8" of thick, wet grass" and they thought that they'd like to use that in a future catalog. They called for my permission to use the quote, and Voila!