[mlayman27]

Hey guys! Just picked this up from my dad. Been in my family since 91'. Its a 1990 Simplicity 12.5LTH Hydro with 38" deck. Has a twin bagger as well.

Not sure the exact hours as no meter but I know its low. It sat in storage from fall of 1996 until summer 2009. I got it running last year but the starter went out. This spring I bought it from my dad. I put a new starter on it and cleaned the carb. Running great! I am in the process of cleaning the deck and putting down some paint on the inside of the deck.

 

[mlayman27]

I have a few minor things to fix. Going to put a new headlight assembly on it as it is cracked. (Lights work though lol) Also going to put on some new blades. Possibly gator blades.

 

[G-1]

Very nice mower. Lots of hours left in that one!! :fing32:

Lots of opinions on the Gators. Let us know how they compare, if you get them.

 

[mlayman27]

Well I would love to fit a mulch kit, but not any luck yet. I have a smaller property. This mower is a little over kill. I have a 1/4-1/3 acre. Big side yard though...(45x120).

 

[G-1]

Well I would love to fit a mulch kit, but not any luck yet. I have a smaller property. This mower is a little over kill. I have a 1/4-1/3 acre. Big side yard though...(45x120).

Just for fun, last Fall I fab'ed up a block for my mower outlet so chopping up leaves would be easier. It worked very well and only took a few minutes to make. You might try something like that out to see if mulching would be helpful. Here are a couple (bad) pictures. The bottom straps wrap around the outlet chute support bar and a bolt through an existing deck hole secures the top. (The wood was rough-cut oak)

 

[davej]

Nice tractor, I have one just like it..maybe you can help. I was working on mine the other night and a spring fell out of the back end. It has something to do with the brakes I thhink. it;s about 4-5 inches long and was on the left side of the transmission. It is shown in the parts manual but doesn;t show where it goes, if you could get under yours maybe you can see where it goes. this is not the big spring that pulls back on the pully assembly, thanks in advance..dave

 

[Vangellis]

If you guys need a parts manual, I have them on a PDF. file for the mower and the Vanguard 12.5 LTH. E-mail me at:
[email protected].

Although I got a Conquest in 2005, I still use my 1990 12.5 LTH for cutting the neighbors field. Still runs good and solid. I call it my mini brush hog.

Kevin

 

[mlayman27]

Thanks Kevin! I'll shoot you an email.


I want to repaint the inside of my deck.

I sc***** it clean and am now using a Dewalt drill and wire brush to scrap it down...Any advice?

 

[Vangellis]

Mlayman, e-mail sent.

Deck cleaning. Try and cut up a good amount of dried leaves this fall. Does a decent job.



Kevin

 

[Tonyx]

Seems there aren't many 12.5LTH owners on this forum, it's rare that I see any thread on them. I've been using mine for the last two years for mowing and light duty yard work. Have a trailer that I use to haul mulch, 8 - 10 yards when I lay the mulch down. It's been invaluable to me and keeping my yard looking great.

Because of the tight turning radius, 16 inches, I skip using my string trimmer most of the time and use the tractor to trim close to the edges. My lawn has a lot of curves.

I try to keep up the maintenance to hopefully keep it for a long time to come. The Vanguard twin is a great engine. Starts on a dime and pulls strong.

 

[Vangellis]

Agree with you Tonyx. Only the occasional thread on them here. They do perform well for a lawn tractor. My 1990 has seen a lot of duty and the Vanguard runs strong. I don't baby it.

Kevin

 

[Tonyx]

Kevin,
How many hours do you have on yours and what have you done to it? Any heads up would be appreciated.

Tony

 

[Mike T]

I love my 12.5LTH. It is a bit of an odd ball. It was one of just a few sold by Simplicity in 1991 with a 44" deck (offered to dealers as a result of an over-stock of 44" decks).

I gave it a gift this year: new Simplicity mulching kit.

 

[Vangellis]

Kevin,
How many hours do you have on yours and what have you done to it? Any heads up would be appreciated.

Tony

Hi Tony.

No hour meter so I don't really know. I bought it used in 1994. I also have a 1991 with a blown motor that I picked up for parts about 6 years ago.
Mine still has the original engine and tranny.

Just this past month the tranny has been a little funky though. When I first start it up and put the hydro into gear, It hesitates to go into gear, then will catch all of the sudden and run fine. Like something is sticking.
If anybody knows what may be the cause of this, let me know.



Thanks, Kevin

 

[Tonyx]

I've had mine for over two years. It's 38" deck. Great cut. Originally purchased the mulching baffle and mulched the first year with Gator blades. Then I've learned it's actually better for the lawn to side discharge(circulates the thatch better) so out came the baffle. Kept the Gators in though.

My house has sloping sides towards the back yard, since I've had the tractor I've always heard whining when going up the hill. I've changed the trans oil and it may have lowered the whine but still it's noticeable. Is this the same for you?

I usually engage PTO part throttle to lessen the loading of PTO clutch, then throttle up. I've noticed the engine boggs less with the original blades vs. the Gators. Understandable as the Gators are significantly heavier.

Toyed with the idea of raising the cutting height with bigger rollers but worried that might destroy the 'Simplicity cut' by lessing the vacuum under the deck.

The Vanguard twin is a jewel of an engine. It doesn't use a drop of oil for whole season and oil is clean all year long, clean as when I changed it the last time. I've pulled trailer full of mulch and dirt and never found it lacking power.

It's my ritual to use either the Seafoam or Techron towards the end of season to prep for winter storage. Always put it away with full tank of gas with either additives. This is done with all my outdoor equipment and motorcycle and I've had good results. By the way, another additive I swear by is the Engine Restore. I use it once a year when I change oil. Hard to objectively quantify the benefits but some things I noticed are:

* less smoking during first 3 seconds, now almost none
* no oil consumption
* better fuel economy( I use 6 gal max for whole year on the tractor)

 

[Vangellis]

It's going to have some "whine". Also make sure the brake pedal returns back all the way and oil the linkages on it. This caused me a problem once.



Kevin

 

[Tonyx]

Hard to keep a 12.5LTH thread going..,

 

[Tonyx]

Out of town at the moment but need to get the bagger attachment hooked up once back in town. Ordered the part from Smallengines.com. Looking forward to sucking up the autumn leaves from 5 old oak trees this fall.

 

[Tonyx]

Got the bagger attachment from the UPS man today - just in time for a round of leaf pick up! The twin bagger really works well picking up not only the leaves but the acorns that fell. I have the turbo unit but it came configured for 44inch deck, not the 38inch that I have. But the high lift blades does great job of throwing up the debris through the chute

 

[john walsh]

Hi guys, I picked up a 38" hydro 12.5 hp for very little, and altho I havent used it but a few times, I LOVE the tight turning radius as compared to my Sears 46". It appears to be well used, but motor doesnt smoke and hydro works very well. I see a snow blade in my local Craigs list, but dont know if it will fit?

John Walsh