X300 Delivery Tuesday & Look At Simplicity Thread

Adman,

Congrats on your decision and purchase! :thThumbsU It's going to be a long weekend waiting until Tuesday rolls around! As for the Simplicity guys (and owners of all brands really), everyone can get caught up with defending their choice and brand. The point is that you made your decision hopefully weighted on your research, the questions you asked, the kind of property you have and intended uses, and the dealer you settled on (usually the most important variable).

Hey JD and everyone...I am fine with my purchase and have NO second guesses. I just got a chuckle out of the other thread only because I had narrowed my choices down to the X300 and the Regent 22/44, but after driving them, operating the deck, hearing how much more quiet the Kawa motor was and how much more comfortable the JD seat was, along with the extra two year warranty, I thought it was a no brainer to get the X300. Plus, this JD dealer was just so helpful, they have a great service staff, and are also one of those Gold or supreme dealers that JD gives to certain dealerships.

The only thing I even remotely felt was a Regent advantage was the striping part when using their deck, however, my lawn is just an average type of quality and I will never stripe anyway. We just moved to this home a few months ago, so i inherited this lawn and will work on improving it as time goes by.

I too looked at Deere and Simplicity when I went to but a new tractor last spring. The thing that I didn't like on the Simplicity was the B&S engine. The reason I was getting a new tractor was because the 20 HP B&S in my L2048 Scotts ( same a Deere L series) was falling apart at 300 hrs. I am anal about maintenance but it still burnt oil. I adjust valves ,etc but still didn't help.

The Kawaski on my x360 is so smooth I love it!!

And by the way Deere can stripe lawns. This is a picture of my lawn with the old L2048.

Adman4120 said:

Here is Mr. Stupid asking another dump question. Is that striping done by just having the deck lower when you mow one path, while higher up on another? Or is there a special way of how to get that effect.

Sorry for being really dumb.

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There are no dumb questions.
The striping is caused when the blades of grass are bent in one direction when mowing. The lighter shaded blades are bent one way, the darker ones the opposite. Simplicity has a full length roller on the back of their decks that creates the affect, I suspect the deere's create it as a result of how the decks cut. I made a roller for my cub that attaches to the sleeve hitch that give me a similar affect. See a picture at: link

Adman4120 said:

Hello boondocker...Does that mean when i get my X300, I would have to modify something with the blades to get this effect, or is it something that will happen automatically my pressing something on the tractor, or by making a simple adjustment.

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Not sure, my Cub will stripe without the roller, but they only last a day or two. Where as with the roller they last a week or so. Since I cut every 3-4 days I can get the checkered look...

My neighbor has a LA series deere and his stripe a little bit to. I think alot of it depends on the your grass, it's thickness, and the tractor.

Here is revision A of my roller. The first mount I made (pictured) didn't hold up, so I went with some 1/8x2x4 steel tubing and now it is good. The roller is the same one I have been using for a few years now. It is 4" pvc filled with concrete.

Adman4120 said:

I don't think the lawn I inherited with our new home will stripe good anyway, except along one side of the house, so i guess it is not a big deal. I was curious though, just in case I wanted to experiment.

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My yard was really thin when I bought it in 2005. It was full of various broadleaf weeds, crabgrass, and anything else that grew. Our soil is really sandy here, so I hauled in 150 yards of compost (free) from the local compost site by hand and started over. My dad and I made 46 trips to the compost site with a trailer and 55 gallon buckets and loaded the compost by hand with a shovel. Knowing what I know today, I would have a bigger tractor with a FEL after that experience. But the lawn looks great now.

Here it is before seeding:


And then today:


Wow, look how much the pine trees grew across the back, first time I have seen that...