Regent comments:

I have a Broadmore (large Regent) and the rollers provide stability for the deck. The area I mow is Fesuce and slightly bumpy. My old mower (murray) had a tendancy to dip and bounce on the yard. It had anti-scalp wheels (4), but I ended up with a fairly chopped up yard. My experience has been that the rollers on the Simplicity deck keep it level, regardless of how the tractor is pitching. Being from georgia, this is MAJOR Snapper country. I looked at them and decided on the Simplicity and have been very pleased with it.

Just so there is no mistake. I work at Simplicity and We make the bigger riders for Snapper. The only difference is we painted the Snappers red and put Snapper Decals on it. Oh and the newer ones we make cheaper because Briggs owns us and don't care about quality as much as profit. So take notice to how the tractors are exactly the same and go for the lower priced one. Or find a used Simplicity it will last you longer and save you because it was make tougher.

simplicityworker,

The snappers I looked at had a totally different deck. Maybe the larger ones are the same, but the Regent/Broadmore lines are NOT the same. Regarding B&S, you need to get on with your life. It's done and IF B&S changes the Simplicity line (and to the best of knowledge they have not), you can whine then. But until then, Get over it.

ok. I'm getting

Sorry for the harshness of that last post. The same thing happened to me in the early 90's. Start looking to the future. You obviously have a lot of commitment and desire to make the best. You had no control over the changes that occured (much like myself). Be proud of what you did and carry it forward to new and hopefully better ventures.

Hi Cvette. In response to your question, I'll say that I also shopped around quite a bit for a tractor earlier this year, and settled on a JD LA120, which I bought from a JD dealer in April. I've been completely satisfied, and would say that the tractor exceeds my expectations. There are a few small things I would change to make maintenance a bit easier, but I'm hard to please in general. I have a yard composed of one rolling acre of grass, but mainly bought it for it's plowing ability, which I haven't had a chance to try yet. I also had checked this forum when I was getting ready to buy, and though every brand had it's proponents and detractors (no pun), I felt JD was the best bet. No regrets.

Best of luck.

I got the LA120 also , but made a few changes like putting a angled grease zerk on front axle pivot so I could get a grease gun on it (front deck hanger in way) I'm also going to turn the left deck spindle about a quarter turn so I can grease it without taking the deck off (just remove plastic cover ,right spindle zerk no problem).... I even bought a mini grease gun w/hose & still can't get on zerk. I also changed the front wheel bushings to X300 bearings. The first time I put gas in it it had some in tank so I got 2 gals (2.1 gal tank manual says)and put it in and it didn't quite fill it , wondered about that and now I see on JD site the made a mid year change and put a 4 gal tank on the LA120. Overall for my needs it works great.

Thanks everyone. I will reconsider the LA100s because they are not tipping the budget.

I'm just concerned that 5-10 years later I will be spending money for repairs and transportation costs (I don't have a means of transporting a tractor this large) and still surpassing the budget. So I'm trying to find the most reliable machine I can - if it costs $300 more, I'd consider it. Then again, everyone wants a reliable machine.

Cvette,
If your're buying from a dealer, a common negotiating point is service and transporting the machine for service. Ask the dealer if he'll throw in transporting the machine to his shop for LIFE ( for warranty, routine service and repairs). Most dealers will say yes, they should write this on your sales contract/receipt (get it in writing). They get a customer for life, they are really set up to perform this task and they make money on routine service and repairs. As I'm sure you've noticed on this board, it seems all machines need something every now and then. If you have narrowed it down to a couple of brands, I would let this be my decision point.

Good idea - Thanks lkbum

cvette.... I bought my LA120 from local JD dealer and needed valve adjustment & something to do with the compression release (wouldn't start after warmed up) , they sent a pickup & trailer to my house within a couple hours and took it back to their shop ...fixed it and brought it back next day and said if you have any other problems give us a call and we will come and get it. I don't have anyway to get it to the dealer either. Even the lumber yard here (small Iowa town) will deliver no charge also ,even if it's only a 1/2 doz 2X4s.

If your looking for longevity and $2500 is about the max you want to pay, I give you two options to consider.

1. JD X300 series. JD is offering incentives on the X series now.
2. Used 2004/05 JD LT 160. You can find one of these for about $1800 w/low hours. I used to own one and it is a cut above the JD 100 series. It is a 16 hp w/42 deck w/a stronger frame.

My opinion only but something to consider.