DEERE 318 VS. NEWER SIMPLICITY....A NEIGHBOR RIVALRY

[monster318]

So last year I purchased my first home, about a mile down the road from where I grew up. It was also 3 houses down the road from my grandparents house which they no longer live in. The couple I bought the house from remember me as a child from being at my grandparents house, to make a long story short, the couple I bought my house from currently live directly behind me. The man owns a newer Simplicity lawn and garden tractor that he thinks is just so "macho" and believes its the best thing anyone could ever own. I dont know of what model it is but one thing I do know about it is that its single cylinder rated at 27 hp, and Liquid cooled.

So me moving into the neighborhood with all my equipment goodies, shortly after settling in, he has to come down and check out what I got..the toy of interest for him was my 1986 John Deere 318...after filling him in on all ins and outs of the tractor he only had one reaction...and that was the fact that it was a twin cylinder and only rated at 18hp and air cooled...All summer long I was the butt of the all the jokes with my twin cylinder 18hp vs his single cylinder 27hp...I just laughed it all off..because I knew what my 318 was capable of...There isnt much I can prove when the most I am doing is mowing with it....

Then winter came...I see him in his shed putting his blade and chains on...I walk up...His blade only measures 36 inches wide and is manual angle...compared to my 54'' blade with power lift and angle..I of course took opportunity to bust him on that...As he is putting chains on I ask what he plans on doing for weight....he replies "' I got chains,and I can press that lever down to lock my differential, I dont need any weight" I just shake my head and said good luck... First snow storm of the season comes and I watch him out there plowing his driveway with his big tractor and little blade...He can push the snow...but as soon as he tries to stack the snow..or push it beyond the end of his driveway...instant wheel spin....I let this go on until he is about 3/4 of the way done with his driveway...I then head up with my 318 and 54'' blade...I first off took every pile he tried to make...and pushed it about 10 more feet ahead..and started stacking the snow in a Pile...I then started at the end of his driveway and pushed all the snow all the way up it...across the road we live on and then into a big pile next to a colvert....By this time he wasn't moving...he was just watching...I ended up finishing his driveway for him and plowed a path to his shed...I stopped to talk to him...he was dumb founded....He could not believe that my 318 was capable of moving that much..all he kept saying was "That things got balls!! That has to have more then 18HP" As I told him, its not all about what they can rate your horsepower at...Torque has a lot to do with it and being able to get that torque to the ground is what counts.

Just thought I would share this story with you so you can get a good laugh at it as well!! :laughing:

Oh and as far as the weight thing goes....He still doesnt believe he needs anymore weight..To him...me having 258LBS hanging off the back...plus wheel weights is just a waste....

 

[murphy1244]

single cylinder rated at 27 hp, and Liquid cooled. What engine is that??? My conquest or ex tractor had a 23 hp twin air cooled 54" blade with electric lift and wheel weights. But that tractor was about 2/3 the price of yours when equaled.

 

[monster318]

I want to say its a Kawasaki Motor...but I am not 100% positive on that...I have only seen the tractor up close a few times...

 

[murphy1244]

That would not be a single cylinder engine.

 

[monster318]

He brings it out weekly in the evening to get firewood...I will see if I can see a model number on it...

 

[murphy1244]

If that was a 27 hp single cylinder it would be a torque monster. It would push that snow and your Deere over the drift.

The only 27 hp simplicity I can find is not liquid cooled BUT is 4 wheel drive and hydraulic lift.

Prestige Garden Tractor | Simplicity Tractors & Riding Mowers Or this one is liquid cooled but also 4 wheel drive and will push you over. Garden Tractor Legacy XL Subcompact | Simplicity Tractors

 

[monster318]

His look just like that but His isnt 4 wheel drive...but it looks just like those....and I am not trying to has his has lack of power....he just cant get that power to the ground being he has no extra weight on the back or wheel weights...he just spins and doesnt go anywhere...

 

[murphy1244]

His look just like that but His isnt 4 wheel drive...but it looks just like those....and I am not trying to has his has lack of power....he just cant get that power to the ground being he has no extra weight on the back or wheel weights...he just spins and doesnt go anywhere...

He should have wheel weights at least. I do have a set of 50 lbs weights for sale but shipping would kill. I also have chains for it.

 

[monster318]

He isnt interested in it...I even researched a weight bracket to take suitcase weights to fit that tractor and he didnt wanna hear anything of it...

 

[murphy1244]

He isnt interested in it...I even researched a weight bracket to take suitcase weights to fit that tractor and he didnt wanna hear anything of it...

Then let him slip and slide, you tried.

 

[Johnnymossville]

That's a great story, I think knowing how to use your tractor is why you can do so much with it as much as anything else. We had a snowstorm here the other day and I had a great time watching my neighbor push snow around with his JD, not sure the model, with power lift blade, chains, and weights. He did great, but watching the kid across the street "MOW" snow was even more fun. He had that cub cadet revved to the max and was mowing and plowing with nothing more than the mid-mount mower. He did great in the beginning with the powdery snow, but later when it got deep it was a disaster. I'm actually surprised that mower can handle the abuse. Kudos to Cub Cadet for surviving this kid, so far anyway.

 

[milligjg]

I've got a 1992 318 with the 54" blade too. They are a nice old machine.

 

[xzcVAbc5]

Get your neighbor to start eating more doughnuts starting now and no exercise. By next winter he might have an extra 50# added to the back axle of his mower.

 

[monster318]

watching the kid across the street "MOW" snow was even more fun. He had that cub cadet revved to the max and was mowing and plowing with nothing more than the mid-mount mower. He did great in the beginning with the powdery snow, but later when it got deep it was a disaster. I'm actually surprised that mower can handle the abuse. Kudos to Cub Cadet for surviving this kid, so far anyway.

Oh I bet that was great to watch...Here in PA a few years back...we got hit with about 6 inches of real wet snow right at the end of October...I still had my deck on my 318...Kinda didnt really believe we were actually going to get this storm so my equipment was unprepared up until the last minute...So there I was the night before....frantically putting my plow, & chains on the tractor at 9 oclock at night..(I believe it was the first winter I owned my 318 so I didnt have any rear weight for it yet) I wasnt done with picking up my leaves yet for the year either...we have a tow behind trac vac system...So I left mower deck on and just raised it all the way and shut the cylinder off that operates the lift for that...Next day...6 inches of wet snow slop on the ground...there I was trying to drive my tractor from the shed up to my driveway through the yard...mower deck is pushing more and more snow as I go along...So I decide to drop the front blade...soon as that starts pushing snow..the tractor decides it cant push two loads of snow and just loses traction..and there I was...stuck in the middle of my yard...with I am sure some neighbor watching me and laughing as well..

Wasn't Very impressive after expecting so much since this was the first year I had a 318 after getting rid of my previous worn out 112..