Simplicity Lancer front mount mower

[Mark_in_NH]

I am putting some thought into backing up / replacing my Scag 52" walk behind. It is still running strong and I will definitely keep it. But !! When it breaks down, which it just did (blown head gasket) I am without a mower except for my 2 small walk behinds. I am not going to try and mow what I need to mow with a 24" mower. So.
I have taken a keen interest in the Simplicity Lancer. I like the idea of the deck out front, I always have, even back to the old Gravely's. I like the way that the deck tips up for service. The easier it is to do the service, the more frequently and throughly it is apt to be done. It also just plain looks cool !
17HP is plenty for what I need, I do wish it came with a bigger deck then 44" but it doesn't. Oh well !!
I do not mow lawns commercially per say. I mow 4 lawns, one of them being my own. The other 3 are for properties that I manage. One is of good size, the other 2 are very small which is why I mow them. There not worth subbing out. So even as nice as it might be to own a $5 or $6K ZTR, I do not really need nor can I justify an expensive commercial machine. With a MSRP of $3500 the Simplicity Lancer seems like a nice machine.
Any thoughts, knowledge or experience on this mower ?

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Here is the mower I am speaking of.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I know nothing about this mower, but I have some questions you might want to ask.

The mower looks to be a suburban residential grade mower (nothing wrong with that) but my question is what size yard is that mower recommended for? Then the follow up question is what is the sum total size of all 4 yards that you mow? Most manufacturers will recommend their mowers for certain yard sizes, so if total of the 4 yards is 2 acres then the question would be is this unit recommended for mowing 2 acres?

Now that I have switched to a front mount mower I am amazed by how much faster they cut than a mid-mount tractor mower. I could certainly see why you would be attracted to the Simplicity unit. We just mowed our entire property for the first time with only our Ventrac (overkill for what you want to do) and the ease of mowing of a front deck is great. I never would have believe it if someone would have told me, but after doing it I am certainly sold on the concept.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Bob
You make some very good points and raise some questions on some things that I had not considered.
Here is the link to the Lancer.
Simplicity Lancer
I have never mowed with a front deck but have always thought that a front deck just made more sense.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

I just tried reading the specs for the Lancer but my computer won't let me open the page. If somebody finds where they state the recomended lawn size / acreage for this mower, please post it for me.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

In an attempt to answer one of Bob's question, I have to ask another one of my own. How do I go about calculating the size of mine or any yard / lawn ?

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Length multiplied by width of lot, in feet = GROSS square feet of the lot EXAMPLE: 100' by 60' = 6000 square feet for lot #1.

Add subtract off the area used up by the house, driveway, garage, etc. and that will give you a NET square footage that you actually mow. EXAMPLE: 1200 square foot house + 300 square foot driveway = 1500 square feet for house #1.

6000 square feet - 1500 square feet = 4500 sq.ft. of lawn area for lot #1.

Add the NET square footage of all 4 lots, then go to the Simplicity dealer and say that you have to mow XXXX square feet per week, is this machine reasonable for that amount of mowing. Even if you have to GUESSTIMATE the sizes, you are better off asking the questions.

I had a long talk with my next door neighbor who is totally dissatisfied with his Craftsman lawn tractor. He is trying to mow his 4 acres with the Craftsman and its 42" or 48" deck and wonders why it takes so long and why his tractor is falling apart after only a few years. He figures a tractor should maybe last 5 years. After discussing some pricing and build issues, I told him that a good quality tractor should easily last 15 years, but it will cost him a lot more than he wants to spend. He was marveling at my Ventrac and really gave it a good once over and guessed the price at $4000 and almost fell over when I told him it was just under $10,000. My Ventrac is designed to mow golf courses and public parks, so mowing my lot is a piece of cake for it, while his Craftsman is probably designed to mow a 3/4 to 1 acre lot and he is beating it up by trying to mow 4 and simply demanding more than it can reasonably be expected to deliver. I write this, simply because if you really want to make sure the Simplicity unit will handle the load without beating it up each week. Stressing equipment is a great way to make it fail . . . just ask my neighbor.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Bob
Thank you for that equation. It is pretty much what I suspected I needed to do but wasn't posative.
I got Alot of measuring to do.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Mark . . . so, what did you come up with? Is the Lancer your new machine?

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Bob,
I haven't taken things that far yet. I have called all my local Simplicity dealers (all 3 of them) and have found out this much. First, None of the dealers stock one.

Dealer #1 thinks the mower is a piece of crap and why would anyone want a front deck mower but he's got this simplicity "consmer z ZTR that is a better machine for similar money ($4000). Totally disregarding the fact that I initially told him I really wasn't interest in a ZT, I wanted a front deck mower.

Dealer #2 is more then happy to order one for me for a mere $500 Over the MSRP of $3499

Dealer #3 which is the same dealer I purchased my tractor from is getting me as much info as possible so that when I go in they will be able to tell me something with some intelligence. If this turns out to be a suitable mower for my needs, I will attempt to strike a trade with my NH dealer on the little Kubota B8200 w/ the 60" LP RFM that I received for nothing. I would be quite content to Hopefully trade them even. They seemed quite receptive to coming and looking at the B8200 for trade in value. Fortunately they have a salesman who has to go right by my driveway to get home.

The only things at the moment that concern me are.
#1 Is this mower suitable for my needs and use.

#2 I will have to purchase one unseen, untested etc. etc.

I would really like a chance to see one and kick it's tires before I commit to buying one.
I am hoping to get down to my dealer today. At $2.03 per gallon of gas, I don't want to make a special trip, I am going to try and combine it with other needs to go that direction.
I will keep you posted.