Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hello everyone. What a great site this is. Certainly full of great information and helpful people.
I tried using the dealer locator on Simplicity's web site and it does not list Canada in the country drop down list. I've never seen Simplicity snow blowers in Ontario and I am wondering, are there any dealers in this neck of the woods?
I haven't heard back from Simplicity themselves yet.

I found mine at a Massey Ferguson tractor dealer/country corner farm implement dealer.  Find a Massey dealer, give them a call and see what happens. 

Try this - it was current as of last year.

Deb Kultgen
International Sales Support Manager
Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group, LLC
Yard Power Products Group
P.O. Box 702
Milwaukee, WI  53201-0702
262-957-8242
Kultgen.Deborah@basco.com
Fax:  770-898-4637

P.S. This was the closest dealer in my area.

Brant Farm Supply
130 Bishop Gate Road
Scotland, Ontario
N03 1R0
Phone:  519-446-3925

Jake and Borat,

Thanks for the suggestions. I feel pretty silly. I had another look at Simplicity's web site and in the Dealer Locator area, on the right hand side of the page there is Canadian Dealer finder listed by province. I was at the optometrist for a check up the day before yesterday and she said my eyes had changed quite a bit since my last prescription. LOL.
The new glasses can't come soon enough. LOL

There are a number of dealers in my area; not in Guelph but pretty close by. Rockwood, KItchener, Cambridge, Milton. I'm all set.

From all the positive feedback I read about Simplicity, I believe it is the way for me to go. I like stuff that works the way you expect it to and that is rugged and built to last without spending a fortune. 

Cheers!

I'd stick with the large frame units.  Don't think the Pro series is worth the extra money in Canada and two participants of this forum have advised of problems with the 24" Pro series machines.   I've got the 9528 and I have nothing but praise for it.

borat wrote:
I was going to consider the L1226E. Is it  the same as the 9528?
Not too big and not too small. Thanks borat!

Krank wrote:

No.  Not the same as the 9528.  A 9528 has the 305cc 9.5 (going on 11.5) h.p. engine and a 28" width.  Not sure but I think the one you're looking at has the 248cc engine and will be missing a few convenience features.  Otherwise, looks like a rugged machine.  Here's a link to look at the specs.

http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snowthrowers/large_frame/specs/index.cfm

So yours would be the equivalent of the L1428E?

Krank wrote:

Yes.  Here it is with the snow cab & chute liner, deflector modifications and another pic of the machine in action.   

If you're interested in Simplicity you might want to check out the John Deere 1130SE
as it's made by Simplicity but appears to have a differential, and limited slip at that
since they say it locks automatically.   This is something not available on the regular
Simplicities.   And the John Deere paint job is pretty cool.

Paul

borat wrote:
Nice pics borat.
Are you in Thunder Bay?

I don't see a differential on the list of JD 1130SE features.  It actually specifies a friction wheel/disk drive.  Other than the paint job and being $150.00 less than the listed Simplicity price, looks pretty much identical. 

Here's the list I got from the JD site:

 

Powerful 4-cycle OHV Briggs and Stratton Snow Series MAX engine with 15.50 ft-lbs gross torque power 30-inch clearing width Free hand control for easy chute rotation Push button 110V electric start standard Recoil start with large mitten grip Easy Steer® drive system giving continuous power to both wheels and auto speed adjustment Friction disk drive with 6 forward/2 reverse speeds Aluminized Super Lo-Tone muffler for reduced noise Cast iron gear case Steel auger with serrated flighting Deluxe console and handlebar design Large chute opening for increased snow capacity Remote chute rotation with 200-degree turning radius in only 10 turns Remote chute deflector Heavy duty embossed auger housing Heated handgrips with two settings Offset halogen headlight for better visibility Drift cutters standard Heat-treated, reversible skid shoes 4-quart fuel tank Throttle control Fresh Start® fuel cap standard 16-inch by 6.5-inch X-Trac tires 2-year consumer warranty, 90-day commercial warranty Includes tool box and clear out brush This product is CARB compliant The John Deere Promise is not available on this product

List price: $1,549.00* (U.S.)

borat wrote:
Well, there not.  Both the brochure here :

   http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/media/pdfs/jd_snowthrowers_brochure_eng.pdf

and the parts manual, that I can no longer find but was referred to here
recently, clearly show an object that looks very much like a differential.
They call it a clutch of some sort I think.   John Deere calls this system
Easy-Steer and says that the axle lock is automatic.  The steering
system on Simplicities and the other John Deeres are called Easy-Turn.

Paul

I checked out the brochure and now see what you're talking about.  I was confusing Easy Steer with Easy Turn.   Funny that Simplicity have never shown that feature on their spec sheets?  Nor have I heard of a Simplicity snow thrower with that feature.   Have to wonder what that's about?  One would think that an attractive feature like that would be on their own machines.  And to think, you get it for less money on the JD. 

I feel the world converging on the John Deere 1130DE as the choice for best snowblower of
2008-2009.  With maybe the Ariens 9526 DLET as a close contender.  Impossible to tell how
long they'll last, they're pretty similar construction-wise (for instance they both have the same
number of bearings, though not exactly in the same places) and each have pluses and minuses.

I guess I should add that neither machine fits my requirements and that I'm basing my comment
on interesting visible features and feedback from those that own them.

Paul

Great news... a Simplicity/Snapper dealer who's main store is about a 15 minute drive east down the highway from Guelph has opened a new location about 5 minutes from my house.
They were mainly a farm equipment dealer and have been growing their business in the home market and decided to open this new location. Talk about lucky.

They are sold out of Simplicity/Snapper but do have a few Troy-Bilt and Cub Cadet models in stock, which I won't touch. I will baby my old MTD pile of garbage the rest of this season and pick up a new Simplicity/Snapper in the fall. This gives the oppourtunity to save up the extra bucks for a L1428E. :-)

By the way borat, I recognized Loch Lomand ski hill in your photo. Best skiing in Ontario.

Krank wrote:

Wise move holding off with your snow blower purchase.  Get the best bang for your buck and the best value available.   You'll be rewarded with many years of reliable service and a machine that I find to be a delight to use.

Yeah.  That's Loch Lomond alright.  Wasn't my preference for ski hills though.  The hill to the south west, now called Big Thunder, previously named Little Norway was my favourite ski hill.   Skied for many years from Baldy to Candy Mountain.   Nice area out here despite the fact that we get more snow than in town during the winter and quite a bit hotter in the summer.    

By the way, are you aware that the Guelph area is one of the highest areas in Southern Ontario?  If I recall correctly, it was around 1100 ft. or so which is respectable when you consider the highest point in all of Ontario is only 2270 feet (Ishpatina Ridge).   The hill in my picture are around 1450 feet and my home is at 800 feet.   My camp which is 60 miles south west of the city is at 1550 feet.  I have a hill that's about five miles from camp by ATV that's just over 2000 feet and is on the boundary between the Arctic and Atlantic watersheds.  On one side, all water flows south the other north.   Here's a pic from the top of that hill looking at the lake that flows to the north.

borat wrote:
The dealer told me he has far less complaints, repairs and warranty claims on any of the Simplicity/Snapper products compared to others. A couple of dealers around here have Toros in stock but I am not going to pay the premium that they want. I will be patient.

With Guelph being up on top of the Niagara Escarpment and being in close proximity to Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario it sure contributes to our snow fall accumulation. Usually if the GTA gets 4 to 5 cm, we will get around 10 to 12 or more.

You are really making me homesick with these photos. I would think that photo is from down somewhere around the Sandstone Lake/Northern Lights area. A good buddy of mine had a camp down that way. Fantastic pickeral (walleye) and smallmouth fishing.  You are a lucky man!

Not to drag up an old thread but I just put my name on an '09 Simplicity L1428E at the local dealer, Lush Lawn. Great people to deal with. 
Decided that I did want the bigger engine as well as Easy Turn. By the way, the '09 Simplicity's have a new 'feature', electric chute rotation. Just press the rocker switch. Talk about lazy.

Krank wrote:
Is the '09 unit still as robust as the older units? Does it have the cast iron gear case? Not that the aluminum units won't be up to the task. I'm just curious if Simplicity is begining to compromise their normally outstanding quality, as seen with the other leading snow thrower manufacturers?

borat wrote:
Good question. I don't have the machine home as of yet; it is still in a crate at the dealer... taking end of October delivery. They did have both a 1428 and a 1226 on the floor. Overall the 1428 still looks and feels like last years model (from what I remember); heavy steel, robust, solid frame and controls and great balance. Edit: I was back at the dealer and the gear case on the 1226 is aluminum and the 1428 and above are still cast iron.

Another thing I like is the dealer. They are real people and service oriented. I was given a tour of their shop and introduced to the staff and I hadn't given them my money yet. They also have a much bigger facility and main store outside of Rockwood. I was assured that when they do deliver the machine, it will be assembled and fully pre-serviced to my satisfaction.

I have nothing but admiration for my 1428 Simplicity. The last snow fall of the season was a real test. The machine never stumbled once. I ended up doing three 110' drive ways with at least two feet of heavy wet snow in them. I was pretty much beat but the Simplicity needed only more fuel and some one to stand behind it.

I've made some mods to my machine. Most importantly, I lined the chute with a piece of Krazy Karpet. I've got the Classic Deluxe snow cab on it and even put an hour meter/tach on as well. Make sure you pull the wheels and apply some good water resistant grease on the axles. You may also have to put some kind of cover/filler between the belt cover and engine crank case. Light snow can drop in between and cause the belt to possibly slip. Mine has not been too bad that way. A lot of snow has to falling onto the engine before that happens.

Good luck with your new machine.

borat wrote:
Thanks borat,

I know that the machine will give me many, many years of great service. Really appreciate your advice and others on proper maintenance. I do use a lot of those pointers already on my soon to be (almost) given away pos MTD. Even though I am not a big fan of winter anymore I really look forward to using a great piece of equipment that the 1428 is. I will let you and everyone know how the electric chute rotation works as well.

I just may try the Krazy Karpet chute liner and I really like the idea of an hour meter/tach.


Cheers!