I am far from an expert but if it were my money I would go for the Vanguard if I had the means.

The engine is probably the single most costly repair on a tractor, and the vanguard is known as one of the best lines of engines you can get. And that is completely ignoring the different transaxle...

If it were me and I decided to get the regent I would always be second guessing myself every time I fired it up.

How long do you plan on keeping the tractor? How will they both hold their value equally or will you get back a bulk of that extra $1400 when you decide to get rid of it?

I have a Simplicity Broadmoor, with a 12 h.p. replacement for a 14 h.p., and it does my sloped lawns just right. It also has the auxiliary blower for the bagger, but i don't use it.
I also use a Snapper Hi-vac rider for some of the mowing, with the larger deck and bagger. It has surprised me a few times with the bucking horse trick, but has never thrown me off!
The Simp. came as a gift with a blown engine, is why the lower hp, but it doesn't seem to detract from the operation of it, nor the results!

Jopopsy,

I have a 2008 19/38 Regent with the Kohler Courage Engine. It replaced a 40yr old broadmower. To date I am very happy with this machine. I mow 3/4 acre, areate, and sweep my lawn with a 42" sweeper. This tractor has plenty of pull and has proven to be just right for my needs. From my perspective, you probably don't "need" the broadmower as the Regent is very capable. I'd consider saving the money. Best thing to do is drive both, and decide which you prefer. Good luck.

To be honest I'm hoping the Regent will fit the bill. Peace of mind for upsizing something is nice, but that's real money there. Keeping in mind my current rig is a 28" RER, pretty much anything is a upgrade.

So the way I read it, you're thinking of going from a meager 28" cut to a whopping 38", and spending that kind of cash?

Slammer's Rules! Does anybody have a copy of Slammer's Rules?! (LOL!) If you can get a 48-in. deck thru the narrowest path on your yard, I think that's what you should get. That's the best way to maximize the dollars for this new purchase (IMHO).

That's a good point. If I were to get the Broadmoor I'd probably get the bigger one since he offered it. The question becomes, is $1100 bucks worth the differance between a 22/44 Regent w/ a Briggs ELS Twin vs. a 20/44 Broadmoor w/ a Briggs Vanguard.

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Posted by larso1 So. CO Zone 5 (My Page) on Fri, May 1, 09 at 15:09

So the way I read it, you're thinking of going from a meager 28" cut to a whopping 38", and spending that kind of cash?
Slammer's Rules! Does anybody have a copy of Slammer's Rules?! (LOL!) If you can get a 48-in. deck thru the narrowest path on your yard, I think that's what you should get. That's the best way to maximize the dollars for this new purchase (IMHO).

Larso - Ask and...

Repost of Slammer's Rules...

1. Carefully evaluate the size mower you need and buy at least one size larger.

2. NEVER buy a mower from ANYPLACE that will not let you test drive it or at least a similar model. Ergonomics are just as important as performance and capability.
(Vitally important!)

3. DO NOT base your purchase on price or brand name alone! Do proper research and find all of the available models that fit your criteria and haggle, save, or trade to get the right equipment for the job. Do not compromise!

If you follow these three tips you will end up a happy camper with just the right unit for the job. If you disregard this advice your gonna end up with One or the other of the following problems:

A. Buyers remorse. Stuck with a piece of junk or simply a unit inadequate for the task at hand.

Or..

B. A teed off spouse when you start shopping for another tractor just 3 - 6 months down the road because you didn't buy the right unit in the first place.

Now go forth and shop and try and have fun!

RE: rcbe / Slammer's rules

Going to a Regent WOULD be 1 step up from what I currently have. Going to the Broadmoor would be 2 full steps (in my eyes).

Its always comfortable to say 'I bought the best', but I'm only mowing .5 acres .... anything I buy would have a light duty cycle no?

Trust me, if the household CFO were not involved I'd already be posting pictures of the Broadmoor. :P BUT, the reality is I have to really way this out - especially since she's already T'd off about spending more money as it is.

Read all the posts on the briggs els's then ask us the question again if the vanguard is worth it.

Anyway get the broadmoor and enjoy it.

I assume your getting a very good deal on the Broadmoor. List on a X320 with a Kawa/K58 and 48" deck is $4099. Broadmoor list is $4300-4950 and that's with a K57, which is in the same class as the K46 per TT info, not the K58 which they market for the HD lawn tractor segment. At least on paper, it's more $$ for less. If you want premium power with a K46/K57, why not a X300? A 20/44 Regent with a Courage and a K46 is $2800 list. $200 more gets you the premium engine in the X300 with the same K46. From an engine/transaxle perspective, seems like you clearly get more from Deere in the X300 series vs. either the Regent or the Broadmoor. If you're concerned about overspending on the Broadmoor to get the Vanguard, X300 gets you into premium power for $1000+ less list and you don't have to think about the Regent's Courage or Intek.???

RE: Nysff

Hard to argue your points - the X320 is more rig then I need (deck is too big). So if you drop back down to the X300 - you're right I'm getting a premium engine with the same tranny as a Regent coupled with a Kawa motor. And a 4 year warranty.

Me thinks I need to call the Deere dealer .... If he can come close w/ my trade I might do it !

Well I called my local JD Dealer. He will play ball w/ my trade so now I have a decision to make. I'm considering the X300 w/ the 42" mulching deck (I'd rather mow 2 successive days if it gets high then bag. Piles of dead grass smell bad and are ugly to look at)

I've pretty much decided that the Broadmoor is probably overkill for what I need. Thanks to Nysff on that one - I'm really looking at the frame, engine, tranny, and deck as upgrades on the Broadmoor.

W/ the Deere, I can eliminate frame and engine easily (1 gauge differance in frame is not a deal breaker for me, and the Kawa motor is par w/ the Vanguard). The tranny upgrade would be nice, but aside from a charge pump in the K57 its not much differant then the K46. I won't be pulling carts up hills or anything so not a big deal. In fact, I may only pull a plug aerator around. That leaves the deck. The deck I believe is better on the broadmoor, but I can get that deck on a Regent.

Oh, the Deere has a 4 year bumper to bumper warranty (save wear / tear items).

SO.

I can get a 22/44 Regent for $256 LESS then the X300. Same hydro, better deck, but lesser engine (ELS on the Regent, Kawa on the X300). Oh, and the Regent is 1 gauge thinner on the frame.

Hrm ... choices choices.

Is the dealer support identical? Which dealer is closer to you? Which will take better care of you should something arise? Do they both stock parts that you will need in the future (belts, filters, etc)?

The Deere dealer is really close, the Simplicity dealer is about 20 mins away. Both have been at it a long time and I am comfortable with both. The Deere dealer does have better hours though.

-22 hp ELS vs 17hp Kawasaki
-The Deere's turning radius is 2" bigger (16" vs 14")
-Deere includes mulch kit

Is striping important to you? If so that might make the Simplicity the top contender.

For me the Kawasaki engine tips the scales to the Deere. You said yourself that you are not hauling carts up hills or anything like that, so the extra power is not a huge issue, but the Kawasaki will give better long term durability than the ELS engine.

I would get a written quote from the Simplicity dealer and take it into the Deere dealer and see if he can match the price.

If you go with the Simplicity let him know what you are cross shopping for roughly the same price and see if he will throw in a set of Gator blades (assuming he is a dealer).

Times are tough, dealers are looking to make deals. Get them to knock the price down as low as possible then have them throw in a few extras.

One more question to ask yourself;

"Will it run like a Deere?" heh heh

Just want to point out that you can get a X320,X324,X340 and a X360 with a 42inch deck if you want. That has always been the case even though Deere doesn't show it with one a 42inch will fit any of those Lawn Tractors just fine.

When you say the Deere will have the mulching deck, do you mean that it will have the 42C convertible deck with a mulch kit, or the fantastic Freedom 42 dedicated, mulching only, deck? If you go with the Freedom deck, you can't ever bag, but it is probably the best deck for mulching ever made. The Deere with Fredom deck would be my choice hands down for what you describe.

I'm not sure what deck it was coming w/. I just asked for the dedicated mulching deck model that listed for 3100.

Did not know I could get a X320 and swap the deck. Something to look into.

Realistically from a upgrade perspective the Regent 20/38 is probably enough of a upgrade for the lawn I have - but I feel its a double whammy with the K46 AND the ELS motor. I don't know, maybe I'm being silly. Keep circling back to the X300 as maybe being the sweet spot.

I'm still really pleased with my broadmoor and considered the same deere. The link below may help with your decision.

Here is a link that might be useful: broadmoor review

Jopopsy,

I was in the same boat as you 3 yrs ago. It was between a Deere 300 or a Broadmoor. I chose the Broadmoor with a 18 hp Kohler Command (single cylinder) and a 44" deck. It's been a great machine.

I think the Simplicity is easier to maintain oneself than the Deere. The deck is very easy to remove and does not have the need to be balanced. It gives my lawn a great cut and has all the power I need. It's too bad Simplicity didn't keep the Kohler Command in the Broadmoor. It saved me a lot of money by not getting the Vanguard.

Dan

Dan, how much grass do you mow with it? My .5 acres is not much ...

Went w/ the X300 dedicated mulcher. It was the best value.

I mow between .5 and .75 of an acre. Obviously I don't need that much tractor. But...with a 44" deck it takes half of the time a riding mower would. I can pull a heavy cart and other implements like an aireator, dethatcher and a lawn sweeper in the fall for leaves.

I have also had some health issues since I bought mine and have kicked around getting a snow blade for the winter.

It's much more useful than just mowing the lawn. Saves time and sweat with the proper attachments.

Dan

My Simplicity dealer had a leftover Broadmoor from last year, but it was still 900 more then I could get the X300 for w/ the dedicated mulcher. I feel satisfied that I have a solid rig w/ a commercial engine and a adequate tranny (my yard is pretty much flat except that small front part). Even the Simplicity dealer said the Deere X300 should last as long as the Broadmoor - and he used to sell Deere's up until 2 years ago. So that pretty much sealed the deal for me.

Congrats jopopsy, you made a wise choice.....heh heh. I would really like to try out a mulching deck sometime to see how well they do. Let us know about the cutting performance, I'm sure a lot of us would like to know. I understand that deck also has a removable gate so that you're not locked into mulching-only if the grass gets too long or wet. The specs say it has an "in-line belt." Guess you don't have to worry about the timed toothed belt skipping some teeth as on the previous Freedom 42 Deck either?

Were you able to talk the JD dealer down any further?

RE: Larso1
Yes, it has a removable baffle on the back of the deck via pins on the top of the deck. This effectively makes it a rear discharge. The blades are offset (not side to side like the normal deck) and they are counter-rotating. I'm told this keeps the grass bouncing around in the deck longer so it can get chopped more. Makes sense to me - the dealer was adamant that the dedicated mulching deck would outperform the standard deck w/ the mulch kit (it better if its dedicated !).

My 28RER w/ the mulch kit did a nice job, so I'm interested to see how this works. It'll have its work cut out for it - its been raining for over a week in PA and my grass is way out of control - I'm going to have to mow it 2x's in 3 days just to get it back under control.

Re: notacop - no. He went down a 100 from list and he gave me 900 for my RER. He's not a Snapper dealer so I thought the trade was fair - it was 100 off what the Simplicity/Snapper dealer was going to give me. That dealer told me he could give me that much b/c he has the parts and folks to pretty it up for resale - the Deere dealer doesn't.

I was also told, for any who care, that the K46 and its earlier variant were standard equipment in the older Deere LT series tractors - I never heard about widespread tranny failures in those so that made me feel a lot better.

Looking forward to reving the Kawa up after listening to the single cylinder intek bang away for the past year. :P

That's great news jopopsy! The Deere 300 is a solid machine. Wait till you see how fast you can mow your yard now! Enjoy...

Dan