CraftsmanQuad19's Simplicity

Hey everyone, as I have mentioned on some other topics I've picked up a Simplicity recently. It's a 1989 4212 with a briggs 28 cubic inch 12 horse flatty and a peerless 801 5 speed rear end. I don't have any pics from when I got it, but it didn't have a hood, dash, seat, fuel tank, or deck (deck came with it but wasn't attached). When TheGreenHornet came we tied a gas tank to the steering wheel, drained the carb bowl, and it fired right up. We rode it around the neighborhood and got some of the strangest looks

My plan for this machine is as follows:

7 inch pulley on the front, stock rear
heavy duty hitch
snow plow
and eventually better tires.

This will be a utility tractor. pulling a spreader planting food plots in our hunting farms in Ohio and Kentucky, pushing snow, hauling fire wood, and just general work.

Today I went and got the dash, seat, and gas tank. I'll trade the old weedeater hood for the stock simplicity hood. I've got it mostly put together.

Hey guys, quick little update on the simplicity. I went and traded the green weedeater hood for the original hood. The guy I got it from had it on his 1998 craftsman. Talk about creative...






And here she is with the hood on, finally.

Looks better with the stock hood I think.

I think the stock hood kind of makes it look like a baby Sears. The grill and general shape of the hoods are pretty similar. The fenders are wrong though...

She's a neat wee tractor. I think it has roughly the same running gear as my Westwood T1200, 12hp Briggs and a Peerless 801. It even has the whole right foot clutch thing, bit tricky at first isn't it?

Yeah the CQ is the same way. It takes a lot of getting used to when you have a foot throttle for sure! But I think I'm keeping the dash throttle setup. It works for what I want and I don't need to build one. But for the belt routing, since I got a bigger front pulley and stock rear, I have to take the belt over the tierod, between the axle mounts, and it's just a pain in the arse. I'll get a walk around video showing how it used to go vs. how I have it, and a general walk around up soon

Nice. What speed are you looking for? Are you going to add some things like bumpers/etc?

I'm looking for roughly 10-15 mph and I think I've achieved that. I drove it for the first time today and am working on the video right now. I may ad functional bumpers later, but we'll see. I'm calling this build done, but they are never finished.

Hey everyone, it took a few tries but the video is finally posted! I will apologize now for my horrible filming skills and the mediocre lighting

Just a little progress report since I've last posted.

Carb was gone through and rebuilt with parts from the good ol' hh11 build. New heavy duty hitch made of 1/8 inch angle iron held on with 6 7/16 inch bolts.

Pics coming as soon as I get my computer!

Other than some Ag tires, I'm calling this project pretty much done

Nice work man, looking forward to seeing pictures. Any plans for the exhaust etc?

pretty sure stock exhaust is staying. It's nice and quiet for a work machine. I dont want a lot of noise in the woods/fields we hunt in and definitely not while I'm plowing snow (I still need to build that....)

Ah right yeah

Finally, as promised, pics of the finished hitch. 1/8th inch angle iron. Its pretty solid.

Slight little issue...I was picking up heavy loads of wet grass with the leaf sweeper in second and she starts grinding bad. I think 2nd is gone. Ever since I got it, the transaxle hummed. I knew it had an issue, but I think I pushed it too far. I shut it off as soon as I heard the grinding and pushed it back to the barn. I'll tear into it this winter sometime. I don't think the case is cracked.

I run an 801 and mine has always made serious whine in 3rd/4th and 5th but still keeps going. Maybe you chipped a tooth on the 2nd gear.

Hey guys, its been a while since I've posted on this one...She's all put back together I think. I took it apart and couldn't really find anything wrong. There was some rust on the shifter and axle shafts, and the grease had chunks of rust in it like sand. All of that is bad, but not necessarily what i expected. I expected to see 2nd gear snapped in two, or at least some sheared off shift keys. Nothing. So I took the shifter, gearset, and bottom case from the 801 from my best buddy's ranch king, and mated it with the differential and top case from this 801. We made a big mess, but hopefully wound up with two transaxles that will function.

So the simplicity is frankensteined back together, but I haven't test driven it yet. I don't really feel like messing with it since it's been -3 here lately (Fahrenheit).

Shout out to @TheGreenHornet for helping me get this thing back together and even donating some parts off his King. You da man E

I remember reading somewhere that a guy's shift keys in his 820 were worn out just enough to not give him reverse. If I were you I'd buy a new set of them to be safe. But I'm me

I find 800 series transaxles make more than their fair share of noise when chugging along. Ive never had mine whine in second (but i hardly use second lol) but in fourth and fifth i can hear mine whine. Especially if you get on it hard and quick, mine hates heavy acceleration.

Yeah I would hear it whining in the lower gears just a little bit, but in the higher gears you could hear it over the engine

Nice man! Hopefully that works out for ya, what are your plans for it now that you fixed the trans?

I think I'm going to use it as-is for now. I finally picked up a cart to pull with it, and the spreader is on the farm in Kentucky. Eventually, maybe sometime this summer, Ag tires and a snow plow mount. I really like the lug spacing on @Tractorhead's roper tires, so I'll probably go with something similar....but smaller lol

Here is a video of it last summer when I drove it through the pond. I forgot to turn the fuel back on before driving it in so once the float bowl emptied it shut off. Thats where the video starts.

Howdy fellers!!! I got the trans back in a long time ago and stuffed it in the corner without even testing it lol. But today I got it out!! The CQ is down at the new house and we needed something to pull the sweeper around to pick up grass. The hydro in grandmas craftsman just isn't up to it. So I dug it out and went through the carb, it was clean so I put it on and it fired up first pull...gotta love a Briggs!! Anyway I'm excited to have it back and I think ill be taking it to Kentucky soon to use down there and might have my brother take it on a romp with me and the CQ!

Nice CQ! Gonna try any mods with the ol' Simplicity now that she's up and running again?