# Simplicity/Snapper/Briggs 1222EE



## ejeckert (Jan 5, 2015)

Has anyone had a hands on with this Single Stage? It looks pretty interesting however, not a dealer by me carries it. For those of you who dont know, this is a new unit from briggs, it has a very unique auger. Plus it has a 250cc motor and a headlight, electronic chute control (which I would be nervous about). Its around 699...if you can find one. I am very curious about this for I am looking at it vs the Toro 721. I would assume the motor is more powerful considering the CCs. As for cleaning?? Also, I am wondering if the 1222 throws snow further than the 721? Anyone out there have one? Just wondering if the king of single stage has a valid challenger for once. 

https://www.simplicitymfg.com/us/en/snow-blowers/single-stage-snow-blower-with-snowshredder-auger


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

I have never run one. but I have heard other people say they are alright little blowers. ALOHA


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## midwestcoast (Jan 13, 2015)

Can't find them anywhere around here or online. I suspect there's problems in the supply chain. 
I grabbed a 922exd at Lowes ($599). Haven't used it enough to form much of an opinion yet though.


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## noplugs4me (Jan 28, 2014)

I just bought it's little cousin the Snapper 922EXD. It has a 205cc motor. I went in to buy a Toro 721 with a 212cc motor, but I saw this one and to get all this had on a Toro it was 200 more. Plus this one has metal teeth to compliment the paddles. Has a really nice gearshift style lever to turn the chute left or right up close where you can reach it. I run Ferris big mowers and a snapper 21" mower so I like the B & S Company. With all that said, I live in Indianapolis, IN and we haven't had any snow to move this year. So it is sitting in the garage next to my Murray 8/24 13 year old blower that I picked up last year.

I posted this in a different thread. We had 2" of snow last week and I worked this thing like a dog. On and off the truck, I do bank and condo sidewalks. It started first pull every time. It also was good on the gas. I am very happy with the purchase of this snapper.

When it comes to equipment like this, I always go with a outdoor power shop that I like close to my house. I don't want to run all over town looking for parts, or ordering them online, when I can be out making money and getting the job done. Plus I like the fact that the guys know me when I walk into the shop to get PM parts and what not. -Jason


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## ejeckert (Jan 5, 2015)

noplug and plow pile work? Wondering how that auger will work. Oh and how is the throwing distance.


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## hoosierbball (Jan 22, 2015)

I purchased the Simplicity 1222EE online a month or so ago. However, I've only had the opportunity to use the snow blower one time this season so far. And it was just a little 2 inch snow. It threw that snow just fine. You can tell the blower has a lot of power. The electric chute works great. Its a nice little feature. Mine has started on the first try every time I've started it. Its replacing a 20 year old Snapper blower and compared to that blower the 1222EE is a beast. I'm far from a snow blower expert, but I have used a 2 stage blower and I prefer this blower over the 2 stage blower I've used. Its a lot easier to maneuver and just as powerful, if not more powerful. I've never used a Toro snowblower before, so I can't really give you any sort of comparison on how the Simplicity 1222EE would compare to the Toro 721. But I will say compared to the Toro 721 specs, the 1222EE gives you a lot more bang for your buck. Just my 2 cents.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

I heard somewhere that Briggs was moving assembly of this model to another
plant here in the US. That made supply scarce. I was on a dealer's website
this morning and they now list the 1222ee as "new shipments arriving soon".
I would love one of these to replace my aging single stage craftsman.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Now the dealer I checked with a couple of days ago has them back in stock.


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## Snowbelt_subie (Dec 20, 2016)

hey guys any verdict on these machines now that they are what 2-3 years old? i have been looking for them on the secondary market but i figure with a 3 year warranty they wont pop up until after it runs out and they are a no start.

the serrated auger and large engine has me intrigued.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Click on the link above and read the 1 & 2 Star reviews. Complaint is old gas and ethanol separating, recommendation from B&S is fuel stabilizer. A problem is the belt keeps coming off or burning, even the dealer could not solve the problem. Recommendation, call customer service for assistance.


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## Snowbelt_subie (Dec 20, 2016)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Click on the link above and read the 1 & 2 Star reviews. Complaint is old gas and ethanol separating, recommendation from B&S is fuel stabilizer. A problem is the belt keeps coming off or burning, even the dealer could not solve the problem. Recommendation, call customer service for assistance.


not worried about the fuel issues all blowers have them. and a one off belt problem dont really scare me.


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## jsup (Nov 19, 2017)

Snowbelt_subie said:


> not worried about the fuel issues all blowers have them. and a one off belt problem dont really scare me.


A little bit about reviews. ANY product, and I mean ANY product, that gets 5 star reviews all the time, is not considered "legitimate" in the retail community. It's just not possible, probably fake. 4-4.5 stars is where reviews can be trusted. I know major retailers look at it that way.

Good to see you keep it in perspective. Many bad reviews are user error, or ignorance and have little to do with the product.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Snowbelt_subie said:


> not worried about the fuel issues all blowers have them. and a one off belt problem dont really scare me.


I agree about the old fuel and ethanol, bogus, same problem with all engines. Mentioned it because it frightfully brought down the ratings.

However I would be concerned with the pulley belt issue. Seems it would be simple to solve but yet owners and dealers could not find the problem.


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## Chuck H (Nov 8, 2019)

I bought a simplicity 1222ee 3 years ago. Had is serviced every fall because it never starts even with stabilizer fuel used for summer storage. 700.00 going to the curb. I have never had any luck with Briggs engines. Going electric. I'm done.


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## Voniphone (Nov 8, 2015)

*Issues with the 1222EE vs Toro 721*

I've had the Simplicity version of the 1222EE for two years now. I also use my brother's Toro 721 at his house when he's out of town it's also two years old. Here's my take on the two. If you have any kind of incline I'd highly suggest the Toro as it pulls itself along much better than the 1222EE. Both blow the snow like there's no tomorrow. The Simplicity starts really well and runs great as does the Toro. The electric shoot switch on the Simplicity failed and the shoot would only move to the left nothing to the right. I called the dealer I bought it from and they told me that the switch going out is a common problem and they were on back order and he had no idea when they might come in. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear. So when all else fails I watched a YouTube video by Taryl of "Taryl fixes all" fame where he cleaned the switch on a John Deere snowblower with the what appeared to be the same switch as mine. He also mentioned that Briggs and Stratton makes the John Deere, Simplicity and Snapper snowblowers. That was news to me. So I took the switch apart cleaned it as advised and presto worked like new again. I purchased a spare switch for $50 so next time I can do a quick change and clean the switch later. I like having the lights on the Simplicity a lot so that's a plus. The snow shredder teeth really don't do any better on end of the driveway build up than the Toro. So if I had it all to over again I'd buy a Toro because it's less effort to use and more reliable.


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## dirkasarus-rex (Dec 3, 2019)

*Review of the Simplicity 1222EE*

I have owned this unit for four winters. It throws snow 25' to 30', especially well when there is about 12-15" of fresh snow. I like the electric chute rotation unit very much and have had no issues. However, as an operator, it's hard to get in my head which way to push the switch to get the chute to move the first time. I will get used to that however. 

As with many small engines, the ethanol in the gas is a real problem. I drain the tank and run it out of gas each spring and have found a source of non-ethanol gas that I'm now using. I'm having no problems with starting it in the fall anymore.

The engine runs strong and I like the rubber paddle on the auger. I put an inline gas valve inside the housing so that I use needle nose pliers to turn it on and off which was an improvement. The biggest problem I've had is this unit likes to eat belts. I've put four on and a pulley. Today I set out to figure out why this is the case.

I found that the idler pulley assembly has a bit of lateral play from the pivot. I used a grinding wheel and reduced the tolerance of the pivot spacer then added some grease so it now stays aligned with the motor and auger pulleys better. I also found that it feels like the belt is slightly too large (I have the manufacturer's belt on) so there is too much play when the clutch is disengaged. Then when the clutch is pulled back, the belt wiggles substantially and the pulleys grip suddenly which has eaten the belts. There is no adjustment for this play and as far as I can tell, there is no shorter belt available.

So my home remedy is going to be to drill a hole in the housing above the idler pulley arm and put a screw with lock nuts on either side which will push the idler pulley toward reducing the slack of the belt (similar to holding the clutch bar in a bit). Then I will carefully adjust this such that the belt does not have as much room to wiggle on the auger pulley. I don't know if this will work or not. I'm curious if anyone else has had this unit eat belts and if there has been some solution to the problem achieved.


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## Pasta_and_a_Llama (Dec 30, 2020)

dirkasarus-rex said:


> *Review of the Simplicity 1222EE*
> 
> I have owned this unit for four winters. It throws snow 25' to 30', especially well when there is about 12-15" of fresh snow. I like the electric chute rotation unit very much and have had no issues. However, as an operator, it's hard to get in my head which way to push the switch to get the chute to move the first time. I will get used to that however.
> 
> ...


Sorry to revive an old thread but I have the same snowblower that is having the same issue and I was wondering you were able to fix it?


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## farmer52 (Dec 27, 2020)

I own a 1222EE and so far no issues (keeping fingers crossed and knocking on wood). I too been thinking of a fuel shutoff valve. I use non-ethanol fuel with Stabil 360 marine treatment.


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## Cjg (11 mo ago)

ejeckert said:


> Has anyone had a hands on with this Single Stage? It looks pretty interesting however, not a dealer by me carries it. For those of you who dont know, this is a new unit from briggs, it has a very unique auger. Plus it has a 250cc motor and a headlight, electronic chute control (which I would be nervous about). Its around 699...if you can find one. I am very curious about this for I am looking at it vs the Toro 721. I would assume the motor is more powerful considering the CCs. As for cleaning?? Also, I am wondering if the 1222 throws snow further than the 721? Anyone out there have one? Just wondering if the king of single stage has a valid challenger for once.
> 
> Single-Stage Snow Blowers With SnowShredder™ Auger


I am selling mine I only used it 3 times this season (2022) if anyone is interested.


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## Cjg (11 mo ago)

Selling a 1222EE bought it this past November used 3 times. Illinois if interested


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## BrandonS (11 mo ago)

Just wondering if anyone has seemed to figure out this issue of this simplicity 1222ee machine constantly having the belt slip off?


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## LouC (Dec 5, 2016)

I was interested in this machine as well some years back but I recall reading of that exact problem with the belt coming off, in on-line reviews. In that regard I have never had a problem like that with the Toro. The only issues I have ever had with the Toro were carb related. Might install a shut off valve this spring finally.


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