Slow Filling Gas on Simplicity Riding Mower

PROBLEM: Slow filling gas tank on a Simplicity riding mower. 

SOLUTION: Park the mower with the nose pointing downwards on a slope.

This is not a "fix" for the problem, more of a workaround. But the only real solution I have found is an online post saying the gas tank needs to be replaced with an improved version. The owner of the mower is not going to do that, so I figured out this workaround.

It's a Simplicity Regent S with a 48" deck that they purchased in 2019. The problem seems to be that the fill-neck is constricted to about a 1/4" where it joins the tank. When you pour the fuel in too quickly (normal speed) the passageway becomes vapor locked and you can't put more fuel in until the the neck empties. This can take several seconds or even minutes. If you shake the mower, you can break the vapor lock, but that's a pain. It can take 10-15 minutes to fill the mower.

Park the Simplicity mower with its nose pointed downhill. This can make filling the gas tank happen more quickly. Even a slight slope helps, but a nice 15 degree slopes really helps speed up filling the tank .On a flat slope the gas goes in too slowly. Be sure to use your parking brake.

I thought I must be doing something wrong, so I checked online to make sure I wasn't missing something. Maybe there was a relief valve like you get on some gas cans, a vent that lets air in while the gas exits through the nozzle. But it seems like it's just the nature of that style gas tank.

But somewhere in my past, like a vague childhood memory, I had to tilt a machine to fill it quickly. It had a gooseneck passage into the tank. I was young and strong then, so I could hold the mower and a gas tank without injuring myself. Now, I'm old and lazy, so I decided to park the mower on a slope to see if I could get the same effect. It worked.

Even a slight nose-down angle helps, but the owners have a steep bank of about 20 degrees, steep enough that you definitely need to use the parking-brake. I just point the nose downhill on that, park it securely, and pour the gas right in.

The angle causes the gas to flow in such a way that it doesn't get vapor-locked. I can pour the gas in full speed now and it doesn't back up.

I also got a 1-1/2 gallon gas-can with a nozzle. I think the nozzle might help a little also, something about the way it spreads the gas around the bottom of the fill-neck. But I bought it because I didn't feel like carrying a seven-gallon can to the other side of the yard. Now, I can put the small tank on the running board and drive with it onto the slope. 

I think the nozzle on the new, smaller, gas can helps the gas flow into the tank better.

I also think it's a better tank for the mower's elderly owners, so it's a win-win.

Other than the gas filling issue, I like the Simplicity riding mower. It's simple and sturdy and just what it's owners need for their yard.

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