Best mower for rough terrain...w/smooth ride

[nomad289]

What's the best, smoothest riding mower for rough terrain?

I thought a full suspension Ferris 2000 or 3000 ZTR series would be best (closest dealer 100 miles); but I read on this forum that the front mount Grasshoppers actually rode smoother (?) Why would that be?

I test drove a Grasshopper 722 diesel w/60" deck (no suspension seat) last weekend and it was a pretty good ride and is a very impressive machine ($12K).

I've got 2.5 acres of lawn that is extremely rough but fairly flat. Mowing with a JD G100 Garden tractor w/54" deck, takes 2 hrs but with a "bad" back it beat's the heck out of me. It's planted with "dwarf" tall fescue (deep roots to withstand desert heat) but it grows fast and leaves lots of clippings on top. I think mulching blades on a good mower might help avoid having to sweep up the excess.

I'm tempted by the 722, w/mulching kit and suspension seat (a bit overkill but wth); any other advice?

Thanks.

 

[Bad Boy 07]

You might take a look at our Bad Boy Lightning series with the 26 hp liquid cooled Kawasaki. It retails for $7995 with a 60" deck. It come standard with a suspension seat and our EZ-Ride system on the front and rear. You can see it at Bad Boy Mowers. Click on dealers and you can find a dealer or contact the sales rep. for your area.

 

[natem]

I went from a cub cadet z force zero turn to the ferris is2000. Man That was some money well spent, the ride is very smooth, and seat very comfy. I think it would be worth the trip to check them out.

 

[Dargo]

I've bought many ZTR mowers over the years, especially when I had a mowing business. At first it seems odd, but if you think about it, it makes sense; some of the strongest mid mount mowers ride the worst. They have stronger frames that don't flex. The front mount Grasshopper actually has a separate 'tractor' that is completely self contained sans the mower deck. Still, it has about a 10" channel frame where the diesel is mounted and will take a tremendous beating. With those you actually sit over the low pressure drive wheels and it has relatively tall tail wheels. The only small wheels, like on the front of all mid mount mowers, are on the front of the mower deck and have no effect on the ride since they are only guide wheels for the mower deck; not the mower itself.

I have two ruptured discs in my back and have gotten too old to be dropped on my bottom without feeling the ill effects of such. When I hit some of the ruts (some from darn dogs digging) and bumps in my yard, the stronger mid mount mowers just crush my back. I bottom out the suspension seat so hard that it actually blurs my vision. Yes, I know I can just go slower, but my whole idea is to get the darn mowing out of the way!

I found that some of the really large front mount mowers that they use at golf courses (you know, that have like 4 mower decks out front and are steered with a steering wheel) ride even better. But, with all the obstacles I need to mow around a 10' wide mowing path, as nice as it would seem, just won't work for me. Mid mount mowers have an advantage in that you can get more of them on a trailer to haul to job sites. I've had everything from a JD 777 to a Dixie Chopper to a Hustler. I would not consider any of them bad mowers. They could take more of a beating than I could. After selling my business, I kept two front mount Grasshoppers to mow the twelve acres or so around my house. With my wife on one mower and me on the other, we can knock all the mowing out in less than 4 hours; trimming and edging included.

There are a lot of high quality ZTR mowers out there. After spending all the money on the mowers, I've just come to find that the front mount mowers that do not use the leading wheels as part of your ride are the easiest on the operator. Good luck!

 

[bontai_Joe]

Hvae you tried lowering the air pressure in the tires of your G100? Can be around 10 to 12 pSI in the rear, and around 20 psi in the front.

 

[nomad289]

Thanks for all the advice.

Dargo, great explainations, sounds like you have lot of experience across a variety of equipment. I see now with the seat directly over the large low pressure wheels on the Grasshopper, it doesn't matter what the smaller wheels hit, those result in rotation of the seat not vertical movement. I went to another GH dealer who had a nice 727? w/Kaw and 52" deck, but he didn't know what the price was so couldn't sell it!

John Deere didn't stock and front-mount mowers.

I called two Ferris dealers in-state and neither was open on the weekend.
I called the Bad-Boy dealer but he didn't have any suspension units in stock.

So, I lowered my tire pressure as suggested until the sidewalls flex and had at it. Still pretty sore today but it was an improvement.

I'm tempted to:
1. Just buy the Grasshopper (if they can determine a price!!!)
2. Have my son mow or hire it out.
3. Regrade and reseed my lawn (Big job).

Thanks everyone for the great advice.

 

[msg]

i would check out the big gravely, has good suspension seat, armrests, and lumbar. i bought it used with 840hrs, mows a lot faster than my bx2200 kubota and easy on the back!!! thanks, mark

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My dream mower is a JD 3720 cab A/C, air ride seat, and a mid mount mower.

I'm only about $30K away from my dream mower.

I think the great one above doesn't want me sneering at the neighbors with a machine like that....

 

[bontai_Joe]

Have you talked to your Deere dealer about any better choices in seats? I believe the X700 series offers a delux suspension seat and maybe it can be fitted to your tractor.

 

[PBinWA]

I'm tempted to:

3. Regrade and reseed my lawn (Big job).

By far the best advice is to regrade the lawn. The time and effort you put into making the surface smooth then the faster you can mow it.

I have three patches of lawn that I have regraded at different times. Each one is about .5-1 acres. The one that I left ruts in (thinking they would level out) is the worst. The one that I did most recently - I smoothed out as best I could.

The smooth lawn is a joy to mow - I really can go flat out (~10-12mph) on my Ferris 1500z and it cuts great. The other lawn requires me to slow down a bit or the cut quality goes down and I still notice the bumps.

My long term plans are to eventually re-grade almost all of my 5 acres. I bet it saves me days in mowing time every year.