ZTR Ferris and warning re towing damaging hydrolics

[ardy]

Hi All, I have a Ferris ZTR and I tow some logs in the winter and soil etc for garden. There is a warning in both manual and on the tractor but the tractor is fitted with a hitch.

Are there any limits to towing or is it just 'do not do it under any circumstance'. I am not of a mind to buy another machine just to fetch some logs etc.

What are your thoughts or experiences?

regards Ardy

 

[big bubba]

just a guess. the hitch may be intended for light duty carts. rolling resistance is far less than dragging logs. the hydraulics may not be designed for that workhorse use and could put stress on gears/hydraulics (motor, pump, seals) for which it is not designed. understand your frustration, but with a high dollar machine like that, i'd be using it strictly for mowing. how heavy/long are your logs? best regards

 

[Stonehaller]

Aside from issues such as strength of the frame, I would think the biggest issue with using a zero turn for towing is heat. Most zero turns have relatively small oil and cooling capacity. The drive train on zero turns can generate high torques for quickly starting and stopping the mower, but those are short burst. So although the mower can generate the high torque to tow a log, it is not intended to be at that high torque for extended periods. You could easily over heat the oil and damage the hydrostatic drive.

 

[CalG]

An additional consideration regarding the hydraulics.

The HST systems develop their greatest mechanical advantage (think low gear) at very small pedal settings. (think slow ground speed) When pulling, it is the operators natural inclination to "put the pedal to the metal". This is EXACTLY the WRONG thing to do. The motors go into extended fluid by pass and if that is not enough, they burst housings. But we can't seem to help ourselves. The manufacturers warnings reflect the persistence of this human trait.

Last year I helped a friend replace both wheel motors on his ZT mower after he tried to help his neighbor by pulling on a soft ground stuck vehicle.

Two wheel motors and the required system disassembly for proper clean up is not inexpensive nor easy.

So if you do pull, go slowly!

 

[ardy]

Hi Guys, I have a 4ft x 5ft light garden trailer that I half fill with split logs to bring to the house in winter and I half fill it with soil for garden work from time to time. I will take CalG's advice and drive slowly. Yesterday I was taking small light piles of branches from a tree we cut down and putting them on a burn pile and it got me thinking and that is why I am wrote this thread.

I also had a problem 2 weeks ago with one of the control arms jamming and I am a bit concerned that it might be linked to hydrolics. It seems fine at the moment.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I use my Ferris to tow a 100 # fertilizer distributor and a lawn leaf sweeper. I usually run it about half throttle and full tilt on the control arms. The leaf rake says don't exceed 5 mph hence the half throttle but it doesn't lack any power to do that. I don't think one could hurt the HST pulling a small lawn cart regardless of how it is loaded especially on flat ground. I think you would run out of traction prior to hurting the transmission on a ZTR with turf tires. Overheating the oil is something to consider if you are doing it all day long though.

 

[big bubba]

agree. pulling carts rather than skidding is much better. assume you have cooling fans over the hyd pumps given the quality of the ferris build, something consumer machines don't always have. you should be fine w/cart use.... sorry, thought you were using it as a log skidder given your initial description.... nevertheless, it is a high quality mowing machine rather than a small utility tractor. best regards

 

[Walkin Horse]

I would say the biggest reason for the warning is a legal issue. Somewhere, someone has zero turned and run over their dump cart and been injured.