Ferris ZTR Question- parts availability

[Flatheadyoungin]

A guy I work with has a Ferris ZTR, IS300, with suspension, Kawasaki air cooled with 1200 hours on it. He priced it for $2500. It has been used commercially and has a few issues; throttle cable needs repaired, one wheel has a crack.....minor issues....he said it has all new deck spindles and bearings.......blades and belts......some fading on the plastic tanks, etc...

He told me today, that he was changing the hydro fluids and found some metal shavings in the fluid on the right side wheel motor. I told him not to worry about it, just price it accordingly. He was thinking the wheel motor would be about 350 from one of his after-market suppliers. Besides being hard to find any Ferris parts online, I could only find about $600 wheel motors. What's the likelihood that some of those shavings made their way back to the pump.....

In my life, I've always bought quality tools; hand tools, mowers, weedeaters, chainsaws, etc..... But, I've always bought used and had great success. I usually buy something that someone else has neglected and then I fix it to my standards. I haven't really learned much about ZTR's or their hydro systems......

Does Ferris have a lock on parts because they sure seem to be hard to find parts for on the net?

I trust this guy, I work with him every day. He even said he wouldn't sell it to me like it is and until he fixes everything it needs. I told him not to worry about it and price it accordingly. He's a particular guy, and I know he takes care of his stuff.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

Well, I went and looked at it tonight.....it's definitely used......commercially. It's all there but just needs some TLC- like most things I buy.

I got him down to $2200, knowing that I might have to replace an expensive wheel motor or pump. It needs a few other things, some I can fix/weld, some I'll have to replace. It's faded paint and faded plastic tanks. I don't mind the faded paint, I can paint it. But the faded plastic will be hard to make look nice. WD40 will make it look nice for a while but it'll come back. New decals will look good too.

-needs a wheel, maybe two
-two deck rollers
-throttle cable fixed
-muffle is broke around welds- if not too thin, weld it back up
-has AG tires on it (contributed to wheel motor failure???) like to put regular tires on it.....
-front tire goes flat- put tube in for now, maybe get run flats later $$$


i'll get it home and clean it up even more- even though it's fairly clean now.....fix the minor things listed above, new plugs, fluids were just changed, run it and see how it does.......then after next fall, take apart, paint, get decals and whatever else i find it needs......

i stopped by the stihl dealer that i've worked for a few times here and there (after I'm done teaching school, I go there to help with the spring rush) and chat with them.....they are a ferris dealer but i never touched them, i worked on their chainsaws and string trimmers..........anyway, i was asking the owner about this and he let me use his kelly blue book for used equipment and offered to sell me the parts to get it going at his cost.......can't beat that.......wound up buying a real nice looking MS310 chainsaw off of him for $185......haha then when i went to look at the zero turn at he had an old stihl chainsaw...never really seen one like it, large saw that didn't run......it has great compression and the gas was bad....i gave them $40 for it but haven't had chance to see what is wrong with it........it's pretty rough too, but we'll see.....

just doing my part to stimulate the economy! as always, i live off of other people's junk.....

 

[MFRED]

Sounds pretty rough. I would be careful with the wheel motors are generally stronger than pumps. If the wheel motor is going, it will probably need a pump too. I'm pretty sure that's got a single sump too, could be major if it's been on going and the filter didn't catch everthing.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I take care of Ferris ZTR's for a commercial mowing company. The parts are easy to come by here because that is what guys use but they are costly. I think you are in for a basket case on the hydros. You will probably end up having to replace both wheel motors and the pump plus disassemble the system to clean it out and free it of metal.


Chris

 

[art]

Call 1-800-859-4483 and ask for Rich or Charlie! Fifteen miles from where they make them and their oldest dealer!