Help! Zero turn mower help

[amaxwell]

As others have stated, to get a quality long lasting mower, make sure it is a commercial mower ,not just a "commercial quality" mower. They are much more expensive ,but will last a long long time.My Exmark has been trouble free for over 10 years .

 

[Gary Fowler]

My first zero turn was a residential Craftsman 52" and while it has performed well for 3 seasons, it has a stamped steel deck, hard linkage to hold up the deck and a residential class of B&S engine. It is also very rough to ride over my very choppy ground. Last year I bought a Ferris IS700Z with Kawasaki FS690 engine and the coil over shock suspension. The mower deck is fabricated, hangs from chains and is very solid. The deck has a step up location on it and it doesn't move at all when you stand on it, unlike my Craftsman that tilts down till the wheels hit if you step on it. It is so much smoother and faster (about 9 MPH top speed) that I can mow my 6 acres in half the time of the craftsman even though they both have the 52" deck.

Lots of good brands to choose from like Exmark (my next door neighbor runs a lawn service and has 2 of these), Hustler, Grasshopper, Bad Boy, Toro etc. but I wouldn't trade my Ferris for any of them strictly for the ride comfort and other features unique to the Ferris.
EDIT: My Craftsman 26HP takes 6 gallons of fuel to mow my yard while the Ferris 23HP holds 4 gallons and still has over 1/4th tank when I finish. Also the Kawasaki 23 HP seems to have more power than the 26 HP Briggs engine.

 

[TSO]

Good commercial units to look at would include:

Hustler (available front Flex Forks)
Scag
eXmark
Toro (commercial series)
Cub Cadet (commercial series only)
Bobcat
Ferris (great ride comfort)
Gravely
Dixie Chopper (known for being fast)
John Deere
Grasshopper
Bush Hog
Kubota

... in no particular order.

For what it's worth, I believe Hustler won some award last year for customer or dealer satisfaction (something like that).

Also, check out my "threads starred by user" in my profile. I started one last year asking something similar when I was shopping, there are some good responses & good info in that thread.

 

[big bubba]

Good commercial units to look at would include:

Hustler (available front Flex Forks)
Scag
eXmark
Toro (commercial series)
Cub Cadet (commercial series only)
Bobcat
Ferris (great ride comfort)
Gravely
Dixie Chopper (known for being fast)
John Deere
Grasshopper
Bush Hog
Kubota

... in no particular order.

For what it's worth, I believe Hustler won some award last year for customer or dealer satisfaction (something like that).

Also, check out my "threads starred by user" in my profile. I started one last year asking something similar when I was shopping, there are some good responses & good info in that thread.

please note that hustler has also come out with a lower end consumer grade model "raptor" i think.....it would be suspect in my mind....even name brands come out with lightweight stuff just a note

 

[Mattc8832]

Ferris are great mowers. I have a friend that has a Ferris and has over 1500 hours on it and its still going strong. I agree its best to purchase a commercial unit if you can afford it. My first Zero Turn was a cub cadet from lowes back in 2004 it wasn't near the mower my Toro Z400 was or even the John Deere 737 I had.

 

[Jpcjguy]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I appreciate it.
How is something like this: 2010 Ferris 61" Commercial Zero turn mower

 

[TSO]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I appreciate it.
How is something like this: 2010 Ferris 61" Commercial Zero turn mower

Looks like a great deal. That's probably an $8000 mower new

 

[big bubba]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I appreciate ibit.
How is something like this: 2010 Ferris 61" Commercial Zero turn mower

can you check out personally? ask for service record if possible. assume it has 3 blades. check play (moving each blade up & down by hand) for bearing wear...actually some bearings can be adj (tightened, etc.) ask when last hyd oil/filter was changed. mobil 15/50 full syn oil is the preferred hyd oil on most rigs

 

[Mattc8832]

Looks like a great deal. Its basically the same mower as the Snapper Pro S200 - 61 inch cut. Ferris and Sapper Pro are both owned by Briggs and Stratton and are made to the same specs. The Ferris units are more of the cadilac models compared to the Snapper Pros. Great Products.

 

[GManBart]

please note that hustler has also come out with a lower end consumer grade model "raptor" i think.....it would be suspect in my mind....even name brands come out with lightweight stuff just a note

I have the previous version before the Raptor (Sport), and while it's not a full-blown commercial model, it's still a step up from box store machines....think they run about $3500 for a 48" deck. I've got four years on it, and it hasn't had anything go wrong beyond a bolt or two needing to be tightened a bit. The Raptor appears to be an improved machine, so I think it's more than fine or someone mowing 2acres once or twice a week.

With our new, bigger property, I wish I had a 60" deck on the ZT, but I decided to get a 90" RFM for the tractors to cover the big, open areas. Then I run the ZT inside our fenced area, around the few trees, and right along the house. It's worked out to be a good combo.