Ferris Diesel Mowers

[ToolcatWonka5610]

We've been eyeing the Ferris IS4500Z; 28hp CAT Diesel 61" Mower and the IS5100Z; 33.5 CAT Diesel 72" Mower to replace our existing Zero Turn Mowers.

Anyone have any experience with these Mowers?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Not with the diesels but my neighbor mows for a living and swears by Ferris. He also swears by Kawasaki. He now runs 3100 series 72" cut with the 37HP Kawasaki. This is his 3rd set of Ferris mowers, all with Kawasaki power, and they have all been good units. I do all the maintenance and that is very little. Just sharpen the blades and change the oil. He crunched the numbers for a long time and just could not make the diesel work on paper because of the initial cost.

Unless you are set on the 5100 series take a look at the 3100. Its a lot of mower for the money with the 72" deck and that 37HP Kaw is a torque monster that will handle most anything.

Chris

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Not with the diesels but my neighbor mows for a living and swears by Ferris. He also swears by Kawasaki. He now runs 3100 series 72" cut with the 37HP Kawasaki. This is his 3rd set of Ferris mowers, all with Kawasaki power, and they have all been good units. I do all the maintenance and that is very little. Just sharpen the blades and change the oil. He crunched the numbers for a long time and just could not make the diesel work on paper because of the initial cost.

Unless you are set on the 5100 series take a look at the 3100. Its a lot of mower for the money with the 72" deck and that 37HP Kaw is a torque monster that will handle most anything.

Chris

Thanks.
Me and my Dad are Diesel people. We've had Gasoline machines before and they just didn't cut it. We are now completely Diesel except for the Zero Turn Mowers we still have. The only time we'll take Gasoline engines; if it's Fuel Injected. But Diesel is the way to go for us. It is more expensive but when you get right down to it Diesels are well worth it. EFI Gas is ok, too.
Smoother running, More Power, Less Fuel usage, longer life.

 

[framer]

Test drove a gas ferris very noisy controls jerky.Tested kubota zd 26 diesel.
quieter very smooth controls.Bought it oh it was cheaper to.

 

[ray66v]

Thanks.
Me and my Dad are Diesel people..... It is more expensive but when you get right down to it Diesels are well worth it.

I would argue that in the end, if you cut a lot of grass, the extra cost of the diesel engine is paid back in fuel savings. (Don't forget you can also easily avoid paying road tax on diesel fuel).

I was a long time diesel hater. I found out the hard way, on a tractor, or mower, it is the only way to go.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I sell both Ferris and Kubota. I'd own a Kubota.

 

[ray66v]

I sell both Ferris and Kubota. I'd own a Kubota.

I would have thought the suspension system would trump any short comings the Ferris has against the Kubota?

 

[art]

Driven both, demo'd both, Kubota sells! Things people have stated, the seat is better on the Kubota, The deck cuts better, easier to service, Like hydraulic lift, quieter. to name a few.

 

[Dargo]

I had a Ferris IS1500 (I think that was the model) and I thought it was a really great mower. Most of the commercial mid mount mowers seem to be built tough. They are actually built tougher than I am because they absolutely beat the living snot out of me because when I mow, I mow fast so I can get it done. The Ferris definitely rode better than any other of the mid mount mowers I've had or used. My issue was that mid mount mowers leave larger areas uncut on inside corners, can't get under pine trees or reach out over the edge of my lake to keep me from having to use a weedeater any. After I put the Ferris in the lake for the 3rd time I realized that it just wouldn't work for me.

No mid mount mower rides as well as front mount mowers. Even without suspension, my front mount Grasshoppers ride better than the Ferris. However, you cannot get as many front mount mowers on a trailer as you can mid mount mowers and front mount mowers cost more since you literally have a self contained machine with a detachable mower deck out front. If I was to ever buy another mid mount mower, it would be a Ferris.

On a side note, I had two mowers that were identical except one was diesel and the other was gas powered. Both had 3 cylinder Kubota engines but one was gas and the other was diesel. Each machine had the same sized decks and within 1 hp of each other. I could mow the 10 acres around my house twice and have a little bit of fuel left in the 8 gallon tank with the diesel. I'd run out of fuel with the gas powered unit before I could finish mowing once with the same sized 8 gallon tank. So, based on my experience, the diesel mower gets just over twice the economy as a similar power gasoline engine.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Test drove a gas ferris very noisy controls jerky.Tested kubota zd 26 diesel.
quieter very smooth controls.Bought it oh it was cheaper to.

Last Summer at Mid State Equipment, Fenton Mchigan (They sell John Deere and Ferris), I tested out a IS2000Z or something like that and my uncle tried the IS5100Z with the 33.5 hp CAT Diesel. The IS2000Z was loud and the control were jerky and hard to move. Then my uncle let me drive the IS5100Z and man that thing was sooo smooth. The Controls were easy to use and it was very quiet. I also could not believe the size of that thing! It was a monster!

Also, if anybody out there is looking for a really quiet machine, I've learned that 3 cyclinder Liquid Cooled Gas engines are very quiet. I checked out a Ventrac 2 months ago with a 31hp B&S 3cyl Liquid Cooled Gas engine. I could not believe how quiet it was! I could clearly talk to my uncle standing at the front of the tractor (I was at the side near the operator) The Grasshopper 729 with the 29hp Kubota 3cyl Liquid Cooled Gas is also really quiet. Their quiet, but still really powerful.

 

[ae_ted]

I agree with Dargo. The front deck is the only way to go. You can do things with a front deck that a mid deck can never do. The new grasshoppers with front deck are what i will go to when my 98 Woods quits...if ever. I have used both mid mount and front mount and the front mount will simply out mow the mid mount. the room on trailer is only disadvantage i can think of. Ground speed wise, the new 30hp grasshopper front deck is very fast. I wish my old woods was as fast. I have a RD72 woods finish mower for my MF1040 tractor and it is nice but when you really want to get-r-done..go with a good Z-row turn.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

I've also been Comparing two other ZTRs with Diesel Engines;
The Dixie Chopper XCaliber and the Scag Turf Tiger 28hp CAT Diesel 72" Mower

I'm gonna have to try both of these and a Kubota ZTR
I myself like the looks of the Dixie Chopper and I've heard it's a really tough and productive mower. I also like the wide track as we sometimes mow on some good sized slopes so it looks like it'd be more stable

As for the Grasshopper, they are very very nice but they only time we'd want a Grasshopper is for doing other tasks with its many attachments. I'm not saying its more of an attachment carrier than a more. Plus we already have machines for that purpose. All we need is a mowing only machine.

 

[threeman]

One of the main selling points of the Ferris line is the suspension. It is superior for comfort to stiff/ridge type frame mowers.

If you dont believe go demo three brands side by side on the turf. There is no comparison. Not just by me but the other half actually said it first.

I have had major back surgery at L5S1, have bulge now at L4, and degenerative at L3. My lower back is screwed. I cannot cut on mowers that are ridged. They make my arthritis flare in minutes. The Ferris doesnt. Wifey actually said her ***** hurt on the other two machines not on the ferris.

As for diesels, I am sure if you need the power they are worth it. I believe they are CAT diesels too. Cant remember but did demo one at dealer, not at home with the three we did demo.


Only downside to zero turn mowers is the amount of dirt they throw out front. All of them do it, in dusty dry ground it will coat your butt, killer with alergies. I wish there was a way to over come that other than to hire a lawn boy...
Not knocking other mowers each will have their own brand they prefer just stating about the suspension since some have it in question. I did before buying. Had it for three seasons now without any problems. We are rough on equipment.

 

[Dargo]

Plus we already have machines for that purpose. All we need is a mowing only machine.

I'm sort of confused by that statement. The front mount mower is by far the most efficient mowing machine. The only reason you have mid mount mowers is because they are cheaper to produce and you can get more of them on a trailer. I owned a mowing service for a while. A mid mount mower has no, zero, zip, nada, advantages over a front mount mower when it comes to mowing. It sounds like the exact opposite of what you are saying. If you want a pure mowing machine, you want a front mount mower; period. Especially if you mow on slopes, there is no comparison between the stability of the two types. I just wrote it down, and I've owned 6 mid mount zero turn mowers. The only reason I bought them was as I was growing my business they all were cheaper than a pure front mount mowing machine. BTW, Grasshopper is certainly not the only company that makes high quality front mount mowing machines. After having thousands and thousands of hours put on zero turn mowers by me and my employees, we just preferred the Grasshoppers over any other. For a mid mount ZTR we preferred the Ferris by a pretty good margin over the others.

 

[Dargo]

Only downside to zero turn mowers is the amount of dirt they throw out front.

That's easily fixed. On all of our mowers we bolted a strip of rubber across the bottom of the leading edge of the deck. What I had was old used conveyor belt from a coal mine. With that front skirt installed you get zero blow out the front.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Yeah I confused myself there.
I've seem to have forgotten how nice and productive the Grasshopper is.
I'd actually rather have a Grasshopper Diesel that a mid mount. A few days ago I saw that new upgraded Grasshopper 725D with the 25hp Kubota MaxTorque Diesel. And boy that is a sweet machine! I think they made the right move replacing the 22hp Diesel with a 25hp. If you ask me, 22hp is a bit small if your running a 72" Front Mower at 11mph. The 25hp has the power for that. It had a suspension seat I think off a Walker Mower!
I really gotta Demo a Grasshopper 725D. Have you heard about the new 72" PowerFold mower, Dargo?

 

[Dargo]

Have you heard about the new 72" PowerFold mower, Dargo?

I've heard, but not seen. My closest Grasshopper dealer is also a Ferris dealer. I've bought 8 or 10 new zero turn radius mowers from him in the last 15 years. I just happen to prefer the front mount Grasshopper and elected to keep 2 of them for my personal use when I got out of the mowing business...well at least the mowing business that paid me to mow. I have plenty to mow myself. Knowing that, the Grasshopper dealer is doing anything he can to get me to buy something new. My older Grasshopper does have 1800 hours on it. Unfortunately for him it hasn't needed a single repair yet. Heck, it's still on it's original deck belt.

Still, to be fair, in my opinion almost all of the current commercial zero turn radius mowers are extremely tough and durable.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

What model Grasshoppers do you have now, Dargo?

 

[wallace]

I wouldn't sell or own a ZTR Cat diesel (small engine) machine.
You will never know what waiting is until you are broke down with a small Cat diesel.
Very seldom are you going to find a -lawn and garden dealer that is Cat certified so if they are not certified then they can't touch the motor (under warranty)
You will have to wait for the local Cat dealer to find time to send a tech out or fit it in the BIG shop.
Sorry but for me as a dealer I want to be able to take care of my customers even if I have to stay late to make sure they are taken care of.

 

[RollingsFarms]

do you have an Exmark dealer close by? 90% of the commercial mowing outfits you see around here are running those. the other 10% are running Toro, Dixie Chopper, SCAG, Kubota & Deere. someone I'm friends with who makes his living commercial mowing once told me if you ever want to tear up a yard, get a Dixie Chopper. he said they have the worst cut out of all the z-turns he's been around and the tires are h*ll on a lawn. speed is what they're best known for from what he told me. I don't see many diesel mowers around here, but the few I have seen were Deere and Kubota's.