JD 997 or a Comp Ferris

[bk94]

cant decide between a JD 997 w/diesel 72'' or a Ferris w/diesel 72''. I think they are both great machines but hard to decided. Any help would be great before spending the cash. Thanks for all help

 

[OkieLawnBoy]

I'm sure you realize this already but it's going to come down to dealer support and your personal beliefs on the two companies. Personally, I think these mowers have a similiar cut quality: the JD has 7-Iron II deck with a proven track record for strength and reliabliity even though their cut isn't always perfect; Ferris has the new ICD deck for 2010 which was released in some areas for review last year and has received really positive reviews for a clean cut and powerful discharge. I actually own a JD 757 (60" MOD) and a 777 (72" side discharge) which are being traded this year, replacing the 757 with a new JD 930A (60" MOD) and the 777 with a Ferris 3100 (72" side discharge). I'm staying away from the diesels in favor of a two year trading cycle and reduced capital investment, but both the Yanmar (JD 997) and the Caterpillar (Ferris) have great reliability records. One caution is to make sure you have a Caterpillar service dept nearby, because your Ferris dealer can't do warranty work on the Cat diesel (voids engine warranty) while John Deere can service your Yanmar without any issues. I hope this helps.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My nod is for the Ferris. My neighbor runs a commercial mowing operation and he uses IS3100's with 72" decks and the 37HP Kawasaki motors. He has tried them all but the Ferris seems to hold up the best. He is on his 3rd set of Ferris mowers.

Chris

 

[Nelson Dairy]

Have you looked at the bad boy mowers. They are a great mower for the price and are usually built heavier than others. I have seen a guy that had 2400 hrs on one of his and had not done anything to it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Have you looked at the bad boy mowers. They are a great mower for the price and are usually built heavier than others. I have seen a guy that had 2400 hrs on one of his and had not done anything to it.

While the Bad Boy Mowers are nice for the $$$ they are not even anywhere near the same quality of the Ferris or others in its class. Not knocking them, I would own a BB in a heart beat but a Ferris is a true work of art but cost nearly twice as much.

Chris

 

[Happyman]

I'm looking at the Ferris because the area I need to cut with it (around Xmas trees planted close together) is very bumpy and Ferris is the only Z-turn with actual suspension. The suspension seat on others is not enough. I still get my teeth bounced out. The Ferris suspension is amazing!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I sell the Ferris machines. They are great mowers. However our sales volumes are probably about 20 Kubota diesels to one Ferris diesel. Ferris is probaby a better day to day commercial mower, however for durability Kubota is way, way beyond everyone else. Our sales tend to be more to farmers and homeowner, if your commercial Ferris is worth a look.