Comparison Scag Tiger Cat vs. Ferris IS 700z

[seethesun]

Hi,

I have been doing research and reading threads. From that, along with the price range, it looks like I would be choosing between the Scag Tiger Cat & Ferris IS 700z.

We just bought a home on a 5 acre property. Right now only about 2.5 acres are being mowed and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, but at some point we will start maintaining the rest as well. The current portion that we will be mowing is fairly smooth, some incline (but not steep). The other part must have been used for farming trees or something as you have very wide rows, not my mamma's garden. That's part of the reason the Ferris peaked my interest, the suspension (and good reviews).

Between the Tiger Cat and Ferris IS700Z, is there a clear winner (I'm sure it's not going to be that easy)?

Then, to throw a wrinkle in my decision-making, the Ferris dealer offered the IS 2000z with a 25.5 Kawisaki engine for $8500 + tax delivered, probably closer to $9500 (with taxes and the seat upgrade I would want). I'm not sure if it's a deal or not? I am not necessarily cheap, but I do look for value. If that's a really good deal and it's obviously a step above the other two, then I might just bite the bullet. But unless it's just a great offer, then I believe one of the two would work for my purposes.

I appreciate any feedback.

David

 

[ShowroomShine]

I looked at the IS700Z and Tiger Cat. Both were nice mowers, but the ICD deck and suspension on the 700z made it the nicer mower. I drove both, and the drives reflected that as well.

Plus, the 700z is a good bit cheaper. I got a quote on a 61" for $6399.

 

[TSO]

Both are good mowers. But, the main reason I would choose a Ferris would be because of the suspension system, IF your ground is rough enough to necessitate it. I see myself someday getting the Ferris when my aging joints call for it!

I dint think you can go wrong with any of the commercial grass mowers from any of the big companies.

 

[seethesun]

Thanks for the responses. $6399 for the 700. I definitely need to check some of these other dealers around here because this dealer quoted me between $7200 and $8200 out the door, depending on the engine.

 

[ecruzin]

I bought a Ferris IS700Z last year and have been very pleased with it. It has the B&S 28hp commercial engine and 52" mower deck. Total price with tax was right at $6000 total. I did not look at Skag as there is no local dealer here. Below is a copy of the review I posted last year. Hope this helps.

I looked at Snapper, Husky, Ferris/Simplicity. My local Ferris dealer actually let me take several units home to demo. First was the IS500 with the 61" deck and the B&S 27HP engine. I felt the machine was good but it felt slow and underpowered. Next I took home the IS700 with a 52"deck and the B&S 28hp commercial engine. World of difference. The IS700 is about 3 MPH faster than the IS500. The faster speed more than makes up for the smaller deck. Also the larger tires on the IS700 make the machine much more stable on slopes and uneven ground than the IS500.
I have been more than happy with the IS700.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a Scag Wildcat with the Kawasaki 26 hp water cooled engine and I'm very happy with it. I can't comment on if it's better then a Ferris or not, but my thinking is that at this level of machine, all the top name brands are going to be very similar. What you need to look at is which one will have the best support from the dealer you buy from. Brand new machines get old and eventually need repair. In my opinion, that is the most important thing to consider when buying anything.

Look at what it takes to change the blades. Which one is more comfortable? Do they both have solid front tires? I wouldn't buy a machine without solid front tires and if I could get solid back tires, I would!!!!

Once you do decide, look into Fusion blades. They last longer between sharpening and they cut great!!!!!

Eddie

 

[seethesun]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, dealer support is going to come into play and have me lean toward the Scag (because I have a dealer right down the road from me).

Of course, I went to demo the Tiger Cat today, along with the Cheetah and a JD. The Tiger Cat was nice, but by the time I left I started thinking about moving up a level to either the JD Z930M or the Scag Cheetah. I really liked the Cheetah with the operator suspension system. It will push me to $10k OTD.

The JD was as well. So I think I am trying to decide between those two now.

 

[Gary Fowler]

It will be a big mistake to move from the Ferris IS 700Z for both comfort and price. I mow 6 acres with mine and have over 50 trees and bushes and it takes me about 2 hours to mow it all and I can do it with less than half a tank of gas (about 2 gallons) if I mow it weekly. It will run 10 MPH and cut nicely and even on my very rough ground it is still pretty comfortable. The reason I bought it was because of the suspension and it does make a world of difference. IIRC, I paid $6800 out the door for mine last year and might could have found a cheaper deal but I liked it and it was at my local New Holland dealer. I also had them throw in an extra set of mower blades so I could just swap them out quickly, take off the dull put on the new and in 5 minutes with my impact gun, I have a sharp set of blades. I use my B26's FEL to raise it up so it is easy to work on.
Mine has the Kawasaki FS 690V engine and it uses half the amount of gas that my 26 HP Craftsman with a B&S engine does when mowing the same area with the same 52" deck. I wouldn't trade mine for any other brand regardless of cost.

 

[Gary Fowler]

OH and if you are springing for a high dollar suspension seat, why not get the Ferris or Simplicity and put a suspension seat on that on top of the good spring suspension already on the frame. The frame suspension helps protect the mower AND also the OPERATOR from hard bumps. I would think that with a suspension seat to go with the spring over shock suspension system on the Ferris, it would be like riding in a luxury car.

 

[seethesun]

Haha. You just made this tough on me again. =). I was just going to go ahead and pick up the Cheetah, but now you have me thinking, "Do I need that machine and is it worth the extra cost?"

 

[PoorPlowboy]

OH and if you are springing for a high dollar suspension seat, why not get the Ferris or Simplicity and put a suspension seat on that on top of the good spring suspension already on the frame. The frame suspension helps protect the mower AND also the OPERATOR from hard bumps. I would think that with a suspension seat to go with the spring over shock suspension system on the Ferris, it would be like riding in a luxury car.

That was my thoughts as well, so I tried it on my 3100z. Almost vertigo inducing because it was so soft and leaned so much in turns. I have bad sinuses and inner ear issues so I may be too soft for mowing on a cloud. I went back to the standard seat and still enjoy the comfort over my older bobcat. It truly was harder to precisely control the machine at higher speeds due to the swimminess.

 

[DK35vince]

Both are good mowers. But, the main reason I would choose a Ferris would be because of the suspension system, IF your ground is rough enough to necessitate it. I see myself someday getting the Ferris when my aging joints call for it!

Until then, have you tried the flex forks on your Hustler ?
I put a set of flex forks on my Super Z this spring.
I like them. They do help take the harshness out of the bumps.

 

[TSO]

Until then, have you tried the flex forks on your Hustler ?
I put a set of flex forks on my Super Z this spring.
I like them. They do help take the harshness out of the bumps.

Yeah I have them. Never tried mowing with the standard forks so I don't know what kind of improvements they make. But, it almost seems like the spring rate is too tight because they don't really seem to "flex" all that much.

With that said... I'll probably buy the Exmark suspension seat and see how that goes

 

[Gary Fowler]

And the spring tension on the Ferris is adjustable just like the shocks on the rear of a motorcycle.

 

[Texasmark]

My main gripe with mowers is suspension/operator comfort. Down here I have drought cracks in the clay soil and hoof prints. Where practical I run a pasture renovator and spike toothed harrow across the land to smooth it out and that helps a lot.

Many designs of suspension systems are out there and most are pretty basic. I have purchased the suspension seat (about $200 aftermarket) with the operator firmness adjustment, spring and shock system. Alone it works "Fair to Middlin". My Branson tractor has an air seat with an air pump installed which you can set the pressure to suit you; just like 18 wheel OTR trucks use. That really does a great job for that tractor. I looked for one to fit a mower and found none. But I did find an air ride spring replacement motorcycle bag from TC Bros. Choppers, for about $75, that I rigged up with an OEM spring and works pretty good on one of my ZTs. I set the pressure to 10psig for the best ride.

I use air cushions as a supplement to the mechanical spring suspension seat which help a lot on that mower. The one I use is the LTV, made for truckers, for about $90 online. Comes with a pump and you can set the pressure to suit. Really nice. Other thing is I run my air pressure in my tires low too, which helps, and yes I have sealing problems due to the low pressures (around 8 psig my preferred pressure) as the tires age. However, tire to rim sealing compound available at NAPA solves that problem.

The other gripe is clippings in the eyes. Eyes are wet, clippings dry; like a magnet on iron shavings. Side discharge with the wind blowing is really hard to control even with enclosed plastic, one piece safety goggles with air holes in the side. I wear glasses and use ear plugs too. Plus I enjoy a beverage of choice when mowing. Things really get all jammed up in the facial arena. When possible I usually run with the deflector up to smooth out the clippings and avoid a wind row which just aggravates the problem.

Especially in the spring when the grass contains a lot of water, deck clogging is a problem, especially on the fabricated decks with 3 blades that most ZTs flaunt. I even installed a couple of deck wash down ports and that does little good. I have a little 46" conventional with 2 blades and a stamped deck which does much better in the spring without clogging. Removing that center blade and having curvature to the deck helps to get the grass out fast, and no corners to get jammed up.

I find that the higher/taller fabricated decks, help in grass discharge and less clogging as there is more room for the clippings to exit.

Other problem to look for is frontal discharge with the higher height settings......something else to blow up in your face. Some mower mfgrs. pay particular attention to that.....with their fabricated steel decks.

I Have a pretty good sized area to mow and a lot of variable terrain besides the ground surface problems. It requires a lot of variables and different mowers including the tractor mounted 6' brush hog for the large areas. I enjoy mowing but not bouncing around.

I hope this helps someone.

Mark

 

[Gary Fowler]

Another thing I like about the Ferris is the front wheel swivel bearings are sealed. No grease leaking out and getting on your clothes when greasing the mower spindle and only grease once a year. Even then, I don't think it will take any grease since none leaks out during operation.

 

[Texasmark]

Until then, have you tried the flex forks on your Hustler ?
I put a set of flex forks on my Super Z this spring.
I like them. They do help take the harshness out of the bumps.

I bought 2 sets for 2 different sized ZTs, at $200 a pop. Like TSO said, they are too stiff to do any good. I even added about 50# of weight to the front of my 44" Hustler Fastrak in an attempt to get some "knee action" out of them to no avail.

Mark

 

[whistlepig]

We bought a Ferris IS700Z two weeks ago after two of my neighbors and a close friend recommended Ferris. The ride makes them well worthwhile. And I have never seen a nicer cut from any mower.

 

[larrysedl]

Haha. You just made this tough on me again. =). I was just going to go ahead and pick up the Cheetah, but now you have me thinking, "Do I need that machine and is it worth the extra cost?"

I just sold my old ExMark and purchased a Ferris IS700Z. Huge mistake. The suspension is a joke. This thing is trying to beat me to death. I've lowered tire pressure to 8 lbs. and added a suspension under the seat. No help. The ExMark with a rigid frame and solid front tires had a smoother ride. Plus the 27 HP Briggs ans Stratton uses much more gas. It does cut well. Although the main deck belt flipped over in the first 2 weeks.
Too late for me. Don't make the same mistake. Wish I had the old machine back.

 

[Texasmark]

Another thing I like about the Ferris is the front wheel swivel bearings are sealed. No grease leaking out and getting on your clothes when greasing the mower spindle and only grease once a year. Even then, I don't think it will take any grease since none leaks out during operation.

Interesting you mention the front fork grease. My machine has screws plugging the greasing holes while the other places that need grease...wheel axles and deck pulleys are equipped with zerks. Reading the manual, seldom do they require grease and when they do, you pull the screw, install the zerk, grease, pull the zerk and return the screw....per the manual. I just stuck zerks in them gave it a few pumps and that's that.