So the search begins . . . for a new ZTR

[Gary Fowler]

How do you know how the other commercial grade machines ride if the Ferris is the only commercial machine you have experience with.
Just because your low end Craftsman rides bad does not mean all others do.

I specifically said that I didn't ever own any other commercial machine, but I can state the Ferris is smooth.

However, I don't have to own one of the major brands or use one mowing to see that they are stiff frame as in no suspension so the only cushioning you would get is from the tires or from a suspension seat. I did look at Grasshopper, Scag and Exmark when I bought my Ferris and they are all solid frames with no give (just like a tractor) and do not come standard with a suspension seat.

A question for you, how do you know your Hustler rides as smooth as a Ferris if you have never been on one. As for other features, just about any commercial grade machine is comparable to any other as they are just about all built the same way. Some may have specialty features like tilting the mower deck for cleaning and blade replacement but other than that, one is as good as the next and all have several different motors that can be had if you are willing to part with $15-20K or more even a diesel engine is available on most models.

If I put 500+ hours per year on a mower, $20K might be a worthwhile investment but at most I might average 2 hours per week from April thru Sept. I have about an acre that I irrigate and the other 5 or so depends on Mother Nature so it may not need mowing but every 2nd or 3rd time that I more the area next to the house which also contains all my fruit trees

 

[DK35vince]

My Super Z is a 1600# high end commercial grade mower. I never said it rides as good as a Ferris. But I guaranty it rides a **** of a lot smoother than your Craftsman did. Solid frame or not.
Wheel base, tire sizes, tire pressures, flex forks, suspension seats. (and yes mine did come standard with a suspension seat) Ect. all make a difference on ride.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

This winter I picked up a used Grasshopper 725k Front mount Mower with a 72" deck. Thing is awesome and I love the front mounted deck. I came from a MidMount Husqvarnia mower and the Grasshopper is so much nicer and heavier duty. Used it was $2500 with about 450 hours on it. I have 2 acres in a subdivision.

Those Grasshopper are nice machines. I looked at a 721d last weekend, but decided to pass on it. Then, I got busy and screwed around too long and missed out on a great deal on a 325d. I've got nobody to blame but myself on that one.

 

[DK35vince]

Here was a recent review on Lawnsite of a Super Z and ride comparison vs a Ferris 3100
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=418019

 

[whistlepig]

If you are not going for the smooth ride of the Ferris than the Ferris is the same as all others. Ferris is a commercial mower and it will run with the big dogs. There is more to a Ferris than just it's suspension.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

If you are not going for the smooth ride of the Ferris than the Ferris is the same as all others. Ferris is a commercial mower and it will run with the big dogs. There is more to a Ferris than just it's suspension.

I do want the smooth ride of the Ferris. But, I was sorely tempted by the lifted skirt and perfumed inner thigh of the Kubota diesel motor in that Grasshopper 325d. I would have bought it if I wasn't such a dumba$$.

 

[DK35vince]

I'm not trying to knock Ferris here.
They are a nice machine.
I'm only trying to make a point that not all solid frame machines ride bad as some here seem to believe
With larger size tires, flex forks and suspension seat I find the ride on my solid frame machine surprisingly comfortable

 

[whistlepig]

Vince,

You didn't come across negative on Ferris. Objective you were. Pappy, you can go with a CAT diesel on the larger Ferris models. Can't knock a Kubota motor. I'm a totally Kubota guy. So why did we pick a Ferris? Because of the ride and the recommendations of friends and neighbors that have used them for many years. This kind of advice has served us very well in the past.

Dave

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Vince,

You didn't come across negative on Ferris. Objective you were. Pappy, you can go with a CAT diesel on the larger Ferris models. Can't knock a Kubota motor. I'm a totally Kubota guy. So why did we pick a Ferris? Because of the ride and the recommendations of friends and neighbors that have used them for many years. This kind of advice has served us very well in the past.

Dave

Dave, my Ferris dealer said he wouldn't sell me a Ferris with the CAT diesel because if something goes wrong with the motor, the dealership can't work on it. Only a CAT mechanic can work on it. So, they have to pull the motor and send it off to CAT. That sounds like a bad plan.

My dealer also sells Grasshoppers with the Kubota diesels in them, and he said they can work on the Kubota diesels with no problems from Grasshopper.

 

[Deerherd]

I mow a couple of miles of trails, around 150 newly planted trees and about 2 acres of lawn, all except the lawn is pretty bumpy. If your mowing area is pretty flat I don't know if you would see tons of difference between the Ferris and others with some sort of suspension. Where I did notice a difference was in the rough areas the Ferris was noticeably better.

I tried out a Super Z on my property and it was a little bit faster and the ride really wasn't that different in the smoother parts of the lawn. But there was a marked improvement in the ride with the Ferris in the rough areas. I did also purchase the upgraded suspension seat so it made it even nicer.

My dealer took the Ferris in on trade with 103 hours because the previous owner wanted a 72" deck. I really wasn't looking to go with the 3100 but it was one of those deals I couldn't pass up.

It does drink the petrol though. I guess that's why it has two tanks!

Good luck in your search!

 

[Gary Fowler]

That looks like they stole the seat off my Kubota B26 and put on the Ferris mower.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I mow a couple of miles of trails, around 150 newly planted trees and about 2 acres of lawn, all except the lawn is pretty bumpy. If your mowing area is pretty flat I don't know if you would see tons of difference between the Ferris and others with some sort of suspension. Where I did notice a difference was in the rough areas the Ferris was noticeably better.

I tried out a Super Z on my property and it was a little bit faster and the ride really wasn't that different in the smoother parts of the lawn. But there was a marked improvement in the ride with the Ferris in the rough areas. I did also purchase the upgraded suspension seat so it made it even nicer.

My dealer took the Ferris in on trade with 103 hours because the previous owner wanted a 72" deck. I really wasn't looking to go with the 3100 but it was one of those deals I couldn't pass up.

It does drink the petrol though. I guess that's why it has two tanks!

Good luck in your search!

View attachment 379396

View attachment 379397

That is a fine looking ride you've got there. I'm jealous.

 

[Carl_NH]

Pappy,

Just a short follow up note on fuel consumption -I have the Kawasaki 25HP FH721 w/52" deck on the IS2000 and I just ran 4.5 hours and used a bit less than 4.5 Gallons - so it's pretty efficient almost a gallon an hour - I have 140 hours on it now and run mobil 1 in the engine since 50 hours.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Carl, that is great fuel economy. That's just a little bit more than the Kubota diesels use. Most reports I've seen from people using the Kubota diesels in their mowers indicate about .6gph.

 

[OKnewguy]

I am a little late to this discussion, but thought I could help out some. I have a Grasshopper 720 and my brother has a 721d. I have some neigbors that have various Ferris mowers. I have test driven their mowers and in my opinion my Grasshopper is actually a better ride then their Ferris's. One of the Ferris mowers has suspension on the front and the other on all 4 tires. I do have a Michigan suspension seat on my mower. The seat helps, but half of what makes the front mount mowers smoother is the stretched wheelbase. I used to have a Gravely ZTR (sorry I can't remember the model) and it was scarry on the hills I have, but this Grasshopper is incredible! I had a Bolens lawn tractor when I first moved here and this front mount will even out do a lawn tractor on the hills.
Good luck, Dave

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

You're not late to the discussion at all, Dave. I looked at and drove a 721d recently. I liked it a lot, but I decided to pass on it because it had the older Gemini transmission and didn't have the powerfold deck. And the hour meter was broken, and the owner hadn't had it very long, so he didn't know how many hours were on it and didn't know much about the service history on it.

A big part of going front-mount vs. mid-mount for me would be the ability to flip up the deck for blade changes and cleaning, so I passed on it.

 

[EddieWalker]

After looking at a variety of different machines and visiting dealerships, I went with Scag for a variety of reasons. The water cooled Kawasaki engine, the way it's built compared to others and most importantly, dealer support. Once you decide on a price range, they are all pretty similar and the most important factor is buying from a place that you can get parts from. The two best dealers that I came across where Scag and Kubota. It was a challenge to decide who was better, but in the end, I felt the Scag was a heavier duty machine.

I mow around my pond, my fence lines, two houses and along the front road. The angle along the road was too steep for me to mow with my riding mower or on my tractor. But the zero turn just hugs the ground and it's not even a challenge. What I was afraid to do in two other types of mower is nothing with this one. For no other reason, I think the zero turn is the best thing out there for mowing steep inclines!!!!

I have the standard turf tires on mine and when making quick turns, they tear up the grass. More aggressive tires would cause even more damage. If the grass is dry, they stick to it wit lots of traction. If it's wet out, or I come across a wet spot, they loose traction quickly and if the tires fill up with mud, it's useless. Of course I don't feel I should be mowing in those conditions, so it's either a small patch that I sort of float through quickly, or I just don't mow. If I had more aggressive tire, I could probably mow during wet conditions, but I think the damage to the grass would be significant, which I don't want.

Eddie

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Eddie, which Scag model did you buy? And how is the ride quality?

If I was going with Scag, I'd probably choose the Cheetah for the suspension because my ground is so rough.

 

[Creamer]

I have the standard turf tires on mine and when making quick turns, they tear up the grass. More aggressive tires would cause even more damage. If the grass is dry, they stick to it wit lots of traction. If it's wet out, or I come across a wet spot, they loose traction quickly and if the tires fill up with mud, it's useless. Of course I don't feel I should be mowing in those conditions, so it's either a small patch that I sort of float through quickly, or I just don't mow. If I had more aggressive tire, I could probably mow during wet conditions, but I think the damage to the grass would be significant, which I don't want.

if you are getting damage from turns with turf tires it is because you are turning wrong. It does not matter what tire you have, if you pivot on a stopped tire it will do turf damage. Keep in mind you can have one tire going backwards and the other forward but as long as neither is stopped you should not do any significant damage with turf tires. I almost never see any significant damage with v-treads but once in a while I get a little careless and see a spot. Smooth starts also help to minimize damage. I believe I get less damage with v treads because they do not slip as much on some of the angled surfaces I mow on.

 

[EddieWalker]

Eddie, which Scag model did you buy? And how is the ride quality?

If I was going with Scag, I'd probably choose the Cheetah for the suspension because my ground is so rough.

I have the Wildcat with the 61 inch deck. The seat was probably the most comfortable one I sat in when out shopping for them, but it does not have a suspension of any kind. If you go too fast, it will beat you up is the rough areas.

Eddie