About to buy Ferris 3000IS?

mathey · May 7, 2006

I'm about to pull the trigger on a '05 Ferris 3000is ZTR to mow the 6-10 acres (mostly horse pastures) we have... I have a guy bringing a Toro Z500 with the upgraded suspension seat out Mon/Tues and then another guy bringing the Ferris out on Wed. We have some pretty rough spots to mow so I'm thinking the Ferris suspension will fit the bill moreso than the Toro. The Ferris is about $1k more than the Toro, but based on what I've read, the improved ride quality will be worth it.

I'm really having a tough time spending this kind of money for a "lawn mower" (both the cars I drive don't even add up to what these things cost!)...but the time I spend mowing almost every day has some cost too. We are currently pulling a 48" rotary with our little CUT, but by the time we finish everything, it's time to start over. It took my wife almost 3 hours to mow a 1-1/2 acre pasture that is pretty rough, so you can't go very fast...

Any input on either of these? somebody stop me!

upgw · May 7, 2006

My neighbor has the 1500 is with the Kawasaki engine and he really loves it, says the independent suspension really smooths out the lousy grading done on the lot. He's mowing about 4 acres I think. I do 4.7 on a BX2200 (no suspension obviously) and it's a killer on the back, especially the rough pasture area.

Mosby · May 8, 2006

I mowed a 3 acre pasture this year for the first time with a ZTR. I have always used the 6ft bush hog previously. I will probably never go back to it. The 61" deck was sufficient. The first time I saw a friend use his ZTR to mow his pastures while his tractor sat in the barn, I thought that he was just being a former suburbanite. I need to go apologize to him!!!

wushaw · May 8, 2006

Just make sure it is comfortable and fits you.
I also use a ZTR for most of my mowing needs.

mathey · May 10, 2006

well, that certainly didn't go as planned /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ...even with the Ferris suspension set up for the roughest ground, it still beat the stink out of you if went even a little fast. Guess my ground is even rougher than most.

Looks like we may need to upgrade to a bigger tractor that will pull a 5/6 foot rotary.