mowers

[Notforhire]

If you go to the Ferris web site you can select model and engine selection as well as deck size. They list MSRP prices. The best I've seen was about $500 below MSRP. A friend of mine has a 800 series which I consider to be the top of the homeowner class. It rides good and seems to be well made. They save money on the engine, spindles and hydro drive which are ok just lower quality than the true commercial line.
The game changer with Ferris is the suspension. The prices are pretty much inline with rigid frame mowers.

Ferris | Experience Suspension

Explore Ferris Mowers’ commercial lawn equipment with patented suspension for unmatched comfort, durability, and productivity on every job.

www.ferrismowers.com

 

[FPGT72]

Mechanically, just about all the commercial grade mowers are pretty similar.

Mower manufactures dont make engines, they dont make pumps, and they dont make wheel motors. They are off the shelf parts from companies like parker, eaton, or hydro gear. And it dont matter if its a scag, toro, exmark, deere, hustler, etc etc etc....they usually have the same engine options. Briggs, Kaw, or Kohler.

So if you are looking for a commercial grade mower....it pretty much boils down to ergonomics and what paint color you want.

There are only a hand full of companies that make mowers. With Ferris they are owned by briggs, they also own several other brands. MTD is owned by Stanly black & decker. MTD makes stuff for a handfull of companies.

Really when looking at machines what I think you need to do is first size the machine for what you want to do. Going too small and light duty will just be harder on the machine. I have seen big box mowers start to crack, both in the body as well as the front suspension when working in the big "yards" around where I live. You need a heavy duty machine to do the bigger jobs.

My old craftsman mower, a 54" mowed 12-ish ac for the first 5 years of its life. It is a very well build machine, but that has to do with who made it and what parts they used to make it. It is a heavy duty machine.

 

[mvoght]

My property is mostly pasture turned into lawn and it is rough. I had a rigid frame Ferris 1000Z I bought new (2004 I think) which is still working great. My neighbor bought it from me 2-3 years ago and loves it.
The only reason I sold it was that the ride was terrible and I have issues with my spine. I tried using a BX size tractor w/a MM mower, too rough. I settled on a new Ferris ISX 2200 60 inch. With its full suspension it does an excellent job of smoothing the ride. You won't get the jarring sensation that comes with a non suspension.
I tried but was disappointed with the 52 inch model and discovered that the larger tires on the 60 were a further improvement.

I'm an extreme case. Any real bouncing around kills my back.
BTW the reason most mowers don't have a suspension is that Ferris (Briggs and Stratton) holds the patent.

This is the 52 I traded for the 60 inch. It was an excellent machine.
View attachment 871532

I'll keep that in mind if my JD ever dies. Or if I end up mowing myself on the ZT more often. I tend to use the tractor, because of the bounce. I had spinal fusion surgery Jan 2023, and it's much better than it was, but I don't need extra wear and tear on me for mowing, I save my back for riding horses.

 

[big bubba]

i can't afford one, but wonder if front mounted zero turn mowers have a smoother ride than conventional belly type given the longer wheel base, etc. regards..

 

[WinterDeere]

The master clutch seems to be an 8 year item, I've replaced it twice. Seems to be around $500-600 to repair.

I was blowing thru clutches on my Kawi-powered Deere Z757, until I realized I had a faint exhaust leak from a weld failure between muffler and muffler mounting bracket, which was overheating the clutch. Point is, if you ever experience a clutch failure, get your hand or something in-between the muffler and clutch, and make sure there's not hot exhaust directed right onto it.

FWIW, after the 3rd Deere clutch, not yet realizing the actual but totally-invisible source of the problem, I went with a 3rd party "heavy duty" clutch. It works too well, to the point of snapping three OEM deck belts inside of a year. No matter how far I slowed the engine, right down to the point of stall, the grab was too fierce for the OEM belts.

So, now I'm running Kevlar belts, which are great, but have only revealed the next week component down the line... the belt tensioner.

Long way of saying, think twice before you go with an aftermarket clutch, the OEM has just the right amount of slip on engagement to avoid snapping or throwing belts, given the belt tension these decks run.

 

[DK35vince]

The game changer with Ferris is the suspension. The prices are pretty much inline with rigid frame mowers.

If that were true I would have a Ferris 3200.
In 2020 I bought a Snapper Pro s200 xt. (nearly identical to a Ferris 3200, but solid frame, no suspension)
The Snapper Pro s200xt with 72" deck, 37hp Vanguard, EFI with oil guard was $10,200 before tax.
The price I received for a Ferris 3200, 37 hp Vanguard, EFI 72" deck with oil guard was well over $4000 more

 

[Notforhire]

If that were true I would have a Ferris 3200.
In 2020 I bought a Snapper Pro s200 xt. (nearly identical to a Ferris 3200, but solid frame, no suspension)
The Snapper Pro s200xt with 72" deck, 37hp Vanguard, EFI with oil guard was $10,200 before tax.
The price I received for a Ferris 3200, 37 hp Vanguard, EFI 72" deck with oil guard was well over $4000 more

Sorry about that. Maybe I'm passing on bad info. I was discussing prices with a neighbor who has a lawn care business. Our discussion was limited to the 2200 series machines. Since I cannot use a non suspension, I didn't do any comparative research on my own. I think he ended up with Hustler mostly because of local support.

 

[mvoght]

I was blowing thru clutches on my Kawi-powered Deere Z757, until I realized I had a faint exhaust leak from a weld failure between muffler and muffler mounting bracket, which was overheating the clutch. Point is, if you ever experience a clutch failure, get your hand or something in-between the muffler and clutch, and make sure there's not hot exhaust directed right onto it.

FWIW, after the 3rd Deere clutch, not yet realizing the actual but totally-invisible source of the problem, I went with a 3rd party "heavy duty" clutch. It works too well, to the point of snapping three OEM deck belts inside of a year. No matter how far I slowed the engine, right down to the point of stall, the grab was too fierce for the OEM belts.

So, now I'm running Kevlar belts, which are great, but have only revealed the next week component down the line... the belt tensioner.

Long way of saying, think twice before you go with an aftermarket clutch, the OEM has just the right amount of slip on engagement to avoid snapping or throwing belts, given the belt tension these decks run.

By blowing through, how often did they go? And now that I read your post with the model, I think that is my model number...you'd think I'd pay more attention, mine has the 60" deck.

Thanks for the warning about the heavy duty clutch.

 

[WinterDeere]

By blowing through, how often did they go?

The failures accelerated, probably as the exhaust leak gradually got worse. I replaced the clutch three times, and the time between replacements probably started at 2-3 years and trended down to 1 year, before I finally found and fixed the problem.

Honestly, the only way I even noticed the exhaust leak was that it got dark on me one evening, while I was using my JRCO Blower Buggy to shuttle the Little Wonder (EX27 Optimax) around the yard. Using that thing means a lot of looking over your shoulder to reverse, as you always want to keep the blower directed one way. Anyway, as it got darker and darker, I started noticing this faint blue jet coming out of the muffler toward the clutch.

Discovery was hampered by the fact that the exhaust leak was obstructed from the operator seat by the engine itself, so it had to be really dark out to see the aura from the other side of the engine. I actually had to get off the seat, walk around back of the machine, and thumb the throttle to see exactly what was happening. It was one of those true light bulb, or smack yourself in the forehead with palm, moments. If I hadn't been caught blowing leaves after dark, it could've been another few years and clutches, before I found the problem.

 

[Williy]

My buddy's car was missing and we checked all the
plug wires etc. One night I came over and he was
trying to find out why its missing I told him start er up
and you would think it was christmas with all the sparks
flying. Also the plug wires looked like they were new

willy