Zero Turn Mower Questions

[Carl_NH]

Duds - yes my 15 yo Ferris IS2000 and 500 hours has the old style deck and i only get stragglers in thin wispy grass - I think the grass bends instead of getting cut.
Overall, very happy with the cut and stripes too.

Around here lawn services run mostly Scag, then Exmark, and quite a few have Walker with the vacuum too which are $$$

Then as WinterDeere said, brands are a regional thing - dealer support etc. Very few JD ZT in this area.

 

[WinterDeere]

I wonder if, as a homeowner buying a commercial-duty machine, one wanting to use dealer service might actually be better off with a brand less popular in their region? I say that because, the homeowner repair and service tags are almost always going to get queued in behind any dealer's regular commercial customers, and the less popular brands may have a shorter queue or a dealer who's more hungry for their business.

That said, they probably also have less staff and parts inventory, so maybe it all balances out. I do all of my own repair and service, so not an issue I've ever had to think a whole lot about.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

The great thing about mowers, they are simple machines. After 7 years, I've never needed a dealer for my Hustler. The only mower service I've needed in the past 20 years, was an engine replacement on my trail mower, which I did myself. Dealers are nice, but if I think Im really going to need them, maybe I need to buy a better brand

 

[Duds13]

I wonder if, as a homeowner buying a commercial-duty machine, one wanting to use dealer service might actually be better off with a brand less popular in their region? I say that because, the homeowner repair and service tags are almost always going to get queued in behind any dealer's regular commercial customers, and the less popular brands may have a shorter queue or a dealer who's more hungry for their business.

That said, they probably also have less staff and parts inventory, so maybe it all balances out. I do all of my own repair and service, so not an issue I've ever had to think a whole lot about.

Not a bad thought! I am lucky in that the Ferris dealer is about 2 miles from my house, so anything major is just a short trip to the dealer. Thankfully it hasn't had any major issues yet.

 

[WinterDeere]

Doing some quick mental math, I might be in this house another 10 - 20 years. My Deere ZTR is a 2007 model at 1400 hours, and I put about 100 hours per year on it. If I believe everyone who claims these are 2000 - 2500 hour machines, and I take better care of my stuff than most, I have another 10 years before parts failures and availability become constrained enough to warrant replacing the machine.

At that point, I'll have to decide if it's even worth buying a new commercial ZTR for whatever years I have remaining in the house. But if I do, I think a full-suspension machine like the Ferris would be high on my list of preferences.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Doing some quick mental math, I might be in this house another 10 - 20 years. My Deere ZTR is a 2007 model at 1400 hours, and I put about 100 hours per year on it. If I believe everyone who claims these are 2000 - 2500 hour machines, and I take better care of my stuff than most, I have another 10 years before parts failures and availability become constrained enough to warrant replacing the machine.

At that point, I'll have to decide if it's even worth buying a new commercial ZTR for whatever years I have remaining in the house. But if I do, I think a full-suspension machine like the Ferris would be high on my list of preferences.

By that time you'll just have Amazon or their successor drop off a robotic mower that your AI android assistant will operate and maintain.

 

[WinterDeere]

By that time you'll just have Amazon or their successor drop off a robotic mower that your AI android assistant will operate and maintain.

You joke, but I honestly would be an ideal candidate, for that! I remember shopping autonomous robotic mowers back in 2011, before I got my ZTR, but they just weren't ready yet.

 

[Carl_NH]

I also do all repairs on my equipment, source the parts and fix - the local Ferris dealer is knowledgeable in answering questions - like the gas assist cylinders on the steering arms - as they get stiffer when they get warm - there is a modified gas strut retrofit for $150 that fixes it.

The only "major" failure in 500 hours was the Kawasaki stator failed/shorted out which was a $100 replacement.

I did add a hydro oil cooler as I tow a Trac Vac and this adds load to the drive system.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I only average 50 hours per year, mowing 3 acres per week during the growing season.

I’m sitting at 290 hours now. So my machine has about 34 years left. I’ll be 83…

Pretty likely I wont own another mower I’m glad I bought what I wanted.

 

[WinterDeere]

my machine has about 34 years left.

Availability of parts could be what obsoletes yours, before totally worn-out. You'd better hope they sell a crap-ton of those things, to make for a healthy "vintage parts" market!

I've owned a few tractors in the 30 - 50 year old range, and whenever a part is needed, there's always that initial angst over whether you'll be able to find one! Thankfully, each of my very old machines (Deere & Cub Cadet) had enough support to carry me through on OEM parts, and enough of a used market to support repair of any accessories and add-ons.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

It’s a Hustler X-One. Standard motor. Standard drive units (Parker)

Not sure that there are many proprietary parts

My Buell 1125R is pretty rare, and I can still find plenty of parts for it, 18 years after their going out of business. It was very proprietary.