Finally looking to buy a riding mower or a zero turn for our place and stop push mowing. We are on 1.25 acres and at the moment, not many trees, etc, but are planting them, so I'm thinking zero turn for a long term investment.

I stopped our local John Deere dealer today who carries several brands. I'm somewhat leaning towards a Ferris 400S model zero turn. Anyone have any experiences with or knowledge of the Ferris mowers? They also sell the Bobcats, JD of course, and I think it was Simplicity. Thoughts on those makes for best bang for the buck?

HI board also has a thread on this as well. For cross linking its

https://texags.com/forums/61/topics/2941847

I have a Ferris and really like it. Smooth and comfortable ride with a great cut. Deck is very strong and discharge is good. I have had it for 6 years now and it's been a reliable mower. I mow roughly 2.5 acres around the house each week during mow season. You can't go wrong with Ferris or Scag in my opinion.

JD lawn tractors get the job done
Durable, reliable. Easy to work on

Talk to me about advantages/disadvantages of zero turn vs a standard riding mower.... The standard riding mowers are certainly cheaper.

Today there is a ton of zero turns.
Things to get are HD decks and a Kawasaki engine or Briggs and Stratton.

Stay away from the Koehler engines.

Best thing to do though is look locally in your town who sales zero turns. Buy from them, because you keep business local, and they will generally help you when you need something fixed or need new blades. There is a guy locally I wish I bought from, but they weren't open yet. I get my propane tanks filled there now and my next mower will be from him. If there is a local guy, they will have a quality mower for your needs.

Stay away from Big Box stores, but that's my opinion.

And to answer your question, zero turns mow a hell of a lot quicker, but are harder to drink a beer on.

Agree, I stopped at Lawn Land in Denton.

And time is not really an issue for me. I don't mind drinking a few beers and going slower on a riding mower... just curious if there are many other benefits besides speed.

Speed is one thing but being able turn tighter, mow closer to obstructions ( trees, flower beds, etc.) is what really speeds your mow up. To me there is a number of differences in a ZT vs riding. I prefer the ability to get larger engine and deck size. Biggest advantage outside of power and deck size is maneuverability.

I have a Ferris 700z 52". Had three years and mow about 4 acres every so often of basically yard and then pasture. The pasture is rough but I have a smooth ride or way smoother than the tractor I shredded with. I liked the angled and reinforced front deck on mine, as well as being a floating deck. I have the Kawasaki engine. It also has greasible spindles as well as other points. I tried out 5-6 brands and it was between Ferris and Scag.
Oh, and I can mow the same amount with the zero in half the time I could with tractor.

Player To Be Named Later said:

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Talk to me about advantages/disadvantages of zero turn vs a standard riding mower.... The standard riding mowers are certainly cheaper.

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Easier to drink beer on a regular mower.

That's a big consideration

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006CUJXMI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3/141-1082924-4114461?ie=UTF8&qid=1523139886&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=beer+hat+holder&dpPl=1&dpID=41pslOto9TL&ref=plSrch


Problem solved

I've had a Ferris for 11 years. Great mower.

JD overrated. TORO for the win and go commercial if possible. Big box store models are not very good.....get what you pay for.

I have a 42" Toro Time Cutter ... worst machine I've ever used. Doesn't cut worth a damn, very uneven plus when turning it slides the tire on the inside and tears the grass up. I would NOT recommend this to anybody.

48 inch Gravely ZT HD here. 4-5k worth of tractor but does a damn fine (fast) job.

So, if I don't have much in the way of trees and flower beds.... and don't really care about speed, a tractor style is fine?

I really don't mind another 45 minutes alone, drinking beer, and listening to music instead of in the house

I prefer a tractor style so I can pull a small trailer. The beer is just a plus.

Go try a kubota

I'm on my second Kubota. My first one wasn't large enough when I moved to my farm after retirement.

They are great machines. My new one is a 72" diesel and it's amazing but I'm mowing about 6 acres out here.

My old man just bought a bad boy with a 60" deck and loves it compared to John Deere zero turn with a 54". His main claim is the suspension. Granted, was shocked at how much he paid for the bad boy.

Player To Be Named Later said:

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So, if I don't have much in the way of trees and flower beds.... and don't really care about speed, a tractor style is fine?

I really don't mind another 45 minutes alone, drinking beer, and listening to music instead of in the house

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Yes.

Zero turns are expensive one trick ponies but they do that one trick well and also fast. If you're not worried about saving time, get a lawn tractor.

Kinda the direction I am leaning. It is still a fairly rough property that we are still ironing out. A tractor style would be better for towing a wagon and a railroad tie to smooth things out with

I have a JD 540M with has the Kawasaki engine which was a must for me. Going on my third year wouldn't have anything else in this price range sub $4500. Only regret I went with the 48" deck which is fine but wish now I had gone 54" or 60". Still not sure about 60 it may less Manueverable someone with a 60 would have to speak to that.

The Kawasaki engine isn't what it used to be. With the pro 7000, kohler has caught up with and in the case of the Kawasaki fs730, passed Kawasaki.

EskimoJoe said:

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The Kawasaki engine isn't what it used to be. With the pro 7000, kohler has caught up with and in the case of the Kawasaki fs730, passed Kawasaki.

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Do you mind me asking in what respect it has surpassed the Kawasaki? I only ask because I've never found a fault with the Kawasaki. Ive only had one Koehler, it was on a Husqvarna that I had 15 years ago and it was a trash motor imo...maybe they've made strides since then

ldg397 said:

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I have a JD 540M with has the Kawasaki engine which was a must for me. Going on my third year wouldn't have anything else in this price range sub $4500. Only regret I went with the 48" deck which is fine but wish now I had gone 54" or 60". Still not sure about 60 it may less Manueverable someone with a 60 would have to speak to that.

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If your ground isn't super level though, you are going to have fun with uneven cuts for the bigger decks.

DeWrecking Crew said:

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EskimoJoe said:

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The Kawasaki engine isn't what it used to be. With the pro 7000, kohler has caught up with and in the case of the Kawasaki fs730, passed Kawasaki.

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Do you mind me asking in what respect it has surpassed the Kawasaki? I only ask because I've never found a fault with the Kawasaki. Ive only had one Koehler, it was on a Husqvarna that I had 15 years ago and it was a trash motor imo...maybe they've made strides since then

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the Kawasaki is known for goiing through governor shaft seals, top bushings, and valve guides that come loose causing the valve to bounce around on top of the piston. The new kohler is rumored to have thicker rings and a heavier piston than the Kawasaki. They say this is why the Kawasaki engine of the same hp as the kohler will have more torque, but sacrifice the weight of the internals to do so.

All this is coming from the hustler dealer when I was buying my ztr mower at the end of last year. He had the same model side by side, one with the kohler and one with the Kawasaki. He told me there was no reason to pay extra for the Kawasaki. They have seen less problems with the kohler, and same or slightly better engine life. He claimed the kohler used less fuel also.

I bought the kohler but haven't ran it yet.

Another very happy Ferris owner here.
No complaints whatsoever.

Very heavy duty unit with a comfortable ride, and I mow about 6-8 ac of pretty mixed and rugged country with it.

For 1.25 acres, of which you will be mowing probably 1 or slightly less, get a regular lawn tractor.

Not going to be a lot of difference in time with a ZTR versus regular tractor on that amount of land, and a regular tractor will be more beneficial with other than mowing tasks.

I have a compact tractor and a regular lawn tractor, at least half the time i jump on the little Cub Cadet mower - especially when I need to do around the house, etc. Doesnt take long and is,convienent.

I'll ask my wife how she likes the John Deere zero turn when she finishes mowing...

I sure like my SCAG. I've had it for over 10 years now and it's been great. I can't imagine trading it for a lawn tractor.

schmellba99 said:

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For 1.25 acres, of which you will be mowing probably 1 or slightly less, get a regular lawn tractor.

Not going to be a lot of difference in time with a ZTR versus regular tractor on that amount of land, and a regular tractor will be more beneficial with other than mowing tasks.

I have a compact tractor and a regular lawn tractor, at least half the time i jump on the little Cub Cadet mower - especially when I need to do around the house, etc. Doesnt take long and is,convienent.

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I'm on 1 acre and the zero turn cut my time in half AND cuts better. You don't need a gigantic yard to see benefits.

I didn't say there wouldn't be zero benefit, only that the benefit isn't going to be a holy cow type of benefit. You are talking about 15 to 20 minutes at most of difference in cutting time on something that size, and that's being pretty conservative IMO (assuming no or few trees anyway)

Cutting better - meh, that's largely subjective or a pure function of one deck being better built than another, because a deck with three blades driven by a serpentine belt is the same whether the drive is on a ZTR or a lawn tractor. If you like your ZTR cut better, more power to you.