Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial

keith204

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  • / Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial
400S: $4299 - Kawasaki
600Z: $5099 ($5499 - $400 sale) Briggs & Stratton Commercial

48" models

Spend the extra to get the 600Z?
 

tbzep

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  • / Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial
I don't have a Ferris dealer, so I can only browse them on the net. However, the 600Z has a true independent front suspension, vs the 400S only having a pivoting axle. It also has ZT-3200 hydros vs the ZT-2800's on the 400. To me, those two things alone would be worth the extra $800. The 600Z also has a Kawasaki FS600V option. I'm not familiar with Briggs Commercial, so I can't say whether it's a better option over the Kawi FR or FS series. From the pictures, the only thing that stands out to me is that there are no anti-scalping wheels in the center of the deck. It might not be an issue, but pretty much all the other brands have them.
 

keith204

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  • / Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial
Thanks. I went with the IS 600Z. I actually decided on the 400S but when I got there, they had a leftover 600Z from last year, with 0.0 hours on it. They knocked off even more so I got it for $4,750.

For future readers: I loved the feel of the 400S. It felt like a Mario Kart vehicle. Tiny and nimble. It was great. One oddity was that the 400S suspension didn't seem quite as active as the 600Z. Driving them both around the same field, I could see the 600Z front suspension moving the whole time, but the 400S never seemed to compress. Maybe it was a faulty 400S or something odd there, but I definitely felt that the 600Z took the bumps better. Yet, the 400S felt super super nimble and I loved that too.
 

tbzep

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  • / Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial
Thanks. I went with the IS 600Z. I actually decided on the 400S but when I got there, they had a leftover 600Z from last year, with 0.0 hours on it. They knocked off even more so I got it for $4,750.

For future readers: I loved the feel of the 400S. It felt like a Mario Kart vehicle. Tiny and nimble. It was great. One oddity was that the 400S suspension didn't seem quite as active as the 600Z. Driving them both around the same field, I could see the 600Z front suspension moving the whole time, but the 400S never seemed to compress. Maybe it was a faulty 400S or something odd there, but I definitely felt that the 600Z took the bumps better. Yet, the 400S felt super super nimble and I loved that too.
The pivoting front suspension of the 400S won't do anything when both wheels hit the same hole or bump because it is still a solid axle. It's the type of suspension a farm tractor uses to keep all 4 wheels solidly planted on the ground, not to make it ride better. There is some benefit when one wheel hits something, but not to the extent of an independent type. The 600Z independent front suspension should work much better when it comes to getting a smooth ride. I think you will really like the machine.
 

keith204

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  • / Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial
From what I can tell, the 600Z has pivoting front suspension (not independent)
 

tbzep

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  • / Narrowed it down. Ferris 400S w/ Kawasaki vs 600Z w/ Briggs Commercial
After looking again, you're right. I don't know what picture I was looking at before. I must have pulled up a pic of the 2600z.
 
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