7394
Lawn Pro
That's the fun part.. Enjoy.. :thumbsup:
1st time ZT shopper some guidance on models to consider.
- Thread starter lamrith
- Start date
That's the fun part.. Enjoy.. :thumbsup:
BoylermanCT
Well-Known Member
My Craftsman lawn tractor has 514 hours on a Briggs engine and still runs like new. My Raptor SD has a Kawasaki engine, and it is much much louder than the Briggs. Ear protection is optional on the Craftsman, mandatory on the Raptor SD.
Interested in hearing your comments after using the Ferris a few times. Is the suspension system meeting expectations?
I have a Kubota Z122 48" and purchased primarily based on spec's. (similar to what you appear to have done) and have been generally happy. Did have an issue with a defect on the steel tab welded to the frame that the deck mounts to. Looks like welds missed the target and it broke off. Luckily my dealer has been good to work with and got it repaired quickly as it is still under warranty. I bought used with 42 hrs on it for $2,500 so feel the deal was solid.
It cuts well, rides smooth and has plenty of power with the Brigs engine. It did throw the hydro belt one time which was a ***** to get back on as it jammed in between the housing and a bolt head.
Good luck with your new toy and let us know how you like it!
I have a Kubota Z122 48" and purchased primarily based on spec's. (similar to what you appear to have done) and have been generally happy. Did have an issue with a defect on the steel tab welded to the frame that the deck mounts to. Looks like welds missed the target and it broke off. Luckily my dealer has been good to work with and got it repaired quickly as it is still under warranty. I bought used with 42 hrs on it for $2,500 so feel the deal was solid.
It cuts well, rides smooth and has plenty of power with the Brigs engine. It did throw the hydro belt one time which was a ***** to get back on as it jammed in between the housing and a bolt head.
Good luck with your new toy and let us know how you like it!
I will let you know after tonight. Mower was just delivered to me at work. Maiden mow it tonight. I have a very strong feeling the suspension will meet expectations. It really does ride pretty plush.
I thought about the Kubota as well after how well my existing tractor did for us, The ride of the Ferris just won me over, and it was less $ than the Kubota.
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SO a quick initial 1st thoughts (well maybe not quick once I got rolling). Unit arrived assembled and ready to rock with .2hrs on the hour meter. All said and done the unit had 1.9hrs on it when I put it away after a fun evening mowing (what is wrong with us when mowing is fun!?):confused2:
#1 - FAST! This rig is going to cut our mow time at least in half. Due to both straight line speed as well as the ability to carve tight around trees and obstacles. I may not mow at full speed with it given just how rough our property is right now, but it can do it. Even at the speed I was mowing lastnight I was covering ground 2x faster than the old rig struggled to do and it was not even working hard.
#2 - Suspension works wonders. Property in middle is even rougher than I thought and the suspension and seat were working overtime. I do not want to think what it would have been like on a rigid chassis. I will likely work to try and flatten down some of the roughness as it is worse than I thought and needs to be addressed, but our entire property is uneven and I am glad to have gone with the ferris full suspension format as I think it will also save pounding on the unit itself as well as the operator.
#3 - Subtle / refined movements are key. Definitely a learning curve on handling, though after a few min I was pretty solid on it. I tried cutting along edge of porch and house foundation 1st. Probably a bad idea as I was twitching all over, but managed not to bash the deck into anything. Thanks to someone here that made a comment about setting speed with one side and then turning with the other. I am lucky to have large hands, large enough that my hands can be touching when operating the levers. In fact I cross my thumbs to the other lever allowing very subtle adjustments in each lever, I am moving both arms together rather than individually and just shifting hands for direction changes. I also found it helps for doing 3 pt turns at the end of each run as I can set the lever offset for a turn, then pull both straight back together in that offset to reverse turn and then transition right back to forward turn starting the next row. Helped for making sure I didn't pivot on a wheel and leave a divot.
#4 - Learning curve on how to operate on uneven ground. I think on slopes the suspen lets the unit lean a bit and the downhill egde scalps at the base of the slope if I ride laterally along the slope. I had heard about Ferris units and scalping and see what they referred to, it could be this would happen with any ztr though as this is my 1st experience ever with one, but I will be looking at altering our mow approach in a few spots to counter the issue.
#5 - May still need a bagger. The unit chewed thru the grass and spread it much better than the old one, however the growth is so large in a week that it still leaves grass clippings piled everywhere. I have not added a mulch kit, but I fear it is just too much volume to mulch and long term we may have to do a bagger anyway. I will use the old rig to bag this last cut in hopes that getting rid of the heavy cuts clippings might help for the next mow.
Overall I am extremely happy after the initial run. now I need to workout a good program for keeping the unit clean after each mow.
#1 - FAST! This rig is going to cut our mow time at least in half. Due to both straight line speed as well as the ability to carve tight around trees and obstacles. I may not mow at full speed with it given just how rough our property is right now, but it can do it. Even at the speed I was mowing lastnight I was covering ground 2x faster than the old rig struggled to do and it was not even working hard.
#2 - Suspension works wonders. Property in middle is even rougher than I thought and the suspension and seat were working overtime. I do not want to think what it would have been like on a rigid chassis. I will likely work to try and flatten down some of the roughness as it is worse than I thought and needs to be addressed, but our entire property is uneven and I am glad to have gone with the ferris full suspension format as I think it will also save pounding on the unit itself as well as the operator.
#3 - Subtle / refined movements are key. Definitely a learning curve on handling, though after a few min I was pretty solid on it. I tried cutting along edge of porch and house foundation 1st. Probably a bad idea as I was twitching all over, but managed not to bash the deck into anything. Thanks to someone here that made a comment about setting speed with one side and then turning with the other. I am lucky to have large hands, large enough that my hands can be touching when operating the levers. In fact I cross my thumbs to the other lever allowing very subtle adjustments in each lever, I am moving both arms together rather than individually and just shifting hands for direction changes. I also found it helps for doing 3 pt turns at the end of each run as I can set the lever offset for a turn, then pull both straight back together in that offset to reverse turn and then transition right back to forward turn starting the next row. Helped for making sure I didn't pivot on a wheel and leave a divot.
#4 - Learning curve on how to operate on uneven ground. I think on slopes the suspen lets the unit lean a bit and the downhill egde scalps at the base of the slope if I ride laterally along the slope. I had heard about Ferris units and scalping and see what they referred to, it could be this would happen with any ztr though as this is my 1st experience ever with one, but I will be looking at altering our mow approach in a few spots to counter the issue.
#5 - May still need a bagger. The unit chewed thru the grass and spread it much better than the old one, however the growth is so large in a week that it still leaves grass clippings piled everywhere. I have not added a mulch kit, but I fear it is just too much volume to mulch and long term we may have to do a bagger anyway. I will use the old rig to bag this last cut in hopes that getting rid of the heavy cuts clippings might help for the next mow.
Overall I am extremely happy after the initial run. now I need to workout a good program for keeping the unit clean after each mow.
Another update after second cutting session. The Ferris Def going to take a good bit of changing of how we mow. It is fast, comfortable and I find it easy to be precise with. I upped the rear springs and it helped, but it is still scalping a bit when I cut around trees, or if I turn with any speed at all, I will up the fronts as well for next cut. The scalping on any sloped ground is a definite downside to not busting a kidney in the rough section of the lawn. I have found I have to mow straight up and down the slope, not across it, it it scalps as the mower body rolls with the slope..
I changed pattern up front and it countered the scalping from last week, but also much slower mowing. I will try another pattern next time so see if I can find a balance. I will say being "slower" is relative, it is still faster than the old mower...
On the bagger front I am thinking more and more I will have to pony up for it. That or I have to mow at least 2x a week in spring. I went 5 days and grass clipping are thick ontop of cut grass, just too much growth. I have a hard time believing that it could be mulched down in but I will look at picking up the mulch kit next as it is much less expensive than the bagger.
Overall I am happy with it though 4hrs on the clock so after the next session it gets an oil change.
I changed pattern up front and it countered the scalping from last week, but also much slower mowing. I will try another pattern next time so see if I can find a balance. I will say being "slower" is relative, it is still faster than the old mower...
On the bagger front I am thinking more and more I will have to pony up for it. That or I have to mow at least 2x a week in spring. I went 5 days and grass clipping are thick ontop of cut grass, just too much growth. I have a hard time believing that it could be mulched down in but I will look at picking up the mulch kit next as it is much less expensive than the bagger.
Overall I am happy with it though 4hrs on the clock so after the next session it gets an oil change.
If the deck rollers are adjustable, drop them a bit to help keep the deck from dipping and scalping.
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Yeah that would work too, but they are not, at least not the ones in front.
RajunCajun
Member
Congratulations on the new mower. I found slowing down a little made a nicer overall cut. Less scalping. Now I’m slowly easing UP the cutting height and found a real nice cut job. Just more frequent. But I love running this machine.
SNAPPER 360Z 25hp Briggs/52” ZT2800s.
