It followed me home...

Darren Wright

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After much research over the last few weeks and a few test drives I finally narrowed down to a new mower to replace my 30 year old JD 214. This is the Ferris IS 700z with the 52" deck, Briggs and Stratton engine and 3400 Hydrogear drive units.

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It's one of the few that have any kind of suspension, which my back has been crying for over the past couple of years.
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It's supposed to be able to mow 5 acres an hour (top speed 10 mph). So hopefully my 4 hour's of weekly mowing will be 30 - 45 minutes now. :biker:
 
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Thanks guys, already figuring out a few "attachments" and accessories for it. They wanted $90 + installation fees for the lighting kit, so picked up a driving light kit and ordered the factory switch and trim plate from an on-line dealer, I'm about $30 in so far. Need to weld up a bracket for the lights that can use some factory holes in the frame.

A few years back a friend gave me a 12v fertilizer spreader that a friend gave me a few years back, which I think I'm going to make a universal mount for on the front of the mower, will use some trailer wiring connectors to power a few different accessories up there.

Lowes is just introducing these. Looks pretty cool too.

That is an interesting concept and not too bad of price considering what you're getting. A nice dump bed on that would really make it useful. Also can see a lot more generator/tractor combos coming in the future.
 
Nice looking rig Darren! As an aside, what is that on top of the right front tire - looks like a squirrel? Are you planning on controlling the squirrel population? :rofl:
 
After much research over the last few weeks and a few test drives I finally narrowed down to a new mower to replace my 30 year old JD 214. This is the Ferris IS 700z with the 52" deck, Briggs and Stratton engine and 3400 Hydrogear drive units.

View attachment 74564

It's one of the few that have any kind of suspension, which my back has been crying for over the past couple of years.
View attachment 74565View attachment 74566View attachment 74567

It's supposed to be able to mow 5 acres an hour (top speed 10 mph). So hopefully my 4 hour's of weekly mowing will be 30 - 45 minutes now. :biker:
Awesome how much this big machine costs you?
 
The IS700Z retails for $5,999, but considering the closest comparable 52" mower, with the same transmissions/engine/features was about $1,500 more (http://www.gravely.com/en-us/zero-turn-mowers/Pro-Turn-100-XDZ/Pages/default.aspx), it was a bargain. The Ferris also has a year longer warranty (4 years). The place I bought it from does the factory service and offers an extended warranty that I can buy anytime up until my factory warranty ends for about $500 which will extend it another 3 years.
 
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Figured I might as well get prepared for when it's time to clean the deck. I saw HF had their mower lift on sale for $99 (normally $149). Took advantage of the $6.99 shipping and a 20% off coupon. Had to pay sales tax, but Still saved a few bucks off the sale price. Can lift the front of the mower by hand with a little effort, so should be big enough to do the job. I will still stick a jack stand or two under there with me though. ;)

http://www.harborfreight.com/high-lift-riding-mower-atv-jack-60395.html
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Now hey Jack that's a lawnmower. Congrats on that baby you gonna get a lot of hours back and hey i can see that being used for private jobs. :) That machine is an investment in so many ways. Enjoy and I hope you never have to see the service guy for a warranty claim ever.
 
Now hey Jack that's a lawnmower. Congrats on that baby you gonna get a lot of hours back and hey i can see that being used for private jobs. :) That machine is an investment in so many ways. Enjoy and I hope you never have to see the service guy for a warranty claim ever.

Yeah, I figured if worse comes to worse, I can use some of those gained hours to help with increasing the shop's barley pop budget and then some.
 
So is it the size of the mower deck or speed of the machine that will let you cut down the hours? I'd think if you were able to reduce the number of 'trips' across the lawn, that would help to save on fuel costs as well.
 
So is it the size of the mower deck or speed of the machine that will let you cut down the hours? I'd think if you were able to reduce the number of 'trips' across the lawn, that would help to save on fuel costs as well.

Well, the speed of the machine; rpm, width, and design of the deck; and of course height and thickness of the grass being cut. The Ferris ICD deck has a low front end to create more vacuum to get the grass stood up quicker, blade tip speed is about 18,000 rpm, and can cruise at a max of 10 mph if I'm only cutting an inch or so off. Now if the grass is 6" tall and thick, then I'll probably only be cruising at 5 - 7mph

http://www.ferrisindustries.com/zero-turn-mowers/productivity-chart/

At least that is what the sales guy was claiming. ;)
 
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