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After reading this forum the past few nights I decided to become a member and access the wealth of
knowledge that I see being shared here. As the title suggests,, I am looking into buying my first zero turn
and have somewhat narrowed my choices down to a few manufacturers based on being a reasonable distance
from where I live and not being a box store. My local brands include:

Ferris, Toro, Exmark and Harqvarna (sorry Deere John, but you've left me wrenching more then mowing)

I would categorize my mowing machine requirement to fall into the middle weight category.
3 acres / 98% flat n rolling / 2% pitched along a ditch / one corner wet in the spring and after heavy rains.
Many obstacles to maneuver around like trees, garden beds, trees, out buildings and more trees.

I favor a machine that has a fabricated 48 - 54 inch deck, 2800-3100 transmission, Kawasaki Engine but wouldn't
shy away from other brands that have a solid reputation. When it comes to budget I'm at a slightly flexible $4,000
and just like most post I've read on here, I'd prefer to be south of that number than north. But some of the quality
features I've listing will make that a challenge.

With all that said, what proven models do each of these manufactures have that fit the bill?

Check out the Exmark Quest S series 50 inch cut. MSRP is $4,500. They recently upgraded the Quest mowers, getting rid of the wimpy HG2100 transmission and replacing it with the 2800. Some other upgrades too. Engines on the lower models are proprietary Exmark engines now, made by Loncin. They appear to be pretty good engines. Same deal with Toro. Love my Exmarks!

I agree with Darryl on this one, but being a Toro guy I would suggest you take a look at these two models.
https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/riding-mowers/timecutter-mx5050-74774
https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/riding-mowers/timecutter-mx6050-74777
60” deck might be too big, but it is a great unit if it would work for you.

Ferris 400S. It is priced close to your budget, has an option of a Kawasaki engine, 2800's, fabricated deck and even some suspension to help for those little bumps and dips in the yard. Ferris is a company that only makes commercial mowers and builds very sturdy equipment. They also have decent warranties.

Thank you for the quick feedback guys. Much appreciated.

I did have a chance to talk on the phone with my local Ferris dealer today regarding the 400S. Very nice machine but the initial conversation
was a little disenchanting. The base model 400S is a 44" BnS engine that has an MSRP of $4299. When I bump up to the 48" deck and Kawi motor
its at $4960. I inquired about a cash out the door price in comparison to the list price and was told, that is the price. I may take another swing at
the price discussion in person when they hold their Ferris open house (weather pending) to test drive in a couple weeks.

The Exmark is interesting to know that they bumped up to the 2800's. I will reach out to them tomorrow on pricing.

The Toro 5050 range models I believe come with 2200's Unless i upgrade to the HD models that are roughly $1200 more. (Most affordable as well)

The Harsqvarna's I think are also equipped with the lower level 2200 trans. I think they market as "maintenance free".

It may be too early to slice anything from my wish list, but I'm realizing that the trans leap from 2100/2200 up to 2800/3100 is in the
$1200 to $1400 range. So the additional questions arise, Are they worth the added cost? Are they that much stronger? Are they that much more Reliable?
My experience is only with garden tractor mowing on a John Deere 345 and an X320, neither had trans-axle issues in there 750 hour life that I owned them.
I may be comparing apples to oranges between a garden tractor drive and the zero turns? If the leap is really that beneficial then I wont compromise by settling
for the lesser of the two.

I would certainly shop the Ferris around. I spoke with my local dealer last year and it was less than $4600 out the door for the 400s in a 48" deck with the Kawasaki engine. As for the Toro, the TimeCutter HD 48" is a very nice mower and has the 3100 hydros but unfortunately only has a Toro branded 22.5hp engine. With regards to your question about the upgrade/expense into something with 2800/3100 hydrostatics it is certainly worth it. Without getting into whether or not you can service the EZT's, the 2800/3100 are actually designed for the consumer to "service" with filter and fluid changes. Besides the fact that they offer more torque and faster ground speeds, they have stronger internals which combined with the serviceability should provide longer life.

The Exmark Quest and the Toro MX are very similar. Unfortunately Toro/Exmark changed most of their Kohler and Kawasaki powerplants over to in-house engines. There are a couple here and there but you obviously get more Kawasaki engines as you go up into the more expensive mowers.

On a side note, if you are not using the mower commercially, the engine choice may not matter a whole lot. Most of the engines in mowers under $5k are all comparable. Some buyers are looking for the machine that will last a lifetime, and spending $10k on a Scag or similar may get you that, but for the average home owner with a couple of acres will only put 50-100 hours a year on the mower and should see at least a decade of trouble free use out of that $5k machine. Just a little money a time to keep it maintained over the years.

You might also want to look at the new Cub Cadet Ultima ZT2 54. This mower is under $4k before taxes and has the 23hp Kawasaki FR691, 2800 hydros, wide front and rear tires and a very sturdy design. I am not a huge Cub Cadet fan, but this new series of mowers has been well received by those who have reviewed it already.

CruzenMike I agree totally on upgrading to the better hydros. After searching and reading some posts about failures at 150hrs, rebuilding processes and cost, it's definitely not the area to cut back on. I would like to shop other Ferris dealers but unfortunately the next closest one is over an hour away. I was hoping the one 5 minutes from my house would work out. However, today there's a game changer. A local Toro dealer listed a used machine that has my attention. A 2014 Toro TITAN 54" ZX5400 with 120hrs. This model has a 23HP Kawasaki and ZT3100, listed at $2497. That's a lot more machine then the classes I was considering and half of what I was planning to spend.
I'm going to look at it tomorrow and give it a good going over. If anyone has experience with the Titan? please chime in and let me know the pros and cons?

The Titan is an excellent unit. I didn’t recommend it because was outside the price range you initially posted. Have sold many of these to our small to midsize landscapers. Have not heard or seen of any problems with them. Remember I am a Toro guy, but I always give honest answers.

I have looked at a few Titans and they are close to Exmark Lazer Z quality in my opinion. A machine with that few hours should last you many years if maintained. Any new machine you would be shopping at that price would likely fail before the Titan would.

Toro owns Ferris so you will see a lot of similarities. Ferris is owned by Briggs & Stratton.

I own a Toro for 15 years and bought my first Ferris last fall for my wife.

Toro also owns Exmark I believe. Lochin is in China. But I'm hearing these engines are doing ok as well.

Padroo said:

Toro owns Ferris so you will see a lot of similarities. Ferris is owned by Briggs & Stratton.

I own a Toro for 15 years and bought my first Ferris last fall for my wife.

Click to expand...

Correction, Toro owns Exmark and yes you will see many similarities. Toro has a huge presence in equipment designed for golf courses, municipal properties and homeowners. Although they have an entire commercial line of mowers, which has expanded significantly over the past 5 years or so, the Toro comes second to the Exmark brand for commercial use. Whether it be brand reputation/recognition or the slightly better warranties on the Exmarks in the past, the Exmark didn't necessarily cut or perform any better than the Toro counterpart. It's like the Dodge Stratus, Plymouth Breeze, Chrysler Cirrus; slightly different and all made by the same parent company meaning shared technology and shared components. In these rebranded cars the Chrysler's were always the "premium" option but all sucked the same!

As for Ferris, they are owned by Simplicity Manufacturing who also happens to own Briggs and Stratton. Yes you will see many of their models with a Briggs and Stratton engine but they also have Kawasaki and even Honda engines powering their mowers.

Sounds like some very strong support for the Titan. I called the dealer today with a few questions and set up a time to stop in and take a look at it.
Unfortunately, its not on site yet. The current owner traded it in an 800 series Ferris which is being shipped and should be ready for delivery next week.
When they deliver the Ferris, they are bringing the Titan back to the shop. They were able to share a bunch of nice pictures and it appears to
look in new condition. In the meantime, I'm going to continue getting an up close look at other brands so I have a clear comparison in mind when viewing
the Toro.

cruzenmike said:

As for Ferris, they are owned by Simplicity Manufacturing who also happens to own Briggs and Stratton. Yes you will see many of their models with a Briggs and Stratton engine but they also have Kawasaki and even Honda engines powering their mowers.

Click to expand...

Correction: Briggs & S owns Simplicity & Snapper (non-commercial) & likely more.

7394 said:

Correction: Briggs & S owns Simplicity & Snapper (non-commercial) & likely more.

Click to expand...

I stand corrected. I was reading into the history of Briggs and an online source sited Simplicity as pending Briggs. If you read the entire history of Briggs it is astonishing that they have been around for so long and that they are quite diversified.

Blue-Grass said:

CruzenMike I agree totally on upgrading to the better hydros. After searching and reading some posts about failures at 150hrs, rebuilding processes and cost, it's definitely not the area to cut back on. I would like to shop other Ferris dealers but unfortunately the next closest one is over an hour away. I was hoping the one 5 minutes from my house would work out. However, today there's a game changer. A local Toro dealer listed a used machine that has my attention. A 2014 Toro TITAN 54" ZX5400 with 120hrs. This model has a 23HP Kawasaki and ZT3100, listed at $2497. That's a lot more machine then the classes I was considering and half of what I was planning to spend.
I'm going to look at it tomorrow and give it a good going over. If anyone has experience with the Titan? please chime in and let me know the pros and cons?

Click to expand...

Although I've only used it for one season, I bought a used Toro Titan ZX6020 with 220 hours and I couldn't be happier. Previous owner was a meticulous NASA employed mechanic who kept the machine pristine mechanically and very clean. All preliminary break in maintenance has been done and all I have to do is follow suit. The price itself sounds reasonable and you've only got about 2 seasons of use on it. Kawa power is a plus as well. It's what I would seriously consider, but I'm biased. It really depends on the previous owner and how well it was maintained and why it is on the market with such low hours.

Selluwud said:

Although I've only used it for one season, I bought a used Toro Titan ZX6020 with 220 hours and I couldn't be happier. Previous owner was a meticulous NASA employed mechanic who kept the machine pristine mechanically and very clean. All preliminary break in maintenance has been done and all I have to do is follow suit. The price itself sounds reasonable and you've only got about 2 seasons of use on it. Kawa power is a plus as well. It's what I would seriously consider, but I'm biased. It really depends on the previous owner and how well it was maintained and why it is on the market with such low hours.

Click to expand...

I don't know the full background story on why he is trading in. I do know ho's trading in on an 800 series Ferris.

cruzenmike said:

I stand corrected. I was reading into the history of Briggs and an online source sited Simplicity as pending Briggs. If you read the entire history of Briggs it is astonishing that they have been around for so long and that they are quite diversified.

Click to expand...

Agree 100%, I'm still running my 15 year old (made in USA) Flathead Briggs in my MTD push mower. That is a good one.

Briggs and Stratton owns Briggs & Stratton®,*Simplicity®, Snapper®, SnapperPRO®, Ferris®, Vanguard®, Allmand®, Billy Goat®, Murray®, Branco®*and Victa®*brands. *Kawasaki engines are available on some models.

TORO owns LAWN BOY and DITCH WITCH. TORO outsources it’s low end products to MTD.

I placed a deposit on the Toro Titan. Just waiting for it to stop snowing here and schedule the delivery. I appreciate everyone's helpful feedback.
It really helped steer me in the right direction for making this choice. I think I got lucky on the price for such a well maintained machine with
low hours. And the plus are having a dealer close by for parts and service when needed. Knowing i've got a solid proven frame, Kawasaki engine
that I favored and most of all the 3100 hydros. I sure I'll be back on the forum inquiring on blades, tires and general maintenance down the road.
Thanks again!

Congratulations. Sounds like a nice machine at a good price and it should serve you well for many years to come.