Deciding between Ferris 700z 52" and Hustler Fastrak 54"

[djdicetn]

Mowsley, does your 700 really cut to 5", as the specs indicate? My 600 arrived on Saturday, and it is clearly marked that when the deck is in the transport position, it is only cutting to a max height of 4.5". I'm a little disappointed that my mower was not marketed properly to true specs!

Don't get me wrong, but would you ever mow your grass at 5"???? My Gravely is adjustable in 1/4" increments up to that 5" height, but I never cut at more than 3". You would almost be using the ZTR as a "bush hog" if the grass is so tall you had to cut it at 5". I "store mine" with the deck at 5" because it takes all of the tension out of the deck stabilizing springs and I figure it will extend their lifespan. If I stored it at the lowest cutting height I would be afraid that the springs(even though they are pretty heavy duty springs) would "stretch out" sitting all winter like that. That's about the only purpose I really see for the 5" deck height setting.

 

[Floodwaker]

Don't get me wrong, but would you ever mow your grass at 5"???? My Gravely is adjustable in 1/4" increments up to that 5" height, but I never cut at more than 3". You would almost be using the ZTR as a "bush hog" if the grass is so tall you had to cut it at 5". I "store mine" with the deck at 5" because it takes all of the tension out of the deck stabilizing springs and I figure it will extend their lifespan. If I stored it at the lowest cutting height I would be afraid that the springs(even though they are pretty heavy duty springs) would "stretch out" sitting all winter like that. That's about the only purpose I really see for the 5" deck height setting.

In fact my first cut was just such an occasion where I wanted to cut at 5". The mower I am replacing was out of commission for two weeks while I waited for my Ferris to come in, and we had plenty of rain. The grass was well overgrown, and I would have preferred to take 1/3 of the blade off with a 5" setting and come back and do a finish cut. This was my rational for choosing the Ferris with its advertised 5" cut capability, and I am disappointed that the advertised specs do not meet the equipment's real capabilities.

 

[djdicetn]

In fact my first cut was just such an occasion where I wanted to cut at 5". The mower I am replacing was out of commission for two weeks while I waited for my Ferris to come in, and we had plenty of rain. The grass was well overgrown, and I would have preferred to take 1/3 of the blade off with a 5" setting and come back and do a finish cut. This was my rational for choosing the Ferris with its advertised 5" cut capability, and I am disappointed that the advertised specs do not meet the equipment's real capabilities.

Well, hopefully this being due to not having a mower for a while, this won't be an ongoing "problem" for you...and the 4.5" max cutting height will be OK.

P.S.
Soooooo, how did it do at 4.5"?????

 

[Floodwaker]

Well, hopefully this being due to not having a mower for a while, this won't be an ongoing "problem" for you...and the 4.5" max cutting height will be OK.

P.S.
Soooooo, how did it do at 4.5"?????

Not great, but okay. With brand spanking new marbain blades, I did not expect to see as many stringers left over. Maybe I was expecting too much, as the grass was pretty tall and is very thick. I was traveling about half speed, but I may need to slow down even further on my next mow to see how it does.

You're right that the inability to cut to 5" is not going to be a regular problem as I cut to a max height of 4" in the summer, but there are times when I travel for business or vacation, and these are the times when I'd prefer to be able to cut to 5" before applying a finish cut. Besides, it's the principal of being mislead by the marketing. I doubt that there was any intentional disception, but you still expect better when spending over 5 grand on a piece of equipment. I've actually contacted Ferris 2 days ago to make them aware of the situation, but they have not responded yet to my message. I asked them to correct their marketing and to get back in touch with me to discuss the matter. I am definitely curious to see if they handle this properly. I hope they do.

 

[djdicetn]

Not great, but okay. With brand spanking new marbain blades, I did not expect to see as many stringers left over. Maybe I was expecting too much, as the grass was pretty tall and is very thick. I was traveling about half speed, but I may need to slow down even further on my next mow to see how it does.

You're right that the inability to cut to 5" is not going to be a regular problem as I cut to a max height of 4" in the summer, but there are times when I travel for business or vacation, and these are the times when I'd prefer to be able to cut to 5" before applying a finish cut. Besides, it's the principal of being mislead by the marketing. I doubt that there was any intentional disception, but you still expect better when spending over 5 grand on a piece of equipment. I've actually contacted Ferris 2 days ago to make them aware of the situation, but they have not responded yet to my message. I asked them to correct their marketing and to get back in touch with me to discuss the matter. I am definitely curious to see if they handle this properly. I hope they do.

Let us know how they respond.....I totally agree, inacurrate specs are misleading to the consumer, period.

Maybe they'll "compensate you" with a huge discount(free would ne nice:0) on a mulch kit or bagger to help with those windrows:0)

 

[Floodwaker]

Let us know how they respond.....I totally agree, inacurrate specs are misleading to the consumer, period.

Maybe they'll "compensate you" with a huge discount(free would ne nice:0) on a mulch kit or bagger to help with those windrows:0)

I will definitely let you know. I called and had to leave a message with the Briggs and Stratton employee who handles their web contact forms, so we'll see.

I really didn't have too many issues with windrows, which was nice. I did open the discharge chute wide open to ensure good throw, and I tried to blow into uncut areas. There was very little that I had to go back over with the blower. The only issue was the stringers (if that's the right term for miscellaneous uncut grass blades.) Somebody told me that the marbain blades come packaged with a coating over the blade tip that wears off after a few cuts, but I can't confirm. They said that could be the reason that I had so many tall grass blades that did not cut properly. Someone here may be able to confirm or deny...

 

[jrapp]

I will definitely let you know. I called and had to leave a message with the Briggs and Stratton employee who handles their web contact forms, so we'll see.

I really didn't have too many issues with windrows, which was nice. I did open the discharge chute wide open to ensure good throw, and I tried to blow into uncut areas. There was very little that I had to go back over with the blower. The only issue was the stringers (if that's the right term for miscellaneous uncut grass blades.) Somebody told me that the marbain blades come packaged with a coating over the blade tip that wears off after a few cuts, but I can't confirm. They said that could be the reason that I had so many tall grass blades that did not cut properly. Someone here may be able to confirm or deny...

I got a Ferris 1500 and have had the same issue with "strings" of grass left sticking up. I only have about 5 hours on the mower right now. It seems to do better if the grass is a little taller. I used to cut weekly. I let it sit for almost 2 weeks and then cut. There were less stringers. I also cut some of my in-laws and it was pretty long. It did a great job! The only other issue I am having is getting used the hydros. My old cub ZT was much less responsive. This thing is very touchy. Is yours the same?

 

[Floodwaker]

I got a Ferris 1500 and have had the same issue with "strings" of grass left sticking up. I only have about 5 hours on the mower right now. It seems to do better if the grass is a little taller. I used to cut weekly. I let it sit for almost 2 weeks and then cut. There were less stringers. I also cut some of my in-laws and it was pretty long. It did a great job! The only other issue I am having is getting used the hydros. My old cub ZT was much less responsive. This thing is very touchy. Is yours the same?

My first cut was in extremely thick and high grass (like 3 weeks of growth), which was when I had a whole lot of stringers left over. This past weekend, I was able to cut at a normal interval (1 week of growth) and a 4" height, and the stringers were much fewer and far between. Really, not enough to mention at this point.

Does your 1500 reach a 5" cut in the storage position? I'm still waiting to receive a legitimate response from Briggs and Stratton on the marketing issue. The lady I've spoken to, three times now, told me that I would be receiving a call or email from someone there in the engineering department who had some type of "solution" for the issue. It's been nearly a week since I made them aware of the issue, and I'm beginning to get the impression that they are dodging and delaying me until they can figure out the best way to make me go away...

 

[jrapp]

My first cut was in extremely thick and high grass (like 3 weeks of growth), which was when I had a whole lot of stringers left over. This past weekend, I was able to cut at a normal interval (1 week of growth) and a 4" height, and the stringers were much fewer and far between. Really, not enough to mention at this point.

Does your 1500 reach a 5" cut in the storage position? I'm still waiting to receive a legitimate response from Briggs and Stratton on the marketing issue. The lady I've spoken to, three times now, told me that I would be receiving a call or email from someone there in the engineering department who had some type of "solution" for the issue. It's been nearly a week since I made them aware of the issue, and I'm beginning to get the impression that they are dodging and delaying me until they can figure out the best way to make me go away...

Yes. In storage it is the 5 inch cut. I think mine even has a label on the cut height adjustment that says that. I will have to check.

 

[Floodwaker]

Just to give an update:

Briggs and Stratton (Ferris) has been dragging their feet on this, big time! The girl I originally spoke with first claimed to have not received my email, after repeated contacts from my end, she finally said she found my email in their spam folder (FYI, I submitted my message through the web contact form on the Ferris website, so she is telling me that the Briggs and Stratton email server is recognizing their own internal web forms as spam.) She then told me that a guy there had devised a "work around" and would be in touch with me. Several more days and no word, I called back again and again. I was then put in touch with one of the repair guys who said I could raise the deck myself and just realize that the markings are all off by 1/2 inch. Really, does that change the fact that the specs state this mower will cut from 1.75" to 5" in quarter inch increments? In real life it can cut from 1.75" to 4.5", or it can be "worked around" to cut 2.25" to 5" inches, but never 1.75" to 5", which is the marketing that I spent a lot of money on.

I also called my local dealer (who is the authorized repair center) to discuss the issue. (To give background, while shopping, I offered to pay him $300 more than the out of state price which included $200 in delivery, i.e. $500 more than the out of state price, to keep my business local, but he told me that even at that price he couldn't make money selling me that unit. I physically drove over to speak with him eye to eye and explain that I wasn't running a negotiation game on him, I appreciated his time, but I am a man with a family, and there is no way I could justify paying $700 more overall to simply give him the business. I did tell him that I would like to continue working with him after the purchase for local parts and service, and he said of course, we'll still be friends.) Well, when I called him to discuss the unit, I guess he finally realized that I wasn't BS-ing him in an attempt to get a better price, and I could tell in his voice that he was mad. He was very short on the phone, told me that he would work with me based on whatever Briggs and Stratton tells him to do, and he left me feeling pretty out in the cold with no real manufacturer or local dealer support at this point. (Mind you, the real purpose of my call was to get the price on a new set of blades, a tow kit, and possibly a bagger and/or mulching kit.)

If things continue down this path, I will probably start a brand new thread in the Ferris area, but ever the optimist, I will give a few more days to see if things turn around... I'm honestly getting so turned off by all of this that I may end up going through my credit card company and forcing a return on this...