ferris 500???

[rdubs20]

thanks again for the response. I am going to look at it this weekend and maybe make an offer

 

[Shughes717]

thanks again for the response. I am going to look at it this weekend and maybe make an offer

Any time, thats what this site is for. Let us know how it went. If you purchase it post some pictures. Good luck.:thumbsup:

 

[1striper1]

Is the B&S "Professional Series" the same thing as the Commercial? I had the 27hp Pro Series on my now departed Simplicity Prestige, What Chinese made, oil burning POS it was. 30 hours and it burned a quart of oil. Local dealer has had many problems with it.

I'm having a hard time even wanting a Vanguard on my next ZTR even though the dealers who I have talked to are all very happy with them (of course they are!). My gut says stay with the tried and true Kawi FX.

EDIT - local dealer is selling a new IS600Z with a Kawi FS for $4999. If $5K was my budget and Ferris was my choice, this is the ZTR I'd get!

 

[Shughes717]

Is the B&S "Professional Series" the same thing as the Commercial? I had the 27hp Pro Series on my now departed Simplicity Prestige, What Chinese made, oil burning POS it was. 30 hours and it burned a quart of oil. Local dealer has had many problems with it.

I'm having a hard time even wanting a Vanguard on my next ZTR even though the dealers who I have talked to are all very happy with them (of course they are!). My gut says stay with the tried and true Kawi FX.

EDIT - local dealer is selling a new IS600Z with a Kawi FS for $4999. If $5K was my budget and Ferris was my choice, this is the ZTR I'd get!

The vanguard is made by daihatsu, which is owned by Toyota. Briggs partnered with them to make the engine. My father has a vanguard on his mower. Great engine. Any engine can malfunction. Mad Mackie is someone who has used the commercial turf engine on his mower and he seems to think its a good engine. I have read enough of his posts to believe he has a very good working knowledge of engines. As I said, I have no personal experience with the commercial turf engine, but I haven't read many bad reviews of them. I do have some experience with the els series. The ones with the flat air filters like on a car were not well designed and dirty air would by pass the filter when the plastic cover got hot and warped. B&s went back to the canister air filter with the last of the els engines, and it solved the problem. That's the engine on my friend's mower and it runs great. Doesn't use oil either. I am also a big fan of the kawasaki engine. I went with the fx series on my mower. However, the ones who have engine trouble on here usually use their mower more than a couple of hours a week. Residential owners usually don't stress a commercial mower enough to have too many problems. That is a great price for an is600 though. It would be worth looking at if the op can get one for that price. I have not found one in my area for under $6k.

 

[1striper1]

The vanguard is made by daihatsu, which is owned by Toyota. Briggs partnered with them to make the engine. My father has a vanguard on his mower. Great engine. Any engine can malfunction. Mad Mackie is someone who has used the commercial turf engine on his mower and he seems to think its a good engine. I have read enough of his posts to believe he has a very good working knowledge of engines. As I said, I have no personal experience with the commercial turf engine, but I haven't read many bad reviews of them. I do have some experience with the els series. The ones with the flat air filters like on a car were not well designed and dirty air would by pass the filter when the plastic cover got hot and warped. B&s went back to the canister air filter with the last of the els engines, and it solved the problem. That's the engine on my friend's mower and it runs great. Doesn't use oil either. I am also a big fan of the kawasaki engine. I went with the fx series on my mower. However, the ones who have engine trouble on here usually use their mower more than a couple of hours a week. Residential owners usually don't stress a commercial mower enough to have too many problems. That is a great price for an is600 though. It would be worth looking at if the op can get one for that price. I have not found one in my area for under $6k.

I have a "good" Vanguard in my Simplicity. Being that I'm originally from Milwaukee I wish B&S was still the B&S of old....but alas it's not. It's a global company now.

Here's the link to that IS600. I got the feeling that it's not a "special" price...but maybe it is?

Zero Turn Ferris Mower IS600Z

 

[Shughes717]

I have a "good" Vanguard in my Simplicity. Being that I'm originally from Milwaukee I wish B&S was still the B&S of old....but alas it's not. It's a global company now.

Here's the link to that IS600. I got the feeling that it's not a "special" price...but maybe it is?

Zero Turn Ferris Mower IS600Z

That's a great price for an is600v!:thumbsup: I wonder though if that's not the 44" model price. I was pricing the 48" and 52" models. I also wonder if that is with the kawasaki engine. They usually cost five to six hundred more. Dealers usually show the price of their smallest models with the least features to bring customers in.

 

[Shughes717]

I looked at the add a little closer. It's a bit misleading. It says prices start at $4999.00. It isn't advertising an is600v with a Kawi engine for that price. That price is going to be for a 44" model with the commercial turf engine. A 48" or a 52" with the Kawi is going to run around the price I mentioned (in the $6k range).

 

[rdubs20]

yup that is what I just found out today. I asked my local ferris dealer about the 500. He said that the 500 is really the new 700 not the 600. Any comments on that?

 

[Shughes717]

yup that is what I just found out today. I asked my local ferris dealer about the 500. He said that the 500 is really the new 700 not the 600. Any comments on that?

The main difference with the is600 and is700 is engine hp and mower width. The is600 comes with either a 25hp commercial turf, or a 18.5 hp fs series Kawi. It is also comes with either a 44" or a 48" deck. The is700 comes with a 27 hp commercial turf, a 26 hp vanguard, a 23 or 24 hp fs series Kawi. It also comes with a 52" or 61" deck. What your dealer is saying is that since the is500 he is selling is a 52" with a 27 hp briggs engine it is more comparable to the is700. The is500 was offered in a 44",48",61" when it was in production as well, so it actually is comparable to either. The is600 and the is700 both offer the same zt3400 hydros, where as the is500 has smaller slower hydros. They all have the icd deck, which is a very good commercial mowing deck.

 

[Shughes717]

Btw rdubs20, did you check to see if the is500 was a 2012 or 2013? If so which was it?