Ferris IS1500ZX

[pcclipper]

Am looking at a used mower Ferris IS1500ZX. The hour meter says 19.5 hours. $5000 with a used landscape trailer. I cannot find this model on Ferris web site. Does anyone know when it was discontinued? How reliable is the hour meter?
Opinions of this mower please.

 

[Shughes717]

I am a big fan of ferris. I have a snapper pro s150xt myself. It is the same mower without the suspension. The is1500 and the is500 were discontinued for the is600 and is700. I believe they were discontinued last year. The hour meter on my mower is very accurate. I can tell you all the things to look for before buying, but there is already a great thread on here concerning buying used mowers (things to look for when buying a used mower). What engine is on the mower you are looking at? What year model is it? I can say that if there mower only has 19 hours on it then that is a great price.

 

[pcclipper]

Kawi engine. Bought in 2012

 

[Shughes717]

I wish I had found that deal

 

[pcclipper]

Yes I did buy it. The things are still on the tires. I have used it once and it done great. I need to find out if the steering dampers are self centering. If you pull the steering levers back they will go to neutral when released. If you push them forward they will stay in place till you pull them back. Is this normal?

 

[Shughes717]

Yes I did buy it. The things are still on the tires. I have used it once and it done great. I need to find out if the steering dampers are self centering. If you pull the steering levers back they will go to neutral when released. If you push them forward they will stay in place till you pull them back. Is this normal?

My snapper pro will come back to neutral when released, they are almost identical mowers except for the spring suspension. It sounds like the springs on the dampeners were either removed or came off on their own. Do you have a problem with the mower jerking when in the forward position? It's still under warranty, so I would go by the dealership and ask them.

 

[Shughes717]

I would post a picture of the lever brackets to show where there is supposed to be a spring connected near the dampeners, but I am not very computer savy lol. If you lift your seat you should be able to see a spring on each bracket. The spring is a bout 1/2" in diameter and is a few inches long. If you don't have them then they have been removed. Wouldn't think they would have broken off with only 19.5 hours.

 

[pcclipper]

Are the springs in addition to the gas dampeners?

 

[Shughes717]

Are the springs in addition to the gas dampeners?

Yes. They mount on the bracket separately. I will try to figure out how to post a pic, but I can't make any promises lol. I barely figured out how to post replies.

 

[pcclipper]

I think I know the springs you're talking about. They seem to return the steering levers to neutral from reverse, but not from forward. The springs compress when levers are pulled toward rear of mower. On the mower I have, with the engine not running, if steering levers are pushed forward they will not return to neutral. To me either the dampeners are not self centering or they are not functioning as they should. I will call the dealer today to find out if they know whether the dampeners are self centering.