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Hi guys, looking for some advice. Been shopping for a zero turn to maintain my 1.5 acre lot in upstate NY. Mostly flat yard but lots of trees and fence to cut around. Been pricing mowers for a month and have narrowed it down to the following models:

SCAG Liberty Z - $3999 for 48" 21 hp kawasaki engine.
Ferris 400 S - $4299 for 48" 21.5 hp Kawasaki engine.
Hustler Raptor SD - $3899 for 23 Hp Kawasaki engine.

Dealers are all within 30 mins from my house. Thanks for any recommendations.

Don't know much about the Scags but the Ferris looks to be a pretty good product; it is a relatively new model and is certainly consumer oriented like the rest. I would say the Hustler should rank third on your list unless you can work out some amazing deal that puts it $500 less than the Scag. Many mixed reviews in Hustler, seen/heard good things about Scag, step-dad has a Ferris and loves it. Many other choices in the price range you are working with; Deere, Toro, Cub Cadet, etc..

cruzenmike said:

Don't know much about the Scags but the Ferris looks to be a pretty good product; it is a relatively new model and is certainly consumer oriented like the rest. I would say the Hustler should rank third on your list unless you can work out some amazing deal that puts it $500 less than the Scag. Many mixed reviews in Hustler, seen/heard good things about Scag, step-dad has a Ferris and loves it. Many other choices in the price range you are working with; Deere, Toro, Cub Cadet, etc..

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Yeah the Hustler is third, the SCAG seems much better reviewed and its only a $100 difference. The Ferris seems nice but I don't know if it's $300 better than the SCAG - From what I can tell they are almost identical except the Ferris appears to have a suspension system. I looked at some Toro's as well but the comparable model's seemed above my $4k budget (I won't go higher than the Ferris). I also looked at some Snapper models. Leaning towards the SCAG as it seems its a real nice mower at 4k even (and they would honor the 48 month 0% financing as well) - I had a dealer out of Syracuse (45 min away) offer the 18hp Kawasaki Liberty Z for $4k even and that was a cash and carry price only.

I hate making decisions lol, paralysis by analysis...

If you go with the Scag opt for the 21hp Kawasaki for the couple hundred extra. Take it from my experience; I have a 48" deck and only 18hp. At times I feel like my machine does just fine, but when I let the grass get a little too long I either have to slow it down significantly or make a second pass. Extra power means more grunt for getting through the long blades of grass. Otherwise, the specs of the machine look pretty good at around $4k.

I thought the Scag Liberty 48" only came w/18hp KW ? Or Kohler.

7394 said:

I thought the Scag Liberty 48" only came w/18hp KW ? Or Kohler.

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The 48 inch Scag Liberty is currently available with 18 and 21HP Kawi engine and the 52 is available with 21 or 23 Kawi.

SZL36-18FR 36" Cutter Deck, 18hp Kawasaki FR600 Series, air-cooled engine, 603cc displacement
SZL48-18FR 48" Cutter Deck, 18hp Kawasaki FR600 Series, air-cooled engine, 603cc displacement
SZL48-21FR 48" Cutter Deck, 21hp Kawasaki FR651 Series, air-cooled engine, 726cc displacement
SZL52-21FR 52" Cutter Deck, 21hp Kawasaki FR651 Series, air-cooled engine, 726cc displacement
SZL52-23FR 52" Cutter Deck, 23hp Kawasaki FR691 Series, air-cooled engine, 726cc displacement

cruzenmike said:

If you go with the Scag opt for the 21hp Kawasaki for the couple hundred extra. Take it from my experience; I have a 48" deck and only 18hp. At times I feel like my machine does just fine, but when I let the grass get a little too long I either have to slow it down significantly or make a second pass. Extra power means more grunt for getting through the long blades of grass. Otherwise, the specs of the machine look pretty good at around $4k.

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The price I quoted above is for the 21hp kawasaki. So I won't have to pay anything extra.

Darryl G said:

The 48 inch Scag Liberty is currently available with 18 and 21HP Kawi engine and the 52 is available with 21 or 23 Kawi.

SZL36-18FR 36" Cutter Deck, 18hp Kawasaki FR600 Series, air-cooled engine, 603cc displacement
SZL48-18FR 48" Cutter Deck, 18hp Kawasaki FR600 Series, air-cooled engine, 603cc displacement
SZL48-21FR 48" Cutter Deck, 21hp Kawasaki FR651 Series, air-cooled engine, 726cc displacement
SZL52-21FR 52" Cutter Deck, 21hp Kawasaki FR651 Series, air-cooled engine, 726cc displacement
SZL52-23FR 52" Cutter Deck, 23hp Kawasaki FR691 Series, air-cooled engine, 726cc displacement

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Now see on local Scag Dealer's website, they only list the 48" Liberty with a 18hp KW & come to think of it was same on Scag's website, last time I looked. Maybe something changed ?

That was a direct copy and paste from Scag's main site so I don't know.

Get whatever has the widest and tallest front and rear tires to save your lawn. Less likely to rut in wet soil. Also, the Hustler may have gotten a few bad reviews, however, they are work horses and haven't heard of enough folks actually being let down to be alarmed.

I ride mine like I stole it. Rough terrain and all. The deck seems to be indestructible and it doesn't seem to mind wide open at all times. Warranty back up by the factory is good. Dealers can sway your thinking on this, however, when contacting the company in the event a dealer runs you around, they'll get involved quickly and to your satisfaction.

Well, I do like the sprung suspension of the Ferris, however, do not like the narrow front and rear tires as they do have a tendency to rut from my observation.

Go yellow!

Good luck and enjoy your new purchase.

Max

Been speaking with the dealers some more trying to get the best deal I can. Am a little concerned with the SCAG now because I was informed its a 2016 model year - is brand new however, but I can't help but wonder if sitting around for 1-2 years will have a negative impact on it. But, the Ferris dealer won't budge off the $4300 price point and then I'd have to pay a $150 finance fee as well as tax - begins to add up. The Hustler SD with the Kawasaki motor won't be in stock for a few more weeks so I have time on that one. Ugh decisons...

Call the Scag manufacturer and offer them half to take the mower off their hands and clear up the dealer's inventory. Sometimes it works, sometimes they'll make you a counter offer and you can go from there.

Good luck

mhavanti said:

Call the Scag manufacturer and offer them half to take the mower off their hands and clear up the dealer's inventory. Sometimes it works, sometimes they'll make you a counter offer and you can go from there.

Good luck

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That's not a bad idea, I just emailed the dealer and told them I am having second thoughts as I was under the impression we were discussing last year's model year. Hoping they will offer a better discount - otherwise I think I'm gonna consider the other two options between the Ferris and the Hustler.

Okay the SCAG is not happening, the dealer was either clueless or trying to screw me because he now informed me that it is not only a 2016 but that it is a Kohler engine - he was mistaken. I am walking away. He wants $4800 for the 2018 SCAG and that is much higher than the other SCAG dealers within 40 miles of me.

So I guess I'm gonna keep looking, good news is its March and we still have a foot of snow on the ground.

Seems the newest Scags no longer offer the Kohler engines. At least according to their website.

Just the KAWASAKI* engines. :thumbsup:

If the Scag is something that you are really interested in, go to the next closest dealer and explain what your experience was with the other dealer and see if they have the model you want with the Kawasaki and if they are able to give you any better of a deal. Also, is the Kawasaki worth that much more (to you or street value)? I don't really care to have a Kohler either, but to save a significant amount of money, I would just suck it up. Kohlers aren't "terrible" engines, just not "as good" as the Kawasaki in your opinion. I think you are most upset about the dealer, which I would be too. At the end of the day, you as the consumer get buy what YOU want. So they may have lost your business, but they may also still have a 2016 that is still new and what is the best value around.

cruzenmike said:

If the Scag is something that you are really interested in, go to the next closest dealer and explain what your experience was with the other dealer and see if they have the model you want with the Kawasaki and if they are able to give you any better of a deal. Also, is the Kawasaki worth that much more (to you or street value)? I don't really care to have a Kohler either, but to save a significant amount of money, I would just suck it up. Kohlers aren't "terrible" engines, just not "as good" as the Kawasaki in your opinion. I think you are most upset about the dealer, which I would be too. At the end of the day, you as the consumer get buy what YOU want. So they may have lost your business, but they may also still have a 2016 that is still new and what is the best value around.

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Yeah I considered just taking the Kohler model but, the dealer was dishonest. He admitted to me yesterday he should have said it was a 2016 and confirmed it obviously has been exposed to a lot of weather during the last two years. But then he tried to convince me that's why it was priced so great - which in my opinion it wasn't that great. I had a dealer offer me the 2017 18hp Kawasaki SCAG for 3999 but it was cash and carry only - unfortunately, the dealer is at minimum 45 mins away and I don't think I want to buy from a dealer that is more that a 30 min drive away. I think I'm just going to keep looking, I have some Toro and Snapper dealers very close as well and am going to take another look at those. I really like the Ferris but after tax and financing fees its almost 5 grand - I'd really like to stay closer to 4k than 5. After all, while I want a mower that will last a long time, I'm only mowing between an 1-1.5 acres of pretty flat yard - trying to decide what is smart and what is overkill for my needs. Thanks!

Briggs owns Ferris. Just FYI.