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I mow about 5 acres in the hills, but the inclines are not steep at all, could possibly call it rolling hills since I am on top of a ridge.

Depends on budget....if money is any option I'd go with an isx3300. Now if you are trying to stay within a certain budget I'd look at the isx800. I see you posted in other brands also, I would hands down get a ferris. I do not own a ferris due to needing a machine for blowing snow, but if I was just strictly mowing it'd be a ferris. I demoed 8 ztrs and the ride of the ferris is far and above the others I tried and that is huge for me

nottamechanic said:

I mow about 5 acres in the hills, but the inclines are not steep at all, could possibly call it rolling hills since I am on top of a ridge.

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I have owned a Ferris IS700Z for 5 years now and I mow about 3-4 acres. Holds well on hills. I recently traded it in on a ISX800 ,nothing wrong with the old one, just got bored and I liked the suspension set up in front and the suspension seat. Dealer gave me a good price for it, they seem to hold value well if you take care of them. Also Ferris has 0% for 48 months financing right now if you wanted to go that route. Let us know what you have decided on.

Most people would just look at HP and cut width, but there are other VERY important things....

• Fuel tank size. You don't want to be constantly driving back to the barn for a fill-up. Or worse yet, walking back to the barn.
• Seat suspension. Not being a lawn means there are lots of pot holes and ruts to jar your kidneys.
• Storage. You might need to haul a phone, a thermal cup with water, and other human niceties.
• Quiet. Loud mowers sap your strength and make you tired.
• Arm rests. It's hard to hold your arms up for hours.
• Maintenance Access. Can you reach the oil filter? Can you reach all the grease fittings? Can you change the belts w/o disassembly? Can you reach the battery easily?

nottamechanic said:

I mow about 5 acres in the hills, but the inclines are not steep at all, could possibly call it rolling hills since I am on top of a ridge.

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I just got done doing a lot of shopping. My current yard is only a half acre, but I'm done with junk from the big box stores. We're in the process of looking for a lot to build a new home on, and are looking for something with 5 to 10 acres. Closer to the main drag we'll do 5, but further out up to 10.

Anyway, I managed to get my decision down to Exmark and Ferris. The ONLY benefit I could find on the Exmark is it's slightly better in wet grass. But it didn't have the shocks, and my back is a little testy, so I ended up getting a Ferris IS700z not too long ago. I took a little ride to get it because the locals for some odd reason think MSRP is supposed to mean something to me. It's not even the money so much as they refuse to deal. Where I come from that means refuse to buy. So my best advice is whatever you choose don't limit yourself to the locals.

I LOVE this thing. First off the suspension makes it like riding a Lexus around the yard. After a couple times around I just punched it across my bumpy yard and it literally felt like a hovercraft. My old Cub Cadet would have probably lost a wheel at the same speed.

The cut quality has my yard looking like a golf course hosting the PGA.
I bought the 52 deck model to improve maneuverability. This thing will maneuver around just about anything. One too many beers and I might set up the cone course for giggles.

The engine? Eh, I wanted something with a Kawa engine, but thought about it and ended up with the B&S 27hp. The Amsoil I will be feeding it regularly arrived before I left to pick up the machine. So I figure giving it new juice with a Wix filter every 25 hours or so should keep it nice and healthy for many years to come regardless of the power plant.

So far I've encountered only 1 issue. The sticks need some tuning. One side applies more power than the other. I'm sure there's a way to tune, so I'll be looking into that shortly. I'm new to zero turns, but I like doing my own work so it's nothing a few hours of reading and watching videos won't cure.

As far as actual negatives? Well, I don't know if others regard this as a negative but the mulch kit install is ridiculous. I'm supposed to drill 9 holes into a powder coated deck, and expose the bare steel of the deck to install this thing. Seems like for a commercial rig those holes should have already been there and powder coated over. Not to mention they expect me to have the ends of the bolts sticking out everywhere on the outside of the deck. The worst place in particular being the deck port cover. If I bump into anything with that bolt sticking out it gets shredded. So in an attempt to get around this mess I ordered some stainless hex/allen cap screws, lock nuts, and washers today an 1/8th shorter than the mulch kit. I'm gonna install the bolts thread side in if they clear the blades.

ALL that being said, again my second choice was Exmark, third was Bad Boy. But like I said I have back issues from a car accident. If I ever replace this Ferris it will more than likely be with another one. The handling and suspension alone is reason enough for me.

I am at the point of purchasing my 3rd Commercial ZTR, even though I only mow my own 7 acres weekly, with my 2017 BIG DOG, 60 inch, Diablo MP, 35 HP Kawasaki, HUSTLER clone. It is top of the line and has absolutely never given me a problem at all @ 330 hours. My other unit is a 2010 Snapper Pro, 61 inch Commercial with a 25 HP Kawasaki @ 750 hours (For sale) and both have been trouble free. I do all of my own maintenance @ 50 hours.

I HAVE A VERY BAD BACK, and after the 2.5 to 3 hours in the saddle, my back is SHOT so I have been looking into either a Ferris 3200 or 3300 big block ZTR or a BAD BOY Rogue, big block, hoping that the suspensions would keep me from bouncing around on my pockmarked Fescue 7 acre battlefield!

I would appreciate some opinions FROM OWNERS of these machines. I haven't test ridden either brand yet but I plan on doing so.

Sam

If you have any kids, buy a fleet of push mowers. 4 pushers = 84" of deck action. Much cheaper than a 0-turn. Use less fuel and a whole lot less expensive when the hydros go out on you. Not if but when. And you would have spare mowers to keep cutting grass. Great exercise too don't forget.

Thanks SLOMO for your absurd opinion!

Anyone that is Sentient, please opine!

PORKIE said:

Thanks SLOMO for your absurd opinion!

Anyone that is Sentient, please opine!

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What was absurd about it? Don't like spending time with family members? Don't like exercise? I take pride in my lawn.

Go ahead and amuse yourself and add nothing as a REAL opinion.

I am a Supermoderator on the Largest motorcycle forum in the world and we get Folks like you that add nothing of value to a conversation but only try to 'Trigger' angry responses for no legitimate reason.

Sam

PORKIE said:

Go ahead and amuse yourself and add nothing as a REAL opinion.

I am a Supermoderator on the Largest motorcycle forum in the world and we get Folks like you that add nothing of value to a conversation but only try to 'Trigger' angry responses for no legitimate reason.

Sam

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Welcome to the worlds best mower forum on the internet Sam. Nice to see new members.

And wow what an accomplishment. Being a "Super" "Moderator". On an internet forum no less. Congrats to you sir.

Britbike ?

I'll side with Slomo on this one. He talked about mowing with machines - not trained herds of goats. He wasn't factually wrong. He wasn't overtly rude. He was humorous. He backed his idea with various legitimate reasons. He added a new dimension to the conversation. He made me think about it.

Porkie was swinging for the fence. Maybe he doesn't like to walk??? I need all the exercise I can get LOL.

My wife likes to do yard work. We together have a great time knowing we've accomplished something as trivial as cutting the grass LOL.

NJMower said:

I'll side with Slomo on this one. He talked about mowing with machines - not trained herds of goats. He wasn't factually wrong. He wasn't overtly rude. He was humorous. He backed his idea with various legitimate reasons. He added a new dimension to the conversation. He made me think about it.

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Pushers are way cheaper with easier and less maintenance. Less belts and way less fuel consumed. Cut is far superior too with less soil compaction. Don't need a truck and trailer to fix a pusher. List goes on and on. One blade to maintain compared to 3.

You can drive down the street as know what kind of mower people are using. Severe ruts, you guessed it, a 0-turn.

Wish Porkie would come back. I kinda liked the guy......

I'm here Guy's.

I'm not thin skinned but I asked a legitimate question and wanted an honest answer, not comedy.

7 acres is a little too much for Push Mowers @ 74 years old.

Again, best choice for a person with a bad back wanting a smooth ride.?

Sam

Well you specifically asked for owners only to respond and this is the wrong forum for that.y
90% of the people who come here have a specific problem, they eventually get it fixed then move on never to be heard of again.
I don't own one so I did not respond.
However in general, they are both a drastic improvement on the standard rigid ZTR.
Which one is better is going to be quite subjective.
Even with suspension a ZTR driven quickly will be rough on your back on anything other than a bowling green.
If you like your current mowers my suggestion would be to get an adjustable air ride seat for your current mowers as both should have a lot more mowing time left in them.
You really need a seat with an air cushion so you can adjust it to your least discomfort level and try to mow slower .

Jumping in here because I just purchased a Simplicity Courier XT ( a beefier version of the Courier line for residential). When I made my final choice and had to drive almost 2-hours to a dealer that had the last one that close to me as my local guys are picked over and not restocking until spring 2022. So I was surprised when I arrived to also find Ferris at the same dealership. Comparing Simplicity and Ferris side by side only to find they merged some of the commercial heavy duty upgrades over to the Simplicity and a few Simplicity features over to Ferris. Both Ferris and Simplicity are owned and operated by Briggs & Stratton Company. I'm sure Ferris will maintain a dominance in the commercial line and Simplicity will focus on residential with a few Hi-bred offerings for those of us on the fence. My final inspection of the Courier XT before purchase was eye opening and comforting to see Ferris features on the Simplicity XT for about $1000 less. The other feature (The Simplicity deck with the striping roller) was a big plus for me.