buying 2 new mowers

[lawn jockey]

Im buying two new mowers and was just wondering about some opinions! I know everybody has their own preferences, but I would like to hear them all the same! I have looked at the grasshopper and the ferris 60 inch mid mounts at 2 local dealers they are both about the same price. (I would have looked at the ex mark but the local dealer is a !@$$#@!) It seemed to me that the grasshoppers controls were much smoother but the ferris has the nice suspension!?!? Any opinions would greatly be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And thankyou all who answered my previous?

[vipermanz]

did you search this on the search feature?

[LAWNGODFATHER]

The Grasshopper mid mount is relativly new I would wait till they get the bugs worked out a bit

As for the Farris the ZTR is the only thing I like that they make but the steering leavers will wear you out

And please tell us what is wrong with your Exmark dealer?

LGF:blob1:

[Evan528]

I agree, the steering levers on the ferris are way to stiff!! The suspension dosnt seem to make the machine run that much smoother than my z master and the cut on the ferris is just so so...... any other commercial mower options in your area?

[crazygator]

Check out the Hustler stuff. Either the walk behind or Z. Very well built equipment and the owner is a wonderful guy. Great to work with this company.

[fivestarlawnken]

if you are looking at grasshoppers check out the 700 series and see how much more it would be.with that machine you can add implements like airifier,aerator,dozer blade,snow blade,leaf collection,etc this will add to your service list and make more money.i wish i could do this but oh well.good luck have fun:alien:

[captdevo]

check out the Walkers!!!

Like the Grasshopper they are front mount. But, with a GHS (grass handling system) unit you can swap decks for side discharge or discharge out the rear of the hopper.

Also you can add several attachments.

I've been using them for years and have had no major problems.

My preference is the 26hp EFI.

They are great on hills and very comfortable to operate.

If you're looking for a large deck, they have 52" and 62" and are coming out with a 56" and 74"

Check them out http://www.walkermowers.com

[Tony]

Grasshopper Mid-Mount , Don't let anybody that hasn't even drove one help you make up your mind. It has some of the largest pumps you'll find on a Z mower making it extra smooth. I love this machine for the smooth ride, a Ferris will never ride as good even with shocks, I've rode both. Grasshopper mowers are powered coated for long lasting paint while some of the mowers (I will not say which ones) look like they were painted with spray bombs. On welding, Grasshopper uses roboctic welding compared to shade tree welding I've seen on some mowers. All I'm saying is give Grasshopper a Break, they make very good quality mowers. Only my opinion, its free.
Tony

[chuck bow]

ARE YOU GUYS FORGETTING ONE THING WHY NOT CK OUT THE SCAG TURF TIGER SCAG MAKES ONE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY MOWERS ON THE MARKET AND I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE AS I HAVE 2 SCAGS NOW

[crazygator]

please do not post with all caps. Thanks!

[Evan528]

Chuck Bow, do a search on scags. Will find that most scag owners are far from happy with there mower! Especially the turf tiger!

[chuck bow]

That why iam running scags now ,99% of companys up here in this part of country run scags and as far as i know from people i talked to are quite happy

[strickdad]

greatdane seems to be the biggest bang for the buck around here.. years ago i used exmark too. they build a fine mower also. but since toro has got them they are too pricey!!! so check out great dane if you can, they are a well built mower for a good price

[Nick]

Dixie chopper has some new economical choices. I am a proud owner of an XW 2300.

[NC Big Daddy]

I can tell you about the machines I have. And you can make up your mind from this and other post.
I have 1 Turf Tiger 61" advantage deck, not a bad machine. It is heavy and will mark up some turf until you learn it's finer points :D
ExMark...Mine are outstanding mid-mount mowers not much else to say...Sorry your dealer is an Ass.
Grasshopper 700 great mower only drawback is the price of parts.... OUCH!
Bobcats. Another very good mid-mount. Also priced to make you money in a hurry.
Walker... I have 3 of these 2-MT 20hp GHS (be sure to get the auto-dump) 1-26 EFI....WoW very nice just got it in June. IMHO nothing beats a Walker cut. Drawbacks you ask? Sure.... First. They are big money. Not something to take lightly. Second. If you have help running the mower there is a pretty long learning curve on their operation, also something not to take lightly. Third. They are slow even with the turbo add on. I can live with that due to the outstanding cut.
As for the Ferris sorry I cant help you, as I don’t own one.
Sorry for the long post and good luck.

[taz72373]

Well I have 6 eXmark mowers and I think they are the best. I tried a scag as a demo after I got a price on the scag mower I bought the 6 exmark for what I could have bought 4 scags for. Great dane I had 2 gave them away because there a fast mower and you have to hit spots twice because the deck and travel speeds are not together. 1 bobcat it ok but in my area the exmark is about $1300 cheaper. I also owned a walker and a grasshopper and you couldn't pay me enough to take either one for free. I would try a dixie chopper but the nearest dealer in my area is 150 miles away and offers a great warranty but the down time to travel for warranty work is not worth it because as any one of us knows that time is money. My options are what I think because I have had the problems and headaches with the mowers. In my are (mt. Pleasant NC) most of the mowers you see is exmark and bobcat. An exmark 23hp kawasaki 60 inch cut I just payed $7475 each plus tax. A bobcat 23hp kohler 61 inch cut is $8750 plus tax. Thank you and have a great day.:cool: :blob1: :blob3:

[Eric ELM]

Chuck Bow, we had a thread going this spring called 2000 Hour Club, asking who had 2000 hours or more on their mowers. I didn't see one Scag that was in this thread, not to say they won't make that many hours. We had some over double the 2000 hours and several almost at 4,000. Here is the link to that thread if anyone wants to read it.
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14537&highlight=2000+hour+club

[johnhenry]

Ferris vs Grasshopper there is no comparing the two.The grasshopper is just a notch above a dixon.There fine when they are new but they wear down quickly after a 1000 or 1500 hours there shot and look it also.I have a new Ferris and its true that the sterring is stiff but the frame and deck are so solid.I also tell you to look at exmark which are great.If you cant afford a exmark or ferris then look at a toro which is exmark or hustler,dixie chopper.My advice would be stay away from scag also .There great looking but are having several problems with there hydro"s
.Best of luck

[NC Big Daddy]

Taz....You may want to re-check the price on the Bobcat.....Thats way high ( I think I know where you got the price :) ) As for a DC dealer there is a new one in Charlotte....E-me and I'll let you know where.
Cya on the road.


Oh almost forgot....If ya have any Walkers sitting around I'll be glad to take'um off your hands :D

[taz72373]

NC Big Daddy I got my Price of $8750 on the bobcat at Bowers John Deer in Albermarle NC. And as far as DC when I went to there web site and went to dealer locator I think it was wilmington NC where it gave me for nearest dealer. That was awhile back thought.

[WREBELMACHINE]

As an owner and operator of commercial ztr's I have drove and looked and have owned several diffrent brands some of which have been mentioned. However due to the rough mowing that we due and quality of cutting we do we looked at another thing that you might consider is the KISS system. Which means keep it simpley simple! And what I mean by that as after we replaced several electrical items and gadgets. we started looking at more simple machines. We now own several DIXIE CHOPPERS because there are less things to break! You might take this in consideration when you are looking. Also another machine that you might take a look at is a BLADERUNNER this unit is very impressive, and we are going to try to buy a couple of units this fall!

[keith@a1 lawn]

hey taz and everybody else, new to this board so bare with me, a friend of mine bought the bobcat zt225 for 7250$ he is tickeled to death with it, i'm still looking for my first ztr, i like exmark,scag, bobcat, hustler, just thought i'd let you know.........

keith

[taz72373]

Its true we all own different types of mowers. Some of us own scag or dixie chopper or bobcat and so on and I'm sure at one time or another we may have bought a certain type of name brand mower and had nothing but headaches and said I'll never buy one of those again. I know I have said that. Even I have to say its been several years since I've owned some of the mowers I said I would never buy again and in the last few years those manufactors have noticed there bad sides and took note of a few negitive comments and made improvments and may be a better mower than they where 5 or even 10 years ago. Any one of us could start making our own mower and it be a piece of crap but after we take some advise from others make it become a best seller. I beleive what ever you feel most comfortable on is what determans what you buy. Some like fords some like chevy. I quess that what makes the world go around. We all have different likes and dislikes. I quess I like to find the best deal and a mower with a drink holder.

:confused: :alien: