Ferris IS3000 DEMO

[MOW ED]

Well by luck or not I was behind because of a rain out and I called my dealer to see if he had any demos. A Ferris IS3000 came in and he let me use it for a couple days.

I am a Walker operator in real life but man was I impressed by the suspension of the Ferris. The mower i had was a 25HP Kawi which isn't my first choice but it was what the demo came with. I can say that the suspension system is UNREAL. It works as advertised. I have some very rough lawns that beat me to death on a Walker and this mower sailed over them.
We had tremendous growth because of alot of rain and the mower did a nice job of cutting.

For an all out production mower this thing did fine by me. It also climbed hills like a goat. It did better than the Walker on some of my challenging properties.

I have it for another day (Friday) and this is the big test. Steep riverside hills.

I am still going to demo the Exmark and the Hustler within the next few weeks but so far this guy is a tough competitor. I know it beats the heck out of a Scag and a Yazoo/Kees in all respects.

[Lombardi]

I looked at the one that has a 72" deck and the Cat diesel. Looks like a good machine. Has anyone demoed this one yet?

[TLS]

Open ends on the front frame rails.....Just looking for junk to get in there.

Not a very deep looking deck.

Very high spring towers. The dust caps on top of the casters is the normal height of a ZTR, the spring towers look to be almost a foot taller! Can you say "getting in the way of low branches?"

Very LONG looking chassis. Website puts the dimensions similar to most 60" class machines, but this somehow looks longer?

1223lbs is rather fat for an AC ZTR!

Small drive tires, and narrow casters for that matter too.


As for the big 72" full susp. machine. It would be nice for big parks or rough areas, but its just TOO much weight at 1908lbs thats almost DOUBLE what a 52" ZTR weighs!



They have their place, but I feel that they are a specialty ZTR, and over optioned for everyday use.

But these are just my opinions, and I'm entitled to them!

[MOW ED]

Tommy,
You are right on many counts with your observations.

The shallow deck was a pain. That hindered me in thick grass. I had to go back and chop it with the Walker 52"SD w/doubles. No matter how much I double cut and double cut, the clippings didnt go away. It wasn't that bad yesterday but I had real long wet stuff today.

The spring towers are high and do hit low branches. They also crack you in the knee when you get off at the right angle.

Its about 80" long. I fit it and a Walker with a 52" deck on my trailer (14') but there was only about 4" to spare.

Drivers were small on this one 23's. The extreme has 24's but I would have thought them to be wider.

The machine is heavy but I have to say that the suspension does work.

As for the hill test. It failed. I don't think any midmount would pass. I almost sailed it down and tore the snot out of the lawn trying not to slip down the hill. I had to get my Walker and finish. I will give Hustler and Exmark a try also. Not optimistic for any of them but I know the Walker can do it and I will always have one of those on the trailer.

As for the 72 with the diesel, the mechanic at the shop demoed one and said he didn't like it. Too heavy and it kinda threw ya. I don't need one of those anyway.

All in all I really liked the suspension the most. It was smooth. The other things have to be fixed before I'd get one. Thats why ya demo.

[jsaunders]

The extreme seat is much better then the regular seat. I do like the 27 hp kohler, it is also quieter than the kaw. 25. The other thing that I don't like is the deck thickness- 3 1/2 - 4" ? And the seat hight is also high, next to the exmark there is a noticable difference.
The ferris does have 0% intrest for 1 year then it's 6.9% after that. What was the price$$$$? Thanks Joel

[MOW ED]

The price on that one was around 8500.00 the 27 was 9200 I think.

[johnhenry]

Ed have the dealer adjust the suspension.It shouldnt go zooming down the hill.I have a 3000 and it can go on hills here in the ozarks with no problems and we have some very steep hills.The 3000 will push the frame down to the ground as the mower goes down the hill.I have found it to go on hills much better than any front mount.For hills the exmark nor hustler can match the ferris.Tell the dealer to adjust the unit sometimes they come out of sinc from the company

[jsaunders]

My local dealer who I've bought my mowers and alot of quipment from said i could have the extreme with the 27 hp kohler for $8700. Another dealer said the best they could do was $9200.

[rodfather]

Originally posted by jsaunders
My local dealer who I've bought my mowers and alot of quipment from said i could have the extreme with the 27 hp kohler for $8700. Another dealer said the best they could do was $9200.

Why pay $8700 for the extreme when you can get the IS300 for $7700? For an additional $1000, all you get is a better seat and bigger tires. Same air cleaner is on both units, too.

I know this cause we mow for the #1 Ferris Distributor in the US. And I have had like 15 Ferris mowers over the past 9 years. Buy the IS3000 and save yourself a grand.

[jsaunders]

It must be nice to mow for the dist. of ferris. I would pick up the regular is3000 if I could get it for $7700, BUT my dealer is selling them for $8200 so for $500 I'm getting 2 more hp, a better seat and better front and rear tires, it's a smart buy- If it was a $1000 difference that is totally another story.
Maybe you can set me up with a deal????
Joel