Richard Martin and Fdew, I was wondering how many hours you have on your machines. The reason is, the independent suspension has a lot of extra wear points and I was wondering how they are holding up after 2 or 3,000 hours of use. Is the independent suspension greasable?
I have never seen a Ferris around here and I can't imagine anything smoother than my new diesel Chopper. I know tires have a lot to do with the ride of a mower, the bigger the better. It has 25 X 12 tires which ride much nicer than the 22 X 11 tires on my old one, plus the extra 200 lbs it weighs, 1200 total, helps hold it down to the ground.
Blade tip speed and baffles in the right spots of a deck is the key to a good cut. I agree with Luckylawnboy, the cut of the new DC's is great.