Thats a nice walk behind! Give us updates when you start mowing with it. Tell us how the Pistol grips are and if they tire out your hands because i heard that the ECS controls are even more comfortable.
ECS is Exmark, and I've never used one, but there's nothing difficult about these controls at all.
The slightest pressure on the levers and you start to turn. I think there's only about a half inch of travel in the levers overall including the neutral midpoint and all the way for reverse.
I've never used a gear drive mower either, but all of the research I did prior to purchase indicated that a hydro is easier to maneuver, and that's why I went that route.
Is it Toro that has "reverse assist"? Assist, my a$$, I want EASY, and this thing is an absolute dream to move around.
I looked at the Exmark 36" hydro at the same time I bought the Ferris. I was intrigued by the controls since they are supposed to be so operator friendly, but the unit was nearly a grand more than the Ferris, and the Ferris was already at my maximum price range.
I don't use it on every lawn since I'm transitioning from "21" only" lawns to larger lawns that are better suited for a walk behind. I think I have 45 hours on it now.
My only regret is not getting a bigger deck. It's certainly faster than a 21" mower, but not as much as I had thought it would be.
Every time I go through a gate though, I'm glad I started small.
I had a small accident with it today. I caught one of the "operating rods" for the grip levers on something and bent it. Thankfully, it appears that nothing else was damaged, and it can still be operated. I should be able to replace just the rod and be on my way.
Yet another reason to buy commercial - everything is so over-engineered and heavy-duty that only that thin rod bent. If this were a homeowner unit, I would bet that the handle as well as the mechanism that connects to the hydro would have bent as well.