Try a stand on.

 

I don’t think I’d get along with a stand on. I’ve got about 4acres, plus my back and legs start burning after just standing a few minutes.

 

Smoothest machine I have ever used was a Scag Turf Tiger II like the one for sale in NE MO, I’m talking Cadillac smooth. I’m thinking your back might deserve a bigger budget.

 

What about them there Ferris mowers with the coil-overs? All that just for show or do them Scags have suspension also?

 

With the Scag it's the seat and the Turf Tiger II has a very low center of gravity. I fell in love after 1 pass on the demo.

 

I wandered about the Ferris , since it had suspension, but have heard from a few people (around here) they have a thin deck. That may just be brand bias talking though.
I was wandering about the scags. They seem to be everywhere around my area (landscape companies) so I figured they have to be a decent machine. I can raise my budget, I really have no idea what I want to spend, but at this point, I’m more worried about my back, and comfort.
I mowed this morning, and had to come in, take 2 pain pills and get in the recliner

 

I should point out that I don’t have any experience with any Ferris ztr. I just wanted to open up a little talk about the suspension because I’ve always wondered why and if it was effective. Just wanted to point out I’m not vouching for Ferris.

 

I should point out that I don't have any experience with any Ferris ztr. I just wanted to open up a little talk about the suspension because I've always wondered why and if it was effective. Just wanted to point out I'm not vouching for Ferris.

I've wandered about them. I did check out a ex mark and John Deere recently, both were nice, but not a lot better than my yazoo.
I might try to find a Ferris dealer this week and go have a look

 

And this

 

And this View attachment 496084

That is a similar seat that came on my wife's Z997R, it is completely inferior to the Grammar MSG65 that came on my Hustler HyperDrive. That twist to adjust seat isn't bad, but it is not even close to the same ride. Although you have to manually pump the air up onto the air spring with your butt in place, it gives a much nicer ride. If you opt for forward aft isolation really makes a huge difference too.

 

Instead of taking pain pills.
Hire a lawncare company to take care of it. Then go do what you enjoy.

 

Instead of taking pain pills.
Hire a lawncare company to take care of it. Then go do what you enjoy.

Right after the first surgery, I did hire it done. Needless to say, I can't afford that all summer. 1k a month for mowing is a little steep for me.

 

I did buy a suspension seat for the yazoo last summer, it helped, but not a lot. Not sure of the brand, it was recommended by a local dealer, so I bought it. I think I paid 350-400 for it. I’ve talked to several guys and asked for recommendations for a smoother ride, but haven’t found nothing yet that was night and day different than what I have. So far on mine, I added the seat, dropped tire pressure to barely above being flat , it’s just bumpy here.
Wife mentioned just selling and buying a house with a small yard, but I think a smoother riding mower would be cheaper lol

 

That is the seat, it appears not to have the fore/aft isolator and it has the optional upper back rest. They don't come cheap, probably why Hustler stopped putting them on standard on the HyperDrive a few years back.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...3p9egLnMkgfSmjvtEhhoCeZgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The cloth Grammer seat shown in the photo does not have the fore/aft isolator of which is really the game changer for ride quality. The Grammer seat shown in your Northern Tool link does have the fore/aft isolator that can be locked out or used in the front to back suspension mode by utilizing the flat gray lever on the bottom left side when sitting in the seat.

My 72" Hustler HyperDrive weighs heavy at 1600 lbs as does yours, but the ride is really good with the Grammer MSG65 seat and Flex Forks. Weight and frame length also plays a part in how well a mower rides, with the 72" Hustler HyperDrive having both weight and longer wheel base.

With that being said, no ZTR can ride like the larger Ferris mowers for the fact they cannot absorb shock from rough terrain like the coil spring over shock utilized by Ferris.

 

I would have to agree that the fully suspended Ferris mowers would offer the best ride. But I went with the cheetah 2 witch rides very nice. Plus the Ferris can’t compete with the velocity deck. So I gave up some comfort for me to give my clients the best cut I can.

 

Hate to say this isn’t the job for you. I have sciatica that comes and goes. When I use my pred pro just for a month @ fall cleanup time it dam near cripples me.
I bought the pred pro originally thinking a top of the line mower w suspension seat would be easier on my body… man was I wrong. I’ve never been more sore … even my knees for some reason. I bought a stander out of desperation and it made a world of difference. Mowing on the stander doesn’t even bother my back at all. I keep a z2 and a Walk behind on the trailer now. The pred pro sits in the shed 11 months of the year.

 

Thanks for the replies. I went and looked at a few machines today. Found a scag tiger cat ll with a 61” deck and 32hp engine. It’s a trade in with only 90hrs on it. Really nice machine. I wasn’t able to mow anything, since they didn’t have any grass at that dealer, but drove it around and tried to find bumps. Also looked at a bad boy , it was also a nice machine, but didn’t seem as heavy duty as the scag, and I haven’t seen many around this area. It was cheaper, but i think I would get the scag over the bad boy, just because of the features, and thick deck. There’s not a Ferris dealer in my area, so didn’t get to look at any of them. I’m going to talk to the wife tonight and make sure if I spend that much, she ain’t going to shoot me

 

Just a thought...I think Simplicity makes a suspension type mower similar to Ferris. Maybe you have a Simplicity dealer in your area? I seem to remember previous discussions where the Simplicity was brought up as a cost saving alternative to Ferris. That's all I know tho...

 

I have the same hard ride issue with my 2.5 acres. Very bumpy. I use a JD F935 72" front deck mower. Amazing machine, but when I'm on it I feel like I should be hanging on with one hand and waving my cowboy hat with the other. Anyway, after a year of research I think I'm going with the Altoz 561 next summer. Test drove one the other day. Very nice but pricey.