Mower opinions?

Bacchus - I would say my efficiency is a lot lower then, due to the bumps and speed that I am limited to - I doubt that I am doing 5mph. I mow with my deck set at around 3-3.5". As far as how often, it depends on the year. Rainy seasons due to flooding, I have had to mow every 3 or 4 days to keep it knocked down. Dry seasons I've only mowed every 10 - 12 days - just depends. I would just as soon mow once every week to week and a half. I'm in a pretty low spot so the grass grows pretty fast most of the time. Here is a pic of my ground - an old ariel photo - it looks flat and smooth but it will beat you to death if you try to get up any speed:


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Maybe I should just go this route - hahaha:


john-deere-chopper-lawn-mower.jpg


Later.
 
Buy a decent size used compact and at your own convieniance you can slowly smooth out your yard and when all is done you will probably be able to get back your initial investment and buy something else as long as you take care of it.
 
Not a bad idea paulfun. I'm sort of stuck between a rock and a bad place. Buy a dedicated mower that will handle the rough ground at high speeds to get done quicker, or buy a compact tractor that I can mow with - hopefully at least a little faster than I already am and do other things with as well. I hate decisions like this, especially when they involve so much of the almighty dollar...
 
I have had my 755 for a little over eight years now and its still worth what I paid. Actually I could not buy one for what I paid
Buying brand new is the thing not to do if you plan on selling it later on.

In my case I want a slightly larger machine and plan on doing some work with it to help with the costs as well I hope to keep the next one forever
 
locate hustler dealer, ask for onsite demo. get a 5ft deck.

also "ferris" check them out they have a full suspensioin system to make it possible to handle the rough stuff without slowing you down. I cant personally vouch for them .. but their claim to fame is that suspension, might be right for you.
 
Bacchus,
Wow......You da man.....If those Ferris mowers work anything like they say, then that may be the ticket for me.

I googled "ferris mower reviews" and read through some reviews - they get pretty high ratings. Only a couple of bad things - on one model, a guy said you had to remove one of the rear shock bolts to get to the oil filter and a couple of different guys said the motors try to die when engaging the blades - maybe that is only with certain motor options or models, not sure. And even their higher models would bring the price down under $10,000. Looks like they are built really good, lots of options, motor and deck choices and features. They are owned by Briggs & Stratton who also owns Simplicity, Snapper and GiantVac. I'm still trying to get the video to load so I can see them in action. I will definitely have to check these out in person the next weekend I'm off - dealer is about 20 miles from me so that's a good thing as well.

Can't thank you guys enough for your help and input on this. Later.
 
Oh yeah, so what do you guys think about motors? Liquid or air cooled? Thanks.
 
ferris will probably demo for you as well...

liquid cooled will cost more, and is worth it, but probably not a must have item for you.

If you are willing to pay more for a better machiene ..get the diesel ! 33.5-hp Caterpillar™ diesel engine.• 55 ft/lbs of torque at 2800 rpm *12mph ground speed* 7+ acres per hour productivity*6" deck

72in x 12mph/99 x 60% effeciency = 5.23 ac/hr
time to mow 3 ac. = 34 munites

http://www.ferrisindustries.com/pages/mower.php?product_id=18
 
Nice engineering gone into the suspension and deck mount set up. The demo movie makes ME want one!!
 
34 minutes, now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!!! Hahaha. I just hope it's not all hype. What the website says and what they really do may be two different things. Hope I'm not disappointed when I see them in person.

Thanks again.
 
with a 60% effeciency factor ... should be very very realistic. even if it ends up 45 min. it is still a quick mow.

Get your demo !!..... and let me know !

by the way that diesel not only has independendent suspension, but it has twin shocks on each rear wheel !! Looks like it will handle the rough stuff to me ... also a 1500cc diesel...but try it out before you buy !!

I can personally vouch for the productivity formula... should be damn near spot on.

how much is that bad boy ???
 
I only saw prices from the reviews. The 3000 model looks to go somewhere around the $10,000 or less area. The weather is still pretty crappy up here so it'll be at least a month or two before I would have a chance to get a demo. I haven't contacted the dealer yet but if I don't work this weekend or I get a chance, I'll go over to see what they are like up close. I want to get over there as soon as I can - maybe they will be willing to deal a little during these slow months? Later.
 
Ok,
Went to look at these bad boys yesterday. Pretty slick outfits, really built well. As for the suspension, he said "we can't say enough about the change in the ride with the suspension - it's more than a night and day difference when compared to a standard zero turn". I realize this is coming from a salesman so I took it with a grain of salt for now - I'll have to see it with my own eyes - hahaha. He showed me a Gravely with a suspension also. He said that the other brand names are now trying to come up with something that can compete with the Ferris models but they are not even close as they are not truely independent suspensions. They have been in business for a long time - I just never knew they were there as they are tucked back in a cubby hole off a side street. It's a really big place. I counted about 3 "warehouses" just of new and used equipment.

Anyway as far as prices go, I told him I was probably most interested in the 3100 model. He said the most popular one they sell is the 2000. The 3100 with a 61"deck is $10700 and the 2000 with a 61" deck is $8999. He also showed me some used ones - what he calls "church mowers". These are mowers that go out to various churches, get very little use and are traded right back in. They really looked like new - I could hardly see a difference. He would sell a 2000 model church mower for $7900 that's 1year old and a 3100 model church mower for $8900 both with about 130 hours. I mentioned the compact tractor was my other option that I was looking at and he showed me a 2006 New Holland, 60" belly mower and a bucket, 26hp I think? for $12000 that looked like new as well.

I asked about a demo and he said just give him a day or two notice when I was ready and he would bring out any and all models that I wanted to try. He talked like customer service was pretty important to them. He said they had over a million dollars in parts on site so if they couldn't get you up and running right away - if something broke or went wrong - they would get you a different mower on the spot to use until yours is repaired. But he talked like with the Ferris, it rarely happens.

So once the weather cooperates, I'll be getting a demo from him to see if they are really as good as they sound and look. Later.
 
Good question Bacchus - hahaha. Might be an option if the shocks from the factory aren't up to snuff - hahaha. Later.
 
Well, finally got some decent weather and got a demo. Needless to say, I ended up buying one. It's definitely a different bird. Didn't ride anything like I thought it would but it really flies! It's going to take some getting used to and some time to get it all adjusted and set up but I think it will really reduce my mowing time. I ended up with the 3100 model and I got the 72" deck. For this year (guess I waited just the right amount of time) the 72" deck comes with a 37 hp Kawasaki motor which has an oil cooler and an "air" ride seat which is 4 way adjustable - front/back, back reclines, lumbar, and weight with armrests to boot. I'll let you know how it really does after I mow the first time with it sometime next week probably. Thanks again to everyone for the opinions and help. Later.
 
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