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36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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Posted by brucejane mn (My Page) on Fri, Jan 29, 10 at 13:04
| just found ferris 36 " hydro walk behind that is a couple of years old that a dealer has from someone that went out of bussiness. he is asking $1,200.00 it. is ferris a good machine and does the price sound like it is in the ball park?? thanks:):) |
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RE: 36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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- Posted by canguy British Columbia (My Page) on
Fri, Jan 29, 10 at 21:13
| Ferris makes a very good product for the commercial market. The wide area walk behind which is what you are looking at is designed for areas too small for the larger riders but is a handful for a novice. Is this the type of machine you need or would a smaller tractor be more suitable? |
RE: 36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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| $1200 sounds good but $1000 would sound better. The hydrostatic drive is a huge plus compared to a old-school belt drive but the hydro offers a "true" reverse as opposed to the "(user)assisted reverse" found on Peerless and older worm gear belt drive trannies. The reason commercial walks got hydros was simple, the advent of the use on ZTR mowers and the desire to run "Velke" type stand-up rider attachments.(Pretty sure Ferris was a pioneer in that area) My 2 wheeler ran about $300 but there are some good knock-offs out there for considerably less (Jungle Jim comes to mind). Takes some getting used to, I really thought they were just a lazy man's toy until I got the hang of it. Not so great in close quarters but on large expanses of property they're a joy! As for the Ferris, I would assume the dealer has done routine check-up and maintenance. I'd ask to see what his mechanics opinion of the machine is and see if anything questionable could be repaired/replaced in the asking price (at least get 'em to throw in a set of new blades!) At any rate, compared to the 33's you've been looking at the Ferris is likely 10X the machine. If it's remotely similar to the unit in the link you should be very happy, I personally envy the cutting height adjustment... ~Wes |
Here is a link that might be useful: 2010 Ferris
RE: 36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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| Heck, buy the new one. I'm almost sold on it, 36"ers have always been my favorite (minus discharge chute). Try explaining cutting height to gray-hairs with an antique machine like my 20 year old design? I could make more money on smaller acounts without paying for the Scag nameplate and have features they don't offer (namely on the go cutting height adjustment). Gotta demo one! ~Wes |
RE: 36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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the machine is clean, has sat at dealer for a season. he has done all the servicing on machine while other guy had it. it has approx 200 hrs on a 13 hp kawasaki. single hydro machine. he claims it is ready to go . is $900-1000
a reasonable offer ???. no bagger or mulch kit with this machine. thanks for all the comments :):) |
RE: 36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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| Bruce, I can honestly say there's no need for a mulch kit on a commercial machine. Others may beg to differ and I'd love to hear why (accomanied with pictures, of course). Baggers are handy for clean-up work, it's likely not a service you would like to offer with push units so that investment could wait...? Depends on what you're offering now I guess, and where you dump vs.cost and all that 'little stuff'. As for baggers, Grass-Gobbler is the one I've had the most experience with. Well made, very sturdy. Heavy empty but that's better than a poor design on the cheap, the GG was well thought out. Cloth and the large discharge chute of a commercial mower just don't work out very well in my experience. If the cloth costs as much as the cage...There are some really nice aluminum units out there. Very pricey but worthy of consideration if you absolutely NEED a grass catcher. Unless you're ex-NFL, grass cages are dang heavy when full. You don't want the tarp on your manicured cut, carrying is torture. With practice you'll know to empty shy of full or shut the blades off and make a bagger run to your tarp/truck. I guess my point is, the less you need of this dandy accessory, the better. Even the largest can't keep up with a 48" or above, weight wins in that regard. 32 and 36" mowers work pretty well with "baggers", they'll blow your timed cuts to double just the same. Grass cages on big walks cost as much time as the lawn would've cost without. I hate to double-cut a lawn but it's quicker and more efficient in MANY cases. 200 hrs. is nothing on that kind of machine, sounds like a good deal in comparison to the ExMark with the de-thatcher attachment. Has hydro drive and comes without useless junk at about 1/3 the price. Spend your extra on a stand-on attachment before bagger worries and enjoy the 'ride'. In all seriousness, I really like the Ferris single hydro. I bought my 52" belt-drive due to price and acreage I mow, a slicker 36" could easily cover my needs. Better discharge and nice stripes. 36"er's are my absolute favorite for a killer cut, with just the two blades they deliver a great fast cut. Tighten the belt until you need a new one, they're cheap. I'd feel bad if you got ripped off but a 200 hr. machine of commercial designation with a hydro drive in the price range mentioned, even with a break-down it's better than the 33" homeowner-style WB's you've questioned. You'll be blown away by the performance compared to what you're using now, much less the upgrade to homeowner nightmare toy. I sincerely doubt you'll regret buying a nice commercial walk-behind. Right now the homeowner market is flooded with crappy homeowner-grade ZTR mowers that Ferris might outlive by 15-20 years. Just my opinion and good luck with the offer/purchase of whatever machine you decide on... ~Wes |
RE: 36' ferris walkb ehind hdro
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| thanks for all the info and opinions :):):) |
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