Ferris IS2000Z

Blowing blue smoke after 10 hours use – IS 6000Z newer model Suspension will be checked by dealer as it is quite hard not like the one in the showroom however more concerning is the Briggs and Stratton motor blows blue smoke on startup requires us to take the mower back to the dealer for diagnosis and potentially replacing with only 10 hours use.

Absolutely Fantastic. The best investment I've made for my country property – When we had serious bushfires in Central Victoria a few years ago, I decided I'd better buy a ride-on to get rid of the long grass and reduce fire risk. I tested 5-6 brands of zero turns including Toro and Husqvana. I went for Ferris because it appeared to be better engineered and stronger. I also liked the suspension as I have back and neck problems.

I have 4 hectares (10 acres) of undulating land with medium density bush on approx. one third. The front third is also very rough. Previously, my property always looked scruffy even though I had it slashed yearly.

I've now had my Ferris mower for approx 5 years. It has completely transformed my property. I have no doubt that after mowing my whole property for the first time with my Ferris, it's value immediately increased by the purchase price of the mower. It has looked like a golf course since.

My neighbors take 3 days to mow their similar properties (and start fires) on their little tractor style mowers. I can do mine in 5 hours. That's including around all of the trees, fence posts, under wire fences and sections of steep embankments, culverts and drains. I never have to use a whipper snipper anymore. It only leaves a few strands of grass around the trees.

It's much more than just a lawn mower (as the Ferris TV ad suggests). I use it on seriously long grass. I also use it to push over small trees. I then drive over them and mulch them. I also mulch old timber that is laying around. It even spits out rocks that I occasionally run over accidentally. Nothing stops my Ferris - and it's very fast. I call it the Ferrari of mowers.

I spoke to a mowing contractor when I took mine in for a service. He also raved on about how fantastic his Ferris is.

He said he also uses his for landscaping. So I tried it. I drop the deck right down onto uneven soil and it levels it. It sometimes creates a bit of dust, but what a time saver.

I agree with the previous review about the grass building up únder the deck belt covers. The simple resolution was to remove the covers. Apart from that, and a flat tyre, I've never has any problems with my mower.

I love my Ferris! Everything Nothing, I want a bigger, new one.

Its nice having a suspension, but completely useless,when the machine continually breaks down – We have had this machine for 3 years, it has 670hrs on it and since day one, this ZTR has been a lemon. On its first day of work, the deck belts kept on slipping off the spindles...the deck was not alligned properly by the manufacturer. Still 3 years on and the deck belt still comes off the spindles when grass builds up around the centre deck spindle due to a design fault.

The centre deck spindle is hard to get to for it to be greased and the putter spindles are hard to clean grass away from, due to their covers.

I have in the office, 22 mechanical work repair reports for this machine, and these are some of them:

1/. 4 times the electrics have played up, all the solanoids on the machine have been replaced, but when it rains or the machine gets wet, they will not work.

2/. The suspension bushed at 100hrs had to be replaced on the back suspension joints...worn

3/. The Kawasaki motor...3 lower oil seals, 1 push rod, 1 fuel pump and numerous oil leaks...

4/. The hydraulic wheel motors...2 have been replaced and 1 hydraulic pump....till the machine stops and will not move forward or backwards after about 60mins of work

5/. 2 batteries have been replaced.

I am a supervisor for a local government horticultural department...if I was a landscaping contractor, I would have driven this thing through the front doors of the dealer and told to jam it where the sun don't shine!

In the last 2 months, we have worked the machine for a total of 6 hours, the rest of the time it has been in the workshop getting repaired.

At present, the machine sits in the workshop with the motor removed, the motor has been given back to the dealer to repair the lower seal oil leak for the 4th time.

The department has also the large CAT diesel model 5100Z... don't get me started on them...

As I have said to the Ferris area manager" The suspension may be good and fine...but it is bloody useless whilst the machine continually breaks down!"

There is new models on the market in 2012, they copied the deck design from Scag, pitty they could'nt copy their reliability.

There are other ZTRs on the market, check them all out, several have suspension systems, not as flashy as Ferris, but they would be more reliable.

Ferris...simply a Joke....