32" vs 21"

[Tx Firefighter]

A little off topic, but I got a Scag 36 inch belt, fixed deck about 2 months ago. It has the Kawasaki and cost me $2199. I'm very happy with it, well worth the money.

Seriously, measure your gate width on your jobs. My 36er Scag will go through every gate on every one of my 26 residential accounts. I think you will find that the 36 will sneak through and will obviously give much increased productivity over the 32 inch units.

[Extreme Lawns]

The farris hydro 32" is 35 1/4". Might as well buy a 36" unit.

[Nova]

The Ferris Hydrocut CAN zero-turn. It's about 32 1/4" wide with the deflector removed.

It is useless on steep hills though, so you might want to consider that.

I run doubles on mine now, eliminator mulchers over the stock blades and it leaves a very nice cut.

Don't let people steer you away from it just because it has no steering, chances are they've never even seen the machine.

The height of the deck is changed by simply turning a crank.

Take it from me, it's not difficult to steer and you can zero-turn. It's a great machine for the price.

[mikeslawnservice]

Hey Nova,
Thanks for the reply. Do you know if a 36" will fit through a gate or not? They are not that much more in price. I just got to thinking that I could pick up a lot of larger properties with a 36". I do not have alot to spend but I would rather spend it now than have to upgrade to one later, after buying the 32". Some help please???

[Nova]

The 36" Ferris is the only other walkbehind I've used, and it's a totally different machine than the 32".

Assuming you'll be removing the deflector, the 36" will fit through a 37" gate. But think about the 36" gate, wouldn't it be nice to fit through those smaller gates? You're only cutting 4" less, but you'll be able to go anywhere with that machine.

I used to mow with a 21" Toro Proline exclusively, after I bought the Ferris, the Toro never leaves the trailer anymore. It's meant more for a 21" replacement.

Since the 32" has replaced my 21", my next step is to get a 48/52 Ferris Dual Drive. That way I have the best of both worlds.

I saved almost $1,000.00 (Canadian) over the 36", which is a single drive hydro as well. In the end, I didn't want to be stuck with a 36" and a 48/52" and 21" push mower. Because chances are wherever the 36" will fit, the 48/52" will fit as well. But it really sucks having to mow a large backyard with a 21" because your 36" is 1/2" too small for the gate.

[Jack D.]

Mr. Nova, can you please inform me how you Z-turn a single drive without manhandling or leaving a divot in damp turf.

The Ferris 32" I demoed was not nearly as maneuverable as my dual Viking 32"'s, could not do ditches or slopes, & frequently had to be manhandled. Granted I only had about 1/2 hr. on the unit but I cannot possibly see how it could be nearly as effortless to maneuver as the dual drives.

I really wanted to like it because it it is much cheaper than the Viking.

[Nova]

I never said it was effortless. It does take time to get it right, but it is very easy once you get used to it.

I really wanted to like it because it it is much cheaper than the Viking.

That's what sold me. I decided I'd rather "manhandle" the machine and save $1k which I put to better use.

[mikeslawnservice]

Nova,
Once again, Thanks!! I understand what you are saying. I am taking all suggestions very seriously. I am now using a 21". The only thing is, most of my smaller properties have hills. How will the ferris do on a small hill, and would a belt drive be better on a hill?

[Nova]

That depends on the angle of the hill, which direction you're mowing the hill and how strong you are.

Keep in mind, the Ferris Hydrocut weighs 375lbs, the 36" Ferris SD weighs 520lbs. I'm 6'4 160lbs, if you're stronger than me, maybe it won't be such a problem on hills.

Best thing to do, go demo one and see for yourself.

[Nova]

One more thing...

If you're going to consider a belt drive, do yourself a favour and get the Hydrocut instead! You may have to "manhandle" it, but having a hydro will definately make up for it.

[Jack D.]

Never go cheap on equip.. The Viking can cut hills & ditches with no problems & never needs to be manhandled.

That will pay dividends in productivity over the life of the unit.

[rkbrown]

I have the Viking 32". Excellent machine...cuts great and easy to handle.

[TD]

32" vs 21"

I keep a 32" on all my trailers for the same reason your looking to buy one. For one thing I use a 21" mower mostly for very small yards or trimming out area's where my bigger mower's can't get into. My 32"mowers are all Toro's as are all my mowers I also have 13 hp Kohler engins on them because the Toro 32" is a single blade mower and needs the power and a higher rpm. I also found that the standard blade works better on the 32" than the gator blades do. I hope this helps

[thomaslawncare]

Has anyone ever gotten any complaints from customers from using the bigger machines as opposed to the 21inch walk behinds. I have a lot of people ask me what size I use (I only have 21 in) and some people say they have had companies use the bigger and it does a poor job. They say they tear up the grass when the turn, or cut uneven on hilly yards etc. I have never owned one or used one so I don't know?

[BrianK10]

Yea, I had a guy want me to only cut his lawn with my push. His property was 3/4 acre. Some people are just plain nuts.