Ferris fw15. Why I sold it after 4 months

[@AlexanderCrump]

I bought one with front caster wheels and optional high-lift blades and I returned it the same day. I quickly decided I could not live with it based on a couple of things: The rear axle is very low, even with the cutting height set all the way up, and it drags on brick trim around my driveway and on tree roots. It is also exceptionally heavy and I had a tremendously hard time maneuvering it on our hilly property. I researched this product to death before buying it, and I was really disappointed that it did not work out. I strongly suggest you see if the seller will let you take it for a test run on your property before committing to buy it.

[@BigHomie030]

I’ve used both. I feel both have their advantages and disadvantages. To me it just depends on your properties. Me myself I don’t bag anyone’s yard. So this is perfect for me and I cut a lot of high lawns. The toro hdx was good if I bagged anything. It’s lighter but the Ferris has more power and I needed that power. The frame on your mower might be bent or offset. I recommend both. Just depends on your use of each mower.

[@paulb2769]

Just priced the FW - 15 yesterday here in western NC and it was $3800.00 !!! DAMN !! At that price I am probably getting the 36" Toro hydro walk behind. Can also put a Sulkie on it and save a lot of walking on bigger properties.

[@kirkericson2722]

I called 4 dealers today in the piedmont and they didn't have any in stock. One dealer said there was no stock in the southeast. My local dealer has a used one that I'm gonna go look at.

[@glslee8236]

The frame is bent that's the issue. 4 months and this mower looks like its been handled ruff. You sure you didn't rack that yourself?

[@johnrus7661]

Not a bent frame, just probably welded the wheel a little bit high. Could have easily had that fixed under warranty or just get an exchange if he noticed it before even using it.

[@jcs1758]

Did you do a follow up video with the Toro?.... my opinion, the Toro isn't in the same league as the Ferris and I'd be surprised if you like it. Issue's with the Toro, power, transmission, clogging .....

[@roadstar499]

i f that wheel was like that from factory either a hole was drilled wrong or metal part or linkage is bent... easy fix... just find out whats wrong and tweak it..maybe even a block of wood and one good wack with a hammer...

[@AlexanderCrump]

I don't think it would have left the factory with kind of misalignment. QC would have caught something like that. Something happened to this machine at some point after it left the factory. Perhaps dropped?

[@glennevitt5250]

Thank you for this information and Great Video Happy new year

[@kevina4674]

Should have tried the baffle and plate/mulch kit. Might want to keep it. I would have noticed that tire from day one and told the dealer to give me a different one!

[@joseribera6800]

Yea I should have noticed it sooner that was my bad

[@KM-os4be]

I use an Oregon 42-095 Small Engine Deck Leveling Gauge on level concrete slab to check blade at the ends to ground height with different clocking of the blades. If you write down numbers on paper you will be able to see what corner or front to rear is off. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a perfect deck from the factory. But if you get creative and elongate some bolt holes or brackets you can make many of them very close.

[@ErrorInvalidName]

Recall on the casters from the early versions, they'll replace the whole mower if ya have one now. Had to beef up and redesign the welds.

[@joseribera6800]

I sold the mower few months back. But it's good to know. Am still thinking of getting another.

[@phoenixbear-gravyboat9546]

@@joseribera6800 have you been tested

[@gregoryfaulkner5345]

Is one of these or one Turfmaster really worth three TimeMaster 30s where you just start, push, and go your own pace in 30" swaths? I know the commercials are tougher, have a few more features, and the Ferris has a bit more power and torque, but really, they do the same work! Are they worth three times the price.

[@michaelkroeger4613]

I use the timemaster on my property. Don't know if it was a defect in just mine, but it eats belts. I've tried different brands, different compositions, and still, I only get about 4-5 hours of life out of both the blade and drive belt. For the time I spend replacing belts, I am looking for something else.

[@holdenf6167]

@@michaelkroeger4613 must be yours I have about 70 hours of commercial use on my time master and the belts don’t even show wear

[@paulb2769]

​@@michaelkroeger4613 I have had a Time Master for years and have mowed hundreds of yards with it and have had ZERO problems! It has and continues to be a fantastic mower!! Something seriously bad is going on with yours! Best of luck!!!

[@TURFNSNOW]

I have fixed wheel version fantastic machine no issues

[@firstname6208]

I had the toro you speak off, sold it and bought this fw15 with the swivel casters. I cannot say enough good things about the fw15. more power than the toro, has REVERSE, the toro you have to muscle everywhere. only a few lbs heavier than the toro but wider drive tires so less ruts. I too hung a grass catcher on the side. only down side I have found is the gas tank could be 2x the size. but that's not a deal breaker for me. I doubt the main body is bent on yours- more than likely one of the front forks are bent. your dealer should have handled that (bad on them).

[@joseribera6800]

I've have the toro for 2 months. I new the fw15 would be better but I wanted to try it out. Am going to buy another fw15. The toro can get you tired Turning it around the 15 is way easier to do anything but the the grass catcher I have makes a pain to dump in the trash bin. When full thing weight at let 40 lbs. Need to find some thing else. To make it easier to bag. I bag a lot

[@migue5955]

@@joseribera6800 there is the hydro velke 32" from wright

[@lakemarine484]

I have FW15 and I have to fill it 3 times to mow 1acre yard. The handlebars are slick and way to narrow to control on hills and god help you if need change a belt. I wish I had my Gravely back!

[@leadnsteel1428]

Its a nice machine only problem is its heavy. It cuts nice.

[@NorthBoroughsLawnCareLLC]

Great video. It's unfortunate it fid work out for you but you got to do what works best for you. I'm guessing this is a 1st Gen model since you paid 3400 and it doesn't have the caster wheels. I have one of these and i absolutely love it. I don't have any of the issues you indicated here but I will complain about the small gas tank. Hope everything worked out with your new mower.. ✌️

[@rickrozmin4593]

I wonder if you ha$ the swivel wheels if your review would be different?

[@caseywalker5889]

I just bought the caster model this week. This machine is fantastic.

[@joseribera6800]

That's right it is a good mower no doubt about that. I bag a lot and having the grass catcher on the side didn't help the problem. The new toro hdx is a good mower have had it for 2 weeks now

[@caseywalker5889]

@@joseribera6800 I looked at those as well. I chose the FW15 mainly for the Honda engine. I bet your HDX does a great job too.

[@dannymotovlogs4254]

You didn’t have the newer model and the casters make it more level probably

[@serohaguju1054]

The chewing is super annoying I couldn’t watch the whole video

[@rick3747]

I think my Timemaster would be much better with wheels like the Ferris and a larger gas tank.

[@YouBetterPreach]

Would you recommend this mower? I don't bag at all. I mosty mulch or side discharge. I might be getting rid of my Exmark 30" X series and I was thinking about the fw 15. Thanks!

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

You bought that thing new and the dealer couldn't figure out why all four wheels didn't make contact with the ground at the same time, and they didn't just swap it on warranty??? Like at least one other person suggested here, something is bent or misaligned somewhere. Wonder if the guy who bought it figured out the problem 🤷‍♂️

[@firstname6208]

Here's the dealing on one wheel off the ground. When they mount those drive tires on the rim they really put the air to them to get it to pop onto the bead. Invariably one tire is bigger than the other as a result. I used a digital air gage to inflate the drive tires, it was better but not perfect. I swapped the rear tires and now the other front tire spins albeit just slightly. That tells you its the tires not the frame/chassis sprung.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

@@firstname6208 put four run flats on it, if it fixes the problem, it was the tires; if it doesn't it wasn't. That machine is big and heavy enough that inequality in tire pressure shouldn't be an issue

[@KF1]

Sucks you got a twisted one. Except for the bagging, this looks like a great machine. Hope the hdx is going well. Did you get the new one with the Kohler?

[@joseribera6800]

Hey. Yea I got the hdx. Its work great so far

[@KF1]

@@joseribera6800 Good to hear

[@BigHomie030]

That same screw fell off on mine 🤦‍♂️ it fell off after I picked it up on my way home from the dealership. Luckily it stayed on the trailer and I just screwed it back on but it did suck it fell off to begin with

[@topbeef6797]

Constructive criticism - Please don't do videos while chewing gum. So annoying. And also stick to one subject at a time & finish your sentences before talking about something else.

[@jordanpearcy2814]

Sounds and looks like he abuses equipment. Lol

[@M.TTT.]

also use stereo sound, not mono in my one ear!

[@chadkemp8379]

I do believe the mower is closer to 600 pnds.

[@YOUTUBEISRANBYRETARDS]

600? No sir, it weighs in at a little over 250lbs.

[@BigHomie030]

Cut quality is great I agree. I don’t like the bagger it’s way cumbersome. This mower is great for tall grass/weeds. It is a little harder to maneuver at first. But for me I’ll take this over that Toro or Exmark 30’s anyday. The 32” gives you a wider cut and I like the easy to use height adjustment also the reverse option you get and the power this mower has. Those other mowers just don’t compare with the power this mower has.

[@firstname6208]

After running the toro it took me a bit to not muscle this one- no need. Steer it and let the machine do the work. Reverse gear is a game changer. Made a chute blocker (now qwik chute has one). Also I use an accelerator bagger.

[@AlexanderCrump]

@@firstname6208 I could not figure out how to make 180 degree turns at the end of a run without having to muscle the thing. It wore me out. I began to dread the end of every run.

[@firstname6208]

As i said i have the swivel casters model. It took about a day to stop MUSCLING it around, just steer. Then i started making y turns and no problems at all. Relax on the handle bars, let the mower do the work. Never had the monstrous ferris bagger, i have an accelerator. Same one fits my z1 36. Still give it 4.8 stars.

[@firstname6208]

I found some g6 gator blades redrilled the center hole, added two pin holes and boom, gator blades fit. The. Wavey blades have no lift and will not fill the accelerator.

[@AlexanderCrump]

@@firstname6208 I think you are right about trying to do the work of the transmission and that I would have learned to use it, but the extremely low clearance in the rear was a real deal breaker in itself. Not only could I not straddle low brick edgings, it would drag on large tree roots. Otherwise, I loved the 5 inch cutting height and 32 inch width. I was so, so disappointed it did not work out. The retailer was great and took it back and gave me a full refund.

[@tonyslawncare]

Bro great video subscribed!! So do you like this or the toro 30 better?

[@joseribera6800]

I do and dnt. The toro only has 1 speed were the fw15 has 4 speed. It's tough to get use to it but the cut is good just need to learn how to use it. But I would have keep it the fw15 if the had a better bagger. The reverse on it is great thats what the toro needs. The toro is a pain to pull back when you have to but once you learn how to manipulate the machine it becomes easier to use

[@tonyslawncare]

@@joseribera6800 thank you buddy i have 2 toro 30s one commercial and one residential but the commercial one is 5 years old so was thinking about upgrading it to a new one or get the ferris like you had. I wonder if that deck issue is fixed now ?

[@joseribera6800]

@@tonyslawncare am not sure. Just make sure to look for it when your buying it

[@jeanalexandre1105]

Honda make excellent lawn mowers and you will not have any problems that you showing

[@sebastian56309]

You should have gotten the front counter weights.

[@mgp-bct7723]

That’s what I want to get FW-15 I have EGO 21 inches I have the new ones 7.5 amp battery 🔋 It never bugged or having issues not cut or stop the mower:) has plenty power :) only I have couple problems :( 1. The mower is too lite :( 2. the mower is too small :( 3. A problem with the batteries it freezes or won’t charge and won’t last that long with 7.5 A only 5000 ft.² yards you can cut:( if you have Beautiful grass if not you can mow 7,000sqf yard:) 4. I have fescue grass I cut like 4.5 inches :) and when I cut the grass front wheels Digs or pushing the grass in and on second day that grass raise up and you can see the stripes tall :( 5. The mower it’s sow light one pass can float on top of the grass second pass can go down with the same settings you can see the difference :( 6. The mower is so tiny I have 1600 square-foot yard it’s taking me 1.5 hour to finish with one pass if I’m doing double pass takes over two hours :( and you have to do a double pass because of those stripes :( because of the tiny wheels digs that grass in :( and it doesn’t have an enough suction to suck the grass back out with the blades :( 7. Not enough RPMs or not enough vacuum to lift the grass up from the ground. :( 8. The bottoms for self propel the mower it’s too tiny and end of the cutting your yard you have hands Sort they’re too tiny and you have to squeeze your hands tight :( EGO Mower they need to fix dthese issues :(

[@dago19541]

how much do you wont for it

[@dago19541]

is it belt drive blades

[@sebastian56309]

Jose which side bagger did you attach to it?

[@joseribera6800]

The accelerator standard

[@sebastian56309]

@@joseribera6800 thanks

[@winksgarage3211]

The deck is twisted, manufacture defect.

[@joseribera6800]

It had to be. It sucks that they say that they weren't able to do anything. Is a great mower but didn't what to keep working with it like that. Got the new toro hdx good mower except the transmission lever. the hole claw position is a pain

[@winksgarage3211]

Face Your Fears, if this was your local dealer I would actually stop working with them. They took the easy route and left you stranded with equipment that wasn’t right. I’m sure if you contacted Ferris/Snapper directly they would have fixed the issue with no problem. I deal with the welding world and production and I would see this time from auto to simple welded parts. When it’s welded the operator probably didn’t set the deck in the fixture right when it was hand or robotically welded so it was off from the get go so it’s an automatic manufacture defect. Even if the bracket mount for the wheel assembled was off, which is another possibility it would still fall In that teir of defect. So your dealer should have factored all this. You paid good money and after sales support failed you. Honestly I would write Ferris/Snapper and throw the dealer under the bus for this. I usually don’t revert to this but this is a special case that needs attention. Toro is a good brand but were plagued with transmission issues for years and to my understanding they updated the trans but the stigma is there not to buy. I’m looking at purchasing this mower soon just because of the Honda motor.

[@joseribera6800]

@@winksgarage3211 I should have done that but I got a buyer the first time I told same one about it

[@njmtbiker]

I’m looking to buy a FW15 soon. How would you check for a twisted deck?

[@roadstar499]

@@joseribera6800 hdx is only a 30'' cut though...even 2'' extra cut can save you some decent work and time in a day...Question was travel speed the same or was ferris faster than toro? thanks

[@josephpuchel6497]

Hey I understand That TurfMaster HDX looking good.

[@joseribera6800]

I like it. It a lito heavy but once leave to use it. work good no great like the fw15. Transmission only has one speed which is a downer fw15 if I remember has 3 speed. Setting

[@drewd6083]

If you use this mower often your thumbs will be sore.

[@joseribera6800]

That's right