Photo: Beth HyattAs Briggs & Stratton expands its commercial offerings, it is debuting the new Ferris Soft Ride Stand-on (SRS) Z3X at GIE+EXPO this week in Louisville, Kentucky.
According to Briggs & Stratton, it is focusing more on user-driven problem solving and wants to help landscapers with their productivity.
The company says that stand-on mowers are steadily becoming more popular in the market thanks to their improved visibility, centralized mass, and ease of getting on and off.
The Z3X is designed with a patent-pending pivoting front axle that provides better traction and also has an adjustable operator platform that users can modify in the field to suit their personal preference.
“The Z3X is a high-performance mower commercial landscapers have come to expect from Ferris, and hits on all cylinders: power, productivity and durability,” said Dan Roche, marketing director – commercial products. “Operators will achieve a higher quality of cut because the mower deck is tied to a pivoting front axle and four radius rods, ensuring the mower deck follows ground contours.”
Photo: Briggs & StrattonCustomers can choose from a 37-gross horsepower/992cc Vanguard Big Block EFI engine with Oil Guard or a 29.5-gross horsepower/852cc Kawasaki FX850 EFI engine. With the Vanguard exclusive Oil Guard System landscapers can save up to 60 percent in oil maintenance per unit per season.
Oil Guard changes the frequency of oil changes from every 100 hours to every 500 hours and is a far easier process requiring no tools and takes around 10 minutes to complete.
Roche says that landscapers can have greater confidence on the Z3X, knowing that the heaviest aspects of the machine are centralized, allowing for quicker turning and better maneuvering.
The Z3X has a max speed of 12 mph and the engine has a smart PTO feature where if the operator needs to hop off the mower in order to move something, the mower deck will stop, but the engine will keep running, increasing efficiency.
The new stand-on comes in two deck sizes, 61 inches and 72 inches. It has 24-inch rear-drive tires that minimize bumps, improve traction and make curbing easier.
Operators can lock in their speed with a bar that can be set at four different speeds, which can help with training new users, obtaining a superior cut, or safer trailer loading.
With the EFI engine, the Z3X has faster response time with starting and stopping and diagnostics are easily accessed with the tiny scan code reader, which will provide a digital code that can be then searched online or found in the manual.
Technicians can also modify some of the settings of the EFI engine, a practice called slewing, by hooking up to it with a laptop.
The Ferris SRS Z3X has an unlimited hour warranty for the first two years and then it has a 4-year limited warranty or 500 hours, whichever comes first and is now available through Ferris dealers. The MSRP starts at $9,999. To find your nearest dealer, click here.
