The power of high-speed half-mulching

As a landscaping contractor, you might put the first three aspects first; for the client, the aesthetic result, above all, takes precedence. And that's where the dichotomy begins. But what if there was a golden mean?

“Mowing with collection is definitely not it,” Eric Peeters, representative and product specialist at machine distributor Hilaire Van Der Haeghe Garden, immediately makes it clear. “After all, the disposal and processing of the collected material can cost a pretty penny. Moreover, especially with large grass areas, a lot of extra time will creep into repeatedly emptying the collection bin.”

Contention

So for many landscaping contractors today, the choice is between mulching on the one hand or mowing with ejection on the other. “In the first case, you end up with a flawless mowing pattern, but you invest quite a few man hours. Not only is mulching a slower process, it also has to be repeated very regularly. Mowing with ejection, on the other hand, depending on the machine, just allows very high speeds. With rear discharge, of course, the cut grass does look a bit messy, which is something that many end customers, as well as garden contractors themselves, resent.” In short, there is something to be gained in both cases. Although machine manufacturer Ferris has found a solution, according to Peeters.

50% mulching, 95% satisfying

The TRIPLE mower deck of the current generation of Ferris zero-turn mowers offers, in addition to the known functions of professional mowers - rear discharge, side discharge or mulching - an additional, patented intermediate solution in the same mower deck. “Indeed, as standard, a half-height ring is mounted on the back of the machine,” explains Peeters. “This seals part of the reverse throw, so that only half of the cut grass is immediately ejected. The remaining part stays longer in the mower deck, and is in other words finely shredded and thus mulched.”

The result of this unique option is that the mowing speed can be significantly faster than traditional mulching, but the appearance of the lawn nevertheless remains clean and sleek. “Our latest Ferris IS6200Z even mows at 20 mph in this mode, up to 2.93 ha/h. At the same time, 95% of customers are satisfied with the mowing performance of this half-mulching option. Those are great results.”

Without shocks

The half-mulching option is today the standard configuration of virtually all Ferris zero-turn models. Of course, the special maneuverability expected of a zero-turn mower is also among the basic features of these machines. 

“A characteristic of Ferris is that it combines that optimum maneuverability with a compact chassis and optimum comfort under all conditions,” Peeters said. “This is mainly due to the so-called Independent Suspension: unlike other zero-turn mowers, where, for example, the driver's seat is sprung, here all wheels are independently suspended with shock absorbers. This means that every unevenness in the terrain is absorbed by the wheels; not by the driver and, not an unimportant detail, not by the machine either. The latter can therefore be made leaner and more compact, which further increases both maneuverability and speed. You can safely drive over uneven terrain at a relatively high speed, without being shaken or having to have the machine repaired prematurely. Savings in man-hours, health
AND material costs.”