I tried both and I find the rear-drive very awkward and very difficult while pivoting the mower to the other direction. With front-drive, all I do is raise the front and quickly turn the mower to the other direction. My target is to quickly and efficiently mow my lawn and not tinker with the clutch at all; who wants that? With rear-drive, I have to disengage every time when I need to turn directions ... making my expensive mower a push mower during the attempt and tremendously slowing my momentum ... and of course, I have to engage again to move forward. If you have the mower on fast while doing this, you will find yourself fighting the mower every time you want to start on the new direction. You are not controlling the mower, its controlling you. Think about it, being able to raise the front wheels will allow you to turn the mower on 2 wheels; that is turning on a dime. If you have 4 wheels, you are going to make several small movements to realign your mower to the new direction while stroking your clutch on every attempt. IÂm returning my rear-drive today for a front-wheel drive.

Commercial mowers? Seriously? In my opinion, no homeowner should ever consider going commercial. There really is little to no point in doing so. I use an HRC-216 from Honda when I help my father-in-law with his landscape business, and while it is a great machine, it is way more than I would ever need for ~52 times a year. Also, when something does go wrong, they are very expensive to fix. My advice for the OP is to sharpen the blade on the reel he has now and get it working well. Maybe add a weedeater, probably electric, so you don't have to store gas. If the reel has a hard time with your type of grass then go with a cheap mulching mower, gas or electric. When you find yourself with a larger lawn, then consider a premium residential mower like a Super Recycler or Honda. What you want to look for at that point is a decent engine and non-rusting deck. Also, if you do not need self-propelled, don't get it. It adds to the cost and complexity of the mower and is one more thing that can break. Looking at your lawn, a large self-propelled commercial would almost be more of a hassle to use than something smaller and more nimble like the reel mower you have or a 19"ish electric. Also, the money you save could be put towards more landscaping. There are plenty of plants and such that are drought resistant. That would do far more to beautify your lawn than a mower.

grandm1, True, the only blade that will allow manual angling from the cab is the 48", part BM19415. It is not designed specifically for the GT235, it will fit just about every late model Deere garden tractor through GX series. But you need to note that while the blade that fits the GT series will also fit the older 240/325 series, the blade that was made specifically for the 240/325 and family (BM18130)will NOT fit the GT series due to clearance issues on the GT undercarriage. Here are some pictures to clear things up. First, I must mention that the really big difference between the 42/44" and 48" blades are the 42" just mounts to the front frame of the tractor, then has two braces which attach to the mid-frame to provide additional support. It pivots on the front frame mount. The braces are just there to prevent the front tractor frame from bending. The 48" blade has its own frame, like a snowblower. It mounts to the same point mid frame, and unlike the 42", it pivots on those mid-frame mounts. This is certainly a more rugged design, and the blade is less likely to ride up on ice due to the pivot being further back. To use the 48 blade, you need to get the front lift kit for the GT series, which uses the front section of the tractor's frame to mount a jackshaft which will lift the front part of the 48" blade's frame via a tie-rod clamped to the deck lift handle. This is the same lift setup used with the 42" snowblower. This is the front lift kit: (you will not need parts 1,2,3, your tractor already has that D-hole incorporated in the frame. Hopefully I haven't confused you. Now that I've shed light on the two bracing systems: if you find a 48" blade for sale online (used), and it has a straight frame, it is made for the 240/265/325 tractors. It will not work with your GT tractor. See pic: You need this frame: This frame (the bent one) will work with any of the tractors. The two holes in the back near the J-hooks are for the 240/265/325 tractors. The GT series use the front holes (as shown) with the front lift kit). All these diagrams are on the JD parts catalog, linked below. Go to "Equipment Search" and type in "Blade" then scroll down to the 42, 44, 46, 48 front blade and click on "sectional index" to see the breakdowns. Do you have a foot or hand lift? If you have a hand lift, that other blade I mentioned will work with the right mounting parts. I mounted my GT's 42" blade to my old 111H before I found one online specifically for it which included the braces and rear frame weights (for $50). The 42 inchers are all compatible, like I said, you just need to buy the proper braces and mounting hardware. You'll still need to buy the blade angle kit from Deere. That's something like $180 new. You might find a 48 blade for sale which has it mounted, but it's unlikely. I've been looking for one for my Dad for about a year and only saw one, which went for the retail price when you count shipping. If you have any more questions, ask. I've spent quite a bit of time researching compatibility of the GT series, and it's paid off, having found a like-new 42" blade for my GT225 for $100, and a pair of new-in-box 42" snowblowers for both my GT225 and my GT262 for a total of $300 (plus $50 in gas to have my brother pick them up). In both cases, the sellers didn't think they'd fit my tractors. In both cases, they did. Here is a link that might be useful: jd parts

my2014 X300 transmission just died.,.,,.230 hrs on it.,.,i mow approx. 1.2 acres and use the 44 inch snowblower.,.,.,i was told by dealer that J.d new of this transmission issue early on and then rebuilt/redesigned the tranny in the newer versions in 2018.,.,realizing that the 3/4 axles were borderline strong enough for the snowblower attachment.,.,.,$1,200 later.,.,i'm mowing again.,.,,.if your going to add attachment to any tractor maybe 3/4 axle should be avoided.,