I've done this and your mower will do it, but if you have not mowed it before you are taking a chance of doing damage to your deck and a 48" John Deere mowing deck is not cheap. If you have not mowed it before I would hire someone to cut it with a tractor and a bush hog, or maybe even rent one for half a day. The problem is if the grass is high you just do not know what is out there unless you walk every square foot of it prior to mowing.

I went thru this on my Snapper LT ,my issue was the rim was stuck to the axle,and would not come off,believe me I tried....anyhow I cut the tire of of the rim with a chisel to get thru the steel bands (10.5x23-12) The new Carlise tire was purchased at Tractor supply for $70.00 (my local shop wanted $148.00 and they had to order it ????)anyhow while at tractor supply I bought a tube for $12. to $15.00 bucks(I bought the tube,just to be sure )...Once the old tire was removed (it had a slow leak)I removed the valve stem ,just cut it off on the inside of the rim, I wire brushed the rim with a 4" elec.grinder(brush attached) of all the dirt and rust from every other attempt of stopping the slow leak(tire inflator stuff)once I had bare metal,I primed the metal,painted it white,and then clear coated it and waited 24 hours to mount the tire so the paint could cure.... Now I understand the principals of mounting tires,and this mounting was gonna be difficult and require strength and brains/wit ,which I have, but in short supply ... I lightly greased the inside of the bead area of the rim with a coating of grease ,and also the outside diameter of the rim with a light coating of grease ,this way the tire just slips on(steel and rubber= grab) ,you start by applying the tire over the rim so half of the tire is towards the botom of the rim and the other half on the outside of the rim ,where the tire contacts the rim start easing it on the rim (use your knee to keep the down part of the tire in place and push it with your knee towards the center of the rim/hub)(rim in on the floor)(sometimes a helper with extra hand comes in handy) as you work the tire on the rim and close the gap it gets a little tougher and this is where the flat spoons or screwdrivers work that final piece over the rim ,just a little bit at a time patiently/carefully,you'll notice that the part of the tire that was low on the rim will now be kinda of be in the middle of the rim/ hub ,once the first bead of the tire is over the rim ,your half done,if you have an inner tube install it now ,I have a tool that screws onto the valve stem so it does not fall back into the tire while your trying to mount the second bead ....with the tube secured,I use me knee to push in the tire so that it is trying to reach the center of the rim hub,(opposite the valve stem)slowly working the two contact points of the tire around the rim until you get to the end ,and using the spoons or screwdrivers that last few inches goes on like the first bead did .The part your knee is pushing HAS got to go to the center of the inside of the rim so the tire can reach over the outside bead,once this is accomplised,the tire will center itself,your knee will not damage the tire in any way .once the second bead is set inflate the tire,the tire will pop into the bead ,with grease on the rim it should set easily ,if you loose the innertube while installing the tire ,you will learn to express yourself with aggressive K sounding words ..... My tire has held air since this repair and it cost me about $100.00 dollars,but I hated finding the tire soft all the time ,and even though I have an aircompressor I just found the slow leak a PITA.....Good Luck Jim

yes, actually they make 2 48" models. Difference is fixed vs. articulating wheels. I recommend getting the articulating model because it is easier to drag out from under tractor. -gh

I have a 30" mechanical tiller which I use with my 15hp GT225 and it works great. I bought both the tractor and tiller on eBay in separate auctions, the tractor in like new condition, the tiller in like it sat in the back yard for a decade after heavy use condition. I only paid $60 for the tiller so the fact that it operates at all means it was a great buy. New they cost $1500, but you should have no problem finding one in like new condition on eBay for under $400, should you go the second hand route. It's a bit heavy, but the flip-down transport wheels make it pretty easy to move around. I store mine standing up in my garage, and just have to roll it under the tractor to hook it up. It's a bit more difficult to install while on soft ground. All you have to do is slide it under the tractor so that the tiller catches on the pins attached to the rear of the tractor frame, then flip a brace up that holds the tiller angled upwards while you retract the transport wheels, then let it rock downward to seat the tiller frame against the lugs on the bottom of the tractor frame. Attach the belt, the attach the lift linkage, and you're ready to tear up some turf. The whole process, from deck installed to tiller installed takes me about 10-15 minutes. This tiller can be used on a very wide range of JD garden tractors made over the past 15-20 years. You just have to buy a specific linkage kit for your tractor. It cost something like $100 for my 225. All I did to the tiller was clean the rust off the housing with a 4" grinder, spray painted it, and greased it up. It's such a basic implement; if it works at all, it works like new. I've had absolutely no problem using the manual lift, which I keep on the 42" deck (lowest) tension seting. Of course, I'm 31 years old and my employer tests me on how many pullups I can do twice a year, so others may find it a bit combersome. I recently renovated 1/2 acre of my neighbor's property in a single afternoon, which included tilling it twice, grading it (with my 42" blade), seeding it and raking it in with a landscape rake (hardest part). It's amazing how much work you can do with a tractor-mounted tiller, and that's with my little 15hp Kohler. When using it to tear up my neighbor's yard, half of which was previously a failed attempt at a lawn, and half of which was recently cleared brush, I hit a lot of buried roots, so I kept it in the float setting with my hand at the ready on the lift handle. As soon as I felt it bounce off something I just pulled it up, then gently set it back down as I passed the obstacle (it tills as deep as 6" down). I don't think a hydraulic lift would allow the operator that kind of feel or reaction time. We have mostly sandy soil, so I can't say how it works in clay, but it certainly had no problem tearing up my well-established bermudagrass when I carved out some perennial gardens earlier this year. This is the first tractor-mounted tiller I've used, so I can't comment on how it compares to other brands, but compared to the walk-behind front-tine tiller I grew up with, you can do three times the amount of work in any given time, while wearing sandels and drinking an iced tea, instead of steel-tipped boots and a camelbak. -Chris Here is a link that might be useful: 30