You don't say how often you have to replace the portable, but if you're willing to dedicate the space to a more permanent structure, based on my experience in NJ, USDA zone 7, I think you'll find the 6x8 HFGH satisfactory. Ours is also somewhat sheltered (by a garden shed, large oak and bank of trees and understory shrubs) and has come safely through wind gusts well above the 25-30mph you mention. It sits on a foundation of 2"x10" treated lumber, and, with our winters, I do use a solar pool cover as well as north wall insulation. Definitely check all parts, and maybe we just were lucky, but we found nothing missing or damaged. My adult son and I worked on this, but he really did most of the work and it was completed in one November day. It did help that my adult daughter applied the aluminum tape to the ends of the glazing panels as we were finishing up the frame. I'd suggest reading through the directions from start to finish before you begin, and check out Conifers' thread (link below). If you're handy and careful and think it through, you should have very little, if any, trouble. We deviated a bit from the instructions at times. For example, we started the frame first, then measured it, constructed the foundation accordingly and squared but didn't secure it; carefully lifted the partially-built frame onto the foundation to be sure the dimensions were all correct and everything square and level, then set the frame aside, secured the foundation together and put the frame back and secured it to the foundation. Aside from the insulation, I've not found any retro-fitting necessary. You may not need to, but I added foam weather stipping tape around the perimeter of each panel. We also installed a hardware cloth barrier at the foundation, running under the gravel floor, to discourage burrowing mammals. Despite being in the shade of a large deciduous oak, ours does get very hot in the warmer months and I'd like to follow up on someone's idea of exchanging screen panels for the glazing. If I can keep the temperatures moderated, it is a good safe place for seedlings, cuttings and other plants that might require some coddling (we have very curious - and somewhat destructive - squirrels and crows here). You'll appreciate having both electricity and water close at hand! Good luck, have fun ... and please keep us posted. Diane Here is a link that might be useful: HFGH Assembly (6x8)

...ownership. Smart to think about that. On the other hand, if you need 4 wheel steering, then you need it. Sure there probably will be some additional maintenance costs down the road since the system is more complex than the 300 ... perhaps some additional belts, adjustments, etc when you bring it in for maintenance. The manual or dealer could tell you what additional maintenance is required at various service points (hours) vs. the 300, and the dealer can tell you how much that costs. As far as how the system itself will hold over the long term, that's anyones guess. But so far there are no problems I've heard of ... if there were I think this board would be full of threads. I'm no engineer, but IMHO I would suspect that if there was a major problem it would surface pretty quick. The other part of the answer is JD "green" ... part of what you're paying a premium for. As far as I know, JD has a reputation for standing behind their products. And they seem committed to AWS. So if an unforeseen problem arose far down the road, do you think JD would stand by the 304? If you say "no", then your decision is also made for you ... whay pay more for JD green? But I don't think your answer is "no" ... seems that you're already settled on a JD. The reason to buy the 304 over the 300 is AWS. The K58 tranny is for the additional demands of the AWS... both will peform the same, so if the 304 is suitable for your terrain and weight, then so is the 300. If you say your reason to buy the 304 over the 300 is because of your terrain or weight, then I'd advise talking to your dealer about a more suitable JD ... So it all comes down to one question: do you need AWS or not? If you don't, then you don't need to wonder about any additional maintenance or the possibility of a design flaw down the road. If you do, get the 304.

Follow ups should be kept on the original thread. A chat format can slow down member learning as well as delay the ability to assist with concerns. When the thread pops up on the top of the forum homepage members will recognize there is new information. I took the ability of tagging the original thread to this one. DA Here is a link that might be useful: Original Thread

Like live_wire_oak said, a standard backsplash is 18". So, in theory, a 3" tile will go up 6 times with no cuts. However, not all 3" tiles are exactly 3". If they are, you'll be cutting some because grout lines might add 1/2-1" that would need to be cut off at the top. Some are nominally 3", and they account for a grout line. But then, not all counters and cabinets are perfectly level. I used 3" tiles that accounted for a grout line, and still had to make a few top cuts. But, my top cuts are minimal. You can't tell it's not a full tile unless you look really closely under the cabinets. In robotroplis' GORGEOUS kitchen, you can see at a glance that her top row of tiles is cut in half. Technically, you wouldn't want a half size (or smaller) tile anywhere. The pro tip would be to measure and figure out what the size of the last tile would be and divide the left over tile between the top and bottom rows. So then you'd have 2 rows of tile to cut. But I still think robotropolis' backsplash looks fantastic. And, standard, schmandard. Maybe your backsplash isn't even 18"? So, yeah, a 3" tile is more DIY friendly. But it's probably not enough of a deal to justify getting something you don't like anyway.