Oh, Ms. Luna, I'm so glad I am not the only one to talk to their car. I have named mine Miss Margaret, but call her Miss Maggie when she's in a spunky mood (in short galloping down the road rather than ambling and yes, I pat mine on the dash board when we make it through a tough spot or keep encouraging her with "You can make it, come on girl." I've always said that machines truly have minds of their own with a little mischief thrown in for good measure. Glad you made it home safe and sound. Please give "Bess" an ATTA GIRL for me. Kirk, hope you guys are beginning to thaw out up in the northwest. Loved the plate flowers on the other posting. When my 87 year old Dad walked by and saw your pictures he was impressed with what you had done. Think Spring!! It will be here soon (despite the groundhog prediction). Toodles, Ms. Faith

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

My sentiments exactly!! We got two inches of SNOW this morning, two INCHES in early MAY! The weather forecast said May snow is so unusual it would take a "perfect" combination of conditions for it to stick. Well, as I was scraping off my car this morning and driving past several Bradford Pear flowering trees with limbs broken off by the heavy wet snow, my thoughts were about anything but perfection. Now that we're supposedly on the border of zone 6, our last FROST date is supposed to be the end of April. Luckily I'd checked the forecast enough not to plant the impatiens, but my basil is surely toast. The own-root roses waiting to be planted from Vintage and Burlington and Rogue Valley should be fine, as long as the heavy wet SNOW didn't break their little branches. For SNOW and FROST in the above paragraphs, you may substitute the colorful language of your choice. Grrr. Cynthia

I love rain, but am glad it stopped. Water started coming in through my GD's bedroom light yesterday! They just went through the expense of roots in their pipes, so pray their roofing is fine. Other than that, I love the rain the waters my garden, washes away all the dust from trees and plants everywhere, and cleanses our air :-)