I think you are saying that you see the trans pulley quit turning when you release the bail- but you still can't pull back the unit? For each wheel there is a drive clutch that you can carefully disassemble, lay everything out as it goes back together and clean/ lube them. Then your wheels should release.

Your gadget is the "anti-afterfire solenoid". Its function is to stop the flow of fuel into the MAIN jet of the carb the moment you turn off the key switch (when you are stopping the engine). Lest any reader get the impression that the small washers were not in their correct positions (prior to your removing the bowl) and that placing them into their rightful positions corrected the problem...............no. If the washers had not been in the correct places already, the defective condition would have been "fuel leaking from carb bowl". I would venture to guess that in your/this case, the "rough idle" was caused by water having segregated out of the fuel (stratification) and formed a layer or glob of water on the bottom of the bowl. This layer of water may "stir up" when the engine is started. The small droplets of water that arise from the stirring of the bigger blob can be drawn into the very small passages that comprise the IDLE or PILOT jet of the carb, effectively blocking fuel flow through them or at least causing the fuel to flow erratically. Small water droplets typically has little or no effect on fuel deliver through the larger MAIN jet. Water in the fuel supply (before you put the fuel in the tank) can cause fuel starvation issues if enough water collects in the gas filter that it forms a film of water to coat the filter media, obstructing the flow of fuel through the media. Water formation or segregation in fuel system components will continue to be a scourge due to ethanol blended into today's gasoline. Ethanol just "loves water" and will absorb water vapor right out of the atmosphere. This begins to take place inside the underground storage tanks at your local gas station and continues even after you pour it into your OPE fuel tank.

Scott, I'm not sure about the 235, but my 225 did not come with an hour meter. I had to install it (even though the cutout was there in the frame). Just because it shows less than 100 hours doesn't mean it was installed since new. Also, even if it were, they're pretty easy to replace. While "rolling back" a car's odometer will get you in hot water, I don't think the sheriff cares much about guys selling lawn mowers with bogus hours. That being said, check other things for signs of wear. With less than 100 hours, they should both be in like new condition. The only wear you should see is some paint scraped off the sides of the deck. If you see excessive wear on the tires, pedals, seat, lots of play in the steering, noisy deck bearings, etc, those are some things that might make you question the low hours claim. If you decide that both tractors do in fact have less than 100 hours, and move on from comparing the condition of the tractors to the features of the tractors, it's a no-brainer, the GT is an upgrade. The tractors handle and operate identically, with twin-touch pedals and a manual lift deck. Does the LX have the foot pedal lift? You might prefer than over the hand lever. As far as cutting grass goes, you won't really notice a difference. But if you ever want to branch out from there, the GT235 is a real garden tractor, which is basically a miniature farm tractor. While the LX is one of the more rugged lawn tractors, capable of pushing a snow blade, it's still just a lawn tractor. You'll never use sleeve-hitch attachments (plow, disc harrow, cultivator, planter, blade, box blade, rake) or a tiller (which are cheap on eBay). And if you tow a cart full of firewood, soil, mulch, whatever, you'll need to take it easy on the transmission.

Well, from past findings on my friends L110 JD tractor, it did exactly what you are describing. I advised him he needed a new transmission, but the man at the dealers shop said they could remedy the situation, so i earned a bit of cash by hauling it 20 miles to the dealer's shop. I didn't ask him how much they charged, but knowing how most JD dealers charge, i suspect it wasn't cheap. So--did it work?? Yes---but---it started doing the same thing in about a month. And, this time--guess what---a new transmission did the trick! So, any claims that it might be made to quit groaning and back up well, are not believed by me. but, i could be wrong--i'm just giving some advice! If you are age 21 or over--do what you want!