I have a JD855, a size or 2 below this model. It has a loader belly mower and turf tires, for the past 22 years it's handled the lawn, snow and landscaping on my 3 acre lot since I built this place. Thought about taking the loader off to mow to get around a little better, it never happened. You should go to a dealer and see if you can demo a tractor or 2 then make your decision. Hydrostatic or gear tractor, if you feel it doesn't have enough power, you need a bigger tractor.