Soon another mowing season will be behind us. Having done this conversion in the spring. Now it has done the lions share of mowing 2.5 ac every 10-12 days since May. We have come to the conclusion, we really like it. The faster mowing speed has made it the popular selection over the 444 which would always be the first choice in previous years. Both are equipped with 44 in deck but that little faster speed gets it done quicker with ease. The ride across these bumpy farm lawns on the 15 in radials with 5 psi is greatly improved over the short tires. Simply put there is no way I would go back. Even if the rear axle is higher the mower can still be leveled out with no trouble. Done faster with a better ride, it's a win, win. Rod