Thanks JimBob!
That helps me understand a little better also. AND, the same seller has this
rebuild kit, so if everything is there and rebuildable, I could go that route also. So long as the tractor moves around and only the PTO is bad, this still seems quite viable.
Already
downloaded a manual for the tractor directly from MTD, so I've got a little more info. The manual takes a while to download, but it's worth it!