[SGragg]

Was able to remove the muffler w/o any damage. The PTO had me stumped for a little while, but it finally came off.

The existing oil seal was installed on an angle, or as my grandpa would say, "Not true to the world." Drilled the holes, inserted the screws, and pulled it out. Cleaned up the face of the engine, inspected and found no noticeable grooves or wear to the shaft. Lightly oiled the shaft, put some sealant around the outside of the new seal and inserted it w/ a 2" PVC pipe to a different spot on the shaft. No problems. Cleaned and re-installed the PTO.

Have a new breather assembly on order and want to replace it before starting the engine. The old breather had the metal flap, but it was entirely broken off. Thought that this might be the source of some surging lately.

Anyway, want to thank all for their comments and help. Especially to jimbob200521's "How to: Replace PTO side crank seal on a Kohler Command" in the Technical Library; great resource.

I'll post when the breather is installed and everything's back up and running.