Justin, you finally pulled the trigger! Nice.
Last of the true IH Cub Cadets there. I'm with Mark, my 1450 is not bad at all.
The hood hinge is a good culprit in making noise, Those can be tightened up and reinstalled.
I'm not going to debate the factory v.s solid mount opinions. I chose factory replacements. I have read good reports about factory,solid and car suspension parts.
You should be able to determine if your 1250 had the later style double rag joints, or the early single style rag joint from the serial number tag.
Having hyd. lift on a 1250 was an option at the time. The 1450/1650 came so equipped.
Feel free to keep the updates coming
