[SGragg]

I agree with ol'George--skepticism.

I own a 1980 (IH) and a 1983 (MTD) 782. Both have solid steel, flat cover plates on the rear end. I don't know what others have, but those are the ones I have and don't think anyone has replaced them.

The other thing I base my skepticism on is the hubcaps. The "IH" logo is missing from the hubcaps. If not mistaken, when MTD started making these units, the hub caps were plain chrome without a logo. My 1983 only has hub caps on the rear.

See pics below for comparison.

Aside from that, yes, it's a very nice 782. And you would spend about that much on a brand new LAWN MOWER from a big box store. At least here you're getting a bone fide GARDEN TRACTOR.