Thanks for the replies guys. Feels great to have her back to normal.
I stopped by a guy's house the other day who had the same model of Cub as I have. I asked him about trans problems, etc. He never had any problems - but his tractor was a complete wreck! He bought it new in 99, so it's two years older than mine, but it looks like it's three times older. Panels beat back into shape with a hammer, scrapes and rust on the body, greasy-grass sludge piled up on top of the trans, clumps of grass under the engine shrouds....
Does it ever seem like some people can just abuse equipment and have less problems than people like me who are nuts about maintenance?
Oh, and Vince, that looks like one stout machine
Good luck on the Command in the Super. I have nothing but praise for the Command in my 2186.