I removed hood and sides all as one assembly.(six bolts) and was barely able to reach between gas tank and the lower part of the plastic dash panel to get to nut and was able to remove the nut and the broken part of the bolt. I held the idler plate with the new bolt along with the washers, spacers and other hardware in position with a small jack and was able to get the new nut on a couple of threads and then placing an offset 9/16 wrench over the nut to hold it from turning I tightened it from beneath. It was a bear of a job but it's up and running again.

Must of been lucky. Bought an MTD at Ace hardware (Ace Special Edition) with a 42" cut and 16hp Tecumseh. Aside from the normal problems of your MTD of that era IE having the grille mounts break off after a few years) it's been great, and it was only replaced as it was really starting to not work well on hills, and in the last year has been a case of "What's going to break next when I mow?". A key to remember is any NEW tractor in that range is going to be light duty. If you have more an acre to mow with it, a newer, higher end, used model is a probably a better option. You'll get a lot of life out of one though if you keep it well maintained. Take care of it and there is no reason why you should not get a good, usable life of about 10-12 years. one other thing to keep in mind; the chief complaints of many people on a mower it seems is the motor. That is the most important part of a mower besides the transmission on a Hydro equipped tractor. The engine is going to what will go wrong 9 time out of 10 on a mower, and is often going to be to blame for issues with cutting (due to lack of power) and reliability.

reply by theodocus struck me as coming from the desk of the ad agency of MTD. No mention of the actual operation that involves rolling over uneven terrain and jarring action from bumps and uneven spots and the fragile fabricated axles that bend and crack easily. Oh, there is also the bushings used in place of ball bearings: bushing use requires higher horsepower to move the newer units. The Deere has points and condenser; cost $5.00 and 9.00 respectively and the sears is a solid state igntion. Newer technology is wonderful as long as it is coupled with quality assemblage in a product. I have a 1968 Sears GARDEN tractor with a 12HP Tecumseh Heavy duty cast iron engine with ball bearings and cut with a 42 inch deck and also have a 1976 John Deere GARDEN tractor with a cast iron 10 HP engine with ball bearings and cut with a 42" deck and use both alternately for mowing two acres and for tilling and moving earth, etc.. Each has cast iron axles and mutli-speed hi-lo transmissions and EACH is used for plowing, snowblowing, tilling earth, hauling 1100 lb loads in attached large carts. EACH will run circles around the new 20 plus HP light LAWN tractors made today. Spend 5,000.00 and you will have a comparable heavy duty GARDEN tractor. By the way, good luck on getting even 10 years of use with the new wonders.

There are OPE blue books. In my experience, we used to figure that the value of standard lawn tractors would depreciate ~ 20% per year. Accessories carry very little resale value on their own as the beauty is in the eyes of the purchaser, so to speak. This tractor compares to a Cub Cadet that you would find at Lowes. Know that new used values both are lower now than in prime season- so bargains can be had. Do you homework too. There have been maintenance needs along the way. Have they been kept up on? Belts and blades, the soundness of the drive, possible engine issues etc. This may have a Kohler Courage single which brings the potential for a cracked engine block into the mix.