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.

yes.

IMHO, if you want a rider, buy a rider "older Minneapolis mower" isn't a good thing unless you're mechanically inclined and willing to do your own repairs. Also, do you have a truck or trailer to haul to a shop if you aren't? Older equates to more breakdowns and repairs irregardless of the brand. Are parts available for it? Assuming it has a common engine like a Briggs, etc. parts are available, but the other "odds and ends" could be a problem. With that size lot, you'll spend a lot of time turning and backing and will probably keep your walk behind for trimming after you see what a PITA the rider is to maneuver. Also, with a blower, you'll need chains and weights are those included? Put another way, a new LT and blower, chains, weights, etc. would probably be $4,000+ and you're getting a deal for $500. Can you borrow a rider from a neighbor to find out how much faster it would be? Good luck,

Check the belt from the engine to the transmission. Is it tight or quite loose. If it is loose you might want to check the idler pulley tension spring (don't know if you have one or not haven't looked at any parts diagram). They belt itself might be stretched or a chunk of the "V" belt is missing. Check your hydraulic fluid, it might need some. Just a few suggestions.