Good discussion, I agree that preventative maintenance is the best medicine. I just bought this tractor from a fellow on CL for $2800 which included a FEL and 4' rollover box blade. I have been going through it a fixing what needs fixing. I have cleaned it up, fixed hydraulic leaks, added a new seat, new front grill, new engine stop cable, changed fluids/filters, basically giving it some much needed attention. This old girl has done some great work; I have used it every weekend since I bought it in November. One thing that I will eventually need to sort out is the tractor loses push power a bit once it warms up, not to the point that I can’t still use it but it is noticeable. I have not done the trouble shooting on the HST unit so at this point i am just guessing worst case. I know it could be the check valves, pump, etc, etc. I guess until I pressure test I wont know.