[Yosemite Sam]

Welcome to OCC.

I understand getting a "new to you" tractor and wanting everything to function as it should.

IIRC, if the flapper is not there the lever will not stay anywhere near the horizontal position, it will simply flop down.

Weather the flapper is there or not, if the check valves have not been used in a while they could very easily be stuck. If they are stuck, and you force them down, there is a very good chance that they will stay down. In order to make the tractor functional again the transmission and rear end MUST BE REMOVED and the valves will need to be taken out, cleaned and soaked in a penetrating oil (NOT IN BS WD-40) then worked back and forth to ensure that they are indeed free. Then the tractor will need to be reassembled.

If you are lucky, everything will be good, if not, the valves will start leaking and dripping hy-tran on your floor and cause a dirty oily build-up on the transmission that will not only make a mess but will eventually help to keep the transmission from cooling properly.

Rebuilt valves are available (someone correct my pricing if I'm wrong) for about $75.00 each.

Now you gotta take the trans and rear end back out again... and you're a little frantic about taking the fenders and pan off!?

You said "rebuilt and restored" everyones definition of that is different. It could be possible that the "nubs" on the valves were simply painted along with the rest of it when it was "restored" and the paint is keeping them from going down.

OR on a "restored" machine they may not be working for a reason. Might be best to let well enough alone.

IH Cub Cadets really are great machines, but sometimes you gotta pick your battles when it comes to fixing things that may or may not really need to be fixed. I guess in this case, it depends on how how anal you are about everything functioning as it should or how often you feel like you need to roll the machine around with the engine not running.

In any event, keep in mind that there are a lot of really helpful people here who are more than happy to help guide you through any trouble that you may encounter with your Cub. Not everyone here is a "downer" like me.

Good Luck!