Nice find for only $500! And you have a Woods brand mower,...Nice! I like the black accent paint job. Gives it a Darth Vader look
, and won't show oil leaks.
That bracket should have an Analog "clock" type hour meter like this one:
and was mounted near the left brake pedal, but many put them on the steering wheel column.
(Source of photo: Forum member, Don't remember")
Keep that bracket, don't pitch it. You will need the rubber mount "donut" that acts like a shock absorber.
If you can't find a "clock" type, buy a modern round hobbs meter, the mounting holes are still the same.
I need to send Rudi this book, so he can get it up on the server:
Great Job, keep on trucking brother...