YA! dont think I should try to patch anything in there either---end up doing more damage to the housing.
From what I can tell,---- The yellow/orange paint under the red is the state of Illinois color back when this tractor was new and I remember the state having a fleet of them with side mount sickle mowers hangin on them, so probably a driver hit one of the concrete head walls along the road and ripped the mower off! ----- just a guess from looking at the damage and remembering seeing the tractors when they were new.
I dont think it will hurt anything for my use, ---- big tiller on the back, possibly a bush hog part time and the rake. I will never put a loader on any tractor!-- pretty useless I have found---- thats why I have skidloaders! and crawler loaders! THEN there is MOOSE! lol!

"A machine you build yourself is a vote for a different way of life. There are things you have to earn with your hands."