It drives me nuts when a post is left un answered or not followed up on so here I am.
After limping it along for about 2 and a half years I finally decided to get it fixed. Was getting too old to be crawling around the yard in low.
So the problem was clutch packs (two) were toast. The brake was dragging somewhat which I have a hard time reconciling since I live on sand I saw no evidence of a tire dragging, anyway, so the mechanic tells me. They also mentioned the tolerances are very minimal like 12 thousandths and a PITA to adjust.
As for mechanics a couple younger guys with a good reputation took on the job. I will not reveal the cost but I will say the parts were not cheap.
They also serviced it fully while they had it torn down so the range lever is a lot smoother now too.