Thanks for the help, rback33. I turned my controller handle assembly around 180 degrees. In the process, I had to also rotate my 4 hydraulic hoses for lift/drop and dump/curl by 180 degrees. In other words, I had to move each hose, coming from the loader to the controller, 2 positions clockwise to make everything function as it should. Now, when I push on the controller handle, the bucket lowers, and if I keep pushing, the handle pops into a float position, but the handle won't stay in that position. I thought the handle would stay in that position but it is spring-loaded and it pops back to neutral position when I let go of the handle. I believe this controller handle must have been put together backwards from the start back in 2002, as the hydraulic hoses and connectors are all color coded to match the hose with the correct connector. If the previous owner of this tractor had taken the handle apart and put it back together incorrectly, the color coding on the hoses would not have been matched up before I rotated the handle by 180 degrees. Now the colors are not matched up but that's ok...it works properly.
Regards,
TractorNewby