Well, I think I found the problem. Tractor will now pick up rpm after engaging the PTO at idle. It takes a second, but there wasn't a chance of that happening earlier. I took it out and exercised it a little in a sand lot with the loader. Though I surely had my doubts earlier, I think this tractor and I might be able to become buddies after all!
It was the (drum roll please......) OTHER spring inside the governor, not much bigger than the spring you'd find in a retractable ball point pen? One diagram I looked at refered to it as a "starter" spring (if memory is serving me well?)? I pulled it down one more time and stretched that spring so it was about half again longer than it was originally, and put it back together with crossed fingers. It's now a much different behaving tractor. I can live with it like this. Loader runs fine, to the point the tires will slip in 4wd, without the huge changes in rpm, and do that while set at 24-2500 rpm. Now, you can hear and feel the governor doing what it's supposed to do. Still not like what I'm used to (23hp Kubota B7610), but the 755 is about 10% less power, making it the smallest one I've run to date. I was hoping that 10% wasn't going to make THAT much difference, and now, apparently, it appears it'll be ok.
Thanks for all the input. Sometimes all it takes is the chance to bounce some ideas off others and get a little feed back to put you on the right path?
I'll be ordering out a set of gaskets and both springs the first of the week. That way, I'll pull it down one more time, and be done with it....
Thanks everyone. Your help,thoughts much appreciated!
-Al
The Deere operating manual for the mower deck for the -55 series tractors says to start the mower, position the throttle at 1/3 open prior to engaging the PTO.