The standard travel/lift valve looks like this.
The travel/lift/HOLDING valve looks like this. Do you see the raised portion over top the travel half of the valve? That's where the "holding" bits and pieces reside. This style of valve started to show up as standard equipment on some models as early as the 1985 production year but by the time the 1986's hit the dealer's lot, all of the Hydriv garden tractors were equipped with them. That extra port on the side of this valve is for the case drain line that was needed for attachments equipped with motors that had the case drain feature. Just put a plug into that port. Do not use it as a case drain even if you decide to put one one your tractor. That was a mistake.
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Previously, if you wanted a holding valve it was an option and it came in the form of a KIT. I want everyone to understand that the term KIT means that when you bought this item, you received a cardboard box that not only contained the cast iron holding valve but it also contained the double-ended hydraulic fitting you see in the diagram below and the THREE (not four) custom bent steel hydraulic lines that are needed to hook it up.
I say this because I've seen e-bay listings by stupid vendors who were offering just the valve and not the lines. DO NOT BUY A VALVE THAT DOES NOT COME WITH THE LINES AND FITTING. You cannot buy the lines from Ingersoll any longer. You will end up with a valve that will become a plumbing nightmare to hook up. Secondly, you need to watch out for the correct valve that has lines suited to the wheelbase of your tractor.
All 200 series tractors have a 46" wheelbase, as do all 400 series tractors prior to a certain serial number change that happened in 1979 when the wheelbase became 48". If in doubt, then measure the distance along the check plate floor between the pedestal your seat sits on and the pedestal the dashboard sits on. Short wheelbase tractors measure 13" and long wheelbase tractors measure 15". If you see a kit for sale, ask the Seller for the model and serial number of the tractor the kit was removed from.
Getting a kit with the wrong steel lines is almost as bad as buying one with no lines. Don't make this costly mistake. Be 100 percent sure what that kit is before you part with your cash.
This valve is easy to install. You jack up the rear of the tractor and place it on proper stands. Remove the left rear wheel. Remove the two steel hydraulic lines that attach the drive motor to the travel valve ports. The short fitting on the holding valve then screws directly onto one motor port and the steel tube that does the 180 screws onto the other motor port. The other two tubes attach to the travel valve ports. Only AFTER you have all four installed with your fingers doing the turning of the nuts do you use wrenches to tighten them until snug.
CLEANLINESS IS PARAMOUNT. Every line and fitting should be washed in clean solvent inside and out before doing this procedure. Pretend that you are a surgeon conducting a heart transplant. The tiniest bit of dirt can cause you untold grief if it lodges in one of the pilot ports inside the holding valve. So, the parts need to be clean, your tools need to be clean and your hands need to be clean. The existing travel valve and drive motor should be clean as well.
EDIT:
The L-7 kit was used on the 200 series tractors
The L-9 kit was used on the 400 series tractors
The LL-9 kit was used on the 600 series tractors
The M-9 and N-9 kits were used on the long wheelbase 400 series tractors
The valve bodies pretty much look the same. The difference is in the length and bend of the tubes so that they fit properly. Keep in mind that all three series used drive motors of different internal displacements. Therefore the placement of the ports changed because the external dimensions of these motors were different too.
