Scott, agreed! You couldn't hear the engine over the deck bearings up til last summer. Now with those fixed, the hood drives me insane.
I know the wear strip on the cowl, looks like there was some kind of foam/rubber strip for the hood to rest on is gone. The biggest problem is the front side(hinge), as it vibrates horribly on the hinge pin.
At one point, I would notice the pin itself working its way out the side of the tractor as I mowed. I finally mushroomed the end enough so it could not do that anymore.
That hinge is just so "mickey mouse", you would have thought they could have come up with something a bit more robust? I can see just buying some new material and cut me a few sections and just replace them every few years.
I have thoughts for the 127 hood. Remake the bushings for the hood, allowing for some nylon bushing material to be inserted. Enough for a wear surface and easily replaced when worn out.