This is what I ultimately did that worked. I have no explanation, but it did. On the left side of the tractor, near the throttle, there is a rubber hose. I had my son sit on the tractor, start it with the choke on, and as it ran, I covered the end of the hose with my finger. I don't know if it is an air intake or what, but after a few seconds the engine kicked-up, ran with the choke off, and has been good for over a year. All I replaced was the fuel filter. It is normal for the air in the upper 3rd.
Again, I don't know how it worked, but it did.