I am trying to check the oil and the dipstick is confusing. there are two holes and the oil level is up to the second hole. how should the stick look if the oil is full. should the entire shaded area be covered with oil or where should the oil level be on the dipstick?

Some people have tried several methods to see the oil when it seems nearly invisible.
One is to drill really tiny holes in the dipstick , and the oil will fill the holes where it is at that level.
Check with your local Troy-bilt dealer to see if a dipstick-cap is available,
God bless your efforts.

There should be a dip stick where you pull it out to check your fluid level of the automatic transmission. You check it while the car is running and in park and warmed up. To put transmission fluid in, you would get a funnel to fit the opening of the dipstick hole. First take out dipstick, place funnel into the hole and pour the fluid into the funnel. Depending how low your level is, it will not take a lot to bring the level back up to normal. Pour some in and check level. DO NOT OVER FILL!

I am unfamiliar with exact car, however, It is not unusual for transmission oil to be put in via the the transmission dip stick tube - do not confuse it with the engine oil dip stick tube. Do it slowly and make sure you dont over fill or you will eventutally blow your transmission box seals or worse. Let the oil settle before checking levels too because it is easy to misread the dip stick when you have used the dip stick tube to fill oil in.

The safest way to be sure you don't overfill the motor with engine oil is: after draining the oil pan and installing the drain plug, put the new filter on and add three quarts of approved oil to the engine. pull the dipstick and wipe it clean, re-insert and check the accurate oil level. there should be oil either at the very bottom of the dipstick or between two holes or on what looks like a hashmark. if the oil is at the bottom of the dipstick, add one more quart, then start the engine. let it run for about 30 seconds then shut if off. check the dipstick just like before. The oil level should be right at the top oil level mark on the dipstick. It's ok if it is a little low but NOT OK to be above the line or mark.

the transmission fluid goes down the dip stick hole ,either use a small funnel or special tranny fluid refill top up bottle

OIL LEVEL CHECK Every time you stop for fuel, check the engine oil as follows:

1. Park the vehicle on level ground.
2. When checking the oil level it is best for the engine to be at operating temperature, although checking the oil immediately after a stopping will lead to a false reading. Wait a few minutes after turning off the engine to allow the oil to drain back into the crankcase.
3. Open the hood and inspect the level of the engine oil tank. The fluid level on the tank should read between FULL or F and LOW or L.
4. If the level is below the LOW or L line, remove the cap and add enough engine oil to reach the FULL or F line. Fig. 1: Fill the engine oil tank located under the hood first
   
5. Install the oil cap and hand tighten.
6. After filling the oil tank, remove the engine access hole cover on the drivers side. Fig. 2: Make sure the oil tank is to the F mark Fig. 3: The oil dipstick is located under the driver's side engine access hole cover Fig. 4: Place your finger through the hole and pull straight up to remove
   
7. Remove the engine oil dipstick and wipe it clean.
8. Reinsert the dipstick, push it in as far as it will go, the pull it out and look at the level on the end.
9. If necessary, insert more oil through the oil filler cap next to the dipstick, this will completely top off the system. Fig. 5: The oil dipstick has two markings for level check Fig. 6: To fill the crankcase, remove the engine oil filler cap

you have to locate the tranny dip stick and pull it out- then get a funnel that will fit down the hole- and slowly pour in tranny fliud. check level by putting dip stick back in (allow time for fuild to drip down out of the tube) make sure engine is running and is warmed up while reading fluid level on dipstick. Make sure it is the tranny dip stick and not the oil dipstick. oil is usually yellow and says oil on it- Trans is usually red.

You should check it after the car is warm. Park on level ground
Pull the dipstick out and wipe it with a rag as it will have excess oil on it from the oil splashing. Stick the dipstick back in and pull it out again.

On the dipstick, there should be markings on the dipstick to signify the high and low points (high being the end closer to the handle) the oil should sit in between these two points.

manual gear boxes do not have a dipstick , there is a bung plug on the side of the box , about 1/2 way up. to check oil level,umdo that bung plug the oil level is the bottom of that hole.when at correct level oil will just drip over the lip.