I'm glad you found it easier than expected! Loading the film on the stainless steel reel can be difficult; indeed it can work smoothly, and then mysteriously balky another time. 120 film can be awkward because the larger film is just floppier. The little Instamatic 110 film is often a pain to load because the 16mm reel has the guide spiral only on one side (just spokes on the other).
In any case, there's a rather unintuitive trick that helps: Instead of pulling the film tight as you rotate the reel, at each rotation push the film badkwards a little so that it's loose in the spiral track. And be alert to a kind of crackling noise that signals the film has jumped the rails! I run my finger gently along the film on the reel to feel for any irregularity that would indicate a tracking problem. After some experience you get a sense of what feels and sounds normal.
It would be best for the temperatures to be nearly the same for all baths, to avoid "shock" to the film while it's wet.
One question arises, though, about your wash cycle after fixing... you mentioned just a rinse. It's important to thoroughly wash all that fixer out of the film before drying. Maybe even start with a "hypo clearing agent" which is a fixer-neutralizer, and then washing can be done quicker.
Glad you're having fun! 🙂
