help identify cub 184

[tomstractor]

My friend just bought a Cub Lowboy 184. We need help to break down the ID number.
it reads " 20001 15 U 046289 396" we think it is a 1978 by the numbers but we would like to know what the "20001" means also the "15"
we think the"U" means built in USA, and the last what does "396" mean? It also has the late model bearing fan hub that we thought started in 1979. Thanks

[tomstractor]

Sorry, I should have listed this in the 184 list. Can somebody move it? Thanks

[Jim Becker]

Sorry, I should have listed this in the 184 list. Can somebody move it? Thanks

Done.

The first part of the serial number identifies the product. From what I understand, the first 3 digits are the "kind code", a general category of product. The next 4 digits are a "machine code", an exact model within the kind. There could be several machine codes to represent variations of what we typically think of as a "model". The "U" is built in the USA. The next 6 digits is the actual sequence number (in this case, 1978). I don't know what the 396 is.

[outdoors4evr]

My 184 has a different "machine code". 2000116U This probably represents options. (3-point hitch, creeper, rear worklight, etc)
Not sure why, but my serial number ends in an asterisk (*).