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Potential 154 purchase

IH CUB Lo-Boy Series - 154, 184, 185 Forum -- Questions and answers to all of your Lo-Boy related issues.
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toro8
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Potential 154 purchase

Postby toro8 » Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:59 pm

This tractor is for sale near me. It has a front blade and hydrolics but no deck or pto. Turf tires and a new battery. Painted red and white supposed to be a good paint job. It makes some trans noise that the owner claims it has made for a long time. I have been looking for a LoBoy new or old but not having a deck seems to limit what it can do. What do the experts think? John in KC

Here is the Craigs list ad
1971 international Cub 154 **MUST SELL** - $1000 (Blue Springs)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: see below
Date: 2008-12-06, 11:13AM CST
Runs good. It is a 4 cylinder gas. Must sell.

Call Tony @ 816-682-3521
Location: Blue Springs

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RaymondDurban
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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby RaymondDurban » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:23 pm

Welcome to the Forum!!
To give you my opinion, if he really "Has to sell", he will go lower. I guess $1000 for a tractor with no PTO is not entirely out of line, but severly limits your options. The PTO assemblies can be found and reinstalled. The transmission noise also should raise some warning flags. If this is exactly what you are looking for, and you can get him to drop the price a few more bucks, go for it. But, if you have hesitation, I would keep looking. Best of Luck and keep us posted.

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John(videodoc)
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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby John(videodoc) » Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:40 pm

Personally i would lose the phone number and move on, quickly. If its gots problems already, there is sure more to follow

I have owned two 154's. One had the complete drive train replaced, and still made noise and would not go into gear.
The second was somewhat better and was i was able to sell, but i still lost 1000 in my investment. It also had some clutch, transmission issues. But i was told the adjustment would take care of it. The pto had to be redone.

Even if someone gave me a 154 or 185, i would load em up take em to a junk yard for scrap. If it was a 184 i would probably keep. The 154/85 were produced by CCA, not IH. The 154 was an experimental tractor, and the placement of the clutch and shifter wasnt quite worked out until the 184.

Some people love em and have had good luck with them, and i say great, more power to them, i am happy for them. I have been burned twiced, wont happen again.

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby Paul B » Sun Dec 07, 2008 6:46 pm

John(videodoc)
The 154/85 were produced by CCA, not IH.

Explain what you mean by this please, who or what is CCA? The 154/185/184 were all built by IH in the Louisville plant.

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John(videodoc)
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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby John(videodoc) » Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:06 pm

In Ken Updikes Book on Cub and Cub Cadets he states something along the lines that the 154 and 185 were made by Cub Cadet Corportation of America (a possible division of IH?). IH took back control for the 184 and the red cadets time period. They later decided that they did not want to be in the mower business and once again sold out to CCCA. Thus the beginning of the end for IH. Course i may have remembered it wrong. :oops:

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby Paul B » Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:31 pm

I believed you have remembered wrong. The 154 came out in 1968, and production had ended on the 184 in 1979. Cub Cadet Corp. was not incorporated until June 1, 1981, as a wholly owned subsidiary of MTD, and along with that incorporation came the ownership of the Cub Cadet line, from IH. The numbered series Lo-Boys (154/185/184) had come and gone before CCC was ever formed. By 1974, the Cub Cadet, the International Cub, and the 154 Lo-Boy were all part of the IH Power Lawn Products Division/line, and even though the Cub and Lo-Boy were out of production when the Cub Cadet Line was sold, I believe the rights (may be the wrong terminlogy) to Cub and Lo-Boy were part of the sale to CCC, and you can buy parts for the Cub and Lo-Boy tractors from Cub Cadet dealers today, as well as from Case IH dealers. Although the 154/185 may have looked like an overgrown Cub Cadet, they were not part of the Cub Cadet line, but were part of the same division within the company as the Cub Cadet.

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby RaymondDurban » Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:38 am

John(videodoc) wrote:....The 154/85 were produced by CCA, not IH. The 154 was an experimental tractor, and the placement of the clutch and shifter wasnt quite worked out until the 184. .........

The numbered series tractors were made to match the styling of the smaller cadets, but were still manufactured under IH, using IH parts and facilities. Same motors (bit more HP), same transmissions and final drives as the older lowboys. The clutches are different, and a bit more tempermental, but no harder (easier actually) to adjust than the older tractors provided clutch and transmission flywheel brake still have life left in them. The 154 was not an experimental tractor that happened to be in production for 7 years, although there was experimentation with a Hydro 154. The shifter placement is the same throughout the numbered line.

John in KC,
The noise in the transmission could be anything from bearings going bad to not enough fluid in transmission and/or finals. The bearings in the PTO setup will also roar even while the tractor is setting still, being that it is a live system. That will all depend on how much of the PTO was removed. The hydraulic system and the transmission share the transmission as it serves as the resivoir. Another thing I forgot to mention in my first post was the condition of the tires, and if the rears are the 'baloon' type or the narrower turfs. Although both more expensive than Ag tires but the baloon turfs will give you a coranary when you get the price! I think mine a few years ago were something like $750 for a set! :shock:

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby John(videodoc) » Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:23 am

Consider me educated as well. I mentioned that i may have remembered wrong, i plan to reread that section of the book tonight.

However i still would take one given me straight to the junk yard for scrap. I like their look, but very nervous about their drive shaft and clutch issues.

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby Paul B » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:32 am

The tractor drive clutch and the PTO clutch pac and shaft are both known problem areas and are both pricey to repair, close to the price asked for the tractor if both need to be replaced.

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby BigBill » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:24 am

I purchased my int154 with the 3260 mower deck for $800 and the only two problems i had was the clutch and flywheel brake needed to be adjusted in sync and the fuel bowel was clogged above it in the gas tank, it would stall and restart in a few minutes when i first got it. And since that for going on 3 years now its been a great tractor. I think the main problem with these and many other tractors is neglect. You can see it with most fcubs too. I wish i could find more 154's at that price too, most of the ones i'm seeing now are hitting $3,000. For a mowing machine the 154 is hard to beat.(live PTO) Yup its a cub cadet on steroids for sure.

I just purchased two sets of the 13.6x16 turf tires on rims from "hamiltonbob" for $200 a set. (ebay) Just the rims new are $400 each and my tires are in excellent condition too with about 75% thread left. Of course we won't talk about the UPS price for shipping them. I hope to get some firestone 13.6x16 AG tires for it someday too.

You can get most of the 154 parts on ebay from hamiltonbob he parts out the 154's. I probably purchased a complete 154 in parts so far just to have them if i need them. But i haven't used any parts yet in 3 years.
I'm technically misunderstood at times i guess its been this way my whole life so why should it change now.

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John(videodoc)
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Posts: 6547
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:16 pm
Zip Code: 61944
Tractors Owned: -
55 F-Cub - snow plow and chains
3 Demonstrators Restored.
"Bette" - 22 mower
"Roxie" - 144 Complete Cults'
"Sandy"(Done) 193 Plow
1950 Demo, "Billie"
-(Woods 59")
Corn Stalk Cutter
23a Disc
&
2005 Mahindra w/FEL
Circle of Safety: Y
Location: IL, Paris just off of Interstate 70
Contact:

Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby John(videodoc) » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:46 am

dont get me wrong a running, maintained, well taken care of 154, is hard to beat. I did enjoy mowing with mine. They are a mowing machine!!!! But after being burned by two. I mean, spending a lot of money getting them up and running........ I am not excited about getting another one, anytime soon. As i said, some people love em, great, and i wish em well. If i would have had better luck, my opinion would be different as well. I was hoping Bill would chime in, cause i know he loves his 154. Now my 184 i did love, and regret to this day trading it away. It was a dream to mow with. But i found out later, that the clutch went out and had to be replaced shortly after i traded it away.

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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby BigBill » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:25 pm

John(videodoc) wrote:dont get me wrong a running, maintained, well taken care of 154, is hard to beat. I did enjoy mowing with mine. They are a mowing machine!!!! But after being burned by two. I mean, spending a lot of money getting them up and running........ I am not excited about getting another one, anytime soon. As i said, some people love em, great, and i wish em well. If i would have had better luck, my opinion would be different as well. I was hoping Bill would chime in, cause i know he loves his 154. Now my 184 i did love, and regret to this day trading it away. It was a dream to mow with. But i found out later, that the clutch went out and had to be replaced shortly after i traded it away.


I like my fcub too and my cub cadets i guess its anything with "IH" on it. Maybe i got lucky for a change and got a good one. The PO passed away after rebuilding the engine then it just sat.

Ok i got lucky twice. I found an fcub with a rebuilt engine(just done 2 years ago) with 4 new tires/tubes and new rear rims, with a new 12v battery for $1,500. It runs as good as my 154 does too. It just needs some tranny work. I don't think i did too bad from the prices i'm seeing on the others in worst conditions.

I regret not buying another int154 for $1,000 too.
I'm technically misunderstood at times i guess its been this way my whole life so why should it change now.

Paul B
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Re: Potential 154 purchase

Postby Paul B » Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:03 am

My local dealer asked me if I would be interested in a 154. He does not have it yet and may not get it, but he has a customer, a church group, that has asked what he would allow them on a trade for a new tractor. They may trade it in, or one of the members may buy it for what he offered them on trade. The dealer has worked on the tractor several times in past years, and it supposedly runs and mows good and has the larger turf tires, and a 60" deck. I am not a fan of 154's, but , I'll post the information about it on the for sale page, if and when it becomes available.


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