185 lo-boy

[SONNY]

just got this to replace losing the mower off the hi-boy.



It dont start well, as it has that gen/start thingy that never worked that well on a 14 hp Kohler let alone turn 4 cylinders over.----any for now Virginia has to pull start me with the big truck almost every time I use it.--live pto clutch may be draggin some too,--have NOT had time to look close!--owners manual dont show anything helpfull. prev. owner just put in new battery and still wont turn past compression.
Wish it had the seperate starter like regular cub has. thanks; sonny

[LiL' Red]

Sonny, check the timing. If you are advanced, it won't turn over cause it's firing on the upstroke and that little starter just can't hack it. Also make sure all wiring connections are clean and tight.

[BigBill]

Check like said above......You may need a tune up and fresh gas in the tank too. Check your battery connections and your battery too.

On my 3 year old #1 int154 that i have it starts all summer and all winter even out in the cold weather too. I just pull the choke all the way out and leave the throttle on the low setting and she fires right up. I have never had a problem with the S/G starting system to this day. This tractor has been very reliable so far once i cleaned out the crud above the fuel bowel and adjusted the clutch properly when i first purchased it.

I never had a problem with any of the s/g's on any of my cub cadets too other than brushes and bearings on some of them. Afterall this stuff is close to 50 years old now.

Its the PO's neglect that causes these problems in the first place so its really not the tractors fault.

[Landreo]

After a few thousand hours on the numbered series, I agree with BigBill, the S/G will start the tractor just fine. If yours does not then something is wrong with the equipment not the design. Dirty connections, bad bearings in the S/G, stuck PTO clutch will cause the poor cranking. I had not thought of the timing but that is possible also. Nothing wrong with a 185, likely this one just needs a basic look over.

[SONNY]

It has been neglected,----hyd wont lift,---probably out of fluid,(like the 706, It was 6 gallons low when I got it),----timing is good,--did get to check that,--starts in a couple feet when pull started---motor sounds good and pulls like a mule, so basicly a solid tractor, and very easy for me to get on,--also drives great!(steering, master clutch, trans., etc.)----charges on the gen side, just dont cut it on start side, and like I said the live pto clutch is draggin, so this will be the next area to tear into as soon as I can find my ref. manual covering the 185 tractors,---I have a big book somewhere that has a 185 section in it.
May have to make new batt. wiring all the way from batt.---could also be bad sol.---have had them go bad on my 147 cadet and cause it to drag really slow.--booster charger hooked on new batt. set on 200 amp boost dont increase starter speed either, which I found rather strange, so ya, I got a lotta work to do on the little guy!---It will take more time than I have, so for now the number 1 thing is to make sure the hyd fluid is full so the pump dont get damaged!(it may already be toast, time will tell)

I like the mower deck, 3-blade 60 inch, but mostly the fact that it has live pto on the tractor, no creeper gear or 3-point on this one, but I only got it to mow with so we will be o.k. with the way it is set up if I can get most of the stuff working/cleaned up/etc.! thanks; sonny

[Landreo]

The nose and grill are intact! That is rare. Looks like a Woods mower which was a better mower. Jump the battery directly to the S/G and you will know quickly if the S/G is good or not. THe 154/185 for some reason get a bad rep on this board but they actually are great for what they were designed which is mowing.

[LiL' Red]

Sonny, PM sent.

[SONNY]

The hood and grille have 2 new dings in them,---Made by careless hauling of the little guy on sale day!!---I need to take the hood off to check stuff under there and will hammer the hood ding out, ---May have some fiberglass repair stuff here to work on the grille to keep it from vibrating a crack to who knows were! -----I am sorta impressed with it !----NOW if I can go over it and check/adjust everything!---ALL it gotta do for me is MOW!!!---NO farming with this one!!! thanks; sonny

[BigBill]

Once you get it right these are awesome mowing machines this is were they truely shine. Thats why there are so many still out there.

[SONNY]

Tried to jump directly to starter/gen. with new hot battery and still no difference!---might see if I can get my electrical man to test it!---may have burned out winding in it. -----Did look behind a plate on the bellhousing, and no starter ring gear on the flywheel, so cant put a regular starter on it . ---also it has NO bottom clutch cover on it and the clutch is full of cut dead grass.---will have to really clean the little guy up good!!!---also the hyd. fluid is EMPTY!!!---did check that too, today!--gotta get another bucket before I can re-fill it!---thats as far as I got on it so far! thanks; sonny

[BigBill]

Pull the S/G and check the brushes/bearings and clean the armature. I would bech test it to see how fast it spins with no load before installing it. Once the starter is ok i would clean all the grounds next.

I made the mistake last summer and parked my jeep tractor under the pine trees in a damp spot. It sat all summer and by the fall nothing electrical worked. I had to clean all the wire connections and even the points too. Even the amp gage wouldn't work. I just calmed down and took a wire brush and some sand paper and went over every connection. All i thought was i'm not shoveling any snow and its going to run again. And its been ok now ever since.

I know the wiring on my int154's isn't that healthy too. With two of my 154's i need to fabricate new wire harnesses. I figure i'll make 4 sets of wiring harnesses incase i purchase another 154/185. I figure i'll lay out one wire at a time on a board with finish nails so i have a pattern to go by. I need to do this for my fcub too. I will solder every connection too. I have most of the wire and a spool of wire for battery cables too sitting here. I just don't want it to bite me later. The outer casing is crumbling off the wire. My fcub has the same problem too but its much older.

All these older tractors need new wiring.

I believe the flywheel is cut to add a ring gear and the engine block has a cover plate for the starter. I have an fcub ring gear and a newer 12v fcub starter for it. I'm changing my #2 int154 over to a geared starter so i can add a 105amp alternator for more lights(work lites). My two other int154's start up right away with the S/G.

[SONNY]

Got the mower off so I can re-build it!----blades ready to fall off,someone tried to use the mower for a rock crusher, and did quite a number on things under there!---I have most of that damage patched up and re-enforced , sharpened the blades, cleaned the underside real good.
Tractor has a hydraulic leak under the belly, looks like from the big line that goes towards the front, probably pump suction tube or return line!---might be where the hyd. fluid went, the pump is strong enough to kill the engine if you get the lift lever in the wrong position!!!---also found a broken spring under there, not sure where it is supposed to go,---tightened up some loose bolts, cleaned as much of the underside as I could.
Still have not gotten the starter thingy taken to town to get it fixed, but it is really slow turning even without the belt on it.
The more I go over it the better I like the little thing!---LOVE the way it drives/handles,---very easy for me to get on/off of----the engine runs way smoother than the hi boy for some reason!---I did notice it has a Bendix carb on it, which looks to be a lot better made than the funky IH carb on the other 3 hi boys that I have!
Thats as far as I have gotten to date on it and the grass/weeds are waving in the wind, so I gotta shag a$$ and get everything back together soon!! LOL!! thanks; sonny

[SONNY]

Had to completely re-build the deck on the front side and still need to re-plate the skid shoes,---did get the twisted side straight.---the front of the deck now looks like a bulldozer, ---BUT it hangs straight and mows perfect!
Still cant find the hyd leak! thanks; sonny