LoBoy number series

[John Niekamp]

I'm thinking about finding me a number series LoBoy, but I know nothing about them.

Is there any reason to get one over the other? Do any of them have a live PTO or an electric clutch like some of the Cub Cadets have?

What is the going rate for a working one with deck nothing fancy or repainted, just complete and in running working condition?

Thanks,

John

[Eugene]

The 184 is probably the best of the numbered Cub Low-Boys.

The numbered Cubs have a live PTO, their major advantage over a standard Cub.

Price range depending on location for one in working condition with mower deck, $1500- and up.

Owning a standard Cub and a 154 with creeper, 3-point, flotation tires, the 154 is a good lawn mower. The standard Cub is much more utilitarian, more readily available implements.

My opinion, if I had to choose between a standard Cub and a numbered Cub, I would take the standard Cub. The only reason I own the 154 is that I purchased it from a neighbor, cheap, thinking it was a parts tractor for my standard Cub.

Read through the posts on the numbered Cub forum.

[outdoors4evr]

All of the numbered series have the live (independent) PTO. The 154 & 185 have mechanical PTO clutches. The 184 has an electric PTO clutch.
The 154 and 185 have the drive clutch mounted toward the back of the tractor on a secondary flywheel. The 184 has the clutch mounted to the engine flywheel.
All except the first few 154's have zenith carbs and dome pistons. Some options are available such as 3-point hitch, creeper underdrive, and hydraulic selector valve.
Prices vary wildly depending on area, options, and condition. Most are between $800 and $2400.

[gitractorman]

The 184 definitely has several advantages over the other number series tractors, however, they're basically just a big lawn mower and decent snow plow. If you want to do any field plowing, disking, or other ground engaging work, the standard Cub is much easier and better suited to that work. I've owned several of each, and I do like the 184 the best because of the electric PTO and the 18hp engine, but I prefer the looks of the 154/185 tractors.

They are very comfortable tractors to ride around on, so that makes them a great lawn mower if you have lots of acreage. However, they turn around like a dump truck, so if you have lots of trees, they're not that great. I could never use one at my new place because I have about 30 trees along the side of the yard. The foot-controlled hydro on my new Simplicity Legacy just makes that easy work, and no clutching or shifting to stop. Ironically, the 184 was basically put out of business by the Simplicity 9020 which was the same sized tractor with a hand controlled hydro and standard 540 rpm PTO, two things which never happened with the number series cubs. The Cub Cadet 982 had the hydro drive, and Cat 1 3-point hitch, and was similar sized to the Simplicity 9020, but still had the stupid PTO at engine speed turning the wrong direction, so there were very few attachments that could work on it. Regardless, the 982 was definitely an intended replacement for the 184, with the offering of a 60-inch mower.

[John Niekamp]

Are the engines still the 4 cylinder flat head cast iron engine that I'm used to with the exception of more horsepower?

[Don McCombs]

Yes. Here is some info.

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractor ... o-boy.html

[John Niekamp]

Thanks Don!

Now that I've learn they all have live PTO, I'll take any of them, depending if I can buy one reasonable.

Any known clutch or mechanical issues with any of the numbered series?

[Eugene]

Any known clutch or mechanical issues with any of the numbered series?

Spend some time reading topics on this forum.

PTO repairs can be expensive. Engine clutch on the 154/185 is a floppy system. Repairs on some components requires a significant disassembly just to get to the part needing repair.

My opinion, the standard Cub is much easier to work on.

[gitractorman]

I have to disagree just a bit with Eugene on working on the tractors. The number series is actually quite a bit easier when it comes to clutch and driveline repairs because the engine is mounted in a frame, and you do not have to "split" the tractor to make clutch or driveline repairs. So, in that respect, it is actually much easier to repair the clutch on a number series.

However, I do agree that the PTO clutch is expensive to repair, and is a known issue spot, although, most folks are having PTO issues on a 30 or 40-year old PTO clutch. Since the PTO is live on the number series, the fact that they are "failing" after 30 or 40 years, in my mind, is really just not that big of a deal.

The one other known weak spot is where the transmission bolts to the frame in the rear of the tractor. The frame is pretty thin, and if they are abused, I have seen a few where the bolts have pulled out of the frame. It is not a horrible thing to repair, but it is something that I definitely let folks know when they're new to the number series cubs.

Yes, the engine is the same, C60, flathead 4-cyl engine, and they're awesome. The biggest differences are the domed pistons, Zenith carbs, and increased RPM, which is how they got 15 and later 18 hp out of the engines. There was a governor change at some point in there too, but it's still the C60 engine.

[outdoors4evr]

The 184 does away with the wonky clutches used on the 154 & 185. The 184 has a engine flywheel mounted clutch and an electric clutch for the PTO. Both are easy to work on.