Int154/185/184 get a bad rap?

Why does the int154/185/184 cub loboy get such a bad rap from everyone? Even my fellow fcub owners give them a bad rap too. These took the place of the fcub with the large estate owners in doing maily mowing chores. But they can do anything an fcub can do. Most of these were neglected and run into the ground by the time most of us got them. These can be really neglected by there PO. From what i have seen is most will try to band aid them rather than fix them right. This can lead to even more problems down the road when things are rigged to keep it running. But yet i have seen good and bad with both the int154 style tractors and the fcubs too. But i don't bad rap either one. I don't think anything can match the int154 at mowing after all thats what it was designed for. When the int154/184/185 were manufactured there sales and production did out sell the fcub so there was a demand and need for this style machine too. Afterall there all brothers manufactured by the same IH/farmall company right? I like them both there the best of both worlds. The comfort when mowing on the int154 is unmatched. When i'm having a lazy day i hop on the 154 and mow and enjoy the ride. If i want a longer ride i use the cub cadet and go even slower if i have time to kill. I pulled big rocks, cultivated dirt and plowed dirt with my fcub. I also tilled up the hard soil with the cub cadet and pushied it with the fcub. All these machines have cleaned up my new place by working together. They haven't argued nor complained yet. I like them all. Bill

Bill ithink you answered your own question most of the numbered cubs were used hard and not serviced and maintained as needed i have never bought a cub or one of the numbered cubs that i thought was serviced regulary when you drain the hy-tran fluid it's always a yellow color that is due to moisture in the housings.and some of the repairs i have seen makes me remember something i heard a redneck with a torch and a welder is dangerous.

Jim

I have heard similar sentiments from others before (which I don't understand).
Some say the loboy's aren't field farming friendly because of the height. Ok, but a cub isn't exactly what I think of as "row crop" either.
The 3-point lifting capability might be slightly limited due to the shorter length of the loboy, but I would also argue that the 3-point is still more useful than a fast hitch.
Workhorse wise, the engine is just as tough and the frame keeps engine ears from breaking. Ag tires would enable more of that HP to be transferred to the ground for pulling power. I wouldn't fault the tractor for the turf tires as Ag's were optional. The original owner had the choice on that one.
I am not a big fan of the 154 & 185 clutch setup, but love the 184 design. (maybe this is just favoritism)
I am getting to think it is just accessory related. There are more accessories available for a cub. I also think some are just jealous of the mower girth. :lol:

Maybe we need a few 185's and 184's (with loaded Ag tires) to enter the cub tug.

The 154 and 185 had a junk pto and costly to repair I do not have first hand knoledge of the 184s. You cant cultivate worth 2 cents with a numbered cub. mow and push snow they are not too bad. But that is all they are suited for as far as I am concerned. One of the reasons they outsold the cub was the 140, not that much higher priced than a cub and twice the tractor.

Boss Hog

Boss, with the 184, they went to an electric PTO clutch which solved that problem, I've not seen any problems with those. They also moved the clutch back up to the engine, where it belongs, further solving issues with the 154/185. The return to the gear drive starter was a plus as well. In my opinion, the 184 is a pretty good machine, for what it was built for.

I don't think there have been any 154/185"s in the Tug, but there have been 184"s. They did well, both on turf's & ag's. Cubs have not been traction limited in the tug.

My PTO on my very first int154 went do to bad bearings on the engagement levers. So far its all it needs is new bearings and i believe it will be ok. After 40+ years something has to wearout right? On the fcub there is no clutch on the pto shaft that can be really scary at times. My thoughts with any turning shaft with no clutch somethings gotta give it=f it jams up or does the attachment have the clutch in it? I like both tractors but the int154 series tractor is a mowing machine with its 60" deck. I did notice that the weak link in my fcub is the longer drive shaft. Since mine split near the tranny input and it has a lighter and darker gray color to the metal were it split tells me its been cracking for a longtime. The lighter gray color is where it split last. The darker color is the area where it started cracking a while back.(older crack) Thats my only problem with my fcub that i can see so far. I'm not sure if its a common thing or not. Maybe you guys with more experience will tell me if it is or not? Maybe the drive shaft needs a sleeve that clamps on the drive shaft in this area to prevent this from happening again to me. I have an idea for a quick bolt on sleeve support so the drive shaft can bend of flex in this area.

BigBill":jbic4kj9 said:

My PTO on my very first int154 went do to bad bearings on the engagement levers. So far its all it needs is new bearings and i believe it will be ok. After 40+ years something has to wearout right? On the fcub there is no clutch on the pto shaft that can be really scary at times. My thoughts with any turning shaft with no clutch somethings gotta give it=f it jams up or does the attachment have the clutch in it? I like both tractors but the int154 series tractor is a mowing machine with its 60" deck. I did notice that the weak link in my fcub is the longer drive shaft. Since mine split near the tranny input and it has a lighter and darker gray color to the metal were it split tells me its been cracking for a longtime. The lighter gray color is where it split last. The darker color is the area where it started cracking a while back.(older crack) Thats my only problem with my fcub that i can see so far. I'm not sure if its a common thing or not. Maybe you guys with more experience will tell me if it is or not? Maybe the drive shaft needs a sleeve that clamps on the drive shaft in this area to prevent this from happening again to me. I have an idea for a quick bolt on sleeve support so the drive shaft can bend of flex in this area.

Click to expand...

My 3rd ints154 with the creeper tranny, the 8,3x24 ag's and the dozer blade works awesome on pushing snow and dirt. I been doing my landscaping and snow removal with it since i purchased it about 4 years ago. Its been running fine. It needs a new clutch, another set of rear wheel weights and a wash/paint job but thats not much to ask for an older machine with 4 years of hard work on it now. Its been one hell of a tractor for me since i purchased it. Its also pushed a lot of dirt, dozing my land and clearing it. While my fcub with the cultivators chewed up the roots and loosened the ground so the 154 could plow and level it. I cleared over 3/4 of an acre of over grown brush, rocks and trees so far. It was let grow since around '57. Since this area was an older local farm i'm finding old bottles, cans and old iron too in the dirt.

My second int154 was a non runner but it was rebuilt not too long ago by the PO. Its going to be my FEL and backhoe soon(springtime work). I'm not breaking off of it until its done and running as soon as the snow melts. I have the design in my mind now and need to fabricate the rear subframe and intergrate and connect it to the front subframe. This will be one mean looking int154 too. Plus a hard working on too. I have most of the 1/2" tubing parts too which will challange my expertise with tubing too. Doing good looking tubing is an art that not all can do when multiple lines are run together each one has to be the same exact bend and look the same to the others that run along side it. Like i said doing tubing is an art. This bigger progect is going to probably be one of my last ones. Its my last hurrah and i'll be fabricating and manufacturing most of the parts except for the hydraulics. I did all of the drilling so far by hand. I did show my engineering son how to line up the arms and eyes on the brackets/uprites for the FEL. Its right on the money and lined up with no fixtures by using a steel rod with some string and a measuring tape too. Its done old school the way it was taught by the old time welders. I can fabricate anything from scrap by old boss told me that all the time. I can't wait to get started again on it.

With my fcub i'm hoping to use the Kub klipper (little brush hog) to keep the woods clear of the smaller over growth. But i have the front blade and the cultivators for it too. Instead of going with a fast hitch setup i'm thinking of fabricating a 3pt hitch on it. I wpould like to copy my cousins setup he used on the farmall H for plowing snow he had a rear back blade were he would back right up tio the garage and drop both plows and push the snow out of the driveway one shot. In a snowstorm he would be out plowing for days with it. Its actually faster than plowing with a 4x4 truck because of the two blades. Time is money when plowing snow.

Well enough said but i like both IH machines because each one has there nitch in there applications. But i left out the little workhorse too the cub cadet don't, repeat don't under estimate what these little guys can do too. They can really do work when we apply them too. I'm disabled and these awesome machines can pick up the slack on what i can't do, but they can do it..... :{_}:

All winter my little cub cadet 70 chugged along with my firewood with the trailer hauling 1/3 of a cord with every load. That little 8hp kohler thinks its a cub 4 cylinder engine the way it keeps on pulling. Its the littyle tractor that could we might say. Bill

BTW;

TIP; I read about on one of the sports cars (older) they put moly on the tranny splines/clutch splines to keep the wear down. Years ago we put a little white grease in the same application in the modern cars/trucks. Not lubing the splines could be why were seeing the wear on the splines on the tractors today. This area isn't mean't to run dry and it needs to be lubed, even the old timer mechanics knew this.

Boss Hog":2y1lpwer said:

The 154 and 185 had a junk pto and costly to repair I do not have first hand knoledge of the 184s. You cant cultivate worth 2 cents with a numbered cub. mow and push snow they are not too bad. But that is all they are suited for as far as I am concerned. One of the reasons they outsold the cub was the 140, not that much higher priced than a cub and twice the tractor.

Boss Hog

Click to expand...

Your right from the super A to the 140 model thats one heck of a hard working tractor. If your looking for a small hard working tractor the super A to the 140 models is the one we want for the harder tougher jobs. I would like one of these and a farmall H or M too. But these bigger tactors are harder to hide from the misses too. I need a camo barn so she can't even see the barn the tractors are in too. :lol: Bill

i think becouse of its size , everybody expects more out of it including me . but it does extremely well for what it was designed for, and that was mowing, and a carry all for your weedwacker and a 6 pack on the hot days

I'm going to have to eat crow on this one too my int154 cub loboy does push snow with no problem. I'm sure the new clutch in the spring and another set of rear wheel weights in the spring with maybe a wash and paint job it will be even better next winter too. The past few weeks it has impressed me even more. Heck I plowed with all winter so far. I now have 6' piles of snow it has pushed. But i do need to look at the adjustments for the blade so i can get more height on it when i raise it so i can pile the snow even higher. The more i run this tractor the better it runs too. I don't have a clue why so many PO's just let these awesome machines just sit. I put seafoam and a fresh tank of gas in each tractor that has been sitting and by the time the gas tank is almost halfway or needs more gas added the idle has picked up on its own and she is running happy, happy again. I guess the seafoam free's up the sticky/dry valves and loosens up the stuck rings for sitting too. My driveway is one of the cleanest driveways in my area. And my neighbor has stuck his 4x4 truck with the plow now 3 times and had to be pulled out. I admit i stuck the 154 because i raised the plow too soon and the snow got behind the front tires and stuck it, but that was with the ladder chains. With my home made duo cross ladders it doesn't happen now and it seems as long aqs the snow stays infront of the blade and the tires remain clear of snow we can't stick it. Its a great feeling now i can even drive thru the snow with no wheel spin. I also pushed snow lastyear with my fcub too with two sets of rear wheel weights and my duo cross chains too. The only thing i don't like is the solid link that lifts the plow. It should be a chain because i really don't need down pressure when pushing snow. But again the traction gained by the better set of tire chains is well worth the work making them.

Ok eating crow again its not my 4x4 jeep but its so close and can do the job. The int154 can mow and push snow. I also used the 3pt with the ripper tooth i made too. I pulled out smaller rocks that were sticking up in the lawn from the frost pushing them up. Its done everything i ask it to do now. With the mower and my PTO when it went bad i was lowering the mower on brush to chew it up. Of course thats the wrong application for the finish mower too. Thats my fault too. This is where the kub klipper on the back of the fcub will earn its keep. Bill

kawman14733":127q3qzm said:

i think becouse of its size , everybody expects more out of it including me . but it does extremely well for what it was designed for, and that was mowing, and a carry all for your weedwacker and a 6 pack on the hot days

Click to expand...

Like i said before we can't beat this 154 for mowing with the 60" deck. Unless i have a 70" or 90" deck on a super A or 140 farmall. My neighbor told me my 154 w/60" deck is too big for my two acres just wait down the road if i ever get a super a or 140 with the larger deck. I hate cutting grass because it was my job all the time when i was a kid. I shoveled the snow and fed the fireplace too. But now with mowing i want the biggest tractor and deck i can afford to mow with. The quicker i get it done sometimes the better so i can fish more.... :{_}: Bill

I do not know other's experience on the numbered series and offset cubs but mine is in the range of several thousand hours, mostly mowing, with both the numbered series and the offset cubs when I was younger and had a real job. I had an Fcub long before I had a numbered series but I mowed with a lawn tractor rather than the Fcub since I remembered my experience when I was younger. No cute names for my tractors, they are there for me to do work and the faster I can finish the work, the happier I am. I do mostly mowing and a little pulling, plowing, etc. For me there is no comparison, the numbered series is what I want for what I do with it. If I was a farmer or pretend farmer and I needed something that size, I may consider an offset cub. The lack of a Fcub's independent PTO make mowing an unhappy experience.


I do not know what constitutes a junk PTO but my experience is the 154/185 had good reliable shafts and PTO clutches. I can take the clutch off and have it apart in 30 minutes. It is simple, standard bearings, and the company that made the clutch is still in business. My tracked loader has a similar camlock design for the steering clutches and does my Yazoo commercial mower. The only failure I had was a bad bearing that was a standard size and replacement from a bearing dealer was around $15 dollars. I have never had to adjust the PTO since then, no real maintanence other than greasing. The bimetal disks are fairly thick and should last just about forever. I expect most of the clutches "needing" rebuilt really just needed adjustment. The independent PTO clutch on the 154/185 is more work than that on a Fcub simply because the Fcub does not have an independent PTO!
One bearing failure in thousands of hours, thats pretty good. I have not purchased a 184 because of the electric PTO clutch, they may be reliable but I can fix the camlock clutch if needed. The electric clutch, not sure how repairable it is.

I am not aware there are any first postulates in engineering that state a clutch must be mounted to the engine flywheel, if so, all the cars in my driveway got it wrong. There is nothing strange about the 154/185 clutch, still has a pressure plate, disc, splines, pilot bearing etc... also has a ball bearing throwout bearing not a piece of graphite. No failures in the thousands of hours I spent on the numbered series. I can take the clutch out in 30 minutes and reinstall in 30 minutes all while sitting on a concrete block, no need to split, no splitting stand, quick and easy.

I can use my car to cultivate with but I don't think it would do very well, not built to cultivate. The numbered series is good for several things and great at other things. Cultivating is not one of them. If you want to cultivate then get something higher then a loboy. One size does not fit all.

There are some disadvantages to a numbered series. Less were made so less parts are available, some are more expensive like a radiator, some are less expensive that with an offset cub. All numbered series have an exposed clutch and splines, dust and grime may affect the wearing of the clutch splines and shaft. The numbered series are narrower which may be a problem for hilly areas. The frame may crack but can be easily welded. Less implements available. The tractors themselves are harder to find.

I do not know the mean time between failures for either the PTO or main clutch and I doubt anyone on the board knows and experiences may cloud a person's view but to answer BigBill's question, Yes, the numbered series get an undeserved bad rap. My 3 have been great, I wish I could say the same for all my Fcubs.

We must remeber most of these numbered series cubs were driven hard till they don't run and put away wet most of the time. Plus all the wear and tear in over 40 years of service too. A little lube on the clutch splines go a long way too. I put a tad of moly on the clutch splines. There not to be assembled dry. This is why down the raod we see so many clutch splines with wear when it can be prevented. The older mechanics always lubed these splines.

Ok now my fcub split its driveshaft at the tranny. So does that make it a bad tractor too? I think not, so its cultivated many acres of corn thru the many years since the PO purchased it brand new. There's an older crack line in the drive shaft and a new crack line were it finally broke. This tells me while its under a heavier than normal load the drive shaft is flexing and bending. So why is the fcub better over my int154's. I think my fcub is a little light for the little work i do with it. I really need an A or a 140 tractor.

Ok with all this said its the PO who pushed these tractors(fcub/numbered series) past there limits with no maintenance which isn't the tractors fault.

This is my first year in decades of plowing with my jeep tractor were i didn't even start it up all winter. I plowed with my int154 all winter with the high amounts of snowfall. Once i put my chains on it i had no problem with pushing snow. Even with my slipping clutch in high range, but in low range it never slipped once. I pushed all the snow i wanted it to push too. I'm impressed it made it thru the winter. The clutch disc is thick but its glazed really bad and probably the pressure plate is weak too. I have a used pressure plate here with a new one and the difference in spring pressure is unbelieveable. The used plate is so much weaker over the new one.

I bought a partially refurbished 154 for $2000. It runs great but I tried doing some light plowing with it and it rings off roll pins, wore out the hub, and evidently these were meant as large lawn mowers...where my 154 is one grass eating son of a gun. Terrible clutch engineering in my opinion. I wish I could redo the clutch mechanism to make it more bullet proof.

its pretty obvious that they were landscaping, grounds keeping vehicles. its a big lawn mower. it can tow a trailer for my wife's mulch and pine straw or for picking up broken tree limbs after our annual tropical storm or hurricane. but thats why i bought it. as a lawn mower.

IH marketed the Cub 154 and the others in the herd as Estate type tractors. They are not and were never expected to be a farm tractor -- they are lawn/yard care machines. To expect a Numbered Cub to function as both a lawn/yard care machine and a farm tractor is irrational. As a yard care machine the 154 and siblings apparently do a great job. They mow grass, plow snow, throw snow, haul yard waste and other hauling chores quite nicely from all reports. For the ag implements available I would assume that they were designed not so much for farming but tillage for flower beds etc. That is what I see a Numbered Cub used for, certainly not cultivating my garden. Course that is JIMHO.

I think the int154 could easily cross over into the farm use with its dual brakes, the rear PTO tiller and the 3pt hitch. I think for its size its still a great grounds keeper on an estate. Havine the creeper and the 3pt rear hitch opened up the int154 for and use. Plus the live PTO that was a big improvement.

I'm rebuilding my PTO right now and it just had wornout ingagement bearings and everything else looks great. To me its a great setup. The PTO clutch setup is a safety between the PTO drive and the attachment. Other wise its a direct drive which i really don't want. Not having a clutch between the drive and attachment puts an extra shoch and more wear on the driven parts without it. The onlt improvement i could see is a wet clutch setup like the gravely tractors had they used the same princable.

It took a bit to get my two 154's up to good operating condition after years of neglect and abuse. They are good machines, if you use them for what they are intended for, mowing grass and associated finish yard work. They are not made for plowing, pulling stumps or running through the woods chopping up everything they can push over. I've seen around 8 of the 154-184 design, compared to about 20 of its more traditional counterparts in my County while out and about scouting the next tractor to bring home. When you compare how long of a time frame each design rolled off the line, I'd say, at least for my area, the later model Cubs out sold the earlier ones.
My beef.... A bit more time could have been put into the engineering and design of the frame IMO...