Talk me out of buying a 154 LoBoy

AAcub

AAcub

Active member
I’ve come to the realization that my property is turning in to a two tractor solution. At least that’s what I’m telling the wife. My ‘49 cub is absolutely perfect for snow plowing, dragging firewood around, sickle-ing here and there and brush hogging…but not great at plain old lawn mowing. The Woods finish mower on the Fcub is adequate, but I think the live PTO of the 154 would be a game changer. I have many dead ends and 3 point turns to make while mowing, and the cub makes this cumbersome.

I have been lurking over at the numbered LoBoy forum, but wanted to post here first since there are so many sets of eyes looking on the cub forum.

Other than the implied fragile nature of the 154’s PTO clutch, am I crazy for considering a 154?

Thanks in advance for any insight, insults or outright misinformation.

Tom
 
Thanks Ed. That’s too bad, I was hoping since the engine etc is per the cub, at least I’d know how to repair & source parts. Guess it’s no surprise why they’re inexpensive.

Tom
 
Additionally, the frame rails where the attachment to the the finals is a weak point and many posters have found that they crack at this location. Usually attributed to overloading/overstressing the machine. I also think that the entire steering assembly is generally not built as heavy duty as needed. Might be ok as long as its not assigned any task beyond mowing grass but we all know that's never the case. JMHO Stan
 
There are several for sale nearby that appear to be garage queens, not just a spray can overhaul and not oily/bent/abused in all the places my cub is…some with patina showing it’s a working machine that’s being sold. A few claim to be “completely gone through” and their asking price reflects that. I’m suspect of the claims

Admittedly I have a soft spot for the 154, as my hometown maintenance dept used these throughout the seventies & well in to the eighties.

There are also a few 184/185s for sale, for a few more dollars. Did IH fix any of the 154’s shortcomings on these? PTO clutches, frame cracks etc?
At least Hamilton Bob seems to have anything it may need fixed.

Sorry for the off topic conversation, but I’m afraid the numbered cub forum would be be a emphatic YES BUY ONE!

Tom
 
I think I can relate to your situation. I am on acreage but have a lawn area near the house that needs regular mowing. It is a fairly open area so the need for tight maneuvering of a mower is fairly minimal. I have an assortment of mowers (Woods 42 and Mott for a Cub, sickle bar for a Cub Lo-Boy). I also have a Deere 317 (super garden tractor class, hydrostatic) with a 48 inch mower. Even with all that equipment, a couple years ago I bought a new Cub Cadet zero turn mower (ZT1-42). It is a low-end unit, but hardly more costly to buy than a really good 184. It is so much more maneuverable than any of the others that there is no comparison. And you can really work a lot faster with hydrostatic drive.

A 154/185/184 will do a lot of mowing and hold up reasonably well as a mowing tractor. They are more maneuverable and have less overhead clearance issue than a standard Cub. But there are still limitations on both. The 184 has an electric PTO clutch and an improved main drive clutch, eliminating the biggest problems of the 154. The label "zero turn" on those type mowers is a bit misleading. Although they can make a zero radius turn, they cannot mow around a zero radius object. Mowing around any small diameter object, the wheel will be against the object while the deck is some distance away. It still is a lot better than you can do with an estate/garden tractor.

If I was doing it over again, I would still get the zero turn. I would probably look closer at how far the deck extends beyond the tire track as that determines how tight of a circle you can mow.
 
Jim,

Thanks for all of that! I’ve never considered a zero turn, but after seeing their affordability & capabilities, it’s kind of a no brainer.
Due to the nature of my job, my time available for mowing can become very restrictive… rain, darkness, schedule, kids & wife all play a part. If I miss my window and have to do it the following week, after a trip, it’s a problem. Even more so in spring.
I think a new, faster (than a cub) machine is the obvious answer.

One question….why the Cub Cadet zero turn? Great reviews? Brand loyalty?

Thanks again

Tom
 
My CC RZT 50 with a B&S engine was bought 5 years ago with about 600 hrs on it and is a 2006 model. It's my first (and only) zero turn experience and primarily was bought because of the price and it needed some repairs that I was able to do myself. It's proven to be a dependable machine and required only regular maintenance that I have been able to do. Lubrication, oil & filter change, blade maintenance and check tire pressure and hydro oil level is about all it requires. JMHO Stan
And BTW it reduced my seat time about 40% which I greatly appreciate since my time is limited.
 
We bought our IH 154 Cub Lo-Boy new in 1970 and I have been mowing 2 1/2 acres/ week with it for over 50 years. I have also tried a Cub on the same lawn and will say that a 154 will easily out mow a Cub with the added horse power and live pto. I agree that the weak spot is from the flyweel to the transmission input shaft and need a good fan belt. We never had an issue with the frame or the steering.
 
I went with the Cub Cadet zero turn for "all of the above". It was a home-owner grade machine, not intended for commercial use. So one shouldn't expect it to stand up to abuse. But the price of the low-end CC machines is quite competitive. They can be found at big-box type stores as well as franchised dealers. Parts availability should be as good as any. I bought mine from a regional big-box type store (one designated by CC as a service location which many big-box stores are not). Note, the serial number is coded to distinguish the big-box machines from the ones sold by dealers. I guess this is just so a dealer can tell which marketing chain it went through, as the same parts catalog applies to both and I have yet to find anything in the catalog designated for one model only.

I bought it mid-season 2021 and have put 30+ hours on it -- about 10 per year. I had one problem where it just quit running. I took it in as it was under warranty. That turned into a fiasco that was the fault of the store not CC or the machine itself. Evidently the problem was a wiring connector. I'll skip the repair saga itself. Otherwise, all I have done is regular maintenance.
 
Jim Becker said:
.......I took it in as it was under warranty. That turned into a fiasco that was the fault of the store....... I'll skip the repair saga itself.....
Click to expand...
Just to echo Jim's experience, I was in one of the national chain Big Box store late in the day last Friday and did not see any employee that looked to be at least 25 years old. Mostly teens and early twenty's. IMHO the merchants for the most part only want someone that can punch a button on the computer and make a sale. Most of these employees have little or no experience with anything mechanical and are dumbfounded when asked a technical question. I had one experience where the employee of a nationwide chain auto parts that did not know what a WILLYS vehicle was when questioned about repair parts. Oh well, I guess we get what we pay for.......Stan
 
staninlowerAL said:
Just to echo Jim's experience, I was in one of the national chain Big Box store late in the day last Friday and did not see any employee that looked to be at least 25 years old. . . .
Click to expand...
In defense of the 24-year-old employees, they were not the problem in my situation. The store was Runnings (based in MN, stores in a dozen states). The problem(s) were created by corporate policies/procedures. Totally insane way to handle service.
 
Well a big thank you to who answered my questions. I’m saving the purchase of a 154 for a rainy day, when I need another project. For now, the new girl fits nicely in the garage.

Tom
 

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