cub lo-boy info
 

Hi everyone! responding to a post yesterday, I posted a pic of my two cub cadets and my lo-boy 154. the lo-boy generated some interest and a couple questions, so I thought I'd write a thread with some technical info about these unique tractors and answer some questions. hope you find it interesting!

Firstly, here's my lo-boy, a 154 built in 1973. it lived its life as a much-abused municipal mower. the 154 was the 15 hp variant, they later came out with the 185, which was an 18 horse (larger carburetor.) the third variant was the 184, which was the red version with different styling. not sure why the number went down, but i assume they had their reasons.

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from the back, you can see that the transmission was identical to the ones in the cub cadets and the old farmall cubs. the gear reduction boxes bolt on in the same place as the axle carriers on the cub cadets. my tractor is missing all of the PTO hardware, I imagine it was pirated shortly after it was retired from municipal service. I will eventually replace it, but those parts are quite expensive.

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the idea behind these numbered lo-boys was to have a live PTO, and the ways IH went about doing so were a little unusual. the flywheel on the back of the motor doubled as a 2-belt pulley, which drove a second driveshaft for the PTO full time. the pto clutch was at the back of the tractor, engaged by an arm to the left rear of the seat. the driveline clutch was located at the end of the the driveshaft directly in front of the transmission. this basically gave the driveshaft 2 flywheels, meaning if you tried to just slam it into gear, it would grind off all the gear's teeth. there is a set of nylon clutch brake buttons, but they need rather constant adjustment to be effective.

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another thing about the clutch: in the farmall cubs, which were 8hp, the clutch diameter was 6 inches. in the numbered lo-boys, power was nearly doubled, but the clutch was shrunk to 5 inches.in my opinion, the clutch is the weakest link on these tractors, and this is why they should not be used for ground-breaking work such as plowing a field.

more in the next post!

the tires on mine are the flotation style turfs, and they sure do look awesome. the only numbers I could find on them were 13.6-16. I eyeballed the rim width with the help of a tape measure, and came up with about 12 inches wide. I would love to find a set of comparable ag tires for winter work.

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the lo-boys came with either a single or dual brake setup, mine happens to be the dual. they do work, but better for traction control than for steering.

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one of my favorite things about the 154/185 lo-boy is that they use a starter-generator. I love turning the key and having the engine stealthily just start running. so cool! the 184's went back to a gear drive starter. pardon the sloppy brush painting, it was done in the cold with a cheap brush and the paint wasn't very fluid.

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Lastly, I'd just like to say that even though these tractors are quirky, they really are terrific. the 4 cylinder, while lacking HP, must make fairly decent torque because it can run a 60 inch 3 blade mower deck slightly above idle in second gear around a moderately hilly yard without a struggle. it's really cool to be able to mow so quietly you can hear someone talking to you. If you're lucky enough to get ahold of one, and if you pay close attention to your clutch and pto system, you won't be disappointed!
:IH Trusted Hand:

There was also a red 284.not sure of the Hp.
Those are some big tires on your 154.
Thanks for the info.

Is the clutch difficult to service? I heard you needed to split the tractor to replace the clutch. Would you avoid a tractor needing clutch work?

This actually is incredibly helpful, I have been considering the purchase of a lo boy. I just didn't know enough about them. Now a curious question, would it be feasible to swap in the larger 6" clutch off the farmall cubs? Not that I plan to plow a 100 acre field but would like to use it to run a tiller or some other inplements. I recall my grandmother having one she used to work a 3 acre garden with and seem to recall it doing a great job..

They are a pain to service, but fortunately the tractor doesn't need to be split. you do have to remove the rear fenders & seat pan, as well as the driveshaft tunnel and the side access covers on the dash column. It's very hard to find one that doesn't need clutch work, but that is better in my opinion because then you have to get right into it and find out how it works. Plus one that doesn't need it will likely cost considerably more.

Unfortunately with the design of the frame, there's not enough room for the bigger clutch. they're also a different design. In my amateur opinion I think the best thing would be to fabricate something with a stronger pressure plate, however I certainly don't have the tools or expertise to figure out something like that. as for a tiller, you could get these with a creeper and a 3 pt, so i would consider it possible to till some ground without causing too much strain on the system.

I'm glad I could help you guys out, I really love these cool old tractors. I think for a homeowner who isn't going to beat on them, they will do just fine. my father has been using his as the primary workhorse since he got it 3 years ago and hasn't had any issues yet.

Good to know, thanks for the info. The one I am looking at is a 154, they're asking $2000 and it seems to be in pretty good shape..the pto stuff looks to be there from the pics..

Ian,Thanks for posting this.It is very interesting.

Wow, glad to hear someone else knows the quirks of the 154 lo-boy! Our family has one as well, and it is in desperate need of clutch work. It needs everything in the drivetrain between the flywheel and the rear end. But, they are a pretty impressive machine once they are back in service! My grandpa bought this one when it was a few years old. It now sits at my house waiting for the funds to fix it up. His also has the wide tires and has a snowblade with it.

Pretty timely post!! I am closing on my new house this Friday, and was able to get the sellers lo boy 154 as part of the deal. It is in good mechical shape, but hat the common broken front grill (fiberglass). That 60" woods mmm will help keep my 2 acres tidy! I have always wanted a numbered lo boy because they look just like a Cadet on steroids. That is interesting about having the torque to mow at low throttle because from what I have read people say that 1st gear is too slow and 2nd too fast most of the time to mow, but being able to throttle back a bit and bring the rpm down will be good. I would like to find a snow plow for it as well.

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IMG_1643 by yamaguy, on Flickr

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IMG_1640 by yamaguy, on Flickr

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IMG_1641 by yamaguy, on Flickr