Purchased almost a year ago, this IH Lo-Boy 184 was not running and needed a little TLC. Missing a headlight and a seat cover, it looked as an old tractor that was left for dead. My goal and intent with this machine was simply to have some horsepower around to move things and help minimize my lawn mowing time. However, in order for any of that to be accomplished there were a few repairs that had to be done first.
The first step was getting the tractor started. Obviously I had to buy a new battery and have the carburetor rebuilt as buying a new one would have cost a couple hundred dollars. I had to replace the key with a new one as the first time I tried to start it the key broke off in the ignition. Once the tractor had a fresh battery, new oil and some clean fuel it started right up.
The tractor came with a Woods brand 60″ belly mower. However, both spindles were completely seized up and would have cost about $150 a piece to replace them. For a hundred dollars I found a replacement deck that was an exact fit. We just had to change the brackets, chains and mower belt from the original mower deck and now the tractor is running and mowing. The only issue is the hydraulic lift for the mower deck is not functioning, which brings us to the next repair.
Without a functioning lift on the mower deck it makes it very difficult to get a good cut all around as well as be able to avoid obstacles such as rocks and roots. After some investigating and some help from a friend, we discovered that the lift arm cylinder was seized up. We determined that the pump and the control valves were operating as they should. So$20 later and a delivery from e-bay, a new/old cylinder arrived and was installed in place of the old one. Once again, a pretty quick fix for the circumstances. Now the mower deck lifts and lowers as it is supposed to.
As far as the aesthetics were concerned, I just purchased a replacement headlight, a seat cover, headlight bezel and some red spray paint. It’s a tractor for work purposes. How it looks is the last thing that matters on this property. That being said, I think it looks pretty good for a stone dead revival that cost less than half buying one in the same shape. There will be more repairs to come as I need to work on the brakes and the gearing.
