Cub cadet 3184

Charger joe · May 13, 2014

I just picked up a cub cadet 3184 with the 44" deck and 331 hours for $200.00 on Craigslist. I know they're not quite the tractor that my old 149 was but it was a deal and its something to tinker with. I shot some starter fluid in it and it fired right up. All the hydraulics work and it drives great. It was left outside obviously so the paint is toast on the body panels so its torn down and getting ready for paint. The frame cleaned up great. Even the deck just had some surface rust.not bad at all. Anyhow, my questions are. Where can I find hood decals? MTD no longer makes them. And will it hurt to go with a 25-10-12 tire on back and 18 on front? And one more question. Is it possible to add the locking axle?

rcbe · May 13, 2014

just one comment - keep using that starter fluid (ether) and you'll soon be dropping a new engine in. rattlecan carb cleaner - much better.

Charger joe · Jun 15, 2014

Thanks, it actually was carb cleaner. And this photo is how I bought it.

Charger joe · Jun 15, 2014

And this is how it looks now.

View attachment 379281

Charger joe · Jun 30, 2014

now that its up and going my sons putting it to work.

Charger joe · Jun 30, 2014

Gator6x4 · Jun 30, 2014

Great job. Looks like the Cub found itself a good home. Did you let the son help, so he could gain the knowledge and experience?

Charger joe · Jul 1, 2014

. Thanks Gator, yes sir I did get him to get his hands dirty during tear down and re assembly. As you see in this older pic he has been around them most of his life. He is also helping me install a lift on a soon to be his jeep and he also did a lot of work on replacing the fuel pump. I'm fortunate,at 15 he likes doing those thing. And besides that he can do all the muscle work now. Lol

Gator6x4 · Jul 1, 2014

Charger joe said:
View attachment 381208. Thanks Gator, yes sir I did get him to get his hands dirty during tear down and re assembly. As you see in this older pic he has been around them most of his life. He is also helping me install a lift on a soon to be his jeep and he also did a lot of work on replacing the fuel pump. I'm fortunate,at 15 he likes doing those thing. And besides that he can do all the muscle work now. Lol

I am sure he enjoys helping you. I can still handle the muscle part, it the back that can't take the long stretches of bending over, holding and wrenching.

Charger joe · Jul 9, 2014

Finally! Installed rebuilt deck and checked clearances with the larger front and rear tires.plus I reversed front wheels for a wider stance.So this weekend we will see how she cuts.

scoutcub · Jul 11, 2014

Another great deal on a 3000 series! Real nice rehab on the paint, looks like you found decals?

I would venture to say adding the diff lock would be a major undertaking I would not attempt. You'd have to completely tear down the tranny, and add the locking collar, parts, cables, install foot pedal....ugh. Only way I would consider it is if you found a whole rear tranny with the diff lock in it, probably cost more than what you paid for the tractor!
Nice looking rig!

Morkai · Jul 11, 2014

Looks good, did you have the decals made up or find some somewhere?

Charger joe · Jul 12, 2014

Morkai said:
Looks good, did you have the decals made up or find some somewhere?

Thanks morkai, those are actually decals for a 2554. Look familiar? Lol closest I could find. Good match,just adds the shaft drive logo to the hood.

Charger joe · Jul 12, 2014

scoutcub said:
Another great deal on a 3000 series! Real nice rehab on the paint, looks like you found decals?

I would venture to say adding the diff lock would be a major undertaking I would not attempt. You'd have to completely tear down the tranny, and add the locking collar, parts, cables, install foot pedal....ugh. Only way I would consider it is if you found a whole rear tranny with the diff lock in it, probably cost more than what you paid for the tractor!
Nice looking rig!

Thanks Scoutcub, decals were for a 2554. Closest I could find. I agree on the diff lock after checking diagrams and parts costs. Someone local posted a 3206 for $500 but I missed out on that one.i will put that project on the back burner unless I come across a parts tractor to scavenge. I had to run it through some mud on the 4th of July and up my steep hill with a few hundred pounds of people in the cart and had no issues with traction with the bearclaw atv tires so I should be fine.

Charger joe · Sep 1, 2014

One more photo. Cuts grass perfectly even with larger tires. Slight rub against power steering cylinder when turning left sharply. I'm going to trim inside nobbies a bit. Also any suggestions on how to make it faster in reverse? Very slow.

Bob_Bainbridge · Sep 2, 2014

Charger joe said:
One more photo. Cuts grass perfectly even with larger tires. Slight rub against power steering cylinder when turning left sharply. I'm going to trim inside nobbies a bit. Also any suggestions on how to make it faster in reverse? Very slow.View attachment 388758 View attachment 388758

Hydrostatic drive linkage is a compromise between forward and reverse speeds. You can adjust it to gain reverse speed but will then lose forward speed. I adjusted mine for the minimum tolerable reverse speed to get the max forward speed. I fashioned an extension to the reverse pedal to give more travel which helped some. Picture was uploaded several years ago.

Bob B.

Charger joe · Sep 15, 2014

Ok, I got my hands on a rather unique front bumper. It's an iron cross display unit I picked up at a local truck accessory store.very heavy duty made from same steel as the real ones.tell me what you think...

scoutcub · Sep 16, 2014

Wow, great looking bumper. Love the looks of the tires, and you did an awesome job on the paint.....did you pull all the panels and do a formal spray? I've redone panels, but taped em off, sanded, and rattlecanned in place....obviously didnt look nearly that good.

Nice job!

Charger joe · Sep 16, 2014

Thanks Scoutcub, all the panels including the deck were blasted and repainted at a local industrial coating shop for $300.he did a great job. Bumper was a lucky find for free. Perfect width and I fabricated a complete mount for it ( in the pic it's just setting on the original bumper.) bumper has a winch mount built in that I am installing an atv 2500 lb winch on in the next couple of days and then the winch will be covered by a diamond plate cover.