My Tractor Forum banner

Need input on john deere (316 or 318) vs (212or 214) for restoration

25K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  themlruts 
#1 ·
Hi All,

Looking for input/ lots of advice. This will be my first project what is a better choice to start with 300 series (316, 318) or 200 series (212, 214).

Which is easier to work on/restore.

I plan on working the machine pretty good after restore. And is there a list or information for all known attachments.

Thanks I look forward to all advice and inputs.:thThumbsU
 
#2 ·
Well you can see by my signature I've owned several, I like working on the 3xx series better than the 2xx series machines. Also once restored the 3xx machines will command a better price if you decide to sell. Here are the compatibility charts: http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=48290
 
#3 ·
300 series has more attachment options, are more 'user-friendly', (my opinion) and have hydro transmissions to go with hydraulic capabilities. (like hydro lift)

The 200 series are manual transmissions, usually manual lift, and have larger turning radius'. Parts and attachments for the 200 series are cheaper, however.
 
#4 ·
:ditto:What they said !!
 
#5 ·
3-- is bigger/ better money in the long run, but the 2-- 's are still great work machines and can give the satisfaction of a great garden tractor. i have a 214 and for the money could not have gone wrong. Depends on what your in it for.
 
#7 ·
318
...HYDRO!

I restored (sort of) a 316 last year and it was fun, challenging, and frustrating! hahahaha
I wish I had bought a 318!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Hi Fletch! It's nice to welcome another member from Central MA. That is a big bass for the North East!

The 200 series are plentiful and tend to be much less expensive than the 300 series. Attachments are common and can be interchanged with square fender 110/112 machines. All are gear drive.

The 300 series are also common and front attachments are pretty compatible up and down the line. Rear attachments fall into two compatibility groups: pre-318 and 318 and later. Mower decks can be swapped but different hanger brackets and belts may be required. The hydraulics on the 300 series for drive and attachment articulation are a joy to use. 300 series machines tend to command higher prices than the 200 series, but can be worth it.

If you can only have one, go for the 300 series. Either machine will be capable of doing pretty much whatever you ask of it.
 
#10 ·
200's are cheaper, but a real pain to work on. Simple, but a pain.

300's are more satisfying to operate and have room to grow (hydraulics), but parts are more expensive as are the base machines.

Of course, there are the "in between" models that knid of fall through the cracks, like the 300, 312, 314, 316. Hydros, so nicer to operate than the 200's, but still manual steering like the 200's so they are still fairly simple. And they don't sell for as much as the "modern" 300's like the 318.
 
#11 ·
318's are still selling in the $2500 range in nice shape. 316 onans are about $1000 less. 216's sell around $700 in nice shape.

If you are investing the time & money to restore one, bear in mind what they are worth, and that the labor and materials will be similar for any of them.

A friend once gave me good advice when I was looking for a first generation Mustang to restore. He said why restore a coupe when a fastback or convertible will cost the same to restore but be worth tons more after a slightly higher initial cost?
Never regretted following that advice.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all of the great input and replies from everyone so far, it is much appreciated.

This is what
I plan to do with the GT after restore.

1. Tilling - so use of a tractor mount tiller would be great

2. maybe a snow blower would be nice as well for those cold winter mornings

3. Front dethatcher, and a better aerator than the one i have

4. A blade for leveling and general yard work

5. A stretch would be to get a FEL so that would mean 318 for the hydro:thThumbsU But, I have heard and read that turning radius for the 318 and the 214 are horrible.

6. I really like the JD collection system (MC519)!!!!!

Not getting younger but getter wiser!!!

I will want to eventually replace the current rider/mower but just too many great memories of dad with it so just keep rebuilding it and fixing it each year. But there are limited attachments for it being an off brand and all.

I do know of an old 300 for sale but it has not run in 2 + years and I think the price is a little steep but has a couple of attachments, like tiller and plow.

Oh yeah I updated the pick with my biggest Bass, 5lb 3 oz!!!! Almost fishing time now.
 
#15 ·
I vote liquid cooled diesel. But I am bias. I have a 332 that I put the H3 kit on so I can run my two stage JD 47 snow blower and run a rear blade for cement cleanup independently. I also have a JD 44 FEL and a couple JD 30 hydro tillers. The hydro tiller lets you have the tines spin either direction depending on tilling condiontions which is the advantage to that and it can run from a rear PTO or your front mule drive like your mower depending on the one you find. While harder to find cheaper they run forever-sip fuel and you can sell restored for more. I am also added a 430/420 rear differntial in that give me the two speed and locking differential. You will find a FEL harder to come by just as a heads up if you want the JD one and it is hard to do much else with it on the tractor. They can have charging issues as well. The hydro is overbuilt on them and some of the parts are shared among the 318/330/322/420/430 including some attachements. You also have a nice 3 point that can go on the rear.
 
#16 ·
Fletch, go with a 318 and dont look back.......Unless you look back and see a 332 for good money.


Heres a link to the 430 rear conversion to get your creative juices flowing. This mod totally transforms the tractor and is well worth the time and $500 cost.

http://www.jd318techforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=modification&action=display&thread=2



After this is done you will have a tractor with the capabilities of the 430 with much lower costs involved and many more cheaper attachments available.


:trink40:
 
#17 ·
I suppose it would depend on your budget. My wife and I own 30 acres of hunting property up in Wisconsin and needed a tractor of some sort. Whatever we bought, it would have to be able to handle hauling firewood and such, working food plots (tilling, broadcasting lime and fertilizer, rolling, etc.), removing snow in the winter, and occasionally cutting grass and fields. I looked at both the 200 and 300 series, and for less than the cost of a used 318 in this area, we ended up with a 1985 214.

It came with a hydraulic lift (front and rear life kits included), electric PTO, new seat, 5-year-old rebuilt engine, plow/dirt blade, large mowing deck, cast iron 2-slot wheel weights, and a model 31 tiller with both extensions. For another hundred dollars, I picked up a 37A snow blower in excellent working order (needs paint though). I used the snow blower and plow blade this past winter, and they handled anything I threw at them.

A couple weeks ago I took the tractor up to our property and used it to haul, spread, and till 2,480# of lime into a half acre of food plots. I probably hauled a half ton of oak firewood with it too, and it did everything I asked. I have no complaints, and this weekend my wife and I are headed back up there to fertilize, drag, plant, and roll the fields. We're also planning to plant a hundred or so spruce seedlings and haul a ton or more oak back to camp.

Bottom line: the thing's a workhorse and cost me less than the price of a used 318 without any attachments. Is a 318 a "better" machine? I have no doubt, but I couldn't justify paying two to three times as much as my 214 to get the same jobs done.
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
There are deals out there. I picked up my second 1987 332 for $1000 bought and shipped to my door from Arkansas. It runs fine. Has a charging issue and I will go through it restoring it mechanically as well and came with the newer 48 replacement mowing deck. Also had bar tread rear tires on it. You just have to look and wait if you aren't in a rush. My first 332 was $2400 with a 50 inch mowing deck. They are worth more then what I paid for them and since I am adding other things that is also adding value (H3 kits, delux suspension seats, bar tread rear tires with rim guard fluid, 3 points, weights, 430 rear diff, rebuilding any worn/broken parts).
 
#20 ·
Where you are has a lot to do with price. Being in a metro area where the lots are all small we do not have a lot of availability other than big box store BS.
 
#21 ·
The 200 series is a great machine. It will do the same work as a 318, 314 it is just manual labor compared to Hydro steering, transmission & lift.
The question was which to restore, not which to buy to use.

If a person was going to buy one to restore, I'd recommend spending the time and money on something with a higher value. The reason 200 series are cheap to buy is the same reason I'd recommend a 300 series to restore..they bring more than a 200 series.
Now if the question was which to buy to run the most economically, I'd vote a Kohler 14-16hp 200 or 300 series, whichever you can score the best deal on. The Kohler single will use a lot less gas than a twin, and I've personally never broken anything on a 200 series. I bought a 216 once in awful shape from the back row of an auction, and after putting a good battery in it, drove it around the yard a few times on 4 flat tires with the variator & transmission working perfectly. They are nearly bulletproof.
 
#22 ·
Good advice attorney. I would agree that the higher HP 100 series is a worth trying to find. My 210 struggled with the bigger 48" deck. The extra power would have been appreciated.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top