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My Story of the 212

19K views 84 replies 20 participants last post by  B440 
#1 · (Edited)
I had always wanted a 5-lug garden tractor. I didn't know what was good/bad; I guess it didn't matter. I just knew I needed something stout to pull stuff.

While searching CL, I came across a 200 for small change. The original engine was long gone; a snowblower engine was retrofitted but had a broken connecting rod. The guy was using it to tow ocean boats in his boat yard. It was very rusty. The fender was completely rotted and had barnacles on the underside. I bought it anyway.
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Some time later, I found an old generator on the side of the road with a free sign. I had an 8hp B&S horizontal engine... and it ran! Not sure if it made electrical power. I didn't care. It was going into the 200.

I went to Tractor Supply and bought a pulley that would fit the tapered shaft and a key. I had to file a keyway in the shaft.
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It worked out great, even with the wrong belt the previous owner put on. I gave it a little green paint to hide some of the rust and had already cut off the home made roof.
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"But the title says 212, not 200." Yes, I was getting to that :thanku:

Fast forward a few months, and my friend mentions he wants to get rid of the 212 he's had for many years. He had recently scored a used (but in great condition) Cub Cadet 3204 for $500 from a dealer :swow:

I get a phone call just as I was leaving work, "Come get the 212." Ok, I hurried home, hooked up the trailer and went over. He said, "Take it now before I change my mind. I've got too many toys." How much? I said. "Just take it and give it a good home. I couldn't refuse that offer.
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She ran ok. I tested the deck. Everything was functional, but it didn't cut like my YTS4500 did. I pulled the deck off and stored it. I knew it would not be of use to me.

Soon after, it started to run rough, especially after going down a hill. That was definitely a sign of junk in the carb bowl. Guess what?


Someone used Gorilla Glue to seal the bowl :eek:mg:

But it came apart relatively easy, and then...


I guess I found the junk. The source of this was the rusted and broken fuel gauge cap. Bought a new fuel cap/gauge, and added a fuel filter before the pump and after the pump. Later on I'll remove the one after the pump, as it's not really necessary.

The carburetor... oh the carburetor :dunno: Well I cleaned it up real good and everything was going well until I tried to remove the main jet. It seems most of these carbs have the problem of the main jet seizing in place. I tried using heat to remove it and thought I was doing well until the main jet body split in half. No pics of that, but I do have one of the shiny new carb I purchased :sidelaugh


I ended up using the old carb's throttle shaft and plate because the new one interfered with the air filter housing. Tuned the carb and she's running great. I also filed the points. Points-saver, points and coil will be done next year.

Next problem; Belts. Occasionally the secondary belt would jump off the transaxle pulley. Determined that it was stretched to the max. Replaced both belts with an OEM kit from cheap-bay.

So winter is coming, and I'm having fun pulling firewood around. Also put a seat cover on and drilled new holes to get the seat back farther.


Made a few trips and then I heard a CLUNK as I tried putting it in gear. Nothing. Engine running great, but no motion forward or reverse. Immediately thinking that something exploded in the transaxle. Finished up the firewood using the O-Deere (Orange Deere). Here's an old picture of it.


Finally got around to pulling the transaxle off the 212. Turns out the explosion was the cast piece that the input pulley mounts to.


This is where the 200 comes back into play, as a parts machine! Pulled the cast piece off and transplanted onto the 212. Good as new. I also used the wheels from the 200 for now because they all hold air. I'm just going for reliable/dependable at this point.

This is the story of my 212 so far. It's a continuing saga. I have plans for a few more add-ons to it.
 

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#2 ·
nice job editing
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks!
I worked on it a little more last night. I put a new battery in and replaced the cables and connectors. The new cables came from other newer tractor harnesses I had in the parts bin.


It now cranks over reliably every time. Unfortunately, my issues continue with the transaxle. I had forgotten about the two teeth that were stuck on the magnetic drain plug when I changed the gear oil. This has come back to haunt me in the form of a repetitive clunking noise. Guess the axle has to come back out....
 
#4 ·
Great story!!!![emoji106]


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#5 · (Edited)
Picked up a plow today:



It came with 55lb weights and some 4-link v-bar chains. I put the weights and plow on and played in the dirt in the back yard. The 212 moves my compost pile around pretty good. I am impressed at how much better a heavy tractor will move stuff. I used to have an MTD machine with varidrive for moving snow and it was awful. It could move light snow, but I still had to shovel the slush that the plows left behind. Here's an old pic of it.


I'm not sure if I want to put the chains on yet. I'd like to add chain in between the crosslinks to make more of a diamond pattern, or maybe get those forestry rings like the log skidders have. Does anyone know where I can get miniature forestry rings? :p

Like this
 
#12 · (Edited)
I finally "bit the bullet" and ordered a set of AG tires.


Those are Duro Super Lug, 4 ply 26x12x12s from ebay. They were the cheapest I could find @ $95 a piece, shipped.

I actually had an extra set of 10" wide rims to use. The ones with turf tires are 8.5" wide. I'm thinking that a 12" rim may have been better? Anyone know what machines use 12" wide rims?

Clearance on the left side was tight, and the tire rubbed a little. I had to "adjust" the fender. The right side had plenty of clearance. I guess more people mount/dismount on the left side of the machine.


Here you can see the size difference.



The weather was nice today, about 58 degrees F in the sun. Certainly enough to thaw the ground a little. I pushed back some dirt/ashes/bark/logs/brush. The tires dig right in when I push too much. I had to go back and fill in the holes I made. :)


So overall, I like them. I suppose the size is overkill, and I admit I got fixated on the larger size. But I'm happy. The tractor is now angled down towards the front, like a hot rod car. Maybe I can get taller front tires to compensate?

The next step is loading the tires. I will definitely be able to get more weight with 26x12x12 compared to 23x10.5x12.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Took the tires off the spare wheels today. Now I know why they wouldn't hold air for more than a day. The one on the left has been cleaned a little.


I think I might try using these 20x8x8 Kenda Turf Riders as fronts, because I have them, and it will only cost me labor. They're from a Troy-Bilt (MTD).


A size comparison.


The rims are drying right now. I repainted the inside, which will hopefully aid in sealing the bead better.

I forgot to show the steering wheel. This belongs somewhere in a previous post, but I swapped the steering wheel out. It had a repair on one of the spokes.


I used a non-damaged one from the 200 parts machine. I think I'll leave the suicide knob off for now. It gets in the way when I have my kids on my lap.


Maybe I'll be able to mount a tire up and test-fit on the 212, if the paint is hard enough.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I loaded the rear tires tonight. I tried both methods. Popping the bead is 212% easier than filling through the valve stem. It took all of 10 minutes per tire with the bead popped. I would've been waiting all night for both tires to fill with the valve stem method.



My wife hid the bathroom scale :thanku: so I have to guess the weight added. Each tire felt about as heavy as a bag of concrete (80lbs). Maybe slightly more.

I can't wait to try pushing the compost pile again, but they may have to wait. Looks like it might actually snow tomorrow :(


I also put the 20x8x8 tires on the rims and mounted them. It's a little hard to see the size difference from left to right.


It sits much more level now.


Do the tires rub at full lock? Yes. Do they make it harder to turn? Yes. But I'm not sure I can go back now :drunkie:

If they really start bothering me, I'll pony up for some V61's.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Max TP on the sidewall was 10psi I think? I could probably go to 20 and see if it gets lighter.

As a result of the larger tires, the blade just barely touched the ground. I made up a longer, improved link so the blade can drop down further. I didn't take pics; it's just two pieces of flatstock with holes.

I revisited the compost pile and plowed the spot where I got stuck last time with just air in the tires. It plowed up and over the hill no problem now. Loaded tires work nice!
 
#21 · (Edited)
I finally had some time today to get into the garage and install a used Craftsman sleeve hitch I picked up on CL. Credit goes to other members here on the forum who showed me how a Craftsman sleeve hitch would work on a 200 series JD. No pics of installation. All I had to do was drill two holes on the hitch for the top mounts, and heat up the handle so I could bend it to clear the tires.

I also picked up a an Agrifab back blade that was headed to scrap. I had to buy one part for it that had been cut off by the scrapper.

It's raining today and approximately 35-40F, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.


This is just one area that I was playing in. I like the scarifiers a lot. They rip out small roots, of which I have many.


The AG tires seem to be doing their job. The fronts really pack up the mud. They're staying on for the winter, but leaning heavily towards the V61's.
 
#22 ·
I finally had some time today to get into the garage and install a used Craftsman sleeve hitch I picked up on CL.
It's raining today and approximately 35-40F, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.
The entire state of Connecticut will no longer be the same with that machine running around!! :hide:

:fing32:

With the sticky mud, and those 20" front tires, no front wheel weights will be needed!! :swow:
 
#24 ·
Now here is the example for anyone who wants to put an old tired machine back into service. Not only did you get her up and running, but you did it with a flair for efficiency and practicality. So many of us get caught up in the resto-mod thing and everything has to be dead perfect. Well done, sir!



B440, you really know how to compose a photo-essay as well!
 
#29 · (Edited)
Had a little time to disassemble the problematic Peerless 2333 transaxle.


Several gears are missing teeth.

The rest of it is in fairly good condition. It looks like the O-rings around the axle shafts are leaking, but the bearings are good. Should I just change the bearings out also?

For the gears, I have a "parts" transaxle.

It appears to have sat unused long enough to rust some of the shifting mechanisms, but the gears are in good shape and nothing broken or worn out.


I think I'll swap some gears around after making sure I remove any leftover gear teeth. I may also fiddle with the differential a bit; see how difficult it would be to lock it. :fing32:
 
#31 ·
These rearends get water in them from setting outside,it leaks around the shifter.
 
#32 ·
Posi, possibly. I like posi a lot on my Scotts S1742; never gets stuck and has no weight on the rear. If it's easy to do, and reversible, I'll try it.






That makes sense. The parts axle had oil all over it, but no leaks. As if someone had dumped oil on the shift shaft to free it up.... :sidelaugh
 
#33 ·
All in all the inside looks good,did you find the missing pieces?
 
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