I suggest buying the short block, they can be found on ebay for around $800. Your 212 and 214 are garden tractors whereas the craftsman will be a lawn tractor and will not withstand the abuse the 200 series will.

 

Hi John, My 300,s engine blew up about 3 years ago, so I was faced with the same dilemma. I opted for a new short block,(about 1500$). Of course it was a very easy install and was back up and running in no time. I have since installed a new carb (280$), and now the engine runs like a champ. Now hopefully no other expensive parts will need replacing, for a while. That,s the chance you take with a short block. I didn,t know it at the time, but repower kit,s are available, complete with new v twin engine and all the mounting hardware. Definitely would have considered that.

 

Have you tried SmallEngineWarehouse.com? Seems to me a new engine was about $800 on there. I would repower the 214 since you already have the 212 and you know the advantage of being able to interchange attachments! I have no axe to grind with Craftsman as most of my tools (the good ones) have that brand on them, I've had a gas powered trimmer for about 13 years and I pull the cord it works! But the ones in the price bracket you are looking at won't do what your 2xx series JD's will do! If you go up to their next line of tractors (3 - 4000) then you will be in the ballpark with what the JD's can do!

 

keep it keep it keep it! going from a jd to a craftsman rider will be like going from a cadillac to a hyundai. dont think youre gonna find one person on the forum saying to replace it for a craftsman. the john deere will handle all the tasks you listed above as well as the hours fo use you need out of if. I cant say the same for the craftsman. if it were me i would get the engine rebuilt from a reputable business. that way your tractor will be able to serve yoiu for many years to come. good luck with your deere and i hope for many more years of service out of it from you:fing32::fing32:

 

I'm the one guy on the forum who is going to say consider the Craftsman. If you are looking for a mower and have never tried a foot pedal hydro for mowing you should. You may never want to go back. I would much rather mow with my Craftsman than any of my Deeres. All that said the JD 200 series is way heavier duty than the Craftsman LT. Use the Craftsman for mowing and the 212 for the heavy stuff.

 

I'm the one guy on the forum who is going to say consider the Craftsman.

well i stand corrected:fing32: not trying to bash craftsman ggsteve(i had an lt4000 and it never failed me) they do good if you plan on just mowing the lawn or towing a cart but for the heavy stuff the jd is in 1st place

 

I would also say Repower the 214 But http://www.smallenginewarehouse.com/default.asp Currenty doesn't have any short Block and a new engine for it will run $2,460.00 from them for the correct 14hp Kohler But they do have a 12hp Kohler for it at $1,820.00 that will fit. The resaon I say repower it your use to the tractor and you had a Lot of experience working on the tractor. But I would suggest going with a Craftsman GT if you go the new route Just for the wear and tear factor. But here's the other thing what if the 212 starts acting up next winter when Blowing. Your back up is gone and you won't be able to switch the Blower on to your New Craftsman:thThumbsU

 

214's aren't exactly rare. Why not pick up a good running one for $500-600 from CL, swap the engines and have a parts tractor? I guess some additional information about yours is needed; is it hydraulic lift? Anything else that would make it worth dropping $1500 on for a new engine? Just seems like scooping up a used one make ALOT more sense to me.

 

I have a 214, that I have used heavily for 16 years... the person that I bought my house from was nice enough to leave it for me... he had it for the previous 12-15 years.

I actually checked the screen name to see if I'd posted the above and I was being quoted....

We've had our 212 for 19 years...it came with our house also...and it's been the best piece of equipment we've ever owned. I went for the first 5 years without changing the oil....(don't throw stuff at me other JD owners) ... because I was too lazy to get under it to find out where the pan bung was.

Good luck with your decision.

Chris

 

Re-power it. Being somebody who has both a John Deere and a Craftsman while the Craftsman is all right I wouldnt put it in the same bracket as the John Deere. I would repower my 165 in a flash if the Kawasaki ever gave it up. Hopefully it wont, it hardly has any hours on it.

 

Thanks fellas for all of your advice.... just what I needed.

I may sit on this a few days... hopefully the snow is over now this year, and I have a couple of months before mowing starts.

Listening to everyone so far, I am leaning toward getting a short block from Repower Specialists... Although my wife said "I don't know why you need two tractors anyway"... yikes

Rather than roll the dice on the one 212, I like the backup of two units... sometimes I use the one with the dull blades for mowing rougher area, the other for the nicer lawn... One with the deck off late in the season to pull a trailer through the woods (otherwise I keep bending the mower deck), and the other for mowing late in the season.... OR leaving the mower on one and getting the blower set on the other... gives a lot of flexibility.

If I look for a used 200 series and find one, no telling how long that engine will last... plus I would have another carcass to have around... and I have too many things laying around already.

By the way, I don't have anything hydraulic on the 214....I thought about looking for another used JD a little bigger, but I think I need a 200 series to run the 37A thrower.

And, I may look at some other mowers, but as has been said, what happens if my 212 has problems some winter when I am trying to blow snow at 20 below.... I don't want to go buy a new walk behind at that time.....

Plus, the 212 and 214 have been great... I won't say I have intentionally abused them, but they have taken some abuse.... mowing rough stuff in the woods including small trees... even in the yard, there are dead branches and twigs and piles of leave I just climb over... I have three sets of blades that I rotate around...

I will probably look at a few more things, but it seems the smartest to go for the short block.... I know I will never get the money back by selling it, but I should get a lot more years on a unit that I have gotten to know really well.

I will repost whenever I get things completed.

Thanks again guys.

John Hart in Minnesota

 

You can get a new short block on ebay for less than $800

 

New is NEVER the answer! Don't spend an insane amount of money and buy a Kohler how-to manual and rebuild yourself. What do you have to lose?

 

I must advocate for buying another 212/214/216. Good running ones can certainly be had for less than $800 and then you'll have three tractors! (Tip - Once you get past 5 they lose count, but try to stick to just one or two colors so they all look like the same one!)

 

Another option for mowing is to look for a cheap 185 and mow with that. More power and maneuverability than the 214 and can run a snowblower too.