BIG Update on the John Deere 210
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
- About time I got around to making a video on the John Deere 210, the tractor that everyone loves. School started back up again and I got hit with a heavy workload so I have not had much time to work on the lawn tractors. But I finally got around to working on the 210 and I have big plans for it in the future.
I was never impressed with the way the original paint job turned out, it was too dull and not professional and had several runs and messy spots on it since we shot clear coat on it. After seeing the other JD's on display at the fair I decided to redo the paint job and make it look real good and give it the shine it needed. I took some 80-grit sandpaper and wet sanded the clear coat and top layers of green paint off the fenders, hood, and side panels, scuffed the surface, then shot a few coats of JD green in a rattle can, the stuff from the dealer, not the Rustoleum green. It gave it a nice shine and turned out very good, much better than before. I also got new 210 decals for the hood, removed the old scratched and faded decals, and cleaned the headlight lens. Also added a new JD logo on the rear fenders below the fuel tank cap. I am very impressed with the paint. It's only going to get scratched up again but I thought I would make the paint look good for a while anyway.
In preparation of the garden tractor pulls next summer which I plan to join, I am trying to add some new equipment to the 210 to turn it into a puller. First thing I bought was a front weight bracket and brush guard from Al Zimmerman, a guy who fabs weight brackets, 3-point hitches, sleeve adapters, etc. I liked the look of the brush guard and thought it would come in handy since I am always taking it through brush (I think the mudding days with this tractor are over). The brush guard is great, the guard part unbolts and can be used as just a weight bracket. Now to find some suitcase weights to hang on it. Anyone want to trade for a set of 25-lb Cub Cadet cast wheel weights?
Finally, I decided that I needed to get a little more power out of the 210 for the pulls and for running the big 46" mower deck. Most of the tractors at the GT pulls were running higher-HP Kohler K-series motors. A 12- or 14-HP Kohler would make a nice addition since I would kinda rather have a 12 or 14 to begin with. The 10 runs good but has a leaky head gasket, burns oil, and makes a nice blue haze much of the time. You don't realize how much oil it uses till you mow with it, because mowing, especially with a mower deck that size, puts a big strain on the machine. I searched for a good used Kohler K-series motor and I also tried to find a 212 or 214 with a good motor that I could use. Low and behold, a guy on eBay from New York messaged me and offered me a rebuilt K301 he had for sale and was trying to get rid of. It had been bored .010" oversize with new piston, rod, rings, and had good crank and valve guides. Also, the whole thing had been cleaned up and repainted. I just needed to swap the components like the carburetor, starter, air intake, bearing plate, coil, condenser, and voltage regulator. So I bought it. The cylinder is bored out and ready to go for another 30 years so it should be enough power to run the machine. So now the tractor will be a 212 once I swap the K301 into it. New video on that soon! All the other little details are explained in the video.
![[TH]FFWS SEA 2024 Fall - Knockout Stage Day 5](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/N2tl9xkQyyU/mqdefault.jpg)
Its not OCD. Its the pride in your machinery. Great Video! Love The 210, it looks great
Finally, someone who understands! Haha. Thanks for your comment.
That is a good looking 210 . You can be proud of your efforts on this project.
Thank you. I've had it apart and touched up several areas on it since this video so it doesn't look this nice anymore. But someday it's coming apart one more time for a professional paint job.
wow this thing has gone from old to like brand new and love the brush bumper and you are making it a relic
Thanks, I appreciate it. I saved it from a Cub Cadet junkyard and a certain death and she has come a long way. Once this 12 HP Kohler gets put in it she's good for another 30 years.
your welcome and looks like a beast with that brush gard
Thanks, yeah I think it really gives it character.
That 210 is BEAUTIFUL!!! The John Deere 210 is my dream mower. I already have one, it's custom fitted with a 13 horse kohler and a snowplow. My neighbor rigged it up, and then gave it to me. But I'm not too into it with how it's modded. And it's only a plow. No mower. So, i found a John Deere 210 being sold for 100 dollars. For parts or repair. I'm going to repair it!!! We've got to keep these old John Deere's running!!! From what i can see, the Deere will just need prob some simple engine work, like carb work maybe, and then it'll just need the side panels which are missing, and a front grille. Lucky for me, my neighbor still has the side panels (i call them gills) laying around!!! So i can just put them on my restore project 210!!! After i get it running and get the missing parts replaced, I'm going to repaint it!!! I can't wait to save this deere 210's life!!! It could have been sold for parts. But i'm getting it so i can bring it back to life!!!! I absolutely pray taht that 210 will still, have compression. My rules for engine repair are "cranks and compression = guaranteed to be rescuable) As long as it has compression, it's saveable, because if it has no spark, that's easy to fix, if it has carb problem, easy to fix. Compression would be a real problem to try and fix.
Love 1980's era lawn and garden tractors. Unlike the ones you buy nowadays those old ones are the ones to keep. That john deere green paint mixes with thinner or gasoline when bought in a quart or gallon can so it can be shot from a paint gun. Once dried it should be as shiny as any restored tractor. it is a stand alone paint and does not require a clearcoat. It can be wet sanded and buffed also to make it shinier .Love your tractor , I have a 212 and a 317. Great update.
Yep these were the glory days of garden tractors. The green paint is good stuff, I didn't realize just how shiny it gets when you coat it evenly. And I have not buffed or waxed it either. Clear coat is ideal for protecting it but I don't think it makes that much of a difference. Ironically it dulls the paint and sometimes it wrinkles up which sucks. Thanks for your comment. This tractor is basically a 212 now that I am putting a Kohler K301 in it. I came close to buying a 316/318 a few months ago but backed out. I will buy one very soon but right now a pickup truck is more important. Without one I can't bring more tractors home ;)
MichaelTJD60 we have restored probably 10 of those tractors from 400, 318,317 212 and 210. I think they are like money in the bank.
johnsont963 Yep. I always end up fixing and flipping the cheaper tractors such as the Murray I had and the LT133 I have now. Unfortunately there's not a lot of cheap, cheap old 200 or 300 series around my way. I'm also afraid to pick up another 200/300 series tractor because I'll be tempted to keep it lol.
Nice upgrades! Paint job looks very nice!
Thank you!
Buddy what you do is when you go to scuff up a coat of paint use 1000 grit sand paper with water ,,, and wet sand it ... I paint Harley Davidson motorcycle, and that's how ya wanna do it... Wet sand with 1000 grit .. Don't dry sand with low count aka 600 grit .. It won't come out right it cuts to deep... Hope that helps..
Thanks for the advice, I'll keep that in mind for next time. Someday the 210 will get a professional paint job and I'll be sure to do it right!
I have the same grill guard for my 140, bought it from alz welding, I also bought the little 3point hitch pallet forks for my 140 from him as well
He does nice work. Just wish he made sleeve hitches, I am in need of one now.
Nice tractor! I know this is a really old post, but what year is your 210? I have a 1977 that looks identical. Was wondering also where you got the cool brush guard on the front. I just picked mine up not long ago and am looking forward to perfing it out. These are so cool!
Thanks! This tractor is an '83 model. Alan Zimmerman (alzwelding.com) used to make the brush guards, but from what I've heard, he has gotten out of it in recent years and you might have to special-order it. Good luck with your new 210. I've owned close to 30 garden tractors over the past decade and this one has hung around longer than all of them. Not the biggest or fanciest machine I've owned, but it's reliable and it was my first true garden tractor. I'll never sell it.
Christopher, it won't let me reply to any of your comments, not sure why it does that. Thank you though.
Hey gave your back. Very nice dealtelling on the 210. Just change the oil and oil-filter on my cub cadet last week or two.
Thanks. I will be putting fresh oil in the K301 once it goes in, since it shouldn't be using any oil now that it's rebuilt. Worked on it all day today and still have a few things to do before she gets dropped in.
Pretty nice mower
nice looking mower. I have 2 210s. One is electric lift. the other is hydraulic lift. You can make them steer easier by putting flat roller bearings under spindles and on side of steering box. I don't think you will like suitcase weights on the front as more than 2 makes it very hard to steer. I use cast wheel weights in the tiller tractor and they work well. I built a weight bracket that fits the front and rear. it now stays on the blower tractor as it has 6 40lb cast weights and 2- 60 lb. weights in rear tires. I do not switch these over to mow I keep lots of Stabil in them and start em once a month.
+Ted “dator76” dator Thanks for your input Ted. The tractor has actually changed quite a bit since this vid. Now has a 16 HP Kohler, two sets of weights, a sleeve hitch, and lug tires on the rear. After watching some of the garden tractor pulls this year I have concluded that I probably won't need much front weight at all, like you said. The front weight bracket alone adds at least another 50 lb. But now I have a 316 which will be my snow removal tractor, so I need to figure out my weight setup for that tractor. Only time 210 will need the weights from now on is during the pulls.
+Ted “dator76” dator These things get run almost every day, weather permitting. I'm currently replacing the head gasket on the 16 HP because it had a little blow-by.
Michael, I had a 214 which I sold, grrr, but have a chance to get a 210 for $500, OBO. These tractors are far better, real iron, no plastic. Great job, Good machine Mister.
+65drummer1 Thanks man. $500 sounds a bit steep for a 210 unless it comes with several attachments. The 200 series aren't the cream of the crop but they are really tough for their size. I'm glad I started out with a 210.
How did you order from ALZ welding. I want to get that gaurd
If I remember correctly, when I ordered it from his site 4 years ago, he used to have a PayPal checkout option. Now I think he sells all his products on eBay.
Can anyone describe the difference between the 210, the D series and The L series garden tractors?? We are in the market for a used one and need some education. Thanks
+Diana Cooley Biggest thing I want to say is, don't look at the D100, L100, or LA100 series tractors, or any Lowes/Home Depot/Sears tractors for that matter. They are a cheap entry-level machine, with low-quality parts, only built to run 500 hours and then just throw away. They designed them specifically to compete with cheap brands like Craftsman mowers, and do not have the same quality that John Deere is known for. They are built for people who have a postage stamp-sized yard who just need to mow once every few weeks and do nothing else. Even with that light work, they still break and wear out rather quickly. The transmissions on them are also cheaply built so they can't really pull heavy loads or anything. I'm not sure what type of work you will be doing, but you are probably better off with a garden tractor like my 210. Much sturdier and heavier built, with cast iron engine, thick steel frame, and a wide variety of attachments such as mowers, tillers, snow plows, snow blowers, front loaders, etc. It's a more suitable tractor for mowing rough ground, climbing hills, hauling heavy loads, and working around the yard year-round. This 210 was built in 1983 and now that I have restored it, it will run forever.
it looks good to me
***** Thank you. I currently have it apart but it will be back together soon.
I had a hard time painting the hood on my jd 212
They're a PITA right? The fiberglass just does not have a good surface for paint at all. I believe the hoods are manufactured green fiberglass. Not painted.
I think they are painted cuz i sanded mine down to the fiberglass by mistake in one spot and it was white
Might be. Not sure.
JD paint hardener will really make the paint pop just make sure to use the correct respirator.
Yeah I've heard about the hardener stuff, never thought to use it though. From what I've seen on other people's tractors it really makes a difference.
Rattle can never looks good, paint gun, paint, reducer, and enamel hardener and it will shine so nice. Rattle can leaves orange peal.
You are correct. I've been dealing with a lot of that on this tractor. Someday when I have the time and money, I'm going to tear this tractor apart again and repaint it professionally. The rattle can paint job shown in this video was good enough to keep 16-year-old me happy.
again dawn and 3m scuff pads