papaglide 542 #1 Posted June 5, 2010 Could someone please explain to me how this works? I looked at a relatively cheap 212 today but didn't understand how the variator worked. It has a 12 horse Kohler, and 4 forward gears and 1 reverse. By moving the lever you can increase or decrease the speed while within a certain gear? Is this correct? Is this a good tractor? thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,505 #2 Posted June 5, 2010 Mike, The variator has been called a poor mans hydro. JD first used it on it's first garden tractor, the 110 in 1963 and JD used it until 1987 when the 200 series halted production. Check out Weekend Freedom Machines, especially the "Model Info" section for 200 series and also read the section on the 110. The variator uses two belts, the primary belt from the engine to the variator and a secondary belt from the variator to the transmission. The variator works by moving the belt from a smaller diameter to a larger diameter or vice versa, therefore decreasing or increasing speed within each selected gear. It works beautifully, but does require maintenance and lubrication from time to time. The 200 series are heavily built garden tractors and were made from 1975 to 1987 and including 8 hp models (200 and 208), 10 hp model (210), 12 hp (212), 14 hp (214) and 16 hp (216). They're very similar in setup to a Wheel Horse, except for the variator. If the price is right and condition good, buy it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
