New JD 210 "rusty"

[Mudrig150 298]

So yesterday we went and picked up my 210, finally. It's been sitting for years. To say it's a project is an understatement.
Good things about it:

• It has some compression. Likewise, the motor is not locked up.
• The paint is okay, just faded, I think.
• The hood is really nice. All 4 mounts are there, the stickers are practically brand new, and the headlight panel is in really good shape.
• The deck spins sort of free and appears to only have surface rust.

The bad things about it:

• It's got wasps. Luckily it is a small nest so disposing of them shouldn't be a problem.
• The dash and hood support are rusted as sin.
• The PTO is rusted so it don't engage.
• Missing the grille and the carb is busted, but luckily I have a nice carb off my K321 lemon.
• Brakes don't appear to work. I suspect the brake band probably broke.
• Clutch is stiff.

Parts that need checked:

• Transmission.
• Engine compression.
• Wiring.
• Deck spindle bearings.

My plan:

1. Throw my K321 carb on.
2. Put battery in.
3. Test fuel pump.
4. Test compression.
5. Clean and gap points, test for spark
6. Swap parts from parts motor if needed
7. Fill tank
8. Send it.

Once spring hits or the 317 gets running I'll tear him down and he'll donate his motor and wiring to Larry, and the transmission to my Burns.

It'll definitely be a good after school project, to hold me off until I get the 317 running. I'll update once I get home.

[Mike'sHorseBarn 2,998]

[Mudrig150 298]

They'll come once I update it this afternoon.

[Mudrig150 298]

[Mike'sHorseBarn 2,998]

Looks like a fun project! I see a lot of 210's like that that are missing the side covers for some reason.

[Mudrig150 298]

1 hour ago, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

Looks like a fun project! I see a lot of 210's like that that are missing the side covers for some reason.

It will be, especially with all the rust. The side panels are there, but not on the tractor because of the choke linkage issues, which subsequently is also why the grille is missing. 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

Since the pto is on the right side of the engine, a lot of owners take that engine side panel off to adjust the pto clutch.  A bit of info, the 210 has the highest weight to horse power ratio of all the John Deere garden tractors, and probably has a higher ratio than most Wheel Horses, if not all, unless it's the 953.  The 200 series were made from 1975 to 1987 and replaced the square fender 110 and 112, so a lot of the design is similar to those tractors, and they share the same attachments.  I had a couple of 210s, a couple of 214s, and a 208, so I know a bit about that series.  Very underrated in the John Deere world.