New horse for the stable

[djmil11 0]

going to look at a 211-5 tom. she wants $75 for it. the owner knows absolutely nothing about it and the trip is only 45 mins away. more than likely i will take it home. anything i should look for to not make this purchase?

thanks for your help,

djmil11

[BairleaFarm 340]

Be sure and post pics. At 75$ tou could prabbly part it ou and make your money back. Odds are its probally in good shape ans she doesnt want it.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Check the transaxle mounting pads on the "frame" and the braces and bolts that hold the front of the transaxle. Make sure the shifter linkage is tight too.

Check for oil around the bottom of the engine, and if it runs, listen for chatter or knocking sounds from the crankcase area. (listen for anything out of the ordinary with the starter too) If it will move under its own power, make sure the clutch works correctly without any major idler/tensioner pulley noises from underneath. Check all "gears" (including reverse) and look closely at the ends of the axle tubes and the area under the transaxle for cracks or breaks.

If it has a mower deck, grab each blade spindle pulley and try to wiggle them side to side. Check the condition of the belt, and look for cracks and damage to the shell.

If I had to drive 45 minutes one-way to look at one of these "tractors" (technically just a riding lawn mower), I would make sure I had another reason to be going that way in the first place. (unless I really needed a lawn mower) :USA:

[djmil11 0]

once again, thank you TT for the helpful info. i think i will wait for something better to come by. caught up in the price and the "roadtrip" idea..... so it is off to the toro dealer for new deck bearings (p/n 103119) for the 36 rear discharge.

btw, it was nice to see the toro dealer cutting the grass on a 520h w/ags :banghead:

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,606]

Dan,

For $75 it probably does have some issues and like TT said 45 minute drive is pretty far to get there and be disappointed. If you knew the issues before hand, and the 45 minute drive is something that didn't bother you (like TT said if you were going that way anyways), then it might be worthwhile. But, the 200 series are lawn tractors (though in the Wheel Horse brochures they could handle a tiller ) and aren't as heavy duty as a 300 or 400 series. Also they would be vertical shaft drives with lesser transmissions. It would be your call one way or another, and I really don't think TT is telling you not to, but is giving you some perspective on it. Again it's your decision., but I doubt if I would make the trip, unless it was a freebie. :banghead:

[wh500special 2,269]

The tractor you're looking at is a 1988 211-5 Lawn Tractor. Assuming nothing has been replaced, it will have an aluminum block Briggs 11 hp with a cast iron sleeve and a Peerless 5-speed aluminum transaxle. It is the later 200 series style tractor with the aero headlights and not the earlier "B" frame versions (which later morphed into the YT-12A and 250 series). And, this later version is not compatible with the 30" tiller that was offered on the early 200 series.

It is a lightweight lawn tractor, but if it runs/mows I would certainly give $75 plus the short drive for the thing. As you can see from the previous replies, it doesn't have much collector appeal but they are good little mowers...especially if it has the 37" side discharge deck. A 30" SD and 36" RD were also available.

Nothing that fits the C/300/400/500 series tractor will fit that 211. And nothing from the B/early 200/YT12/250 series will fit either. kind of an odd horse, but not rare.

I have a bunch of these things and find them to be pretty nice...but they certainly aren't nearly the machines the C/300/400/500 series tractors are. What they lack in heavy duty capability they make up for in ease of handling. WH/Toro meant for them to be comparable to the Craftsmans of the day, and they could hold their own in their segment. They eventually expanded the lineup to include 8, 10, 11, 12, 12.5, and 16 hp engines from Briggs and Kawasaki. Even offered Hydros later. Eventually they beefed them up a little bit and made the 240 series tractors too.

The vertical tractors really haven't caught on with collectors and I doubt they ever really will. But if used as directed, they are all pretty decent machines.

Steve

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,606]

I do know in the 1986 brochure there was an available 30" tiller listed for the 211-5 and 211-6 lawn tractors. Here's a picture of the tiller on a 211 taken from the 1986 brochure.

[wh500special 2,269]

Terry,

Your 100% correct about that 30" tiller fitting the 211-5 and 211-6 from the "first" version of the 200 series tractors. The "second" run of 200 series verts apeared in 1987 and lost the ability to play in the dirt.

I will try to dig up some pictures of both types to show the differences.

Steve

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,606]

Thanks, Steve, for setting the record straight. I guess maybe Wheel Horse realize it may not have been a good idea to use ground engaging implements on a lawn tractor. Or was there significant changes made? :banghead:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

I'm not exactly sure of how similar it is to the 1990 210-5 that I fixed up for my B.I.L., but it should be of like design.

This particular model lost both transaxle brace bolts, allowing the "nose" of the transaxle to push upward, cracking the "mounting pads" on the frame and constantly causing the drive belt to be thrown off the input pulley. I also had to repair a sheared flywheel key and set the valve clearance before it was ready to leave here.

The good news is is that it is still running fine, and flawlessly mows the grass every week. (he did install new blades though) :banghead: