Considering Buying a 270 Hydro With Thrown Rod

[cdr_warsstar 106]

On my local Craigslist, there's a 270 Hydro with a bad engine. Everything else apparently works, and it looks in good shape. Includes the deck, not sure what size. The guy is asking $200. I'd try and talk him down to $150. Do you guys think it's worth grabbing?

 

 

[WildHorses 432]

200 series isn't really sought after but if you know where you can find an engine might not be a bad mower if you need one. That's basically the same 48"(maybe 42")  deck the 300/400 series use. I've seen nice used ones with working everything sell for $300-400. 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,376]

They mow great have a tight turning radius, and foot pedal motion control, there are snow plows and throwers available as well as a tiller, just not the garden tractor capable as the classics and xi with horizontal engines but again great mowers, Jeff.

[Jerry77 1,218]

6 hours ago, WildHorses said:

200 series isn't really sought after but if you know where you can find an engine might not be a bad mower

Even after investing in an engine, this unit will outlast any of the bigbox store mowers, for a lot less money - if you can do the work yourself...if all I wanted was a good mower I would do it...the only kicker is you can't test the hydro ...but instead of trying to talk him down, I would haul out a hundred and a fifty - cash - 

[ohiofarmer 3,379]

Offer him a hundred and explain to him what shop rates for mower repair are. Also bring up that the transmission cannot be tested so you are taking a chance on that.That mower is pretty new to have a blown engine, so your are concerned about how it was maintained

 

My rule on buying old motorcycles is never buy a non-running bike unless you can part it out for twice what you paid. My rule on mowers is that they need to work, period unless they have parts needed for other mowers i have

 

If the seller gets all insulted at your offer, leave him your contact information and he well may call you back after no offers come his way. You are buying this mower to help out an older person who needs one, but your budget is limited, right?

 

 Anyway, wish the seller luck in selling the mower, but if he cannot sell it to someone else, then you will buy it if you have not found another one by the time he calls you back. Being a nice and reasonable person will help you out.

[cdr_warsstar 106]

It looks pretty much identical to the 419XT I got to flip and I love that thing. (Except that there's some electrical fault that's causing the PTO to not engage reliably)

 

So I'd get this fixed to be the mower, then the 312 can be the trailer hauler and snowblower machine, and the Raider 10 can be the snow/dozer blade machine. 

 

Who knows what the 953 and 1973 no-name will end up being. 

[cdr_warsstar 106]

$150

 

The front already looked like that. 

 

[wh500special 2,277]

Those have that neat electric/hydraulic lift.   That's worth something.  

 

I'd bet you the transaxle is just fine.  Those 260 series held up pretty well especially if just used for mowing duty. 

 

Although I am the only person in the world that seems to notice or care, that style tractor is not a 200-series. And it's different than the 400xt series.    They share the vertical shaft engine arrangement and great operating characteristics, but that's largely where it ends.  

 

Good luck with it!

 

steve 

[WildHorses 432]

2 hours ago, wh500special said:

I'd bet you the transaxle is just fine.  Those 260 series held up pretty well especially if just used for mowing duty. 

steve 

 

I had to look this up to see for myself but you are correct. I didn't realize Toro invented a subset of the 200 series. I mean you can call it whatever you want but it's a 2xx series and it may not be fair since a 270 is 20hp with a 52" deck but I lump them all in the same pile. I would like to know why they called it the 260 series and labeled it the 270 and apparently never made a 26x anything? I guess it's just Toro logic which I stopped trying to follow about 1991. 

 

200 Series
210-H	10 hp		1990 - 1992
210-5	10 hp		1990 - 1992
212-H	12 hp		1988 - 1992
212-5	12 hp	30/36" deck	1988 - 1992
216-5	16 hp	36/42" deck	1985
216-H	15 hp	30" deck	1990
220 Series
220-4	9 hp	36" deck	1988
222-5	12 hp	36" deck	1988
227-5	17 hp	42" deck	1988 - 1989
240 Series
244-5	14 hp	32" deck	1991 - 1993
244-H	14 hp	32" deck	1991 - 1993
250 Series
252	12 hp		1988 - 1989
257	17 hp	37/42" deck	1988 - 1989
260 Series
270-H	20 hp	38/42/48/52" deck	2000 - 2003

 

[wh500special 2,277]

That list is only partially complete for the scads of models offered in the 80's and 90's.  That's why it's missing other 260 models.  

 

Prior to kohler making the 20 hp twin used in the 270, the tractor was known as the 19 hp model 269.  Other family members were 264, 265, 266, 267, and 268. 

Weird, yes.  

I notice the chart shows the 220-series.  Those weren't available in the US.  For sure they were European, perhaps also Australian.  More or less the same format as our 250's.  

 

It's a tangled web. 

 

Steve

 

Edited April 27, 2017 by wh500special