rototiller.....front or rear? and other things...

[U&A]

coo

Troy Bilt front tine. Going on 3 years Cranks on first pull.

cool. have you noticed how the briggs and stratton engines get a lot of buildup on top of the pistons. I have a zero turn mower, snow blower, and engine drive welder that have B&S engines and they all seem very carbony. just noticed that my mower was pinging pretty good today when i took it out of winterizing. i think im going to try mid grad gas in it to see if it helps,

did i just de-rail my own thread, LOL

EDIT : they all still run great though

 

[U&A]

well, just wanted to say thanks again and tell you what the plan is for this year. the father in law and I cant come to an agreement yet and im not waiting around for him. going to rent one from a local place to get the job done and brake new ground. this fall or next spring I may just say screw it and buy one by myself. Ill keep looking for the used "horse". ill post my progress if I can.

Thank you much.

 

[chuckwood]

well, just wanted to say thanks again and tell you what the plan is for this year. the father in law and I cant come to an agreement yet and im not waiting around for him. going to rent one from a local place to get the job done and brake new ground. this fall or next spring I may just say screw it and buy one by myself. Ill keep looking for the used "horse". ill post my progress if I can.

Thank you much.

For breaking new ground with a tiller, it's best to use a rental anyway, that's a job that takes a tiller to its limits. You'll need something very heavy with a lot of power. My first tiller rental for new ground had a 13 horse honda on it, and it got the job done. It was more of a landscaping machine than a garden tiller. Watch your local Craigslist and something good is bound to show up eventually. If I'm not mistaken, parts are still available for those old original Troybilts, and it's easy to put new engines on them. My biggest tiller is a 60's vintage Montgomery Ward rear tine machine. If I need parts for that one (aside from engine parts), I'll have some serious difficulties. So far, it's held up very well because everything on it is very heavy duty and well made. Another good vintage brand is Ariens, they've been making tillers for a long time.

 

[U&A]

For breaking new ground with a tiller, it's best to use a rental anyway, that's a job that takes a tiller to its limits. You'll need something very heavy with a lot of power. My first tiller rental for new ground had a 13 horse honda on it, and it got the job done. It was more of a landscaping machine than a garden tiller. Watch your local Craigslist and something good is bound to show up eventually. If I'm not mistaken, parts are still available for those old original Troybilts, and it's easy to put new engines on them. My biggest tiller is a 60's vintage Montgomery Ward rear tine machine. If I need parts for that one (aside from engine parts), I'll have some serious difficulties. So far, it's held up very well because everything on it is very heavy duty and well made. Another good vintage brand is Ariens, they've been making tillers for a long time.

iv seen a few of the "Ariens" tiller in my area but the look pretty small and light weight. dont look even close to the robustness of the troy built horse. not sure what to think

EDIT: they were all small front tines

 

[U&A]

https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/grd/5507339244.html

 

[LegDeLimber]

What will really bug your Dad is when he notices that aside from a belt cover and a perhaps "beauty pan" around the weights or tires.
You can't really see much the difference between the Husqvarna tiller and the home depot one.
Take a look at the transmission/gearcase housing, er, stampings.
See that basic shape under the engine and behind the wheels?
I believe that they're all stamped out by MTD nowdays.
A bit of different handlebars or creasing in the tine covers
but I would want to look up the part numbers for the transmissions
of a couple different "brand" of them.
About 16~17 years back, When I looked at 5&6 hp units
Nearly everything went the same part numbers.
Sears was bad to spec a plastic bushing instead of bronze
and a few other cost cutting things.
(oh boy and don't get me started on some of the bastard engines that Tecumseh would build for Sears/Craftsman products)

Now this all Just this *one* grumpy old dudes opinion here:
Bottom line? IF you go with the newer built machines, I would check the parts list across a few models of similar HP and see if you're really paying for a name.

See if the bearings and gears are the same numbers.
Cheaper bearings or skipping some part could be why the name brand is more expensive than the lower priced ones.**
Just try to find the better speced version of what the factory is building.
Heavier gauge sheet metal in the stampings or something that justifies the price differential.

Edit: I left off the last half of that sentence above [ ** ]
The price difference comment might make some sense now.

 

[Greenthorn]

We had this Ariens Rocket tiller growing up, let me tell ya, it would chew up and spit out a troy built all day long, there are no slouches with them. Unfortunately some thieving basturd decided they liked it more than we did.....

They are also one finger tillers!

 

[chuckwood]

We had this Ariens Rocket tiller growing up, let me tell ya, it would chew up and spit out a troy built all day long, there are no slouches with them. Unfortunately some thieving basturd decided they liked it more than we did.....

View attachment 498879


They are also one finger tillers!

Yeah! I've got that very same exact Rocket tiller! Mine is a Rocket VII, I believe, made mine out of two old Rockets, combining the parts that were in best condition to get one good tiller. There is a heavy iron/steel weight on the front. I've lost the reverse because the original engine on it had a reverse pto shaft on the motor. There are two control handles up where the hand grips are, and two levers above the tine shield that operate the transmission controlling the tines and the wheels. The handle can be moved sideways so you don't walk over just tilled earth get footprints in the loose soil. You have two tine speed choices, and one speed choice on power to the wheels. The tranny on this thing is a seriously heavy duty unit. Power to the tranny is controlled by a lever that pushes an idler pulley on the belt that connects to the engine. Tines are not counter rotating, so you get a very smooth, flat result in the tilled earth as you go along, perfect for planting seeds on a level bed. My rocket is the one in the middle of the pics. There's an even bigger old vintage Montgomery Wards rear tine next to it, with an old 8 hp Briggs on it. Dependable motor and massive, heavy steel and big tractor tires on it as well. They don't build tillers any more like they did back in the 60's.