What a peice of crap!

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I've got a weedeater similar to that model. It has actually been a great machine. I bought in on 6/6/06 too lol, but it starts great all the time. Maybe 3-4 pull max, even after sitting all winter. I haven't even adjusted the valves or changed the spark plug since I've had it. It is my main weedeater and gets heavy use every year. The only problem I've ever had is the bump nut on the bottom fell off and I lost the spring, but I put a new one on and it works but you have to push on it and manually release more line. To rewind it you don't even have to remove the spool anyway.
 
I agree MTD has cheapen alot of the once great brands. It stinks, but they have to have the cheapo stuff in order to compete with Sears and Walmart etc. I have to say, not everything MTD sells is junk. I bought a Cub Cadet GT3235 about 4 years ago. This tractor is not available in hd or lowes. This thing is a tank, power steering, posi lock, hydraulic deck lift, 48 heavy duty deck with caster wheels, cast iron tranny, adjustable seat and steering wheel, shaft driven deck and tanny, and there are more grease fittings on this tractor than you can image. They do carry good stuff, it just cost alot more and isn't available in hd and lowes.

Most of the people buying tractors there are not willing to spend over 4g for a piece of lawn equipment, so you get the cheapened down models to compete with Sears.
 
STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING MTD like Cubcadet, Yardman, Whiteoutdoors, Yardmachines, Troybilt, Lawnboy,Bolens. Some of these's brands were independent years ago and were GREAT products(BUILT WELL) When the conglomerate MTD bought them out they cheapened the products and their customer service is terrible. I bought a YardMachines splitter and it was a POS.
 
I forgot...who makes box-store J.D.'s....was it a company called Sabre?
I remember when Troy-Bilt was only sold thru the mail....kinda like DR is now.
 
Most of the troy-bilt tillers have remained virtually unchanged since MTD bought them. Especially the big ones, they're the same thing as they were years and years ago. But the tillers are the only good product that Troy bilt still makes.
 
mtfallsmikey said:
I forgot...who makes box-store J.D.'s....was it a company called Sabre?
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I think it was the other way around. The first "budget" lines Deere made in the early 90's were the Sabre and Scotts lines, these were actually made by Deere to be sold in box stores. They were a step up from the MTD/AYP machines sold in box stores but were much less expensive than the real thing.

Also, I have to believe that Craftsman/AYP equipment is/was always a bit better made than MTD stuff, there's many, many stories of older Sears lawn tractors that have gone through untold amounts of abuse and neglect and still keep going, my old one being one of them (30 lawns a week for 2 summers and no oil change!)
 
I'm into generators as well as chainsaws and pretty much any other engines - have seen a few people mention that in some states (or maybe just stores) they have to be rated for so many hours of use, and tagged as such?
Shame there was no such system worldwide, I'd think people buying $75 1kW gennys would stop buying them if they were tagged to die after 50 hours of running... as a mechanical engineer I'd be disgusted at myself if I designed an engine with a cheap plastic camshaft, let alone the other crap they make them from.
Here they have no such tag or rating, so you buy a 1kW genny (which turns out to be 1kW surge, 600W constant load) for $75 and people are surprised when it dies after a couple of days running the caravan/campsite?:censored:
 
Oh, and another pet hate - car gearboxes with no dipstick or drain plug, as the oil is "good for life". Hell, even back in the 80s VW were saying their factory filled manual gearboxes never needed an oil change.
Now those boxes (the 020 range) are notorious for bursting open at the worst possible time, after doing 150k miles on the same oil. Bean counters, you have to hate them.
 
Those tags don't say what the life of the engine is, that is only how long it is guaranteed to comply with EPA regulations, after 50 hours it could still run fine but it may not meet EPA standards. I think 50 hours is the minimum, and most throwaway trimmers are starting to get crappy by that point.

To put things in perspective, imagine you have some serious trimming to do over a couple 3 day weekends, say each day you cut grass for 9 hours straight. At the end of the second weekend your cheapo trimmer is not guaranteed to meet EPA regulations, and more than likely will be pretty well beat and you'll be looking for a real trimmer.
 
PatrickIreland said:
I'm into generators as well as chainsaws and pretty much any other engines - have seen a few people mention that in some states (or maybe just stores) they have to be rated for so many hours of use, and tagged as such?
Shame there was no such system worldwide, I'd think people buying $75 1kW gennys would stop buying them if they were tagged to die after 50 hours of running... as a mechanical engineer I'd be disgusted at myself if I designed an engine with a cheap plastic camshaft, let alone the other crap they make them from.
Here they have no such tag or rating, so you buy a 1kW genny (which turns out to be 1kW surge, 600W constant load) for $75 and people are surprised when it dies after a couple of days running the caravan/campsite?:censored:
Click to expand...

When you start getting into generators between 1K and 10K, Its best to go with Honda.
 
I did not know that troy built is not the good old tb from yrs back. I am glad I did not buy a trimmer and went with the husky! It sounds like the big tillers are still good though. I now when I was a kid my uncle was into the garden thing big and if you wanted the best it had to be a troybuilt, too bad they sold out!
 
nilzlofgren said:
When you start getting into generators between 1K and 10K, Its best to go with Honda.
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I beg to disagree, Mine are (3 of the main ones) Onan CCks, 3.5kW, and they run forever. A little Honda engine will scream it's life away at 3600rpm at 60hz - but here the Onans run at 1500rpm. One of mine is 30 years old, ex military, and still runs a treat. Find me a Honda that will do that.
Yes, the parts are stupidly expensive - but they rarely need any. ;)
 
I was in Lowes earlier tonight and strolled through the OPE isle where a couple was bickering about a backpack blower. I think they have a small Husky BP blower and a Poulan one, maybe a Troy Bilt one too. They were discussing brands, price and quality, I slyly walked past them and muttered "Stihl" just loud enough to be heard, and then walked on before they even noticed me.
 
The Troy Tillers are cheapened up nowadays, I should know, we sell a ton of em, and service/repair them too.

They got away from the tapered roller bearings on the tine shaft and went to just plain bal bearings, and slop is common after a couple seasons use. The Tines are no longer held on with a long bolt and a taper...It's now a 1" tineshaft, straight, and the tines are a bear to remove to replace seeping tine shaft seals.

Wheel seals leak after a couple years due to too soft of axel steel and bushing wear...

No more T handle to remove the handle bars, now it's a bolt...

No more Rigid Iron block Kohler or Tecumseh...now it's a little Briggs intek.

The smaller tillers are just as bad, crappy welds, thin steel, shoddy controls...The Pony, Junior, Bronco, Bronco CRT, etc...good for occasional use, but no longer commercial grade.
 
In 1993, I bought a yeller McCullough brushcutter from K-Mart for $159. It started falling apart after only 2 days of use. I exchanged it for another one. Same thing. Took the 2nd Mcc back and received a refund. That was before Mcc became part of MTD and J-F.

On that same day I drove over to my local Stihl dealer and bought a Stihl FS-76 brushcutter. I installed a fresh carb kit, fuel line and fuel filter in it earlier this week because it was taking up to 4-6 pulls to start. It fires on the first pull now. Ii is Stihl running like new after years of hard use.
 
Just wanted to let y'all know... After being part of this post, I went out today and gave the ol Troy-Bilt 4 stroke trimmer a couple pumps on the primer, it popped and almost kept running on the first pull. Second pull, it started right up and just sat there purring like a kitten. I'd say its been sitting since october. The gas it started on today was the gas that was left in it from last year. So, who wants to buy it? heheh
 
PatrickIreland said:
I beg to disagree, Mine are (3 of the main ones) Onan CCks, 3.5kW, and they run forever. A little Honda engine will scream it's life away at 3600rpm at 60hz - but here the Onans run at 1500rpm. One of mine is 30 years old, ex military, and still runs a treat. Find me a Honda that will do that.
Yes, the parts are stupidly expensive - but they rarely need any. ;)
Click to expand...

Pat, ever had any experience with Honeywell generators?
 
PatrickIreland said:
I beg to disagree, Mine are (3 of the main ones) Onan CCks, 3.5kW, and they run forever. A little Honda engine will scream it's life away at 3600rpm at 60hz - but here the Onans run at 1500rpm. One of mine is 30 years old, ex military, and still runs a treat. Find me a Honda that will do that.
Yes, the parts are stupidly expensive - but they rarely need any. ;)
Click to expand...

Among RVers, esp Full-Timers, Onan generators have the best reputation for reliability, durability and long-life. Hondas are ok, but a typical Onan will outlast 4 Hondas.
:agree2:
 

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