Who makes a good tiller?

[jeepman3071]

My dad has a fairly large garden, and he is looking for a rear tine tiller. From scanning the local craigslist, I've seen a few decent ones. I've seen a few older Troy-Bilt tillers that look well made, and a few MTD/Craftsman style tillers that are cheaper and will do the job. This garden has no rocks, it is all nice topsoil.

I saw one older Troy-Bilt "Horse" tiller that is a fairly good size and has a briggs I/C 8hp engine. My one concern is with lubrication. While tilling, the engine is on a slant. Being a splash lubrication system, wouldn't this starve the engine of oil? The MTD tillers seem much cheaper built, but the engine on them sits level while tilling. I prefer the Troy-Bilt, and obviously if it has lasted this long, it can't be a bad design, it just makes me wonder.

Here is what a Troy-Bilt Horse tiller looks like:

Here is what the MTD tillers look like:

Which would you go with?

 

[Donald]

Avoid MTD at all costs and any brand they make. Maybe a used Troy-Built when it was built in Troy. Now MTD builds them who knows where.

I would not worry about splash lubrication and the engine being tilted. I do not think they tilt back as much as the red one in your picture and rocks or not it will bounce around and splash oil everywhere.

Don't discount a front tiller. My Dad ran a nursery for 20 years and he roto-tilled the sections where we planted seedlings. He had it down to a science and could run the front tiller machine with one finger. But he wanted to be able to turn on a dime which the front tiller can do. He would re-till sections after a heavy rain so you could once again plant seedlings with your fingers. So he wanted to get close to what was already planted.

I can give you a deal on an older Sears front tiller that is built like a tank.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Don't discount a front tiller. My Dad ran a nursery for 20 years and he roto-tilled the sections where we planted seedlings. He had it down to a science and could run the front tiller machine with one finger. But he wanted to be able to turn on a dime which the front tiller can do. He would re-till sections after a heavy rain so you could once again plant seedlings with your fingers. So he wanted to get close to what was already planted.


Yes, I had two front tillers when I lived in Alabama. Used them every year to till my garden. They do turn on a dime, but I noticed every year, the sleeves on my shirts seemed to get shorter and shorter.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: Donald
He would re-till sections after a heavy rain so you could once again plant seedlings with your fingers. So he wanted to get close to what was already planted.


You must have sandy soil up there like we do here in Florida. The best time to till here is right after a heavy rain as there is less dust and the ground breaks better. In Alabama, it was all red clay. If you even walked in your garden after a heavy rain, you would leave your shoes behind.

 

[The_Jeff]

If you have a choice, try and stay away from oddball tecumsehs with the 2nd motor pulley coming off the camshaft for reversing. Makes finding replacement motors harder.

I wouldn't worry about the splash lube, most of these get very low hours.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
Originally Posted By: Donald
He would re-till sections after a heavy rain so you could once again plant seedlings with your fingers. So he wanted to get close to what was already planted.


You must have sandy soil up there like we do here in Florida. The best time to till here is right after a heavy rain as there is less dust and the ground breaks better. In Alabama, it was all red clay. If you even walked in your garden after a heavy rain, you would leave your shoes behind.


My Dad added sand and other stuff to make the soil just how he wanted.

He made a gadget about 6' wide with a seat and a front bar for your feet. The edges that touched the soil were 6' apart. You would maneuver it over freshly tilled soil and plant seedlings with your fingers mostly between your legs. We never walked on fresh tilled soil. Then as the planting was done, bang in fence posts and roll out snow fence for shade. Transplant 2 years latter.

 

[jeepman3071]

Thanks for the advice guys! The Troy-Bilt is an early 1980s and is a one owner machine. The guy still has the original owners manuals. I will probably take a look at it since it is close by.

 

[NHGUY]

MTD owns Cub Cadet too.As well as White and numerous other brands.Thankfully they dont own and hopefully never will own Ariens(who also owns Gravely).

 

[madibob]

I don't know much about the troy-builts and I'm sure that troy-built is a decent machine but it's 30 years old. For the price they are asking I'd go look at the Honda FRC800s in your area. There's one for $1K that's a great deal. My parents have the FR750 and it does a beautiful job. Even when the soil is pretty wet it chops it up nicely....better than any other tiller they ever had. Starts on the first pull every time!

 

[tom slick]

I use a 1974 Troy-Built Horse. Almost all parts are still available for them.

BCS makes the nicest tillers, actually "two-wheeled tractor", I've seen but they are $$$$.

 

[Donald]

Years ago (so I was told) Troy-Built had factory demo days on Saturday at their factory in Troy, NY. At the end of the demo you could buy the demo machine for 1/2 price. A good deal I would say.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

I have a 5hp Troybilt I got in '85. Best thing since sliced bread, and I couldn't garden without it.

The tilt of the machine is normal. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Check your oil level on level ground before you start it each time and you'll be good to go.

I'd love to have an 8hp T.B., but my garden isn't large enough. It would be difficult to maneuver in my raised beds, probably, too.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Years ago (so I was told) Troy-Built had factory demo days on Saturday at their factory in Troy, NY. At the end of the demo you could buy the demo machine for 1/2 price. A good deal I would say.


Troy-Bilt has changed owners. I doubt they have any of the old deals any more. My '85 Pony came with a forever rebuild-at-1/2-price-with-new-engine warranty that they would not honor about 3 years ago.

 

[gofast182]

I have a front-tine MTD with a Honda GVC 160 (with a manual pin choke), has worked great for 5 years seeing limited use.

 

[jeepman3071]

The newer Troy-Bilts are nothing special. Once MTD took over, they made all the tillers have forward rotating tines. My Grandpa has a newer Troy-Bilt Bronco 6.5 hp. The thing is way too light. In anything but soft mulch the tires loose traction, and the tines propel it forward, causing it to take off like a rocket. It gets tiring wrestling with it, and since my Grandpa has back problems, I end up tilling his garden. A half hour of that thing jerking him around and he can't move for a week.

The one I'm looking at is older and has reverse rotating tines which won't jerk you around as much.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

I recall from my original literature that 1) you NEVER till with the wheels in nuetral, 2) don't bite off too much at once, and when the going gets tough 3) overlap the last path by 50percent.

There have been times when the tiller and I haven't seen eye to eye, but taking as much time as it takes to do the job works so much better than trying to force your will upon the earth.