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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 23:01:44 GMT
My folks are moving to town, and didn't need two tillers.
We just sold his 'old' tiller. It was an Arhens 4 horse rototiller that he bought used back in the very early 80's. It wasn't a the best machine in the world for turning soil, but that thing was a work horse. It would do everything that you wanted it to do, if you gave it time to properly turn the soil.
Last week, I had no problems, whatsoever, sticking a 'for sale' sign on the old tiller, and was happy to see it go to a new home, but now I am sad that it is gone. I've spent hours of my life behind that machine.
FWIW, we sold the old tiller for the same amount of money that he gave for it, about 34 years ago. Other than oil changes and a new plug every so often, I don't think that he ever put a dime into it.
Dad has a 'good' tiller, an old school Troybilt...but in my heart, nothing will replace that old orange tiller.
What type of tiller do you have?
Are you happy with it?
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 23, 2015 23:28:52 GMT
I have a 1991 Troy-Bilt Pony that I bought new. I've replaced the tines once & put an engine gaurd on it. Other than that, just regular maintenance & it runs as good as new
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Post by Melissa on Apr 23, 2015 23:33:01 GMT
I have raised beds so I don't use one. I actually dislike anything with a motor, so that is a good thing for me!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 0:04:21 GMT
I have a craftsman rear time. My grandad bought it from Sears in 1986. When he died, my brother bought it from my grandma. Two years ago, I borrowed it and the motor blew. My brother told me to just junk it, so I put a newer motor on it and keep using it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 0:10:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 0:18:56 GMT
I also have only raised beds so I just use a pitch fork and a strong back. I would like to find out more about no till gardening though.
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Post by Rustaholic on Apr 24, 2015 0:53:10 GMT
I have a mower like that but it is built to be a mower so it is more compact. I have too many tillers to list. The best one is one I got so cheap at an auction and it had a fresh tag that showed four times what I paid for it had six weeks earlier been spent getting it repaired and tuned up. It can be towed by a garden tractor or even a four wheeler. I have five or six walk behind tillers. Some are front tine and at least three are rear tine. One of my best garden tractors also has a belt driven tiller attachment. I have two of those attachments.
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Post by Callie on Apr 24, 2015 0:55:50 GMT
We have a Cub Cadet - rear tine. I love it. It starts with 2 pulls. We've had it for six years. It's great a breaking up sod here- we have sandy soil. It can churn the straw into the soil also. But it's big and it's heavy and one day, it's going to run me into the fence. Turning it around is really hard. If I'm tilling straight down a row, I can do it with one hand. Sometimes, I wish my rows were longer.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 1:39:53 GMT
I have a craftsman rear time. My grandad bought it from Sears in 1986. When he died, my brother bought it from my grandma. Two years ago, I borrowed it and the motor blew. My brother told me to just junk it, so I put a newer motor on it and keep using it. Very cool! I love those older Craftsman RT tillers! Who made them for Sears?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 1:40:54 GMT
We have an 8 H Troy bought in 1999. We had to replace the motor a couple of years ago, but that is all. It still does an amazing job. We also have a front tine tiller. I believe it is an MTD. Hubby likes to use it to break new ground. We have a little Mantis for cultivating and small till jobs. I have 3 raised beds and I have say, I am loving them. I think will eventually just use raise beds except for row crops like corn and beans.
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Post by Weed on Apr 24, 2015 2:02:21 GMT
I have a mid 80s Troy bilt horse with a 6 hp Tecumseh cast iron engine that I picked up cheap 6 years ago. I replaced the tines, carburetor and the battery twice (electric start), and gave it a tune up. Fires right up every time...even when the battery is dead it starts on the 1st or 2nd pull. Simple one hand operation anywhere in the garden Also have a 87' JD 332 diesel GT mounted 42" hydraulic tiller...I love the older stuff!
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Post by Awnry Abe on Apr 24, 2015 2:40:10 GMT
I have a 6' 3pt PTO driven model for large tilling. It doesn't get used much anymore. I also have an old craftsman front tine beater that turns it up,great.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 14:20:16 GMT
Wow...I am loving this thread!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 15:15:51 GMT
The Merry tiller runs my back up 12v generator/battery charger. It even runs my table saw, where I don't have electricity. It is my little "buzz saw" to cut old lumber and limbs for the wood cook stove. I used it to dig potatoes, hill corn, cultivate the garden years ago. I have used it to dig ditches for waterlines, waterways, dig holes to plant trees, dig out the footers for foundations. Loosen dirt to remove stumps. I now have 3 frames, just move the motor from the truck to the mower to the digger....James
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2015 17:55:44 GMT
We don't use anything with fuel in our garden or on our lawn. It is bad enough to have to run a generator when the power is low. This is what we use to put our garden in with. It is so easy that I can even do it (and I can't walk real good).
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Post by Mari-in-IN on Apr 24, 2015 20:29:51 GMT
Our farmer friend plows and discs our garden to get it ready for planting. Then it is up to me to keep the weeds out. Used this for some 17 odd years.
Our garden has gotten so big I was having a hard time keeping up with the weeds with all the haymaking, chickens, meals, etc. (And I'm not so much the "spring chicken" I used to be.) So...last year we bit the bullet and bought this!
This little thing is a BEAST! I love it and wish we had bought one a little sooner. I'm just 5'2" and I needed something easy for me to handle/carry/start. I plant things like peppers/eggplant, etc., accordingly so I can run this right between the plants within the row. Granted I have only used it one season but I'm very happy. It's starts right up and will go through more than you think. (I know that 'cause it seems I'm always behind!) Regards! Neat thread!
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Post by Jolly on Apr 25, 2015 0:58:31 GMT
5' PTO driven and a Mantis.
Yep, from one extreme to the other and nothing in-between.
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bigjon
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by the grace of god,i have found my mate and am happy!
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Post by bigjon on Apr 25, 2015 1:34:16 GMT
for the house garden,my old gray sears reartine tiller bought it used 6years ago.6hp-19" cut.in the market gardens are my 2 fergusons.
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Post by horseyrider on Apr 25, 2015 9:16:04 GMT
We bought a 7hp TroyBilt tiller in 1979. We still have it. She's not as strong as she used to be, but with a little extra care she still goes out and does the job. I've not seen much of anything of comparable quality to those old TroyBilts. The new ones are disappointing.
I really do need to replace her, but the only thing I've seen that's even in the same ballpark for strength, reliability, and quality is the BCS. Spending the dough on the TroyBilt all those years ago seemed like insanity, but perhaps I need to do it again with BCS. I need an old lady machine. Reliable, powerful, easy start.
I'm sorry about your loss, Franklin. I can't imagine seeing my Big Red machine going down the road.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 25, 2015 14:48:29 GMT
Agree, horseyrider about the price of the old TroyBilts ... I paid just a bit more for used cars that have come & gone but my 5hp Pony is still going strong.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 16:44:51 GMT
We bought a 7hp TroyBilt tiller in 1979. We still have it. She's not as strong as she used to be, but with a little extra care she still goes out and does the job. I've not seen much of anything of comparable quality to those old TroyBilts. The new ones are disappointing. I really do need to replace her, but the only thing I've seen that's even in the same ballpark for strength, reliability, and quality is the BCS. Spending the dough on the TroyBilt all those years ago seemed like insanity, but perhaps I need to do it again with BCS. I need an old lady machine. Reliable, powerful, easy start. I'm sorry about your loss, Franklin. I can't imagine seeing my Big Red machine going down the road. I like the BCS models too. A ton of money for a tiller, but if a person is going to use it, and can justify the expense for the garden, that is probably the way to go. I'd say that resale value will be high, should you ever sell it. I also like the attachments that are available. IIRC, they have a mowing attachment too. I think that machine would be HANDY to have. It would be great for clearing fence rows, mowing, or even for very small haying. Parts would be my only question, aside from initial cost. IF something breaks, how hard would it be to find a part?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 16:57:58 GMT
I just looked on ebay, and resale values for BCS tillers are high. It does make you wonder if a person was really serious with their garden, if that wouldn't be the way to go.
BTW, the sickle bar attachment would be nice to have!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 17:42:30 GMT
We have an old Dayton rear tine tiller that is from the early 70's and still starts on the first or second pull. Does a great job of turning over this hard clay soil. I would love to have a 3pt. pto tiller for my Ford 1210 tractor but my gosh they are expensive!!
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momo
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Post by momo on Apr 25, 2015 19:55:05 GMT
DH has a Craftsman from the 80's that was given to him a few years back. This spring the carburetor was bad and a new one was nearly $100. We looked all over for a used one but no luck. Finally I got him to buy a new engine (carb included) for $119.00 at Harbor Freight. He is tickled with it and says that even though it is Chinese built it is better than the one that was original. The rebuilt tiller should outlast him!
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Post by hermitjohn on Apr 26, 2015 21:27:09 GMT
DH has a Craftsman from the 80's that was given to him a few years back. This spring the carburetor was bad and a new one was nearly $100. We looked all over for a used one but no luck. Finally I got him to buy a new engine (carb included) for $119.00 at Harbor Freight. He is tickled with it and says that even though it is Chinese built it is better than the one that was original. The rebuilt tiller should outlast him! I like the clone engines, take care of it (change oil, clean air filter, etc) and they hold up pretty well. Sometimes HF have them on sale for $99, but hey when you need an engine cant always wait around for a sale. Still a good deal. By way if you ever need a carb for the clone engine, I found them on ebay cheap as $8 or $9 shipped. Yes really, a brand new carburetor!!! They drop ship from China so takes few week to get it. If they can sell them at that price you know companies wanting $100 for replacement carb are really guilding the lily. I found out the carbs for the horizontal shaft clone engine will fit the vertical shaft clone engines though the controls are backwards. Took some tinkering to adapt it so it would work with my lawn mower. Unlike the mower carb, the one for the horizontal shaft engine will let you idle down. The mower carbs just stop supplying fuel if you lower speed below certain point. They are designed to not idle, EPA intends push mower engines run 3600rpm all the time. I guess in some warped thinking way, its supposed to lower emissions. It may lower percentage of some emissions in the exhaust stream, but if you burn more fuel, you produce more total emissions. And running engine full governed speed burns lot more fuel.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2015 22:21:50 GMT
I prefer to cultivate my garden with the tractor, but after the plants gets so high that gets kinda tricky. What I wanted was something to replace the traditional hoe that I was using. I went and bought one of those Echo tillers like Mari-in-In has pictured above. It is truly a beast. I have eight 100 ft rows, five 50 ft. rows, and 5 35 ft. rows to keep the grass out of and it really beat that hoe hands down. Easy on the body and in 1/10th the time. Sadly, when I went to crank it up this year, the motor was froze up tight. I don't doubt it though, after 3 years in my big garden, it must have run it's 2 cycle heart to death or something. Didn't have enough cash in my bibs to throw out there for a new one just now, so I'm back behind the hoe. Yep, working early in the morning and late in the evening to avoid the sun, but like always, if you can stay ahead of it, the chore is so much less the chore. I do keep a folding chair out there as an accessory to the how, because when it gets tired after a round or two, it likes to sit me down and rest me. One morning I heard a turkey gobble and quit the hoe all together and took to hunting it, the hoe was right where I left it when I got back.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 0:31:26 GMT
I have a craftsman rear time. My grandad bought it from Sears in 1986. When he died, my brother bought it from my grandma. Two years ago, I borrowed it and the motor blew. My brother told me to just junk it, so I put a newer motor on it and keep using it. LOL! We have an old mid-80's rear tine Craftsman, too, and we bought it from a family member (my dad) when our son was a baby. We've used that thing, did some "extra" maintenance from time to time, and it still runs great. DS used to till gardens back in the 'burbs to earn money when he was in high school. And we use it here on the farm now.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 0:32:38 GMT
Forgot to say, yeah, we're happy enough with it, but given my 'druthers and some disposable dollars, I'd go for a front tine tiller.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 27, 2015 0:38:33 GMT
Forgot to say, yeah, we're happy enough with it, but given my 'druthers and some disposable dollars, I'd go for a front tine tiller. I agree with ya @pony, we have a 5hp. front tine tiller that we use and love it! My garden isn't big enough for a rear tine tiller to get turned around in, so the smaller front tine works great for us...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 1:29:50 GMT
Forgot to say, yeah, we're happy enough with it, but given my 'druthers and some disposable dollars, I'd go for a front tine tiller. I agree with ya @pony, we have a 5hp. front tine tiller that we use and love it! My garden isn't big enough for a rear tine tiller to get turned around in, so the smaller front tine works great for us... The rear tine is really difficult for me to keep on track. Even when it's adjusted, the darned machine wants to go diving down to China! Some day, we'll have all raised beds. Then the tiller will become a lawn ornament. LOL
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