|
|
Post by oxankle on Apr 25, 2015 16:56:54 GMT
Sold my old TB Horse when we left the farm. Figured I might never garden again, but here I am.
So, yesterday I called around all over and visited the local suppliers. Did not like the junk I thought I could afford at Home Depot, everyone else here was high as a kite on their tillers, so I got online and checked Lowes. Found one for $664 at Mtn Home, called "Yes, we have it". "Are you looking at the machine or at the computer" Yes, we have it right here, so I drove 56 miles to the store. "Sorry, I was mistaken, we don't have it and I don't know what happened to it, we were supposed to have it in the back of the store".
Well, I expressed some displeasure at this and the manager sold me a Troy-bilt Bronco marked $899 for $725. The tines are different; they work like an egg beater, overlapping and vertical. There is no transport gear; only low, and the wheels are tied to a solid shaft like the Honda ATV's--you have to tilt the machine to turn or the wheels must slip.
Took it out nto till a garden this morning and got a nasty surprise. The ground is so full of large rocks that they jam the tines every six fee or so. I have to lay the machine over (can't tilt it up as we did the old Troy-bilts.) to knock the rocks out. I'll have a rock fence before I'm done.
Ox
|
|
|
|
Post by Weed on Apr 25, 2015 17:15:36 GMT
Congrats on the new Bucking Bronco!
|
|
|
|
Post by 1shotwade on Apr 25, 2015 17:18:45 GMT
I like my old TB horse. I'll stick with that and just keep replacing parts as needed.Best I know of.
Wade
|
|
|
|
Post by oxankle on Apr 25, 2015 18:52:09 GMT
Wade; you are not going to be able to beat that old Horse unless you spend around $2,500. This Bronco is OK but not the horse.
|
|
|
|
Post by Weed on Apr 25, 2015 18:59:25 GMT
Yep, I'll attest to that! I have an old horse too...only better name I can think of would have been "workhorse", Troy Bilt named it right! I believe the product gradually fell off after Gardenway sold out and I think it was MTD that took over? I have no clue who has rights to the name these days or just how well the new stuff is built to last
|
|
|
|
Post by Weed on Apr 25, 2015 19:22:12 GMT
I peaked my own curiosity Found this: The reason it is often difficult to find parts for Troy-Bilt and Bolens equipment manufactured prior to 2000 is that following the bankruptcy of Garden Way Inc. of Troy, N.Y - owner of the Troy-Bilt and Bolens brands - several of the lines were broken up, purchased by different companies and in some cases completely abandoned. It is a complicated string of events. In 1988, Bolens was purchased by GardenWay; then in 1993, GardenWay purchased Troy-Bilt. The company manufactured very durable, sturdy equipment but eventually filed for bankruptcy, was broken up and the parts were sold off. MTD Products Inc (Modern Tool and Die Company) acquired Garden Way in 2001. According to their company history page, "The MTD family of brands includes Cub Cadet, Cub Cadet Commercial, Cub Cadet Yanmar, Troy-Bilt, White Outdoor, Yard-Man, Yard Machines, Bolens, Arnold, GardenWay, MTD Pro and MTD Gold." The MTD purchase included the Troy-Bilt and Bolens brands but did not include the debris lines (chipping, shredding, vacuuming and/or debris related equipment). These assets were purchased by Murray Inc. in January of 2002. Finally, Briggs and Stratton Power Products purchased Murray which subsequently included the Garden Way Inc. debris equipment. So, if you own a Troy-Bilt chipper from the mid 1990's, what few replacement parts you can find will be through Briggs and Stratton and will generally have MA following the original part number. For example, 1902808 becomes 1902808MA. This company has been passed around like the church collection plate!!  |
|
|
|
Post by oxankle on Apr 27, 2015 18:20:40 GMT
Well; Let me give you a quick report. I've used this TB Broncho for about two hours now on very rocky ground.
First, the tiller has no transport mode; one speed, period, tilling speed. Further, it cannot be moved under power without the tines turning. Raise tines to highest position, put in gear and crawl along. It can be put in neutral and free-wheeled, but pushing it far or uphill would be impossible for older people.
Next, because of the counter-rotating vertical tines (eggbeater style) the tiller locks up on big rocks every few feet. I'll have to haul away a ton of rocks before I can till my garden without hard, hard work. I have to turn the tiller on its side, get a hammer and break up or knock out rocks every few feet here on the first tilling. I must have two wheel barrow loads of big rocks unearthed from the first shallow tilling. The companyn anticipates this as they tell you what to do when the tines are locked.
Third, the tiller has what appears to be a cast iron counterweight bolted to the front end, fifty pounds or so. This lowers the ground clearance so that it is impossible to lift the rear very high. To get to the tines you MUST lay the tiller on its left side. Lay it on its right side and you have the engine head and carburetor down. It appears to me that a bit of steel angle iron and a few bolts and the counterweight could be moved a trifle forward and raised to engine heigt, improving the performance but making it harder to lay on its side and recover.
In its favor are these things; It is built heavy gaugesteel (tine covers and motor mounts appear to 3/1
|
|
|
|
Post by oxankle on Apr 27, 2015 18:27:54 GMT
Well; Let me give you a quick report. I've used this TB Broncho for about two hours now on very rocky ground.
First, the tiller has no transport mode; one speed, period, tilling speed. Further, it cannot be moved under power without the tines turning. Raise tines to highest position, put in gear and crawl along. It can be put in neutral and free-wheeled, but pushing it far or uphill would be impossible for older people.
Next, because of the counter-rotating vertical tines (eggbeater style) the tiller locks up on big rocks every few feet. I'll have to haul away a ton of rocks before I can till my garden without hard, hard work. I have to turn the tiller on its side, get a hammer and break up or knock out rocks every few feet here on the first tilling. I must have two wheel barrow loads of big rocks unearthed from the first shallow tilling. The companyn anticipates this as they tell you what to do when the tines are locked.
Third, the tiller has what appears to be a cast iron counterweight bolted to the front end, fifty pounds or so. This lowers the ground clearance so that it is impossible to lift the rear very high. To get to the tines you MUST lay the tiller on its left side. Lay it on its right side and you have the engine head and carburetor down. It appears to me that a bit of steel angle iron and a few bolts and the counterweight could be moved a trifle forward and raised to engine heigt, improving the performance but making it harder to lay on its side and recover.
In its favor are these things; It is built of heavy gauge steel (tine covers and motor mounts appear to 3/16 plate) and cast iron. The pneumatic tires have tractor lugs and it has a good briggs engine with a big, easily-serviced air cleaner. The engine is an overhead valve slant cylinder so that when laid on its left side no oil runs into the cylinder. I've laid it over fifteen or twenty times and it starts on the first pull each time.
The jury is still out on the egg-beater tines. In good ground I could see that they'd be good, but in this rocky ground they are a pain. Of course, only a desperate idiot would try to garden in ground like mine.
|
|
