Best rear tine tiller?

[scsbld]

Wow..I just posted a real old shcool troy bilt horse for sale in the classifieds for $1000, I knew that was a good price, but form what I'm reading it's too good of a price...as for "the new ones are just as good as 20 years ago" that may be true but the quality of 20 years ago DOES NOT compare to real "Old School American Iron" look at the photos of the one I just posted for sale and anybody
with any sense should agree.

Since Troy Built is no longer the same, who makes the best rear tine tiller? or can you no longer get the same quality as in years gone by?

 

[donb2]

We have sold both troy and Bcs The Bcs has a faster tine speed ,direct drive ,and you can change attachmentson all models.

Troy has belts that always need replaced and they must use really soft steel on the tine and wheel shafts because the sseals start leaking and the shafts need replaced as well do to grooves from the seal

I don't agree with the statement about belts always needing replacement, I bought my Horse model in 1991, used it often ( ready for my 3rd set of tines)and still have the original belt on it!

I do have a leak at the tiller shaft seal and know the shaft was scored because I left grass, vines and dirt packed on the shaft. If I hadn't gotten lazy and stopped cleaning it out when I finished tilling I don't think it would have happened.

 

[linrick1]

Its been mentioned before in this thread already but if you're after a tiller that will easily handle any ground that could conceivably grow plants than you want a Howard Gem.....absolutely, hands down the finest tiller made.

 

[nazbom2]

For my experience I like troy bilt tillers, I for years have borrowed a Horse model and it was awesome, an old school one from a friends mother. I jsut acquired a Junior this year and it is more than adequate. For the record Tecumseh is no longer in bussiness but have had two Tecumseh powered machines. While I shared the same thought that they were junk both engines started on just a couple pulls after years of storage and run great. No complaints there.

While at my local tractor supply I took a look at the Husky and Cub Cadet tillers they have and they don't appear to be a solid of a machine at all.

 

[kevinthompson]

I personally like Husqvarna, e.g. the Husqvarna DRT900H. It has a Honda engine and dual rotating tines.

Out of the tillers that I have owned this one beats them all.

I also own a chainsaw from Husqvarna. Pure quality.

More info: Husqvarna 17-Inch 160cc Honda Rear Tine Dual Rotating Tiller (CARB Compliant)… | Best Gear

 

[JoeBuyer]

I have both a Troy Bilt horse from the 80s and a BCS 722 from the 90s. Both are great tillers. I have two garden sites, one up in the hills with sandy soil and an occasional rock and one in the low lands (sea level) with no rocks. I keep the TB at the upper garden and the BCS at the lowland garden. Both have their advantages. The TB for me tills deeper but the BCS is more refined and easier to control. The TB is simply the Harley of modern tillers and you can't beat that factor. I would not get rid of either and hope to keep them running as they are many lifetime machines. I do have to admit that I would love to restore an old Graham Paige like I grew up with or any of the old beast tillers such as the Howard Gem listed above that are so cool.

 

[Dream Farmer]

We bought a Troy-Bilt pony last year direct from the factory online...The tiller does an excellent job of tilling. With that being said quality control has gone down hill. Within the first two months of owning it the weld on the handle bars broke, the bumper/tubing snapped from vibration at the point where it attaches to the tiller and I had to redo the gasket on the top of the cast iron gear drive due to it had fallen apart and was leaking horribly.
I love the way it tills and handles. would I buy another one...No, you should not have to do that much work on an item shortly after buying it....

 

[Domush]

I just sold my Troy Bilt horse tiller from the 60's. The guy showed up, said "this looks even better than the photo" and paid asking price. Tough to find a better tiller than these beauties. I searched for 5 years for this one and it was worth the search. These things will literally till on their own (you can walk around picking up rocks while it tills beside you).

I've dealt with nearly every tiller out there and this one is worth looking for. Don't buy a new one just because it's new. There are times when older is most certainly better.

If you need a price for reference, this tiller sold for $550 (my asking price). It may have been worth more, but I wasn't looking to retire on the sale, just give someone a good tiller. if you can find one for cheaper which has a bad engine, the cheapy Honda-a-like 6.5HP harbor freight engine (usually $99 w/coupon) is nearly a direct fit (needs a few washers to space the pulley a bit) and works like a dream! I'd recommend this tiller to anyone. If they didn't make 3pt hitch tillers, I'd keep that tiller forever.

 

[JoeBuyer]

Domush,
You actually got a good price for your older Troy Bilt Horse. I picked up mine , which is from the 80s, a year ago for $400. It had all the original equipment and had hardly been used. It hadn't been assembled correctly and the owner got frustrated with it so he barely used it. It would pop out of gear, etc. After an hour or so of adjusting I have a perfectly running machine. I would buy a good condition older one again without hesitation.