MTD Tiller Gear Problems

[Bob85355]

I bought an MTD counter rotating tine tiller about 3 years ago. When under load it would come out of tine rotation. Then the gear selector locked up and it was in forward gear and and no tine rotation. It was under warranty and I had the unit worked on. The repair people said it had a bent shifting fork. They replaced it. However, the tiller still would come out of tine rotation occasionally. Within a few hours use, it would no longer go into tine rotation. It went in for repair again. MTD refused at first to honor the warranty saying two bent forks indicated abuse. Hey, I was very careful after the first replacement. MTD eventually authorized the repair. Another shifting fork was installed. It continued to slip out of tine rotation and with less than ten hours use it locked up and would not rotate. It will go into forward and reverse but no tine rotation.

My question is, is it possible that a gear is defective, has been reversed or incorrectly reinstalled such that when under load, it puts pressure on the shifting fork resulting in a bent fork? Any other ideas or experiences in this vein.

I've used MTD walk behinds mowers, lawn tractors, front tine tiller and chipper/shredder for many years and acknowledge their equipment is built for mass consumer appeal. DW says I've got a lemon. Could be.

Appreciate any insights or recommendations other than burn it or bury it.

Thanks

Bob

 

[Steelfan]

Hi Bob,

I can't really answer you question, but I've owned a 5hp MTD Rear-Tine Tiller for 8 years. I never had a problem with it. I know they changed the design a bit since then. I use my tiller hard, and its still working great. Good Luck with your problem, I hope it works out for you.

Kent