dfeck
Gold Member
I came across an AD on craigslist selling a Troy Bilt Horse Tiller. The tiller happens to be in my town and was actually at a local small engine repair shop were it was serviced in december. The owner, who is selling it, doesn't know the exact year of the tiller. He bought it second hand. He was told by the mechanic it is around 15 yrs old. He's basing this on the 8HP Kolher engine that was on it. I did look at it and it has the cast iron trans and engine. I wasn't able to start it because of the weather (20 degrees). As a matter of fact, we didn't even try to start it because it was out in the yard buried in snow (somewhat). It was covered with plastic to protect it but surrounded by a foot of snow. The owner of the shop said it ran in december and worked fine other than a flat tire that he fixed. Overall, the condition visually looks good. The tines are in great shape. The shop owner isn't getting any commision for it so I trust he's telling me the truth about it running and working. He really doesn't know much about the owner of the tiller other than occasionally seeing him when the tiller needs work which hasn't been very often (minor stuff). The owner of the tiller is an older gentleman that is moving to Florida in 5 weeks and that's the reason for him selling it. My question is, would you hestitate buying without hearing it run and making sure it functions? He's asking $500 but I think he'll take $400 if pressed. Does the year sound about right? I know I would like to hear it run but the timing might not allow. The shop owner wasn't too keen about spending any time getting it running because he isn't making any money on the sale. BTW - he was a nice guy but I would agree with him on this issue. Plus he was surprised when I showed up because he didn't know about the owner selling it.