Lefty7
Silver Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2012
- Messages
- 144
- Location
- Finger Lakes, upstate NY
- Tractor
- Kubota L3940HSTC, LA724, BH92, RTV-X1100C, 1978 Dodge D100 Adventurer (Sunrise Orange), 2018 Ram 2500 (Omaha Orange)
Just completed a planned-for and long-awaited refurb on my TroyBilt tiller. More than just a tiller, it’s become part of an important wintertime lifeline here for heating our old pre-Civil War farmhouse.
I first became acquainted with Grandpa’s TroyBilt, years ago. It was 6 or 7HP, and by then was too unwieldy for him to use, much less my 5’2” Mom, who wanted her garden and raised beds done each Spring. So, as a young one, I’d happily do them, at which time I became familiar with the basics of these machines.
Years later, I bought an 8HP electric start Horse model (with the PTO) for my own home use. It had the Briggs&Stratton, which eventually blew up after years of hard service, which was my fault: it had developed major ring wear, and I rushed to the job without checking the oil. Bango. Traded it in - replaced it with the Kohler-motored version and never looked back.
From owning 2 of them, I guess I gathered up almost all of the attachments: front bumper/guard, plow, tire chains, V-sweep cultivator, hiller/furrower and, most important of all, Didier hydraulic woodsplitter. This pooch keeps the home fires burning…
It had been going downhill slowly and gradually over the last 4 years or so. The starter stopped starting, (so it was pull cord city), had a slow, steady trans lube leak from the axle on one side, the tires were checked and rim-leaking air whenever the seasons changed, etc., etc.
I studied the available exploded parts diagrams to figure out what this 25+-year-old mechanical equine might need. The effort wasn’t ever at the top of my list, and it ended up taking several years to gather stuff, but before going into firewood processing time in late ‘21, the time had come.
The unit as shown now has new: tires (with tubes, this time!), original-type spirol pins to secure the wheels to the axles (because bolts will eventually shear), starter solenoid, battery, battery cable and key switch, axle seals, (both sides), full synthetic engine oil and tranny oil.
I didn’t do all the work myself – I farmed some of it out to a local power equipment shop, but had made serious in-person inquiry ahead of time to make sure they were up to the task and willing to take it on. As stated elsewhere, these things ain’t rocket science – much less anti-grav – but a lot of places these days can’t cope with a starter that comes apart when you remove it. (They’re not modular like modern automotive stuff.)
It was a cold Nov. day when I brought it home from the shop, and wifey was amused but tolerant when I off-ed it from the pickup and brought it into the house to let it warm up for a wax job. I don’t know who else out there is nutty enough to wax a rototiller, but I did it when it was new, like I do with most of my stuff. Wife said the TroyBilt “looked like it was smiling”. ~Lefty
I first became acquainted with Grandpa’s TroyBilt, years ago. It was 6 or 7HP, and by then was too unwieldy for him to use, much less my 5’2” Mom, who wanted her garden and raised beds done each Spring. So, as a young one, I’d happily do them, at which time I became familiar with the basics of these machines.
Years later, I bought an 8HP electric start Horse model (with the PTO) for my own home use. It had the Briggs&Stratton, which eventually blew up after years of hard service, which was my fault: it had developed major ring wear, and I rushed to the job without checking the oil. Bango. Traded it in - replaced it with the Kohler-motored version and never looked back.
From owning 2 of them, I guess I gathered up almost all of the attachments: front bumper/guard, plow, tire chains, V-sweep cultivator, hiller/furrower and, most important of all, Didier hydraulic woodsplitter. This pooch keeps the home fires burning…
It had been going downhill slowly and gradually over the last 4 years or so. The starter stopped starting, (so it was pull cord city), had a slow, steady trans lube leak from the axle on one side, the tires were checked and rim-leaking air whenever the seasons changed, etc., etc.
I studied the available exploded parts diagrams to figure out what this 25+-year-old mechanical equine might need. The effort wasn’t ever at the top of my list, and it ended up taking several years to gather stuff, but before going into firewood processing time in late ‘21, the time had come.
The unit as shown now has new: tires (with tubes, this time!), original-type spirol pins to secure the wheels to the axles (because bolts will eventually shear), starter solenoid, battery, battery cable and key switch, axle seals, (both sides), full synthetic engine oil and tranny oil.
I didn’t do all the work myself – I farmed some of it out to a local power equipment shop, but had made serious in-person inquiry ahead of time to make sure they were up to the task and willing to take it on. As stated elsewhere, these things ain’t rocket science – much less anti-grav – but a lot of places these days can’t cope with a starter that comes apart when you remove it. (They’re not modular like modern automotive stuff.)
It was a cold Nov. day when I brought it home from the shop, and wifey was amused but tolerant when I off-ed it from the pickup and brought it into the house to let it warm up for a wax job. I don’t know who else out there is nutty enough to wax a rototiller, but I did it when it was new, like I do with most of my stuff. Wife said the TroyBilt “looked like it was smiling”. ~Lefty
