I am up here in Giles County on farm outside Pulaski. I might need you as a consultant. 
IF you want to look at it, I’d be glad to go with you.
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The Jackson TN - Kenzie machine is a Horse, 2 speed, recoil start and he is asking for $400. He thinks it is a 1983 model year. Thoughts?
Edit: I am wondering - how do you tell if the tines are worn out?
The tines should have a wide flat blade shape. If they go out in a curve to a sharp point, they are worn out.
It would be best to go look at the Jackson tiller if you are really interested. Find out are whether it cranks easily, has worn out tines, and whether the reverse disk works properly. The motor should be in decent mechanical condition. If it is using oil or leaking oil, it may be worn out. Crank it up and look at the exhaust. Any blue smoke indicates oil is being burned which means a heavily worn motor. You might be able to get him to send a few pictures. I could tell a lot more about it if he will send them.
I am presuming a lot with this, but think it is worth at least $300 but not quite $400. If the tines are worn out and have to be replaced, don’t pay over $300.
Here is a listing for a fairly valuable Troybilt Horse tiller. The tines are original and about 50% worn. One caution that he has done a paint job on it so it may not be quite as pristine as it looks in the pictures. The tiller has not been used very heavily and arguably has 20 to 30 years of usable life left. It is electric start with a new battery. I would try really hard to get this one down to $800 but would not feel bad at all to get it for $900.
https://gadsden.craigslist.org/grd/d/gadsden-troy-bilt-horse-tiller/7290655423.html
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Here is a pic of tines to show the difference between new Troybilt tines and old worn out tines. These are all Troybilt case hardened tines. The easiest way to tell they are Troybilt tines is that each tine only has 2 holes bored through to mount on the tiller. Cheap aftermarket tines have 3 holes. 2 on the right are new. Red tine on the left is an original 1980’s Troybilt tine which were always painted red. The mid two worn tines are also Troybilt tines but painted black indicating they were made within the last 20 years.
Worn tines increase the load on the motor and decrease the amount of soil crumbling. For a tiller to really work the soil, it should crumble into powder with a pass or two of the tiller.
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Well, I got the JacksonTN one for $375. I’m sure that the tines has some wear on them but they certainly are not pointed like the ones to the left in your picture. I can only see 2 holes. It was a one owner machine and I got the manual with it which helps. Cranked it several times with no blue smoke and he showed me the reverse. No leaking oil that I could see. Only issue with it is the throttle does not work which means that to shut the machine down it has to be choked. Thanks.
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I’d still love to see some pictures. It sounds like you got a fair deal.
Fix that throttle. Choking to stop an engine dirties the oil and leaves fuel in the cylinder.
Where do you purchase your Troybilt parts from?
I’ll get you some pictures in a day or two. Just too many to-do’s lately that are more important.
I usually purchase new parts off of Ebay though this only works for common items that wear out. This includes new throttle cables, new belts, new reverse disk, etc. Other parts can be purchased from small engine repair shops. https://www.spannhardware.com/ is reasonably close to me and can source just about anything.
If anyone is interested, this is a troybilt horse with electric start but no battery. It would take about $200 to put it into good shape. Location is near Pensacola Florida and price is $200. If I lived closer, I would get it.
https://pensacola.craigslist.org/grd/d/pensacola-troy-built-tiller/7291424865.html
I need to find the throttle on the internet.
After looking at the tines in the daylight they do have the three holes.
Started to run the tiller in garden today but then realized that I needed to read manual beforehand. .
I’m sure the Troybilt horse is the standard.
For my purposes a cub cadet with a honda motor that I bought second hand (used one season) has done everything I’ve ever needed tilling-wise.
As to whether it is “hardened” or uses gears vs. belts, for my home-hobbiest purposes, I think I’d need 50 years of use for these to ever be an issue. I’ve used mine for 3 seasons. Previous owner used it for 1 season.
This unit was 899 new at tractor supply. I got it second hand for 500 dollars. After 3 years use I could sell it today for 500 dollars. Like a free rental!
I garden about half an acre.
tennessean, That appears to be a tecumseh engine on an early 1980’s tiller. It is missing the side and rear shield that help prevent dirt from spraying directly onto small plants. Other than that, it appears to be in reasonably good condition. I’d say you paid about $50 more than I would have wanted to pay for it. Still not a bad deal considering it will last at least 10 years. As you note, the tines are aftermarket but are in reasonably good condition. I’d guess you will get between 3 and 5 years of tilling before they need to be replaced.
ggrindle, I had half a dozen tillers before getting my first Troybilt Horse. It was monotonous buying a new tiller every 3 or 4 years. I wish I had bought a Troybilt Horse when I purchased my first tiller in 1987.
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According to to the pictures of the two engines in the manual it perfectly matches the Kohler engine. For example on the Tecumseh engine the air filter is pointed up in a vertical position. On the Kohler engine it is pointed to the side in a horizontal position. You can see that on my last picture. That is just one example.
I went by Bartlett Small Engines (which is a repair shop as well as sells) with my serial number Monday and they said they could not order the throttle. However, he said that just because they could not order it did not mean that is not obtainable on the internet. He said I should be able to find it on the internet. Maybe on Ebay or wherever. Do you know of a site other than Ebay that I could try?
Kohler works for me. Either is a workhorse industrial engine. You might find a throttle cable on Ebay. Does this look like the right part from your book? Throttle Lever & Cable for Troy-Bilt Horse Tiller (GW-9015, 9015, GW-9240, 9240) | eBay
I am too lazy for a walk behind tiller. I have a 42" landpride 3 point hitch tiller behind my Deere 455 diesel. If you already have a tractor, a pto tiller can be had for not that much money. I paid $500 for mine.
Tennessean, you have a Kohler K series engine, probably a K181. You got a great deal on that tiller and you will never wear it out. Make sure the gear box stays filled with lube. The axle seals will leak the fluid. You may want to replace them. Otherwise the only things you will wear out are belts and tines. As far as throttle cable, you should be able to adapt a general purpose one to it. Happy tilling.
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If I lived anywhere close, this one would be in the back of my truck right now. $50 is cheap!
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/grd/d/loganville-troy-bilt-tiller/7293724222.html
Looks like the listing in Killeen still up. I am thinking I might make a run at it. Are you still available to join me to take a look?