Chikn, this time you would be wrong re the engine. This is a Briggs industrial engine. It should be good for about 20 years of heavy use. I put a Briggs industrial engine on my tiller in 2015. It has made a 3/4 acre garden every year since. I expect to still be using it 10 years from now, that is, if I don’t wear out first. 
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You got a great score. My Horse model is a early 70s with a lot of hours it. It has the original Tucemseh cast iron engine that I might replace with a 70s commercial Kohler (never used). Either way it will last me the rest of my life. I would rather buy a used pre MTD before buying a new one at 50% off. I smile every time I start it.
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I fell down the tiller rabbit hole and this thread wais very helpful. I definitely am on a tiny budget and I only have around 1500sq ft I would be tilling on. I’ve been trying no-dig/solarization on my garden and it works ok but I would like to properly amend the soil for calculated nutrition/mineral balance and am considering tilling.
Been looking for some in the area, would any one care to comment about this? Tines look reasonably pointy in pic, price doesnt seem terrible and advertised as cast iron engine. This the sort of stuff I should be looking for or no?
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If you look close, the tines are worn out. Replacing will cost about $130 for new case hardened or about $70 for cheap brand tines. I would replace the tines before using. Also, I can’t see the handles very well due to angle of pictures. Be sure to crank it up and verify everything is working properly. Check for smoke at startup and watch to see that it does not smoke when tilling. Overall, it is worth between $200 and $250 presuming the motor is not badly worn. Check the oil and if you purchase, change it first thing. I would try to get it for $200 given the worn tines. Be sure to pay attention when using it that it pulls forward and reverse properly. A lot of pony tillers run fine but the gears are mucked.
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If anyone reading this ever has the opportunity, buy a “Howard Gem” tiller. I have BCS too- they are good, but often overpriced, and Troybilt are not as good as you might hope. Any Howard tiller is an exceptional tool, but the Gem is perfectly named.
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My first (mid 90s) rear tine was a MTD 8 hp… 22 inch cut. It lasted me several years. Got a new cub cadet in 2016… 5 hp 18 inch cut… it does forward and counter rotating… but I use CR almost all the time.
It has been tuf and dependable…still going strong.
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I had a pre buyout pony and it was a decent machine, a little on the light side and liked to run away from me sometimes. I removed the 2 outside tines so it just had the 2 inner sets and that helped a lot. I switched from tilling my whole garden to just tilling rows. Eventually I sold it and got a horse tiller and its a lot more machine. Much easier to break new ground with but even with the wheel weights, sometimes it will try to run on hard/unbroken soil. If you get that pony try to add some weight to it, it helps a lot.
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Do what you have to do and get a Troy Bilt Horse from the 80s. I have 3 of them and i think the Kohler engined one is my favorite. My neighbor has 2 ponys and they are Junk imho.
The old Horses are investments that i have no doubt i can sell now or later for much more than i paid for them.
Post some ads in your local FB yardsale groups that you are looking for a Horse…there may be several in sheds or garages that are barely used.
With that being said… i will say it again that I love my little electric tiller for small jobs… its like a tasmanian devil that got stung by a bee… I use it in my woodchips and compost piles and raised beds. Its a SunJoe.
FYI dont get the chinese tines… get the KD brand. Lesson learned here.
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As long as the tines are the original length and not bent, they still work fine from my experience, when they start to get shorter is when you really need to consider replacing them. Its easy enough to work them with a grinder for a few minutes to put an edge back on them when they get rounded like that.Of course the tine companies like people to replace instead of refurbish whenever possible, lol
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Personally i dont want an edge on my tiller tines.
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@svr68, I would much sooner suggest simply renting a tiller for 4 hours or a full day from somewhere local.
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It depends what you’re tilling. Out front of our property it makes no sense in the mix of rock, sand, and marine salts. Elsewhere I’ve had lenses of lagoon clay where tines with a cutting edge were helpful.
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Properly sharpened tines cut into the soil letting the tiller do the work. Dull tines have to be pushed down into the soil. They also don’t pulverize the soil nearly as well as sharp tines. I’m generally in agreement that hardened tines are best for all around durability, but in sandy loam soil, the cheap tines work just as well. They wear out in 1 year where hardened tines last 2 or 3 years for me. I’m a heavy user tilling 1/2 acre or more every year.
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Yeah I’ve literally never used one in my life. I was looking at tool rental after I posted, probably better to spend 30-50$ for 1/2day and do it all at once. Tarping will probably make things easier as nearly no weeds for the machine to fight.
Just will have to be diligent about soil testing/amendment planning so as to do it efficiently. But that is a good thing. I will probably buy one eventually but honestly price-wise 50$ or so now is more viable especially given my lack of experience. Thank you!
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It is my pleasure!
The soil having the optimum level of moisture can have a tremendous impact on the ease and the speed of tilling. Heavy clay will be sticky if it has rained recently, but overly dry soil is hard to penetrate.
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Some older info on the Pony and sharp vs unsharpened blades… do what makes you happy…or whatever works best for your soil. The troy bilt manual says nothing about sharpening their blades and they arrive unsharpened. Perhaps older books say different.
My KD tines are hard faced to last longer… and not sharp out of the box… when they are worn for a few years they will sharpen some on their own…and then they become extremely sharp they are worn out to me.
Buying new tines from Troy Bilt or MTD you can also buy hardened faced tines as well. If you wish to grind that hardened face off that is your choice.
New out of the box tines that are hard faced and unsharpened give me the results as if the tiller was new.
My soil has a range from rocky, to hard pan to sandy loam and some areas have clay. I broke one set of chinese tines and was not getting the results i needed from the sharp tines. Hardened face tines have done all that i ask of them and more.
This is obviously not the correct answer in this forum but what works for me.
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So much maintenance and upkeep for small machines and their parts.
I recommend buying a 30+ HP used tractor ($2000 - $5000) and a new cheap reverse tilling attachment ($1000). Little repairs easier on the body. let it sit in the rain if you don’t have extra garage space it will still outlive you most likely. grow a bigger garden with the saved labor and to make the extra expense worth it. Tractors ftw.
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I don’t believe anyone was considering sharpening new blades. Instead the focus was extending the life of very worn and dull old blades. You and I would simply buy new tines but I’m not sure that option is in everyone’s budget.
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Good advice on large tracts for sure.
I put down leaves on a row that i would normally till last year and let them rot all fall and winter. This spring the whole row underneath the leaves was ‘tilled’ to near perfection by worms etc.
As far as maintenance for small machines… my dads tiller is about 40 years old. I replaced the carb with a chinese one because it didnt have a fuel shutoff valve in the line… and the new gas gunked it up. Runs like new. Only thing ive done otherwise is put a fuel shutoff valve and i run them dry each time. Tine replacement every decade or so.
I have a Husqvarna string trimmer that is 30 years old and last year i changed the plug for the first time… I bought another one at a yard sale about the same age… they are bulletproof for me. I only use JASO FD oil though.
I have a Cub Cadet riding mower that is 4 years old and its a solid piece of junk… ive replaced the starter already, and now it needs a solenoid. Belt tensioner is horrible and i have to mess with it alot. Im going to sell it.
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Personally…ive never had dull old blades. My new tines get sharper the more i use them.
I am all for learning… i am by no means set in my ways. A previous poster said that properly sharpened tines are the best. And this guy who is obviously an expert says that your tiller tines need to be sharpened.
Not trying to be argumentative… just saying that in my case the brand new dull ones do a fantastic job…and with several years of use become very sharp and become less effective for me.
Here the sharp one is the bad one.
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