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Upa Creek, Mo

I am in the market for a new tiller and would appreciate any feedback on what to look for in terms of weight, size, till depth, front vs back tine etc…

I will be using it on a new ~1200 square foot patch. Below is a Honda I found online. I think it might be too light, but the reviews are pretty good and the brand is reliable. thanks

http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment-Tillers-Cultivators/h_d1/N-5yc1vZaqm5/R-100353867/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

1/18/2011 12:00:56 PM

West Chazy,N.Y.

Hi luke! I looked at the tiller you are thinking about getting and it looks like you are going to be real busy with that model. Liiks kinda light and it's a front ground pounder tiller. it's gona put a beating on ya. What ya need is a rear tine couter rotating tiller. Doesn't matter the size they are a lot easier to work and do a lot better job.
I have 2 of them and they work great!

1/18/2011 12:24:24 PM

Uk .

hi have a look on ebay or local trade magazine or paper

i picked up an husqvarna t560rs off a elderly gentleman with less than a couple of hours use out of it and at half the price of a new one. when i collected it it was in mint condition the plastics / paintwork etc perfect.

http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/landowner/products/cultivators/t560rs-pneumatic/

ideal size not to heavey to put into back of truck etc

1/18/2011 3:45:07 PM

Johnston, Iowa

Hi Luke! I've use a 'front tine' tiller that's about the same size as the one on your home depot link. You can kind of see how big it is on this blurry pic http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=128177

This size of front tine tiller works well for my 1,000 sq foot patch and 800 sq foot non-pumpkin garden. Rear tine tillers may be nice but also cost a lot more. I agree with prolift - look in your local paper, or maybe on Craigslist

1/18/2011 4:46:37 PM

Mass

troybilt!!

1/18/2011 4:47:14 PM

Frankfort Ohio

i have a old troy bilt late 70s model well worth the cost

1/18/2011 5:14:41 PM

Wilmington.Ma.

See if you can find an older Troybilt,the new ones are not as good.

1/18/2011 5:52:21 PM

Polson, Montana

What ever you do don't buy an MTD. I think that they now make the troy built tiller also. I had a friend that had an MTD constantly in the shop for the drive shaft; paid $300 to have it fixed worked less than an hour an broke again. Cheaply made. I have a Merry mid tine and works great. The old troy bilt are better than the new ones. MTD denied that they had a problem with the tiller. Like I said he let me junk it.

1/18/2011 6:15:46 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Thanks for the input guys! Dan, what is the estimated weight of yours?

Luke

1/18/2011 7:07:08 PM

JACKSON, WISCONSIN. ; )

The MTD family of power equipment is huge i would look up all of there brands and stay away from anything in the MTD family.I had to learn this the hard way.I now have a husqvarna rear tine works great.

1/18/2011 7:30:19 PM

East Jordan, MI

Luke,
I bought a used 1992 Craftsman 5 HP 12" front tine tiller in the middle of 1993. I have never had a problem with it and have broken new ground with it several times. I typically have a 800-1000 sq ft vegetable garden, but have used it to landscape, seed new grass, dig ditches, and even loosen up a gravel driveway, so I could rake it down and smooth the ruts out of it. It will give you a workout if you have a lot of rocks, but I have never been able to justify the extra cost for a rear tine tiller, even though everyone says they are worth it. This one gets the job done.

1/18/2011 7:50:02 PM

East Jordan, MI

BTW, mine weighs about 70 lbs.

1/18/2011 7:53:10 PM

Muddy Waters

My MTD rear tine works great 15 years Ive wore the tines off it 8000 sq feet 10 summers of tilling.Its all junk anymore I think you have a 50/ 50 chance you dont get junk,any brand.

1/18/2011 8:17:14 PM

Long Island,New York

The classic craftsman 6.5 horse rear time will do the job just fine until you throw the chain off the sprocket and find you have to take the entire thing apart to fix it...and you'll ruin eveything taking it apart. The main body is just two pieces of tin screwed together. (I still have the engine if anyone wants to make an offer..lol).An older troybuilt horse can be had for less than a deeply discounted sears almost new and is a much better machine. Its less manueverable however.

1/18/2011 8:33:49 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey Luke, if you only till once or twice a year then rented is the best model you can get!

Not only that but you can try out differant models and then when you do buy one...you know which one you like best.

This is the one I've found real nice.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=128148

1/18/2011 9:37:18 PM

Waynesboro, Virginia

I have a 5HP front tine tiller from Montgomery Wards...built in 1958...runs strong...kinda speaks for itself.I was born in 1958 and I think this tiller is going to outrun me, lol.

1/18/2011 9:38:00 PM

Western PA

Rear counter rotating is the way to go. I have a 7 hp craftsman with many hours on it. It has broken new ground several times, and have never had a problem with it.This one is called their "heavy duty model". I can operate it with one hand in most cases.

1/18/2011 11:09:59 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

MTD is junk.....

1/19/2011 8:23:15 AM

The bottom of New Jersey

The old Troy-Bilt rear tine tillers are the best ever made. You want one made by Garden Way Manufacturing, I'm not sure when exactly they stopped making them but maybe in the late 80s. I use mine for many days every year, never had anything major go wrong with it, just the usual maintenance stuff. I have bounced the tines off of hidden boulders and not hurt it. They are as indestructible as they get.

1/19/2011 8:42:04 AM

Michigan,up North

I bought a old 6 hp snapper front tine,in a yard sale this fall and did 1500 sq.ft.I was surprised how good it did ,went threw tree roots ,threw rocks up,there though machines

1/19/2011 10:42:07 AM

Johnston, R.I.

Troybilt

1/21/2011 4:15:40 AM

Mass

Well I have to agree with most here about Troybilt.. They went Bankrupt in 2001. Try to find one pre 2000 I would say. every blog about the new ones says they are junk. When we got our last one, we went right over to Troy, took the old transmition (they gave you something like a 50% discount to trade it in).you could keep everything else, engine, handle bars, tines, etc. My father used to test prototypes for them back in the 70's doing commercial rototilling of gardens. We always had one or two horse models around. I would say our current one 1990's model isn't as tough as the previous one was. They just don't build them like they used to.

1/22/2011 9:56:29 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

Thank you everyone for the input.

1/22/2011 10:01:47 AM

Rapid City, SD

http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/landowner/products/cultivators/tr-430/

great machine.....has honda engine on it.........i can till 900 square foot patch.........10-12 times easy on tank of fuel.......to haul......2- 6' 2x8's set on tailgate put in gear it drives right up......and drives right down

1/23/2011 11:12:51 AM

BCS makes a nice one, but spendy (http://www.bcsamerica.com/).

I have an old Troy-Bilt Horse, with the Kohler engine. If you can find an older Troy-Bilt with the Kohler, those engines are a bit more stout than the B&S that replaced them.

If you can find a willing neighbor with a three-point mounted tiller who takes beer in trade, you're probably money ahead of the game.

1/31/2011 2:05:40 PM