Frustrated! Broken chain on pto 3 pt hitch rototiller.

   / Frustrated! Broken chain on pto 3 pt hitch rototiller. #1  

mcallen474

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May 3, 2010
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Hello tractor friends. I'm joining up now cuz I have a bit of a problem. Finally got my tractor last year after years of dreaming about it: 1986 Ford 1710 with less than 400 hours on it and well taken care of. I bought a bush hog to keep the orchard and field mowed, and a rototiller for the garden. I spent a lot of time researching the tractor, and very little time researching the attachments. Neither of the attachments has a brand name on it. Not so smart when it comes to trying to find a manual or parts. Mostly though it has served me well so far. I'd like to get a chipper---a few hundred old apple trees that should make good wood chips for the smoker or the grill. And I could go on with the list, but wont.

So, here's the problem. Broken chain in the rototiller. I figured that out by taking off the chain housing...never done that before. This baby has two chains, one from the PTO shaft to a turn gear, and one from the turn gear to the tiller shaft. (By the way, it is orange and looks to be 20-30 years old)

I've hunted around on the internet and it looks like I should be able to fix the chain if I get a chain breaker and a length of chain or some chain parts. Maybe at Tractor Supply Company.

Inside the chain housing, in addition to the chains, I found half a dozen other parts floating in the grease at the bottom of the casing. Two wider metal cylinders, two narrow metal cylinders and two plastic cylinders. The wider metal cylinders look like spacers and they are in fine condition. Maybe the narrow ones are also spacers. One of the narrow ones looks fine and the other has been ground down more than a third of its diameter. One of the plastic cylinders fits neatly over one of the wider metal spacers and its in fine condition. The other plastic cylinder is totally chewed to pieces and I can't figure out where it fits into the picture.

I would love any help that any of you out there can give me. Thanks much.
 
   / Frustrated! Broken chain on pto 3 pt hitch rototiller. #2  
Welcome to the forum. Maybe post this question in a forum board that will be more specific to the interests of readers that can/will/could help you out.

Any id markings on the Tiller? Brand, serial number, etc. ??

I've just picked up a used tiller (last fall) and only able to use it a couple weeks ago. Worked great. But then discovered a gear oil leak in the chain cover. Ordering a new gasket and will tear into it when it comes.

Sounds like you have some idler parts loose in there. Either a chain gear or just some adjustable shoes that keep the chain from flopping around.

Some pics of the tiller and the gears/sprockets/chains/parts would be helpful. Maybe I'll know more when I get mine apart.

I did find a parts list and schematic, but it is not high quality on the schematic so expecting some surprises.

Pics should help.
:D
 
   / Frustrated! Broken chain on pto 3 pt hitch rototiller. #3  
Indeed, post pics of the beast, I'll bet 7 dead fish someone will recognize the tiller on here!!
 
   / Frustrated! Broken chain on pto 3 pt hitch rototiller. #4  
...........Inside the chain housing, in addition to the chains, I found half a dozen other parts floating in the grease at the bottom of the casing. Two wider metal cylinders, two narrow metal cylinders and two plastic cylinders. The wider metal cylinders look like spacers and they are in fine condition. Maybe the narrow ones are also spacers. One of the narrow ones looks fine and the other has been ground down more than a third of its diameter. One of the plastic cylinders fits neatly over one of the wider metal spacers and its in fine condition. The other plastic cylinder is totally chewed to pieces and I can't figure out where it fits into the picture.

I would love any help that any of you out there can give me. Thanks much.

Just learned I could get a gasket for the chain cover/housing, so removed the housing today. No gasket, just the blue gasket from a tube.

Found everything to look in pretty good shape, but two cotter keys laying in the bottom. They must not have been spread (each chain link is held with a cotter key with minimal spread). Here is a pic to see what is inside the tiller I have. It is an M&W RT 160. Now I see what the chain tightener is all about, and which way to adjust it.
 

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