Not a tractor, but a tiller question

[handirifle]

I have a walk behind, rear tine Craftsman tiller. A couple month back while using it, I hit a BIG rock, and something broke. When moving under power it did fine, but when trying to till it just made a clackety-clack sound.

I took it apart, completely apart, and found that one of the cluster gears had broken off a tooth. I have no repair manual for it, but figured out how to swap the gear, and ordered a new replacement from Sears, and a new gasket for the gear housing.

The parts arrived a few days ago, and today I put them in. Fit perfect. Took me a while to remember where all the bolts and parts went though:laughing:.

Anyway, it seems to be just fine, EXCEPT, when the tines are engaged and lifted in the air, they spin fine. When lowered to the ground, they try to spin but do not.

The question, is this. I know that the internal drive parts are all fine, they are either chain or gear driven and nothing is broken, now.

The external drive is belt with the hand the hand lever that engages it. This is a cable activated pulley that tightens the drive belt. This cable has a spring connection on it at the pulley end.

I am assuming that I might not have this cable/spring connection, applying enough tension to the pulley, and thus it is slipping instead of turning the tines?

I could not remember or tell where it was connected before, since there are numerous holes on the pulley bracket that it can connect to. In addition, there is more room to slide the cable itself back to add more tensions as well.

Anyone have a manual to look this up in or happen to know it off hand.

Any help appreciated.

Oh, by the way, when I bought the tiller, it was a return to Sears, still new really (long since out of warranty). It was returned because it was tricky/hard to engage the drive gears. The new gear cluster cured that problem, so that must have been the cause of it and maybe a rough and weak gear to start? Since the shear pins on the tines, didn't shear!

 

[Egon]

With the engine shut off and the drive system engaged try and turn the tines??

 

[plumbstraight]

First I would take the belt off and see if you can turn the pulley that drives the tines. Of course tie a tine to the case so it won't turn and see if the pulley will turn.
Might be just a pin that was not put back in on the shaft letting it all work when free but not under strain.
Most hand tillers have a worm drive so if the tines turn just by hand, something is not hooked up inside. That is trying to turn by the tines, not by the pulley.

 

[handirifle]

Well that sucks, cause I can turn them when engaged. I can turn the pulley and the tines separate. There was no pim that i took out on the inside. It is gears driven by chains, and no chains were taken off and all gears went back where they came. I did not pull the gears out completely until I had the new part, it it was pull out old, put in new, then close up the clamshell housing and put it all back together. The pulley is locked on by a flat side of the shaft it drives. This is a puzzle.

 

[billbill1]

It sounds to me like there is a pin or a key sheared, you should be able to turn the pulley and watch the shaft(s) One shaft will be turning and the gear will be stationary.

 

[Egon]

<Well that sucks, cause I can turn them when engaged. I can turn the pulley and the tines separate>

Ok; when engaged tines turn easily? They should be very hard to turn as you would also be trying to turn over the engine.

Look how the drive belt tensioning device works and try and tighten it. If that don't work you may need a shorter belt. There may also be a chance the belt is worn or too narrow.

 

[Ken]

I also have a Sear rear tined roto tiller.
inside the drive for the tines is shaft (spacers) to run in alignment. on mine 1 of the spacers was missing and the chain would jump off the sprocker under load. it took several removial of all the bolts and opening the sprocket drives to figure out why.
made one out of washers 1/4 thickness to keep chain the alignment.
This may help with the problem.

ken

 

[plumbstraight]

Only thing I can think of to check it out is to spit the case again, leave on side on and turn the pulley and see what is not engaged inside.

 

[skipmarcy]

I have the Sears tiller I bought 22 years ago and here is the exploded view from the manual that came with it. I too chipped a tooth way back in 1994 when I turned-up a full 12" concrete block that was buried. I repaired it then and have used it very hard ever since and still works great. Good luck with your repair !!!

 

[handirifle]

The belt is fine, it was fine before the tooth broke. It broke cause, like skipmarcy, it dug up a huge rock.

The chain is not coming off the sprocket, that I know for sure. I will look at an exploded view to see IF there is a keyway I was not aware of, for the gear. I can look at the old gear and see if it has a key slot in it. I did not remember seeing one before.

If something sheared, it was in addition to the gear tooth breaking as well. I spose that is possible.