Husqvarna Tiller (long post)

[Baucom]

There's really nothing new that I can say about this tiller, other than it has handled every task I've thrown at it without complaint and with plenty of power to spare. The Craftsman model is made by AYP (maker of the Husqvarna) but there are small details that are nicer on the Husqvarna, and the price is close between the Husqvarna and comparable Craftsman. One feature that isn't mentioned and that I overlooked until after I bought the Husqvarna, is that the Husqvarna has a B&S engine with a cast-iron cylinder liner, while the Craftsman doesn't have a cast-iron liner. It's a small detail, but it does mean the Husqvarna has a somewhat more commercial quality engine than the Craftsman and also made me wonder what other parts of the Husqvarna are higher grade than the Craftsman. I paid $749 for my Husqvarna here in SC and at the time the Craftsman was $789. The cheapest I have seen the top of the line DRT Craftsman was $689 last spring.

I will add that I just checked Sears website and if you're interested in this model, the Craftsman is currently on sale for $689 and after a 5% mail in rebate (if you pay cash) it is $655.39. While I really enjoy my Husqvarna and appreciate it's additional features, I personally would not see $100 additional value in the Husqvarna vs. Craftsman. If this deal had been available when I bought, my tiller would be black, not orange.

 

[Nissan197]

Thanks for the response. I went and saw a dealer the other day and he said the price went up to $799.95. They were $749 until they had a price hike at their last order. I also read the reviews on the Sears website and I saw some complaints on the shear pins. Guess I will be calling around.

 

[Baucom]

The design of the tines on the Husqvarna and Craftsman are the same, so unless Husqvarna uses higher grade shear pins, then there is no difference there. Plus, I'd argue that many who complained of shear pin issues likely were partially to blame for the failure--I suspect that they tried to go too deep too quickly on ground that was too dry. I haven't had a shear pin probem yet, and I have tilled some pretty hard ground and turned up some good sized rocks. However, I do make several passes over the ground I'm tilling, going incrementally deeper on each pass, instead of attempting to make 1 deep pass. Also, tilling a couple of days after a decent rain, setting up a sprinkler for a bit before tilling makes sod-busting go much better. Once the sod is broken you can go full depth easily.

 

[billm]

I just bought a Husqvarna 700DRT tiller and I'm very frustrated. I hope someone can convince me that I heavn't made a very expensive mistake by purchasing this machine.

Within minutes of starting to till my garden with the new machine, the tines picked up a stone and threw it against the shield. The front of the shield was bent so badly that it made contact with the tire. Even the steel bracket that holds the shield in place was badly bent. After several hours of removing the shield, straightening it, and reinstalling it, I had it running again. A few minutes later it picked up another stone and bent the shield again, although this time not as much. I didn't have to remove the shield. I don't think my soil is particularly harsh. I've had a garden in this spot for 30 years, although I did add several inches of additional soil last fall. Does it make sense that an occasional stone will cause major damage to the tiller?

I'm very disappointed with the way the shifting mechanism works. I figured out the "double clutching" routine but it still takes at least three or four attempts to select the right gear position. I have to exert such a force on the shifting lever that, sooner or later, something is going to break. It's hard to believe that a high-end machine like this is actually designed to operate in such a manner.

I also found that I had to exert a lot of energy to keep the machine tracking straight. The 1 handed guiding that was I was expecting was impossible. I was constantly horsing it around to make it go where I wanted it to. It actually felt more difficult to handle than my 45 year-old front tine tiller.

To give you an idea of my level of frustration, after using this machine, I made one final attempt to resurrect my old tiller. (No luck. It's dead.)

If any body has any words of wisdom, I could sure use them now.

 

[shot_gun]

I have some family up in the fingerlakes region and their idea of a stone and my idea of a stone are sometimes two different things. If the tines are rotating fast enough and you give them something big enough to jam in there something has got to give. Luckily it's not the drive train. It's only a mid grade tiller so calling it a high end model is a stretch. If you had paid 3k for a BCS, Grillo or the like then I would be furious but it is what it is. The shifting may get better but I would check fluids/grease and any linkage adjustments to see if it would yield any improvement. As far as tracking goes make sure both tires have equal tire pressure and if they do then check the circumference of each to make sure it's close. If it doesn't have a preference wich way it pulls check the tiller tines to see if you have one bent(or more). This can also give you a ill handling tiller. Good luck.

 

[Baucom]

To begin with, I fully understand your disappointment when a new machine lets you down like this. Hopefully your experience with the Husqvarna will improve as you use it more.

I don't know what size rocks you have up there in NY, but what happened to you and your tiller can, and likely would, happen to any <$2000 walk behind in those circumstances. When the tines grab a rock, they're either going to bounce over it or grab it and if the tines grab a rock they'll either slam it into the tine shield and/or you'll break a shear pin. Just this past weekend my 700DRT dug up half a brick while tilling a flower bed for the wife, and it jammed it between the tine shield and tines. Fortunately nothing broke, it just stalled the engine. I restarted and reversed the tines to dislodge the brick. My advice would be to straighten it out and if necessary, reinforce the bracket and shield. That would still be far cheaper than upgrading to a high end commercial machine like a BCS or Grillo-and even that wouldn't be a guarantee that rocks couldn't cause similar damage. These tillers are ground engaging tools and are subject to greater abuse than most other lawn and garden equipment--it's pretty violent under that tine shield.

As for difficult shifting--lube the linkage and grease the transmission case. Other than that, I still have to "double clutch" often. I have found that it seems to shift better when I get a little slack in the shift linkage and shift quickly through the gears to the one I need. If I just slowly push the shift lever it very often binds and I can see the shift rod begin to flex a little. That's about the best I can do with explaining the shifting this evening.

I second shot_gun's suggestions to remedy tracking issues, if it's actually a tracking issue. I've found that if I make 2 passes immediately beside one another, then one wheel is running in a furrow and the tiller leans to one side, which causes it to pull to the downhill (freshly tilled) side. The manual recommends (and I've found it to be true) skipping a swath between passes, then coming back and tilling the middles. This keeps the tiller level, as both wheels are either on untilled ground or both on tilled ground instead of having one wheel on untilled ground while the other sinks into freshly tilled soil. Usually when I break ground in this manner, I can guide it easily with 1 hand, but if I try to make passes directly side by side then I have to wrestle it more to keep it tracking straight.

Though the Husqvarna 700DRT still costs a good bit of money new, it is not a high end tiller like BCS, Honda, and Grillo, it is a mid range machine that is a good notch above entry level rear tine tillers found at box stores. The dual rotating tines and commercial grade engine with cast iron sleeve are 2 items that drive the price up a couple hundred dollars vs. entry level tillers.

I hope that helped you out at least a little bit. I'll do my best to answer any other questions you may have. First hand experience with any given tiller besides Craftsman, Troy Bilt, and to a lesser extent BCS, is hard to come by. So far I have about 15 hrs on my Husqvarna and it's working out well for me--but we don't have many large rocks, just heavy clay.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have the Ariens model which is a twin of the Husky tiller. Mine has a Robin Subaru engine on it that is outstanding. It has started on the first pull EVERY time and seems very solid. The handle adjustment and the shifter are not top drawer but work OK. It does not come with a lot of extra features but it is a dual rotating heavy built tiller with a great motor on it. I bet it will last 20 years.

 

[LocalFarmer]

I just bought a Husqvarna 700DRT tiller and I'm very frustrated. I hope someone can convince me that I heavn't made a very expensive mistake by purchasing this machine.

Within minutes of starting to till my garden with the new machine, the tines picked up a stone and threw it against the shield. The front of the shield was bent so badly that it made contact with the tire. Even the steel bracket that holds the shield in place was badly bent. After several hours of removing the shield, straightening it, and reinstalling it, I had it running again. A few minutes later it picked up another stone and bent the shield again, although this time not as much. I didn't have to remove the shield. I don't think my soil is particularly harsh. I've had a garden in this spot for 30 years, although I did add several inches of additional soil last fall. Does it make sense that an occasional stone will cause major damage to the tiller?

I'm very disappointed with the way the shifting mechanism works. I figured out the "double clutching" routine but it still takes at least three or four attempts to select the right gear position. I have to exert such a force on the shifting lever that, sooner or later, something is going to break. It's hard to believe that a high-end machine like this is actually designed to operate in such a manner.

I also found that I had to exert a lot of energy to keep the machine tracking straight. The 1 handed guiding that was I was expecting was impossible. I was constantly horsing it around to make it go where I wanted it to. It actually felt more difficult to handle than my 45 year-old front tine tiller.

To give you an idea of my level of frustration, after using this machine, I made one final attempt to resurrect my old tiller. (No luck. It's dead.)

If any body has any words of wisdom, I could sure use them now.

If a shear pin has broken on one side of the tines, the tiller will drift to one side...