RS1600A tiller

[longrangelarry]

Perhaps I was foolish but I bought a broken RS1600A for $325, knowing it had a major issue. But used tillers around here are at least $1000 more than that, so I figured I had little to lose. I can scrap it for maybe $100 if I have to. Anyway, the side gear case is busted. As in, two pieces. I can get it welded but the break is at one of the bearing holes and the repair would have to be perfect for the new bearings to fit, wouldn't it? And it won't be cheap. Also, a chunk of the case is missing and any repair has to hold the oil, even if it is not structurally sound (it could be braced, if necessary). I am also having trouble (to say the least) getting the case off, as the bearings are rusted on. Obvious solution is a new or used housing, but where could I get one? Is the case the same as for the narrower models? Surely there are parts tillers out there? Any advice about how to get the housing off? I have whacked on it all I dare (it's cast iron) and pried to boot, and it's only about half off after several hours. FYI can't get a gear puller on the bearings- no room. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks- and please strop laughing!:laughing:

 

[Pete Judd]

Coldwater has bunches of tillers, might give them a call.

 

[longrangelarry]

Thanks Pete. I will try that and post the results.

 

[winston1]

Any pictures might help. Is there a snap ring on the input and output shafts? If so, have they been removed? Does yours look like this Fredrick's drawing? http://fredricksequipment.com/storage/parts-catalog-files/yanmar-parts-catalog/tiller.pdf

 

[longrangelarry]

What's broken is the gear case on the side, which would be in the middle of the exploded drawing you are referring to, and is not numbered because it is not available. It's not the gear box associated with the PTO. This piece is critical because it only only houses the gears but it holds the whole side of the tiller together!

I promise not to get off topic, but I have found a 4 ft 2 point tiller I can get "cheap". Since it's a Yanmar tiller and a Yanmar tractor, won't it fit? I see that instead of a top link, the PTO drive bolts onto the tractor for support. Also, apparently the lift arms connect to the tiller (2 point) and not to the lower arms, as per normal (I forget what all these parts are called). I can get this tiller for a bit more than it would cost to "fix" the 6 footer, even assuming all it takes is an expensive weld and new bearings, which is far from certain. Not to mention all the work!

Thanks for the help.

 

[winston1]

You would be much better off with the 4 footer with your 18 hp tractor. That 1600 is 63" and in my opinion to big for an 18hp. Yes, I think it will fit your tractor.

 

[284 International]

I don't know that the 2 point tiller will fit. I have a pair of Yanmar tillers that both bolt to my YM1401D's PTO housing, but will not mount to my YM186D, even though it has similar bolts around the housing. The dimensions are different. It would be a simple matter to measure any bolts on the rear of your tractor and then see if the tiller shares that same set of dimensions.

 

[longrangelarry]

Not sure if my previous reply posted, but this issue seems fraught with peril. I realize it only has to work out once and I could be set for years, but I'm spooked by already having wasted a bit over $300. I found a couple KKs, even a KK II, in the $1000 range, which is much cheaper than I could find earlier this year, so I probably ought to do the safe thing, even if it hurts. Might even get them down a bit! If I go with a 4 footer we can run it off either tractor (We are managing food plots on adjacent land, sharing implements when possible) . The other tractor is his mid-size JD we were going to mount the 1600 to. Just FYI, my compact did lift that 6 foot sucker off the trailer with a boom pole, so I am sure it could do it directly from the 3 pt. Turning it with 18 hp is another matter!

Thanks for the help. I'll monitor this stream for a while in case a miracle happens.

 

[California]

I have a RS1400, the original tiller sold with YM2000. My YM186D is working pretty hard to turn it. (15 pto hp, 18 engine hp).

In fact I had to add its matched but optional training wheels on the back to control depth. Without them, the YM186D would stall when I would climb out of tilled ground onto firm ground while cross-tilling around my orchard trees, because as the nose climbed the tiller was forced deeper than I had power to till. I don't think you're going to run an RS 1600 with 18 hp.

In fact - I think this might be a case where where putting the broken tiller back on Craigslist is the best way out.

 

[longrangelarry]

As I said, I knew my tractor wouldn't operate the big tiller. We were going to use the JD for that. But perhaps it would need the wheels even to run a typical 4 footer? Something to keep in mind. As for the RS1600 I couldn't in good conscience sell it as anything other than a parts tiller, which I wouldn't think there'd be enough demand to be worth driving very far to buy or sell. (I'd post a picture but it's at my other home, 225 miles away. I only go there a couple times a month.) On the other hand, the scrap yard is about 2 miles away. For parts I don't see how it's worth more than as scrap, although I do have the short PTO shaft and I won' t scrap that. If anyone wants to buy it, it can be accessed in western Ky or the St. Louis area. I'd let it go for a bit more than the scrap value- a little more if I have to haul it back to St. Louis, because of what it does to my gas mileage! I was shocked to find that with that tiller sitting on the very back of the 10x6 trailer, and a counterweight (maybe 200 lb) of bricks in the front, my mileage dropped from almost 20 mpg empty to about 12.5!! Without the tiller and with the gate thrown in the back and not sticking up in the air, I got more like 15 or 16 mpg. Of course it's mostly the gate, so lesson learned there!

Thanks for the advice.