506 Rotary Cutter & Troy-Bilt Tiller Rebuild

[dwost]

Thought I'd post up some pics of my recent project. I decided to rebuild my 1989 JD 506. I acquired it last September when we moved into our new house. After overhauling it I believe the previous owner never changed the gear lube or blades in over 20 years. She looks almost good as new! Still have to add the 506 logos and the pto sticker to the shroud but she is ready to cut! I had to replace the rear fork as it snapped and was beyond repair. Unfortunately this set me back $255! All told with that , new blades, paint, decals, etc... Total spend around $400. Should last me another 20 years, enjoy!

Before:

After:

Tiller was about the same but in great shape. It is the 25th anniversary Horse model. It also has an hour meter and is registering only 27 hours just getting broken in. Just needed a little touch up, lube, fluids, filters, etc... Also found a bunch of attachments that were BRAND NEW and still in the boxes. I installed the bumper, hiller/furrower, row marker, and I have the wheel weights still in the box. Ready for the garden!

Before:

After:

 

[kebo]

The JD bushhog looks brand new, awesome restoration project!! Oh yeah, the tiller looks pretty good too.

 

[dwost]

Thanks. I was going to deep end on it and sand blast it to bare metal but decided that would be total overkill. My wife already gave me static because I rebranded it with the decals. A least all the rust is gone and the paint should keep it protected. It was kept it outside which aided in the weathering. I'm either going to try and find a place in my barn or build a shelter for this and my box scraper (next project).

 

[kebo]

Yeah, I would definitely find somewhere to park that bush hog so it's out of the weather. That's too much work to let it get all rusty again. But, some people here actually think rust makes the equipment perform better!!!