Troy Bilt Tiller

[Mattc8832]

Older Troy Bilt Super Bronco Tiller I had. I sold it now. But I never did really like this machine. Anyone had any luck with this model? Just wondering if it was the one I had. The one I had never would dig into the ground real well and till.

 

[Loadstar]

I think it is because they are too light. My wife's grandparents have one and they don't use it or let anyone use it because of it running away. They have a old massive Troy built with a Tecumseh they use. It works great compared to the newer but it weighs twice as much. Thinking about loading the newer down with a heap of steel.

 

[Western]

The older ones I had worked great. My brother bought one of the newer one since it was a "Troy built", then he found out they where sold to and made by MTD and the quality is no better than their lawnmowers IMO. He has had a few carb problems but that could be ethanol induced. IDK

On undisturbed land, I would till at 3" depths and never had a problem, doubt any tiller (handheld) would do well at full depth on virgin hard ground.

 

[Mattc8832]

Yeah - My grandfather had a old troy bilt horse from back in the 80's and it was a great machine. This pony I got was from about 2002/2003 and yes it is one of the MTD models. The engine ran ok - not a honda. It ran off like crazy and broke belts on me. I finally just quit using it back in 2012. I now have a BCS 830 and a Gravely with a tiller attachment and hope I have better luck with them. I may invest in a 3pt tiller someday if I can find one for the right price or right trade.

 

[swecksam]

I have one and have had the same experiences with it. I am 6' 300 lbs and considered strong by most and that thing gives me all I want. It seems designed for tractor pulls instead of digging. I agree with the not enough weight though. Also think it is geared a little high. With the throttle all the way down it will leave a wake behind it when you pull the lever.

 

[ferrari99]

We had a little tiller similar to the one pictured (not troy bilt) it was basically only good for mixing ready dug soil if that. But now we have a two wheeled tractor that will dig about 5" on virgin ground, and also it can't run away.

 

[coobie]

Love mine,it,s been flawless.

 

[DFB]

I have a 5 hp "Pony" with B&S engine on it that I used relentlessly to till to my ever expanding garden until I got the tractor/tiller. It actually performed flawlessly for about 8 years until it got to the point where it would start and run but as soon you tried to engage the ground it would stall down under the load...had no power. Valve tappet clearance was wore out on the exhaust valve. Reset it to spec and all was good again. Enough power that it would propel right out of your hands if the tines caught. Depth of till is key on hard ground. Slow going it seems like you only just scrape the surface but eventually you dig deeper and deeper as the ground loosens. The only other issue was that vibration kept breaking the welds that held the thin metal name plate that braced the handlebars. They would send a whole new handlebar bracket each time I called under their warranty. But after the time 3rd time it broke I just drilled and screwed the brace, and no more problems.

I never much use it anymore with the tractor tiller. When it was Garden Way Co. there was a classic gardening book by Dick Raymond, Garden Way's Joy of Gardening with him using the Troy Built Tiller.

 

[NativeSon]

I had one of the old Broncos and loved it. But it got stolen, so I bought the new Bronco not knowing they had been bought out. The new one is not as good as the old. The new one works pretty good, but I would like to find an old one to buy.

Charlie

 

[Depmandog]

I have a 10 year old pony. Hate the dang thing. I was very disappointed the way it tills. I too have thought about adding a hundred pound of wheel weights to keep it from running away.

I am 6'2" 295 and I have to dig my heels in and lean back to get it to dig in. That sucker will wear you out. One the ground is tilled, you can run it one handed.

I am looking for a 3 pt tiller - then the TroyBuilt will be hitting craigslist.

 

[oldballs]

I've never had a Troy Built. However, after about 40 years of using a front tine Sears 8 HP tiller, one needs to learn how to use such a tiller....viz.,just like other ground engaging operations. You fellas might already know that stuff. My experience recalls that the soil needs to be close to "just right " for tilling. Then the depth of the wheel set (Troy built aren't adjustable) and the depth of the drag stake is important. On unworked turf it will take several passes at lowering adjustments to get it about 4-5 inches deep. After that it is easy going from year to year. If the ground ain't right, you end up with hard clods. I lent my tiller to a big guy guy one time. He brought it back with the handle bar bolt broken in disgust. I'm 5'4" @ 145 lbs and it works fine for me......:2cents:

Oh, BTW...I just bought a Land Pride 50 inch tiller for my Kubota. ....but "heck"....I'm 81 now.

 

[Depmandog]

I remember using an old Troy-Bilt Horse model. That thing was a tank and it would till sod all day long, one handed. Three passes and you would be full depth, with the soil ready to plant. Now granted, decent soil with some moisture.

Compared to the newer (and smaller) models....well there is no comparison.

 

[NHmitch]

I actually just inherited a Troy Built Horse from my grandparents and it is an 80's model. It is very heavy, and very well built, and it has a pto so you can attach a wood chipper, snow blower, or plow, and you can add cultivator tines. I am going to put a new engine because years of sitting dormant with ethanol and mice, the old engine is shot. I am going to add a 6.5hp harbor freight Honda knock off. Mine has the front bumper, and has been stored indoors, so I can't wait to use it this summer. My grandfather use to have close to an acre food plot that he would till with the horse, instead of using his tractor. I think it made more sense to him to maintain the rows, and space. I know I could not hand till that large of an area, but for my food plot,, it should work great. I'll post a video once I get it repowered.

This is a similar model in about the same condition with a bit more wear,

 

[Western]

That looks like the one I had last, worked great for me (the older models) If the rear drop bar is used to keep the tines from digging in, it doesn't tend to "run away with you".

These days all I'm going to use is my 5' PTO tiller, and I will either get a Honda 110 mini, or a 4stroke Mantis. The large PzTO tiller makes tilling the garden a 20 minute job, but is useless for maintaining the garden rows.