Troy Pony

[Beaver Cove Deere]

I have an old Troy Built Pony that is in really nice shape from being garaged but the handle bar is broken and some parts are missing for it. Ser# is S0233468

Before I go reinventing the wheel does anyone know of a good source for parts?

 

[2manyrocks]

MTD bought Troy Bilt and has some parts for Troy Bilt tillers. Garden Tiller and Cultivator Parts | MTD Parts

I didn't see any handle bars when I looked briefly. You might try welding or brazing your broken handle bar.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

MTD bought Troy Bilt and has some parts for Troy Bilt tillers. Garden Tiller and Cultivator Parts | MTD Parts

I didn't see any handle bars when I looked briefly. You might try welding or brazing your broken handle bar.

Oh I tried them for about an hour plus. They had nothing.
I was trying to retain as much original as I could. This 1985 machine still has all of its paint and decals. It was properly stored and started on the second pull. It’s missing a few items off the bars.
Ill fabricate the parts if nothing comes up.

 

[2manyrocks]

That break and the missing parts (cross braces and transmission control rod) are so odd. Any idea what happened?

I have a newer model of what I think is the same tiller. It's like the perfect size tiller for maintaining a garden once it gets growing.

I don't mind to measure the parts...I'm not sure if they would interchange, but I suspect they might.

 

[arto98607]

Sorry, the best thing to do would be to repair & sell it and buy a used Troy Bilt Horse model.

The Pony has tendency to run away - I had one for 17 years, before switching to Horse.
(Only reason I kept it so long is my tractor PTO rototiller)

 

[CalG]

Sorry, the best thing to do would be to repair & sell it and buy a used Troy Bilt Horse model.

The Pony has tendency to run away - I had one for 17 years, before switching to Horse.
(Only reason I kept it so long is my tractor PTO rototiller)

I also have a Pony (not a horse ;-)

What you describe as "run away", I use for "Road Gear!" ;-)

Rock the machine back on the tines and get ready to MOVE! ;-)

 

[2manyrocks]

The Pony was a much lighter machine than the Horse. So naturally it can have more tendency for the tines to propel it forward unless your garden is already well broken. It also had a narrower tilling width. That's why I said it was good for maintaining a garden that was growing because it fit well between growing plants, could keep the garden tilled up, and was easier to manuver in tight spots.

The Horse excelled at getting the garden ready for planting in my experience, but wasn't as easy to handle when it came to keeping the garden weeded once the garden was up and growing.

I think the OP's tiller must have been stored in someone's garage and somehow the handle bars were run into by a car breaking or bending the now missing parts. Whoever had it either didn't get around to replacing them or the parts were no longer available by the time this must have happened.

Most likely, it's fabricate or find a donor machine.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

The machine was given to me by a friend. It was broken when I got it and I lost some of the parts.
I’ll sleeve it with some 1” pipe and form the ends.
I have my Bridgeport Miller and will make it. I don’t have my welder wired up so I will bolt the configuration together.
I really wanted to keep it original but that ain’t happening.

I’m only using this machine for a small row. I’ve built raised beds out of 6x6 hemlock as we have a short season up here. I can easily cover my raised beds with a hoop house I still need to make or buy if I see something I like.
It’s just a hobby project as it’s just my wife and I.

 

[2manyrocks]

Mine is a newer model so I can't say if these dimensions are correct for yours. The distance between the handlebars just beneath the crossbar is 5 1/2 inches. The bracket that makes it possible to adjust the height has about a 2 1/2" bend....but the most simple thing would be to position the handlebars at a comfortable height for you and make it nonadjustable.

The control rod for the transmission is just a piece of round rod bent at the ends.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

The cold galvanized paint is not hiding poor machining. The compound angles were kind of a pain but this is not going to be up in space next to some prototype stuff I made in my youth.
I got a few more items to ponder over but this will not be the weak link to the repair.

 

[2manyrocks]

Looks like your Troy Bilt is in very good hands.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

Looks like your Troy Bilt is in very good hands.

Would you mind taking a couple of pictures of the control rod for me? Both at the bottom attached to the lever as well as the at the control panel? I got a few ideas.

I shortened the bars and refit them and they are very much too short/low. I was able to run a row where I wanted it and raised the grade with 30 year old compost.
I'll be fixing that low bar problem when Metal Depot delivers and there is plenty of throttle cable to do just about anything. The bars themselves are rock solid.

 

[2manyrocks]

My unit is about a 1993 model that has a spring loaded set of control bars that have to be held down for the unit to move forward as a safety measure. As I recall, the earlier 1980s versions had a control that was pushed in to lock in forward travel until it was pulled back out. The reverse was to pull the handle out and hold it. I don't think my forward controls are the same as yours would have been.

The reverse arm is 5/16 rod that measures 47 5/8 from the outside of the pivot end to the outside of the control handle end. The control handle end is 3 5/8 long. The length of the end that goes through the pivot is 1 1/2 inches.

I didn't measure the forward control assembly because I think your forward control is different. On yours, I think there was either a triangular shaped (roughly speaking) locking mechanism at the top or at the bottom near the transmission control arm. When you pushed the control arm, it caused this mechanism to pivot and then it locked in place until you manually pulled it back out as I recall.

If you could post another couple of pictures of the control leveler assembly and your handlebars, it might stir some further recollections other than I remember that I liked the forward/reverse control on the older ones a lot more than my newer one.

edit: mustie1 has a youtube video of the earlier Pony model that I was thinking of that shows the older transmission control assembly pretty well near the end of his video. But after watching it, now I'm wondering if your model is more similar to mine? What does your handlebar assembly look like?

 

[5030]

My 'Horse' went to pasture. I replaced it with a Cub with reversible tines. Keep my little 'Tuffy around for cultivating chores.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

My unit is about a 1993 model that has a spring loaded set of control bars that have to be held down for the unit to move forward as a safety measure. As I recall, the earlier 1980s versions had a control that was pushed in to lock in forward travel until it was pulled back out. The reverse was to pull the handle out and hold it. I don't think my forward controls are the same as yours would have been.

The reverse arm is 5/16 rod that measures 47 5/8 from the outside of the pivot end to the outside of the control handle end. The control handle end is 3 5/8 long. The length of the end that goes through the pivot is 1 1/2 inches.

I didn't measure the forward control assembly because I think your forward control is different. On yours, I think there was either a triangular shaped (roughly speaking) locking mechanism at the top or at the bottom near the transmission control arm. When you pushed the control arm, it caused this mechanism to pivot and then it locked in place until you manually pulled it back out as I recall.

If you could post another couple of pictures of the control leveler assembly and your handlebars, it might stir some further recollections other than I remember that I liked the forward/reverse control on the older ones a lot more than my newer one.

edit: mustie1 has a youtube video of the earlier Pony model that I was thinking of that shows the older transmission control assembly pretty well near the end of his video. But after watching it, now I'm wondering if your model is more similar to mine? What does your handlebar assembly look like?

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Thank you. That answers a few questions. There are obviously many missing parts. I’ll cobble something together judging by the amount of parts that are missing from under the console.

 

[Gator6x4]

I have an old Troy Built Pony that is in really nice shape from being garaged but the handle bar is broken and some parts are missing for it. Ser# is S0233468

Before I go reinventing the wheel does anyone know of a good source for parts?

Have you tried these people.

PartsTree - Home of OEM Parts for Outdoor Power Equipment

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