#10 Getting Neighbor Ben's garden ready with antique Troy-Bilt Horse Rototiller

[@landontesar3070]

Thanks for the video, my folks' is a little older, the Tecumseh engine. They've stored it well. I put a new spark plug on it, checked for spark, fogged the cylinder, added some gas, and it started on the third pull. Looking forward to putting it back to work!

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Landon, that is awesome! The 6hp Tecumseh is an awesome tiller as well. All of the Gardenway tillers are just built to last. Right down the road from my house, I found the 8hp Briggs with electric start with a free sign on it. Got to go through it and change tine, wheel and input seals just like mine but it runs well. Plan on giving it to Neighbor Ben this spring.

[@johnanderson3405]

A good tiller is a beautiful thing. I bought a Honda FRC800 about 4 years ago. Replaced an old front tine tiller. Night and day difference. You can actually till the garden and not feel like you were in a car accident the next morning. Those old Troy built tillers are a beast! Nice video.

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Thank you John! Got two of them now need to get them both dusted off and ready for 2024.

[@greglee2785]

I just bought a 1979 "beast" just like this . Enjoyed the video.

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Awesome Greg. I hope it runs a very long time for you. I have to go through mine and change some seals. Axle, tines and input shaft seals as well as put newer tines on it. Should be coming out in the coming weeks!

[@dminer2]

Nice I have my fathers 80's Troy. Just an FYI you need to put the transmission in low or high first before you engage the tines or you will strip the gears .

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Yeah it wasn't captured in the video but because the tiller sat for as long as it did and despite rocking it wouldn't shift into low. There must have been some corrosion or something because since then it hasn't happened again. Shifts from low to high in high to low very smooth now.

[@poochie49]

I just picked up one of these yesterday. Just have to look at the old Tecumseh as it has no spark. Other than that all other components look good. Man this is a heavy beast.

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

They were built to last, let me tell you. Best of luck getting the Tecumseh running. Hope the usual suspects are to blame. After I got the carb replaced after a failed cleaning attempt, I didn't have any spark either. I had to clean up the mag, condenser, and points, and then it fired right up.

[@BceCam]

you have a very interesting rototiller, it’s nice to watch the video. Good luck with your work

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Thank you!

[@jjyemg2397]

awesome. My Dad bought his in 1978. 6.5HP Tecumseh and after I went thru carb it started on first pull. Then after 30 minutes of tilling the old brass float filled with gas and flooded. Changed the float greased the hole thing and changed all fluids. It even goes in reverse which I never use as it's really not necessary and when the tines are spinning it could pull your foot under the the tractor. I love this thing!

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Nice!! Yeah I went through everything before I started this. Had to replace the carb, which wasn't repairable, new fluids the only thing I didn't replace was the belt and air filter which I have now and will be replaced soon. I need to dig deeper into why the pull cord clicks when it's pulled.

[@mozit6]

@@wolcottfamilyworks Could be the ratchet mechanism slipping instead of engaging properly when cord is pulled. If so, not much can be done to repair except to replace. The ratchet steel balls and their housing pockets get worn out over the years. Sometimes they will screech shrilly when engine cranks. Might remove the pulley cover and add a few drops of oil down inside the mechanism. If ratchet mechanism is not the source of the noise, look at the end of the return spring coil that extends just to the outside of the cover and locks into a notch. Perhaps it is just a little too loose and rattles about. The rope pulley itself is clipped to the other end of the spring and has 2-4 tabs on the cover that are bent up to retain it within the cover. Those retainer tabs are supposed to have plastic rings to prevent metal noise when the pulley turns. They may be missing or need tab bent upward a bit more to prevent excessive free-play. Careful, don't bend up too tight. Usually the cover also has spare unused tab to be bent into place if one should break........................... Good luck with your Horse! Today I am rebuilding the transmission of an early 80's Horse model purchase by Dad many years ago. It had an 8 hp B&S engine we rebuilt a few times before it threw a rod. I replaced with a HF Predator 312 engine which performs beautifully but likely won't last as long as a Briggs. Most of the early engines were Tecumseh from the factory and mostly 7 and 8 hp Briggs and Kohler's were used later.

[@ChrisXOutdoors]

Love it!!!

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Thought you might. I also have all the original paperwork/manuals on it. I know you spoke of it in your video. Let me know if you want pictures of what I have.

[@timgarth]

nice video

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Thank you Tim! More tilling videos are coming and a surprise with the next one.

[@domcrotty5784]

Nice soil "powder" 😊

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Thank you buddy!

[@curtismcintosh4870]

I am subscriber # 300.

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Welcome lucky number 300!! Thank you Curtis for subscribing!

[@DirtySouthOutdoors]

What size are these tires and rims?

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

4.80-8 is on the tire. 400/480-8 tubes work perfectly.

[@mozit6]

Tiller abuse!.....19 seconds into the video I see you engage the belt lever (and tines) before putting into forward gear. That ain't very good on transmission gears, pins, or keys and axle keyways. Same as in a manual trans auto, you always put it in gear before releasing clutch and always press in clutch pedal before changing to another gear. To go from low to high gear in a TB tiller you also must disengage the belt lever, stop, change to high gear, pull back the belt lever to engage motor to trans and continue travel or tilling.

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

Thank you for your comment, Jerry.

[@wolcottfamilyworks]

It wasn't intentional as when shooting the video, I was anticipating it being in high gear. Since the tiller hadn't really moved under its own power in over 20 years, it wouldn't shift easily from low to high. That isn't an excuse, but you see just prior to it that I moved the shift lever both up and down, and there wasn't full travel. The tines spin in low/high gear forward or reverse. Since this video, I have changed the belt, which has alleviated all the squeeking.

[@brownro214]

Probably the best non-commercial tiller built. Too bad the current iteration of Troy-bilt can’t make one half as good.