There is a posting with several responses about three pages back. Source is the Small Engine Warehouse and it got a lot of positive reviews. Did not see a link to it but someone that posted there will probably have one.

Northern Tool sells replacement engines, and generally the farm supply stores(Farm & Fleet, Big R, Rural King, etc) will have them.

M8T-301608, 8 HP Kohler Magnum. Sales for around $700.00

HM80-208106A 8 HP Tecumseh. Sales for around $400.00

202432-0063 Commercial Grade 8 HP Briggs. Sales for around $475.00.

All three of those models will work. Just do a search for the one/s that interest you.

You might want to look at these Tecumseh engines at Small Engine Dist. Certainly a lot cheaper than a new tiller assuming your old tiller is in good shape. If you get a dealer to order it you get the price in red that you read backwards - instead of 268.95 it is 219.95. I had my hardware store friend order a lawnmower engine for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Small Engine Dist

Thanks to everyone for the info. I found the small engine warehouse discussion. Very helpful. Also, I found their website at smallenginewarehouse.com. They even had a page showing my model and a long list of engines that could fit it. As well as advice on what was needed to fit the tiller, such as bolt holes to fit tiller and correct shaft size. Neat. I will pull my engine this weekend and make sure it is the same as those listed.

Again thanks.

The 6 HP Tecumseh engine on my 21 year old Troy-Bilt just went out today. I was hearing a rattling sound from the engine but nothing on the outside of the engine was loose. Just before the engine went out the power was getting less and less and I could hardly make it back up the hill. When I was almost at the top and lifting the tines to turn around I heard something break inside the engine and it stopped. Now when I pull the starter rope it feels like I have no compression.
I was wondering what is a typical life expectancy for these engines. Some years I didn't even use my rototiller, and others I might use it four or five days for about 3 hours a day, so I guess I put about 120 to 150 hours actual running time on it. This is the first problem I ever had other than hard starting. This is not a commercial/industrial rated engine, so is 120 hours about right?
Now I have to make a decision:
1. Sell the rototiller as is and don't buy another, and rent one if I ever need one.
2. Sell mine and buy another used one in working condition.
3. Or buy a new engine and fix mine.
4. I don't do enough tilling to justify buying a new one.
Luckily I had just about finished tilling my back yard so their is no rush to get another tiller.

The figure Ive heard is 500hours for an aluminum block motor. the hill may have something to do with the short life. also how often the oil was changed etc. I'd be looking for a good used replacement. Recently, I snagged a Bolens snow blower at the dump and transplanted the 7 hp Tecumseh onto a dump find Ariens that had its carb and gas tank missing. My 100$ Horse Tiller came with an 8hp B+S thats not its original engine. Ill bet that there are a wide variety of engines that will directly bolt on to the tiller.

I noticed that new engine prices at smallenginewarehouse are pretty low and if I could get one fairly cheap, I would replace it because rentals will soon equal the cost of a new engine. Also, maybe they can suggest a different, more durable engine for the replacement.

You might want to look on eBay. For example, there's a Tecumseh 6 hp engine from a Troybilt Horse being auctioned now.

See item number: 4373700580

Here is a link that might be useful: Tecumseh engine being auctioned

Just checked that E-bay auction. Someone paid $129.77 for a broken 6 HP engine that won't start and looks like junk from the picture, the muffler is rusted out and the fuel tank is missing. A sucker born everyday.

I had a look at the Small engine distributors site that Big Al mentioned.
Those appear to be dealer wholesale prices.
It's not clear however, if those prices would hold for a retail buyer, ie; homeowner/non-dealer. I would suspect not.
-br

smallenginewarehouse.com prices are for anyone. I paid 120 for a 6 horse Tecumseh, for a 4-stroke Lawnboy. I believe on the Tecumseh engines on Troy-Bilt tillers, the operational angle caused some oil starvation issues, seen many of them with thrown rods and broken camshafts. I believe Briggs does a little better on oiling at an angle.

The HH60 engines on Troy tillers were DISCONTINUED in

1994. There are NO cast-iron engines OR shortblocks
      available for these. Tecumseh developed an HM80 (8HP)
      "DIRECT REPLACEMENT" some time ago, part# 208106A, as
      Hippy as indicated. This is a 3/4" crankshaft engine,
      cast-iron sleeved, Xtra-Life (I/C) engine. This engine
      is a GREAT replacement and requires NO special adapting
      to re-fit where the HH60 was.

T-Man

An update on my Tecumseh 6 HP HH60 problem. I took the engine apart and found the camshaft broken into two pieces and almost all the teeth chipped off the cam gear and the gear on the crankshaft that meshes with it as well as the teeth on the plastic governor gear chipped too. So the engine is totaled.

Not really, I may have the cam and governor gear,and possibly a crank....I have a few 6hp tecumseh parts kicking around .....The HH60 is a great little engine ,and I sold a rebulit one on ebay last year for like $100.00 ,yours may be worth rebuilding ,if you have the cash/time ...and if you WANT too...and this engine could still be ebay'd per se ,if the cylinder is ok,and the cam and crankshaft journals are ok,.....I have sold more blown engines on ebay for parts than I care to list !and it's usually shipping that is the killer on these ole cast engines...

see ya Jim

Can anyone tell me how to find the Model # for a very old troybilt tiller? I would like to get a manual. It has a Tecumseh engine (blown). It is so old that I can read very little on it. The number on the housing (serial # I think) is TH-1003-1 with a B2 below. The engine has electric start too. I've searched troybilt's site and others but can seem to find an easy way to get the Model #. I had a local repair shop look at it and they said it would probably cost $400 to $500 to repair. Can anyone help?

I had a Troy-bilt 6 h.p. that threw a rod! I bought an aftermarket rod, and cleaned up the crankshaft, used some parts from another engine, put it all together, and it ran fine! don't give up on the Tecumseh engines! that one i fixed is still running this year! (4 years) And, when i find an old mower in the garbage at the curb, i always hope its a Tecumseh, since most all the time, all they need is the bolt in the fuel bowl cleaned out, and they run again!
by: Rustyj

Small Engine Warehouse sells the HM80 Tecumseh for $310 plus shipping.

So $268.95 would be a stellar price!

Here is a link that might be useful: 8 HP Horizontal 3/4

The Tecumseh 8 HP HM80 spec 155726X I ordered from smallenginesuppliers in Shawnee, Kansas just arrived and looks like it should fit my Troy-Bilt Horse, although I won't get around to actually installing it until this weekend. They wanted $274.95 plus shipping and $6 packing, but I managed to bargain the guy down to $260 plus shipping plus $6 for foam packing. I think the engine smallenginewarehouse is selling is basically the same engine but it had an extra PTO shaft on it which they cut off, so I would say the one I bought is more suitable, and cheaper. Mine comes with a two year warranty and theirs with only one year. Willard small engine wants $279.95 for the same engine I bought and the guy wouldn't cut his price. BTW, the owners manual says I have a two year warranty, but the design life of the engine is only 250 hours, because I have a class C warranty. A class B engine would have a design life of 500 hours, and a class A engine would have a design life of 1000 hours. Actually with the small amount of rototilling I do it would probably take me 20 years to put 250 hours on the engine, but its something to consider if you were planning to use your rototiller commercially. So I guess my old Tecumseh 6 HP HH60 failing after 21 years and about 140 actual hours probably wasn't too bad.

Since this thread is about Troy-Bilt tillers, I have just bought a 1988 horse, it has the Tecumseh HH60 engine on it, seems to be on good condition, needs carburator work though, has been stored for a number of years, but I don't have a manual for it or the tiller , and would like to know where one could get a manual for both, I went to troy-bilts web site could't find anything, but I don't know where to find the model # for the tiller, I have the model # for the engine. Thanks

I found a serial number stamped on the Transmission case
72276 5

Do you still have the carb and stater engine cover for that engine?