We inherited a Troy-Bilt tiller with Gardenway TH 1018 on the tiller and a B&S engine # 171437, prob 1992 built. Engine runs great, tines move forward & back, but not fast enough to do more than make a scratch on the ground. Looks like a place for 2 belts, but only one there. Need 2nd belt? Also, don't see any levers for the tine and wheel speeds to be run separately. Only tillers I'm familiar with are the front tine models where you have to pull back really hard to make it dig in. Shouldn't the tires and weight of the machine do that work for me? Any help would be appreciated. Have a friend that "dabbles" in mechanics, but we need a manual or something. -- THANKS!

Well, maybe all it needs is a tune-up, but--maybe it needs more than that! If the owner wouldn't install a new spark plug, clean the air filter, etc. to make it run good, for sale, maybe--maybe--maybe it needs more than a tune-up! Yeah, i know--lots of maybes' here! A friend said his tiller wouldn't run. so, upon checking it, i found the plunger that pushes the points up and down wasn't moving, when i cranked the engine! (An electronic ignition kit took care of that problem! I asked him when was the last time he had changed the oil (Which was really black). He said: "Oh, about 5 years ago!" And the machine got used every summer, in the dirt and dust! I informed him that the dirty oil had worn off the cam on the crankshaft that pushed the plunger up and down! Not to mention what it must have done to the other moving parts! by: Rustyj

Hi Gulf, Personally, I wouldn't take a front tine MTD if it was offered for free. You can get a new front tine for under $350 pretty easily. I think Menards had 'em for something like $279 last time I noticed. I often see 'em on craigslist for around 50 bucks. Sorry about your friend paying 100 bucks to get it fixed, but it's still worth 50 bucks. It's kinda like spending 1500 on a tranny in a $500 car, the car is still only worth 500 bucks. Front tine tillers are unpleasant to operate. By the time you fight it for a half hour, you're pooped no matter what size tires you have on it. It won't break new ground unless it's very soft or you're 6 foot 4 and 275 lbs. MTD makes low quality equipment. I have some MTD equipment but have never been happy with anything they make with an engine on it. Their dethatchers are ok. If you're doing a small plot (less than 20X20), that front tine might be ok. If you're doing much more, I'd look real hard at a rear tine. As far as a rear tine, 20 year old Troy Bilts can be had for $400 all the way down to $50 for fixer uppers. Avoid anything newer in Troy Bilt. MTD bought the name in the early 90's and has mined the name by pasting it on lower quality machines. They're still ok, just not the indestructible tanks they used to be. BCS is hands down my favorite but they are hard to find used and can cost in the thousands even for 15 year old units. Newer rear tine machines at big box stores are likely MTD. They're good enough for home gardens but won't last you a lifetime. I'm relatively certain my early 90's 715 BCS will end up in the hands of a grandchild or on my estate auction. Good luck! Let us know if you do buy it.

Strange, since I also took the advice given in this thread and submitted an app on Wednesday. Yesterday, I received approval as follows: Hello, Welcome to the troybilttillerclub group at Yahoo! Groups, a free, easy-to-use email group service. Please take a moment to review this message. To learn more about the troybilttillerclub group, please visit xxxxxxxxx To start sending messages to members of this group, simply send email to xxxxxxxxx If you do not wish to belong to troybilttillerclub, you may unsubscribe by sending an email to xxxxxxxxxx To see and modify all of your groups, go to xxxxxxxxxxx Regards, Moderator, troybilttillerclub Don't know if it made any difference, but I am and have been a member of other Yahoo Groups as well. Must be a simple glitch in the system . . . Yahoo has strict anti-spam software which automatically bounces suspect emails.