I bought a very good Troy Bilt Junior rear tine tiller used today. Is the Junior the same thing as the Pony? The engine needs to be replaced. The Tecumseh has a whole blown out the side of it. Where can I find replacement Engine? It has separate shaft that reverse works off of. I tried looking for a replacement block but Tecumseh seems to have gone out of business. Is there a Robin a Briggs & Stratton or Kohler engine to fit this tiller? If I go to the Harbourfreight store and get 6 1/2 hp greyhound engine and forget about reverse shaft and just pull the tiller backwards or spin around, is that really working for so many others who are doing it? Is finding reverse shaft engine really next to impossible?

More than likely you have a belt or pulley issue. The rear idler or VS pulley could have seized and sometimes in storage the belts will actually rust to the pulleys and won't turn. This is because they slowly pick up metal from the pulleys. In the same spirit, the brake could be locked. You could start by pulling the battery which will give you access to the rest of the drive system. Pulling the deck will make your life easier as the traction belts both will need replacement now.

It is a 1987 build date on that engine. Hopefully with that info, you could reach someone at mtdproducts.com or find a manual.

Tomplum: Thanks for the prompt response. Model #13AN689G766. I looked for the adjustment you mentioned near the right wheel and didn't see anything at a cursory glance. I was hesitant to bend the brakes down as it seems like it will get out of parallel with the pulley. I may try to take them off and bend both angles and reinstall. Could you let me know if you see any other possibilities after you look at it? http://www.partstree.com/parts/?lc=troy_bilt&mn=13AN689G766+Pony+%282004%29&dn=0016000005 ps. I had also thought about the belt possibility as the PO said it was a new belt, and he probably didn't pay the $50 to buy to OEM belt. I still would like to try to do this with adjustments, there had to be something happen to generate the clearance between the brakes and the pulleys.