Hey guys, Thanks for the info and encouragement. I did take the S-B back but did not get the Pony after all. I got the "Big Red" instead. Boy, does it do a great job! I brought it home and tilled a little over 1000 sf to the full 8" in about an hour. Love having those extra gears (4 forward & 2 reverse), with neutral for idling, disengage tines when not needed, and throttle control on the handle. I found that easing back on the throttle makes it much easier to turn this 350 lb beast at the end of a row. I told my dear wife (whom insisted I get this instead of the Pony) that it is sturdy enough and powerful enough to outlast both of us (I'm 56); and one of our 5 kids or 8 grandkids will inherit a very nice piece of equipment. Tomorrow's game plan is to get the compost from beneath the leaves on the wooded section of our backyard and mix it into the plot I just tilled and start getting the beds ready for planting. I'm looking forward to spring, even though I know the garden will keep me out of my woodworking shop. So little time and even less energy these days. Thanks again for your input, Paul

Geo and Cadillac...great analogy love that!! How about Chrysler and Mercedes....Ford and Jaguar Anywya onto the topic at hand...the Craftsman tillers and Troy tillers are not the same I have a Troy Pony...bought it new at Lowes several years ago...it runs and runs, never had a problem....grew up using Troy tillers on the farm in upstate NY and am pleased with my new one...yes I have a comparison between the old and new...my new one is just fine. The stories about Troy's being no good anymore because MD is the parent company are just that...stories. As for CRT, here is my philosphy/opinion....CRT tillers are GREAT for breaking new grounds, tough jobs etc, however once you establish your gardem, the FRT (forward rotating tined) tillers do the job for you. Summary: seems to me you have been through severla Craftsman tillers (or whomever actually makes them, I think it AYP), no matter, the things keep falling apart on you. Looks like its time to change.

Try these guys: http://www.custompartsinc.com/cat.asp?id=1 Or call MTD. They should still be avail. but they've probably changed part numbers a couple times.

IMHO, a lot of the "rear tine" tillers exhibit this operation. IF you have the depth set too deep on the first pass and the tines in "forward" and the ground is hard or even untilled. Away you go. Reset for shallow for the first pass, then deepen depth on subsequent passes. If this tiller has a "tinies reverse" function, do that first and eliminate the issue. Another thought is, does it have a "drag stake" to control depth? If that's missing, get one ASAP. Good luck, Ev