advice on honda frc800 tiller or dr power tiller

15 years ago

i bought a used TroyBilt Horse a couple years back, but unfortunately, it is now leaking oil everywhere. i have a half acre vegetable garden i'd like to till that has lots of rocks. After my experience with the used TroyBilt, i was thinking of buying a new tiller instead of a used one next, and DR Power has a new tiller that i can afford at $800. But i discovered my local Home Depot has a Honda FRC800 tiller that they've been renting since 2004 (100 days total rented). They're selling it for $830 as is. In this price range, should i take a chance on a used (and possibly abused) commercial tiller or get a new, lighter duty tiller like the new DR Power? Anyone out there have experience with purchasing used equipment from a rental center like Home Depot? Anyone have the new DR Power tiller? Thanks for the advice.

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Comments (4)

fredbarber
15 years ago
I'm an admitted Honda zealot, but it's potentially a lot of tiller for the money. I don't know the specs, but you're comparing one machine with a retail price of $800 to another at $2000. How can there be any comparison?

Honda's commercial stuff (and I've never owned any) seems to be built a little stronger and a little less "feature rich" than their homeowner stuff, which is, in turn, a big step up from their "big box" stuff. This tiller may be fine.

Does it look trashed? Is it dirty, dented, leaking oil, etc.? Or does it look good? Are the air filter and oil clean? Are all the original adjustment knobs and pins still there? Does the engine fire right up, respond readily to the throttle and not smoke? Is the gearshift easy and smooth?

Maybe they'd let you rent it for a day and apply the cost of the rental to the purchase.
macarius
Original Author
15 years ago
Fred, thanks for the quick response. i realize that the used Honda appears to be a good deal considering its age and original price. i paid $700 for a 20 y/o TroyBilt horse that ran fine for a year, but then started leaking all over. That's what makes me leary of buying another used tiller again. Home Depot will let me rent it and apply the rental cost towards purchase if i decide to do that. i'm just nervous about buying a tiller that has been rented and probably abused. i ought to check on its maintenance record before i decide too.
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fredbarber
15 years ago
Actually, "leaking all over" may not be the end of the world either. Many tillers have oil seals at the point where the tine axle leaves the transmission. These seals get really beaten up and can leak. You may actually have an easy, inexpensive repair on your hands. Have you had it evaluated by a shop? Is the engine running strong and the gearbox good?
macarius
Original Author
15 years ago
Unfortunately, this leaking is sorta the end of the world for this poor tiller. i've had her in the shop where they were able to fix the engine leaks but then the gear box and transmission started leaking. And every trip to the shop results in one fixed leak, but two new ones appear. They've replaced the seals, but tell me her time is up. The engine runs great, but the gears are always slipping. My budget is limited, so i can't keep sending her in for more repairs.

i know that model of Honda is a great tiller, but i don't know how much abuse its taken at Home Depot in 4 years. i know DR Power makes some good machines but i don't know if their tiller is any good. i'm leaning towards renting the Honda for a day and seeing how she does. i'll be out $100 if i don't buy it, but at least i'd get some tilling done. Thanks for your help.

advice on honda frc800 tiller or dr power tiller

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advice on honda frc800 tiller or dr power tiller

Comments (4)

fredbarber

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