Need Help Identifying Tiller Brand

[masseyferg65]

I got this tiller for free, it was locked up. I took it apart but no idea who made it to find parts. I believe it was painted blue and the original colors may be white and red. I don't see any numbers on it to reference

 

[Charlie M]

Might have been easier to identify when it was assembled. Got any pictures of that?

 

[flying belgian]

I got this tiller for free, it was locked up. I took it apart but no idea who made it to find parts. I believe it was painted blue and the original colors may be white and red. I don't see any numbers on it to reference

First of all what parts do you need?

 

[caterpillar guy]

Since a lot of them run on a worm they will not turn unless you turn the input shaft. if you tried to turn the tiller shaft it could be still good to go.

 

[masseyferg65]

Might have been easier to identify when it was assembled. Got any pictures of that?

Unfortunately I don't.

 

[masseyferg65]

First of all what parts do you need?

The helical bevel gears are bad. Plus I'd replace the bearings. I could find the bearings by measuring but the gears is what I need. Teeth are bad

 

[masseyferg65]

Since a lot of them run on a worm they will not turn unless you turn the input shaft. if you tried to turn the tiller shaft it could be still good to go.

It's not a worm gear setup it's a helical bevel gear setup. The gears have chunks of teeth missing. Also, even with the gears out the input shaft won't turn so I'm assuming bearings are locked up too

 

[Jim.ME]

As posted some pictures taken before you took it apart would have helped. How big/wide is this tiller? What are you planning to use to power it?

It looks like it is in the 4-foot range. My thought is if you identify it, and if you can find parts, the cost will be more than you can find an operating tiller for. Just saying, really think about this before you get too deep in. Free doesn't always equal cheap.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

The short line companies that make stuff like this come and go. It's entirely possible that the company that built this tiller no longer exists, and no company has taken over providing parts and support. Usually better brands will have identification tags. No tags or evidence of tags, pretty good indication that the manufacturer was not too proud of their work, and likely went out of business decades ago.

The flip side of that is they likely used common off-the-shelf parts. Having parts specially made is expensive. The bearings will definitely have part numbers etched into them, and possibly brand names, so you can cross-reference them at a bearing supply or your local NAPA.

Take a close look at the gears too. They should have numbers cast into them which may show up in a google search.

 

[masseyferg65]

As posted some pictures taken before you took it apart would have helped. How big/wide is this tiller? What are you planning to use to power it?

It looks like it is in the 4-foot range. My thought is if you identify it, and if you can find parts, the cost will be more than you can find an operating tiller for. Just saying, really think about this before you get too deep in. Free doesn't always equal cheap.

It's 5ft I believe. I have a massey 65 to use with it. You are probably right about the parts being expensive but I figure it's worth a little effort to try and find out before scrapping it. I have maybe 2 hours in tearing it apart. Hard to find a working tiller under $1500 around here

 

[paul]

Funny, doing a search on your issue and I found a link to - this thread. Ha.

Most tillers sold now have a single shaft to one side, drop a chain and run the tiller from one side.

Don’t think that center drive is popular any more, might make parts harder to find. See that type of drive on snow blowers still.

If you scope out that gearcase very very carefully any number or Id stamped in it anywhere? Filled it with paint?

Might get lucky doing a search if you can match up your part.

 

[Jim.ME]

It's 5ft I believe. I have a massey 65 to use with it. You are probably right about the parts being expensive but I figure it's worth a little effort to try and find out before scrapping it. I have maybe 2 hours in tearing it apart. Hard to find a working tiller under $1500 around here

With the tiller tine shafts mounted directly to either side of the gearbox, it looks more like a garden/subcompact tractor tiller or large walk behind unit like a BCS. That design puts a lot of stress on the gear box. The plates the hitch pins are on appears to be welded-on extensions, not a single piece, what I would expect from a factory. It looks light to use with a 65. Just my thoughts, hope you can find parts.

 

[Leroy]

It's 5ft I believe. I have a massey 65 to use with it. You are probably right about the parts being expensive but I figure it's worth a little effort to try and find out before scrapping it. I have maybe 2 hours in tearing it apart. Hard to find a working tiller under $1500 around here

I only ever knew of one farmer that had a tractor-tiller setup and used it and he has been gon for at least 30 years. Tillers for anything except gardens never cought of around here