walk behind tillers

[johndeeregreg]

hi, we are thinking about getting a walk behind garden tiller and wondering whats every ones thoughts on front tine vs. rear tine tillers? and what
brands have you had good luck with? Lowe's has a couple craftsman tillers, a 24" front tine for $500 and a 16" rear tine for $800. haven't checked any
other places yet.

 

[rustyfarmall]

I have a Craftsman rear tine. It does a decent job of tilling when the tines are running in reverse. When running in forward direction, it simply will not dig in. I'm not particularly proud of the Craftsman, but it gets the job done.

A front tine tiller will give you a workout trying to hold it back.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Without spending lots of money it is hard to beat a pre MTD Troy Bilt Horse made by Garden Way. There is a surprising number of them around that have done little work and have been treated like a member of family. If you are in Ohio I recondition Horse tiller s and sell them as a side job for less money than the box store tiller. You couldn't give me a front tine tiller of I had to use it. As for forward or reverse rotation tines Troy Bilt probably built more rear tine tillers than all others combined and there flagship model was always forward operating. They did succume and build a reversed tine tiller for that market.

 

[old]

My dad got a Troy built tiller back in 1972 and I still use it for my garden. There a good tiller and once you have a garden spot set up it almost tills for it self

 

[Kansas4010]

I would avoid Cub Cadet. My uncle bought one last year. It cost him just over $1,000. It's a useless piece of junk. He got to till his small garden twice before the gearbox seal went out. It was under warranty so the place he bought it from fixed it but took them a couple months to finish. This year he just decided he wasn't really even going to mess with a garden. I'd say personally look for an older machine in good shape. They're much better made. I have a Kubota walk behind tiller and it's been a good machine.

 

[Leroy]

Had both front and rear tine. Front will beat you to death if ground is very hard. And depend on a drag stick to hold it back, without it the tines just act like tires and it travels that fast. Rear tine have a gearbox driving the wheels that controls the speed. Rear tine usually will have tines covered so will not catch on plants like the open front tine will.

 

[MikeJM]

I don t have much experience with anything new, but if you can keep an old Howard GEM running they are a beast. They are too heavy to muscle around and so they are heavy enough to not beat you up.

 

[gab]

My favorite tiller is a 1968 model with a seat. I also have an old MTD front tine for cultivating between the rows, I take the outer tines off but it's still a back breaking S.O.B. for a 70 year old guy. With that in mind and after watching a Mantis commercial, with the old ladys dressed like they just got out of church, using them like there's nothing to it, I bought one. Has a four stroke Honda, kick stand, carrying handle and edger, bought it three years ago, used it about three hours that year and haven't touched it since, isn't any less painful running than the other one but it's fun just listening to that little Honda run.

 

[coshoo]

Rear tine is far better- front tine will beat you to death. I used a Troy-Bilt for years, but now have a BCS- a far superior machine. But they are pricey- you probably won't find a used on for what you're proposing to spend. For tilling between rows, I have a Stihl Kombi with the cultivator attachment. Very handy- can take off the outer set of tines when you need to. When you walk forward with it, tines dig in about an inch or so for cultivating small weeds. If you walk backward, it will bury itself if you let it. I also have the weedwhacker, blower, and pole saw attachments- all work very well. And the power head is 4 cycle, much better than those blasted 2 cycles.

 

[spacecadet9]

I have had a couple of front tine tillers and on harder ground or tearing up turf they will really give you a workout trying to keep the tines in the ground, holding it back, and running away. I now have a rear tine with reversible rotation and it is a lot easier to use and does a better job. I use the reverse rotation to break up ground and forward rotation for cultivation between garden rows. It's a Cub Cadet owned by MTD (Craftsman, Toro, Yard Machine, Troy Built, etc.) and I opted for the Honda engine. It's four years old now and so far no problems.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

I'd agree with butch on the Troy and add the Ariens rear tine. My dad had one. At the time it had a few features the Troy did not. Front counterweight and the controls would swing out with the handles. Other than that, pretty similar. If you're feeling strong there are OLD Ariens out there with one and two cylinder engines. Don't remember the modes but were 24 and 28 inch and HEAVYYYYYYYYY.

 

[Oliver 500 Wa]

..... I used a Troy-Bilt for years, but now have a BCS- a far superior machine. .......

Yep, My BCS is almost 40 years old now. To date, other than regular maintenance like oil changes, it has only needed 4 or 5 new sets of tines, a new seal in the tiller gear box, and a new fuel line.

 

[Mike M]

Stay far away from a front tine tiller. They are man killers !
I'm not too impressed with the troybilts. Too top heavy as the engine sits up high. Tine shaft seals are hard to keep seals in.
I saw a cut away model of a BCS and they look built like a real tractor.
Better yet is one mounted on a tractor. I ran one on the back of a small Kubota and that was effortless in ground that had never been done before with one pass !
The little Mantis units are great after you have had the ground worked before.

 

[Moonlite37]

I am the odd duck as I like the front tine Merry Tiller. I bought one for my dad in 1979 and it is still going well with engine replacements, I have 2 more but seldom use them. They are stored inside and are kept in shape. With drag bar they are not too hard to use. The Merry has an enclosed chain drive and is far better than the worm drive tillers.To each his own opinion

 

[PJH]

gab - how does the drive belt get to your Wheel Horse tiller? Is it routed like the mower belt, or does it run along the right hand side of the tractor? If on the right side, is the belt exposed along the foot rest?

I have a Wheel Horse about the age of yours, but have never seen one with a tiller attached.

You've taken excellent care of your Wheel Horse - it looks nice!

Also - have you ever tried to pull a moldboard plow with your Wheel Horse?

 

[Mike M]

Dad had a Merry tiller. Like night and day better when he got the troy bilt. Then night and day better again when I tried one mounted to a tractor 3 pt.
I'll turn you loose with your Merry in his shale ground and you will soon not like yours ! lol.

 

[old]

I too like the old Troy built tillers. I know when I till the garden in the spring about all you have to do is keep a finger on the handle to keep it going in a straight line. I have even just let go and let it go

 

[rustyfarmall]

I had a Troy-Bilt Horse. Wore it completely out so I bought the Craftsman. The craftsman will do everything the Troy-bilt did except for giving me a good workout. The Craftsman is a whole lot more user friendly.

 

[ericlb]

Ive had a old troybilt red power horse rear tine tiller for years, back when we made them, compared to a front tine tiller, there much better, now that being said, if your in hard pack soil any tiller, no matter which end does the work will work the heck out of you, if the ground is hard or heavy grass, your best bet is to work it over with a tractor first

 

[Dale in WV]

I'll join the majority and recommend Rear Tines -- my Craftsman serves me well, but its excess now that I've obtained my Father-in-Law's Troy Bilt Pony- electric start 'n all. Craftsman, even with adjustable handles didn't quite match my stature - when the tines were engaged, the handles hit me at mid-thigh, it seemed. This old red workhorse fits me just fine. Second the recommendation to break in new ground with a tractor -

Good luck!

 

[gab]

This old one has a belt from the tiller to a two pully equalizer ahead of the rear axle, second belt goes on outside of belt shield to engine. A second shield goes over that belt. The newer tillers just had one long belt I think. And the foot rest is moved out on the old one.
I've got five garden tractors so the tiller has lived on this one for years. I used to have a plow for this tractor and if the ground was just right it worked good, a day too dry or too wet was miserable going.

 

[wrenchere85]

I worked for an equipment rental shop we rented Merry Tillers, a front tine tiller, chain drive drive, and very reparable.Had very little problems with them. Had Honda rear tine tillers and about the only problem with them was people not lifting up on the handle when backing up and bending the hinged cover on the rear. the Honda were rented enough to have to replace the tines every 2 years. Believe me most people do not treat rental equipment nicely, but they seamed to be built to take it.

 

[johndeeregreg]

should add that the garden is right on the edge of the field so it gets a pass with the field cultivator in the spring. mostly looking for something to take care of the weeds during the growing season and to loosen the soil again before we plant the garden, which as things go around here is usually a month or better after the field cultivator has gone over it.

 

[sammydwm]

wife is very happy with the Craftsman I bought her several years ago. It has tines that can go in either direction which is nice for incorporating the manure, If the tines only go in reverse it tends to ball everything up between the tines and tires, the old troybuilts would do this, my dad had one and bought a front tine to work in layers of leaves and mulch that the troybuilt wouldn't.

 

[Mutt and Jeff]

Merry Tiller
dance it on the "peg"
lift handles it goes forward
push down on handles it sits on peg and grinds the hard sections.



light maneuverable and very efficient

a section of 7018 welding rod tacked through the side of a 5" long 1/2" conduit and with a hook on the end makes quick work of pulling out the wrapped weeds

 

[Mutt and Jeff]

PS that hook on a handle tool also makes a dandy spring puller for reattaching the mowerdeck or other attached mechanism springs.

 

[PJH]

Thanks for the reply. I've always wondered how the tiller was powered.

A friend gave me another old Wheel Horse with a plow attached, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[RedGreenGuy]

I have front tine Simplicity purchased new in 1966. 5 hp. On 2nd engine. Has been good machine. Mine has reverse gear for getting out of tight places. I like this feature as I get much older and cannot drag it out of those tight spots. It has 3 sets of tines for each side. So I can till 24" wide down to about 9" by removing sets of tines.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Neighbor works his garden with a small Troybilt does a nice job on weeds between the rows and he is 70+ years old.I make my rows wide enough usually 6ft on center to drive my compact
MF 220 with a 4ft wide tiller between the rows.

 

[Deere Scotty]

How big is Your garden to start with?

 

[Tramway Guy]

Have had a Troy-bilt Econo Horse since 1991. Only had to do regular maintenance, except for changing tiller shaft seals once. Have a spare set of tines that haven?t been needed. Our ground is mostly clay. Sandy soil would wear them out, I suppose.

 

[ztrmowers]

rear tine tiller I like had a troybilt then went to a snapper no comparison, still have the 70 era snapper with swing tines basically goes on its one after first breakup pass, it is heavy thou. thinking about selling it we have went to raise beds with these tillers are no longer needed what we are see so far anyway I just sold neighbor a new rear tine Husqvarna unit. its nice but again it is heavy depends on your age and what you are wanting to do, the heavy units do way better job thou.

 

[larry@stinescorner]

I like the troy bilt

 

[jacksun65]

I have a husqvarna drt900. Works good for a regular garden in the spring work up with the counter rotating tine. Then for knocking weeds down between rows use the foward rotating. No its not a heavy duty tiller for working up hard yards from sod, but for what it's built for works good.

 

[Texasmark1]

If I were to do it again it would be a riding machine and since I already have a 3 pt 6' that would be the weapon of choice. For tuneups I'd use my Mantis 2 stroker. Hands down the easiest machine machine and best cutter I ever had in my hands and I have had most front and rear tine.

 

[johndeeregreg]

roughly 15-20' X 100-120'. last year it was probably 100' longer decided we don't need that big of a weed patch and in a reality that was way bigger than we needed any way

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 08:32:35 07/11/19) I like the troy bilt
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto29118.jpg">

Looks exactly like my Dad's old Troy built Horse model tiller. I think he bought it in about 1978. It's been inside a storage shed for 25 years. Now I had to move it out since I need the space in the shed. I did get it running again when I pulled it out of the shed.

The tiller is in excellent condition. I remember using it as a kid. When you tilled with it, you could just walk along beside it holding one of the handles and let the machine do all the work.

I have two tractors now and don't need this thing. I wish I knew someone that could use it.