Tillers?

papaw · #1 03/03/07, 09:05 AM

I mentioned on another thread about the Troy Built and Mantis tillers. Is the Troy Built Pony worth the money? ($1K+) and would the pair ...Troy Built PonyES and 4 cycle Honda powered Mantis ...be a good match for a small 1/4 to 1/2 acre garden????

Anyone have opinions on either of these machines?

Rocky Fields · #2 03/03/07, 12:26 PM

Hey.

Hey.

I've used an older "horse" and it was reliable and well built.

I've also used the mantis. It is only good for small garden areas. The first one I had shucked some gear teeth in the gearbox and locked up. The second one held up better. Both of them were prone to recoil starter problems in dusty soil. The dust would get up under the cover and the grabber fingers would hang up. You would have to open the top and clean things out to get the recoil to grab again. It has a thin air filter that needs constant cleaning or replacement. It will dig deep. It is great to get into tight areas to till without disturbing plants in close quarters. On heavy soil it will bounce up if you don't take it slow. It is expensive for what you get and I would recommend a bigger tiller if you only end up buying one.

You might also want to consider a used garden tractor with impliments as another possibility.

BTW: I believe Troybuilt is mfg. by MTD

Rocky Fields · #3 03/03/07, 12:31 PM

ooooppppssss. "Hey. Hey." I sound like a Canadian who stutters;-)

annie716 · #4 03/03/07, 01:27 PM

I have a pony that was passed down by my mom when she quit gardening, it's probably 15-20 yrs old but is the only pull start machine I own that I can count on starting every time. I bought a mantis size tiller from Sears a couple of years ago and love that too. The pony works great in the beginning of the season for prep work and between the rows (we have about 1/2 acre garden) and the small one works great for after the plants get bigger & there's not enough room between the row for the pony, it's also great for flower beds. I don't know how I've lived this long without it. If you pull it towards you it'll dig anything as deep as you want! It's alot of money but don't think you could go wrong. I wouldn't be afraid to buy an old one either if you can find it.

13Blackbirds · #5 03/03/07, 02:07 PM

We market garden a little over 2 acres. I cannot imagine life without our Troybilt. We bought a new one last year (Horse ES) and sold our 20 year old machine to get away from the pull cord and a few other little problems. I loved the old one and I love the new one even more. I will say, however, that we had a terrible time actually buying the new Troybilt. We went to our local dealer who "ordered" it. We waited 6 weeks, called him twice and then decided that he was not doing his job. So we went to another dealer about 45 minutes away. He said that he could order it and have it in 2 weeks. We waited. A month later he called to say that it had arrived and that he was putting it together and we could pick it up the next day. The next day he called and said that it wouldn't start and he needed another day to work on it. Two more weeks we gave up and called Troybilt ourselves. They were...less than helpful at first. They didn't want to ship a tiller to us, they wanted us to use a dealer. Finally they agreed. The tiller arrived three days later (which was amazing) but when the truck driver opened the truck to unload it, the crate was smashed and the throttle line had been severed. The driver insisted that it was Troybilt's fault for packing the tiller so badly. (Honestly, it was in a pretty lightweight crate.) So I called Troybilt AGAIN. They said they were sorry but shipping to individuals never went well.
After I lost my patience, which at this point seemed a little overdue, I talked to the manager. He sent a new Troybilt out that day, it arrived in perfect condition and we've used it almost every day since.
The additional side is that we also ordered attachments. Troybilt forgot to send them initally then double-shipped them. They very nicely told us to keep the extras but what does one do with two sets of hiller blades?
We also have a Mantis. Bought it at HomeDepot and have never had a problem. I'm not its biggest fan, I like a push plow for getting into small spaces. My dad likes it a lot and uses it frequently.

papaw · #6 03/03/07, 02:53 PM

Thanks all ....we're still reading and looking. All the info is helpful as both are expensive investments.

papaw · #7 03/04/07, 12:17 PM

bump

elkhound · #8 03/04/07, 04:51 PM

i got a older troybilt horse at a auction for 150 bucks.it was in the middle of winter and i broguht it home put a shot of gas in it and it fired right up.i let it run for a few minutes and took it to the garden and tilled through the snow with it.....lol...i just had to see if it worked.i been useing it for the past 3 or 4 years and it is a dandy machine.it looks to be a early 70's model.it has the nice cast arms instead of the metal tubing ones like they have now.

also got a walk behind troybilt string trimmer....it is great....it will cut dried corn stalks down fast. i give troybilt machines A+ on my experience with them so far.

1_gunner · #9 03/08/07, 10:57 AM

papaw - I know there is a lot of loyalty for the Troy-built tillers but there are other tiller options. I own both a Troy-built and an Ariens Rocket VII. The Rocket is very similar in design to the Troybuilt Horse. The Rocket has much heavier built castings and drive train, is very simple in design, completely owner serviceable, and all the parts are still available through an Ariens dealer. Best of all you can pick one up for about $250. Airens never marketed the tillers very well so they never became as popular as the Troy-built. Also as a note; if you go with the Troy be aware that the quality of the newer Troy tillers is not what it used to be. My Troy was built by Garden Way about 20 years ago. Garden Way was the company that Troy built its reputation on. The newer tillers (my buddy has one) are now manufactured by MTD and the quality differences are obvious when we put his new horse next to my old horse. Just my 2cents.

1_gunner

sleeps723 · #10 03/08/07, 11:16 AM

i have an extra troybilt 7hp completely rebuilt for sale. its the older one 1974, has book with it.

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #11 03/08/07, 11:29 AM

look into the simplicity 7016 rear tine tiller i like mine very much it is comparable to a troy built but i think a better deal to the $

papaw · #12 03/08/07, 06:49 PM

I can get a new Pro-line Troy Bilt for about 1K. It is about the same machine as the Pony except it has a Honda engine. The warranty is as good as any machine that I've looked at.
The BSC looks like a great tiller, except for the price and no one around here works on them.
The MTD thing is a hill I'll have to cross...but the Honda engine helps.