Garden roto-tiller

[shtur]

What are some recommendations for a push behind garden rototiller. I thought this would be the best area to ask the question. I am only having a 80 foot long by 20 foot wide garden area. I have many raised beds and now want to have a garden plot for the runner type plants.

[BUCKEYE BANDIT]

Get an older Troy Built Horse if you can find one locally.

[crowbuster]

Get an older Troy Built Horse if you can find one locally.

roger that

[farmerjim]

+3 on older Troy Built I am still using the one I bought in 1985

[bangerjim]

I drug my TB tiller all the way from MI to AZ over 30 years ago. Excellent machine. But bringing it down here to caliche-land was a big mistake. It has sit under a tarp for decades. That layer of "dirt" is best tilled with explosives.

But go TB!

[wcp4570]

I agree with everyone else. I bought a Troy Build Horse model used about 15 years ago and it's still going strong. I have a huge garden every year and this year I had to purchase a reversing wheel. I ask the lady that took my order what year it was made and based on the serial number it was between 1977 to 80. These things are like old Farmall tractor that just keep on going.

wcp

[shtur]

Thanks for the responses. Would there be anything bad about getting a new Troy Built? The probability of getting a new one is better than finding an older one, that's why I have asked the question.

[MaryB]

New ones are not built as tough...

I picked up a Honda FG110 mini tiller last year to weed between rows mainly. Found out it is powerful enough that I tilled my entire garden with it this spring. My garden is smaller though at 15x~30'

[country gent]

We turn garden plots with a 1066 international farm tractor and chisel plow then disc with the field beside it. Well you use what you have available. since dad turns 150 acres and my brother close to 300. Dad does have a wheel horse rider with a tiller on the back for odd jobs. The troy builts are good tillers. the motors used a slinger to distribute oil and on hills or running angled iot would always sling enough oil. But thats a issue with any motor that uses the oil slinger rather than a pump.

[wcp4570]

I would suggest taking a look on Craig's List near your location. That's where I found mine. New horse model is expensive.

wcp

[johnson1942]

pay some one to till it. then cover in black plastic. every year after that cover in new black plastic. i have a very high end tiller and it sits in the garage, havent used it in five years. my garden is bigger than ever. containers, straw bales and black plastic. some one said to me try red plastic, would if i could get it as cheap a black plastic. the rabbits and bugs dont get in my containers, i put tires around each hole i punch in the black plastic. just planted 10 raspberry plants to day in a old compost filled cattle water tank. have 100 leeks in the other one. no weeds and no rabbits or mice. another smaller cattle tank has 100 green onions in it and will replace them as i eat them. potatoes will go in 15 gallon calf feed containers at the end of the month. radishes will go in another cattle water tank. i had to pay 25 dollars for one of them but the rest i got for free. wont weed a garden any more, no need to the way i do it. i put one hole in the bottom of each of my 15 gallon containers so they wont build up stagnant water in them. use my 45 cowboy pistol for that job. have about 25 of these 15 gallon containers in the garden. also have a couple of huge old tractor tires filled with good compost. strawberries in one of them and peppers will go in the other. have several pickup truck tires filled with compost and the rhubarb goes nuts in those. their are other ways to garden than till.

[shtur]

That's a coincidence, my wife is on a mission to find used cattle troughs for container gardening. I wasn't wishing her luck in finding them, but now that I have seen the first gopher, I hope she finds some.

[farmerjim]

What MaryB said. The new ones are not built as strong.

[44man]

I have the old Troy. Big one but I hate turning it around, it is HEAVY but it sure works.
One thing I wish it had was a faster tine speed with slower wheels. No way to adjust. I wish forward speed could be adjusted without slowing tines.

[Lloyd Smale]

I'm with him if possible. First I bought a tiller and cheaped out. I picked up 5 hp unit and even for my small garden its a workout. It pretty much gave up on it after my neighbor got a tiller for his big tractor. He does what took me an hour to do in about 3 minutes. two swipes and hes done.
pay some one to till it. then cover in black plastic. every year after that cover in new black plastic. i have a very high end tiller and it sits in the garage, havent used it in five years. my garden is bigger than ever. containers, straw bales and black plastic. some one said to me try red plastic, would if i could get it as cheap a black plastic. the rabbits and bugs dont get in my containers, i put tires around each hole i punch in the black plastic. just planted 10 raspberry plants to day in a old compost filled cattle water tank. have 100 leeks in the other one. no weeds and no rabbits or mice. another smaller cattle tank has 100 green onions in it and will replace them as i eat them. potatoes will go in 15 gallon calf feed containers at the end of the month. radishes will go in another cattle water tank. i had to pay 25 dollars for one of them but the rest i got for free. wont weed a garden any more, no need to the way i do it. i put one hole in the bottom of each of my 15 gallon containers so they wont build up stagnant water in them. use my 45 cowboy pistol for that job. have about 25 of these 15 gallon containers in the garden. also have a couple of huge old tractor tires filled with good compost. strawberries in one of them and peppers will go in the other. have several pickup truck tires filled with compost and the rhubarb goes nuts in those. their are other ways to garden than till.

[dave524]

The new Troybuilt stuff appears to be identical to MTD, at least up here in Canada.

[44man]

The new Troybuilt stuff appears to be identical to MTD, at least up here in Canada.
Some IS MTD, they are in Ohio and make stuff for all makers. They make junk to top quality depending on the brand. All low end junk is MTD because specs from Sears, etc are different.
Same as Murry that makes almost every snow blower from the junk to the best depending on the name. I bought a huge one from Northern and it is great but my friends have small ones that suck. They are still made by the same company.
Friends have the most trouble with Honda engines.
Chainsaws too. Buy a cheap Poulan and suffer but get a top end and they work. Mac made saws from junk that worked 10 minutes to saws that run for 50 years.
I have a Yard Machine made by MTD that is a pile of junk. But a full MTD can run forever.

[Lloyd Smale]

my tiller is an mtd. It doesn't impress me with its quality in any way but the price was right and I honestly don't have much of a garden and I'm sure it will outlast me. I think 90 percent of its wear is from people borrowing it.