Roto tillers

[dragonrider]

I use the backhoe on my Kubota, then I go over it with a Troybilt Pony.

[Garyshome]

I use a Craftsman that my father bought in 1966 [I think]. Runs really well!

[labradigger1]

I am a gravely man! eat, sleep and breathe them. I have an old (probably mid 60's) molel LI with gear reduction wheels i use a rotary plow and brushog on and a 1978 L8 with a cultivator i use for tilling. For prep work i use a 30" tiller that mounts to the drawbar on my 1978 gravely 816s, sit on my rear and till away. So help me i have dug out creek rocks larger than a 5 gallon bucket with the walk behinds and rider and never broke anything. Something to be said about AMERICAN made steel and cast iron to last that long. I am pretty sure these machines will be passed down when i am to old to use them. No belts to wear out and slip either, all gear drive.
The older troy builts are excellent machines also.
I love older American machines, especially pre war, they poured alot of pride and steel into what we made here. My old south bend metal lathe was made in 1913 and is VERY accurate to this day. Chinese and japanese stuff is garbage! Everything they make is disposable. What a shame.
Lab

[Hickory]

John Deere w/ plow and disc and cultivator.
Garden was 2+ acres last year, will do nearly 5 acres this year.
Sweet corn, melons and beets sell very well here.

[oldgrouch]

We used a front tine tiller for years. It was a workout! Last year we expanded the garden and purchased a Cub Cadet rear tine tiller. What a difference. Even my wife uses it with no problems (except for kicking up the occasional rock here on Rocky Top).

[oldgrouch]

I'm running a 1949 Ford 8N. It's like me: old and sometimes a bit cranky. It has been converted from 6 volts to 12 volts. I have a small plow, pole lift, disc ...... and am looking for a bush hog. Gardening is work.

[Beagle333]

Just replaced the belts on my TroyBilt Super Bronco..... and every time I do it, I swear I'm gonna find a model that has easier access to the belts. It's a great machine, but it just doesn't have to be that trying to change a belt on something.

[nagantguy]

Stopped tilling a while ago, use several feet of mulch to keep weeds down and moister in buy not tearing up the soil you don't get hardpan, and the natural soil cultures remain healthy. When shtf fuel and parts for a tiller are the last things I want to worry about.

[snuffy]

Well, I'm going to break the trend of big , heavy tillers mentioned on this thread. Mine is a MANTIS! Yeah that little 2 cycle tiller that you can lift with one hand. It's just flat amazing how much work you can do with it.

From initial soil prep it's a job to get the depth you need for some crops, but then for weeding, you can get in tiny spaces, around each plant. It'll run all year on a half gallon of gas.

Way back when my folks first had a garden, we had a 2 wheel Bolens ""tractor"". It had a cultivator, and a front mounted plow. The cultivator had 6 diggers that the pathetic tractor could not pull through ground more the 2" deep. If you kept at it, you would eventually get a seed bed.

Next came another Bolens, this time a 8HP tractor with a snow blower, 38 inch mower deck and 38" rear tine tiller. That worked pretty good, but was under powered .

I started work at the J.I. Case outdoor power factory as a welder. I had the opportunity to buy one of the 14 horse tractors with a 48 inch blower, mower and rear mounted hydraulic driven tiller. Great machine, the best part was the tiller, you could go a deep as 8" and the result was a fine seed bed. It would mulch plant refuse into the soil. The big draw-back was it's size, for initial soil prep it was great, but then once the garden was planted you were back to a hoe.

So the next purchase was a Troy 8 HP horse model. The Kohler engine is a tough-to-beat, hard working, and efficient.

Sadly, the folks are gone, the farm is gone, now it's just me and my samll garden plot and some containers on the lawn. So the Mantis is all I need.

[mikeym1a]

My dad used a Troy as soon as he could afford one. He was even an 'exclusive' dealer for a time. you know where that went. Our ground was poor, lots of shale, and it ate up his tines quickly. He finally got tired of replacing them, and took then to the old blacksmith/welder in town, who got some old leaf springs, and cut, bent, welded, and sharpened the result. Cost dad much less than the cost of a new set from troy, and lasted 4 times as long. mikey

[Geezer in NH]

Got a 5 foot now called Country line tiller from TS on my 28hp diesel Chinese tractor. (Make sure you set the slip clutch) and a 6hp Craftsman we bought for 50 bucks 15 years ago. Also have a Stihl tiller head for the weed whacker we use in the close areas and raised beds.

[phantom15]

Don't bet on it....troy built is a quality machine,

[Garyshome]

Sears with front tines, got it from my father who bought it new.

[Went2kck]

I have 2 old Frazer roto tillers. These are both 5 horse 2 cycle. Would like to sell One and fix the other one as they don't run but have good compression. these are from the 40s I think and you can still get parts for them.

[rmatchell]

We have an old tiller that my father in law gave us. I always have to pour a lil gas in the carp to get it to starr but after that it runs for a bit its ok for the rest of the spring. We also use my dads Massey 135 with grampas old plow works great for our 20x40 garden,

[starmac]

We have an old tiller that my father in law gave us. I always have to pour a lil gas in the carp to get it to starr but after that it runs for a bit its ok for the rest of the spring. We also use my dads Massey 135 with grampas old plow works great for our 20x40 garden,

LOL I would hope so. lol It would take longer to remember where the keys are than to plow the garden. lol

[wlc]

Older model (late 70's-early 80's) Troy bilt horse. Nuthin' better than those old troy bilts for a tiller.

[merlin101]

I have a Kubota 4x4 tractor with a single bottom plow and a 36-40" Howard Rotovator for behind.
I also have a Gravely L with the bush hog and found a 'parts' Gravely at a yardsale for IIRC$150 that included a finish mower, rotor tiller,and rotary land plow! The tiller's gear box got some water in and cracked the case so thats on the 'to do' list.
All this and I have just a small garden

[Nomadnailer]

I have several gravely tractors and have had the tiller attachment I got rid of the tiller and now have a horse and pony with electric start. The gravely is to much machine for the small gardener meaning less than an acre.

[ballistim]

I have an older 8 horse Troy Built, rebuilt the carb last year, need to replace the blades this year, not cheap but will make this old tiller good for years to come.