James, every Thursday morning, I get my grandson off to school and settle in for my coffee and James video. Can't tell you how much I look forward to seeing something new and interesting from you every week. You are a great teacher and an inspiration to so many viewers. Thank you!
@@jcondon1James next on the Tecumseh fuel lines take a bolt and connect it to the existing fuel line and then use electric tape and you can pull it right thru. Doneyboy has a good video on it.
We inherited my wife’s grandfather’s 1967 Troybilt Horse after we got married. This was 25 years ago. It had a 5hp Tecumseh. I lost my religion more times than I care to remember trying to start that thing. But of course this was before RUclips and your videos. Anyway, I bought a brand new Kohler direct replacement engine and it’s been the best money I ever spent. First pull every time. Love it. We actually keep it in our basement. It’s an old heirloom with a new heart.
My mother bought one like that right after they came out. I can remember the commercial for them of a lady going along behind the machine using only one hand to control the machine with. You could do that easily until you hit a rock then you'd better hang on with everything you have because it's going wherever it wants to go. Lol great video again sir.
I volunteer at ReStore - Habitat for Humanity's retail store - and a several years ago we had one of these come in as a donation. The donator said he couldn't get it started but when it ran, it ran well. I'm somewhat familiar with this Tecumseh engine since it was on the first snowblower my father had years ago so I had a go at it. Got it running; like yours, it ran well and smoothly. One of the guys at the store decided he'd "test" it at home to make sure it worked. He brought it back the next day and complained it ran too well. Seems that he under estimated how powerful the engine really was. While tiling he slipped and fell and the tiller dragged him for a few feet before he let go. The person who bought it was a regular customer and always talks about how well it still is running today. Don't make them like they used to.
James, you and I are around the same age, give or take a few years. I have to tell you that your videos are a Godsend, especially these last several months. Your videos help me zone out from life for an hour or so, and I thank you for that, especially since I really enjoy watching your methodology and skills being applied to these machines to bring them back to life. Thanks, man, I really appreciate it.
In the late 70s my uncle started a small engine shop. We used to work,on a local landscapers machines. His guys was animals. Very hard on equipment. I serviced 6 new mowers one morning. At noon they came back with 4 of them broken. Handles broke, wheels broke. They just throw them off the truck I guessed. One day they came in and we thought it was weird the boss didn't come in or call. He ran a flower shop m as well. Guy was in a panic. They had a machine on the truck I recognized immediately. Only one I ever saw, it was the bosses personal troy built tiller. The big one. It was the biggest tiller I ever saw so I knew right away who's it was. They dropped it off the truck and busted the carb. Snapped it right off. My uncle told them it's a easy fix but it's gonna hurt. No after market back then. I remember it well. My uncle made them pay for the carb up front. It was over $100 just for the part. Plus gaskets and labor. He told them he give them the labor to help them out. It only took me a few minutes to put it on. They ponied up the money, we fixed it. Back then $100 was alot of money . Was probably over a weeks pay for a couple guys. They stopped throwing stuff off the truck.
@@johncourtneidgeit is still the biggest tiller I ever saw. That old way of making stuff. Big,heavy,expensive. It was a beast. You could till up a huge garden in no time with that thing. Glad they picked it up and dropped it off for service. It weighed as much as a car. What a beast. The boss had to notice the new shiney carb on it. Not red anymore.
James great save, a tip from my grandfather from many years past 2/3 gear oil 90w and 1/3 gear grease mixed with a mixer helps with stopping leaks and lubrication in small engine gear boxes. Keep posting. Tks Michael.
I like watching your videos. You are meticulous and patient. That machine is from an era when companies still built their products to last and be repaired. Thanks for extending its life.
I don't want to "dump on" all makers... there are still some solid machines that can be maintained to have a long life... Those don't show up in "mart" stores though. The TroyBilt brand under current ownership is not as tough as it used to be.
I have the home gardener model build by Mastport and it is 44 years old and is still as when we brought it for $250 in 1980. they still this model but it cost $1500.
Growing up in the 80s my Dad had one just like this and when you started this machine up those engine sounds brought back so many memories back from all of those different growing seasons throughout all of those years 😎🙂👍
I have one (Horse model) from the 1970;s. Best way I have found to get the tine assembly off, if it is siezed, is to take the pin out and operate it in hard clay or similar hard soil. Generally, spins it free so you can slip it off. Great machines back in the day. Great video. I had to eventually repower mine as the old Tecumseh (not a fan) just was beyond repair.
I just tilled my mothers garden using this exact model on Monday! We've been using a single tine toro for years, and we asked if we could borrow the neighbors troy bilt. This thing ate up the earth like nobodys business. We were done in under an hour. Cool to see this video so soon after.
You gotta drop that depth lever all the way so you can push the tines into the soil. The rear end flap should be riding on the top of the soil with the tines dug in, spinning and churning almost all the way up to the fender. Think kneeding dough, and you're kinda just scoring it on top with a fork. The drive function should be in its slowest pace, just strong enough to drag the tines forward into more dirt. Dig in bud!
The soil should be all torn up for more than 6 inches, otherwise you aren't turning under the other plants root systems, and they'll grow back among your tomato plants.
Those Troy bilt made in Troy, New York were excellent machines. I have a 15 horsepower Horse which is an animal. Always nice watching James. Thank you.
They throw 100 lb. rocks out of the ground like nothing. They have tractor tires on them and they will drag you. They have a high and low range transmission and they can pull you around like a rag doll.
This was a welcomed video and will be quite helpful to me and my son, he has a older tiller just like this one and has been setting in my shed for years and never run. So we now have a winter project to work on . Thank you for sharing with everyone. Fred.
I have a Troy Bilt Econ Horse, purchased new back in mid 80's. Still running strong. Easy to start. My model had a leak in the rear seal at the end of the shaft between the tines. My shield has enclosed sides. A well made machine back in the day. Mine has seen more use than your machine. I replaced the tines about 8 years ago. Glad that the water did not damage the transmission. There was a LOT of water which came out. My machine has spent its life in the garage except for the short time tilling the garden each year. Good to see your machine back for a second life.
I have the Troy Built Horse, the 8 horse power version. I believe that we purchased it in the 1970's. We till about a half acre several times a year to control weeds. It takes about 4 hours. It does an amazing job if I keep the ground soft and weeds small. Great machine!
That was made back when Troy built was the best tiller on the market before MTD made changes to Troy built company thank you for posting this video on this tiller James 😎👍💰
Well, I had a Troy Built tiller like this AFTER MTD owned the company and it was nothing like the quality that this one seems to have. I have rocky ground and I found that the tines were made of some sort of soft steel because they bent every time I used it. It also had some different size drive pulleys so that you could run at different speeds - you changed the speed by having a lever which raised the entire engine on a lever so that the different size drive pulley could be used. Like the tines this lever bent every time you used it. Then on a larger garden the tine width was far too small for what I needed. I sold this beast soon after and cursed MTD for ruining what was a good quality make originally.
MTD didn't make changes to the company. Troy-Bilt went out of business, and a few years later the name was sold to MTD. MTD is NOT making true Troy-Bilts, just slapping the name on their products. John Deere riding mowers and Motorola walkie-talkies are the same: made by companies you've never heard of, with the brand name they bought slapped on.
BCS tillers we're far superior to Troy Built. No belts, clutch and gear selector for the wheels, pto clutch for the tines and array of implements( sweeper,brush cutter, snow blower ECT) . Tiller tines spun really fast without slippage. Check em out.
Kudos on a great video! 👍 I have a 1985ish 8hp Troybilt Horse that I bought new back in the day and have taken good care of so it runs as good today as it did almost 40 years ago! They are a great machine. 😊
James, I worked my way through high school and undergrad fixing lawn equipment for a hardware store. It was fun to bring a non-operable mower or tiller back to life. Your videos remind me of those days 60 years ago! Thanks!
Very good video again James! I love the old equipment over the new because it was just built to last . The only down fall in this case is that Tecumseh is no longer in business , however you could repower it if needed .But I also look at it as they built engines to last if taken care of . One funny thing which I did today when I was mowing our back yard is the same thing you did and that was to turn the gas on . I \'m mowing and all of a sudden my mower started to surge and I was like what the heck , then it dawned on me to turn the gas on . Oh well. Take care sir and catch you on your next video.
James that is amazing to see the quality of the Manuals back in the day. Caterpillar always provided good manuals for repair and service with their equipment too. I should add the quality of that Tiller is first class, you would struggle to find one made like that today.
I love the older power equipment with adjustable carbs. And parts made of steel! I like that you show the younger people the principle of carb adjustment and fine tuning. The surging under load at the end of the video was really a great illustration of how the mixture plays together with the work being done!
I have watched almost all of your videos as they really distract me from my health problems and help me relax. That tiller certainly was designed and built well. As always, I appreciate your thoroughness and care for details. Best wishes!
Rance here, I to want to give you my thanks and appreciation for your time and efforts required to produce rhese high quality videos that afford us pleasure and a learning experience. For me your videos are perfect and again "Thank you"
My grandfather had one of these. It was built like an old Chevrolet farm truck. The soil on his IA farm - when I put my weight onto the handles the tines sunk all the way in. That Tecumseh engine angled its nose up into the sky.
That is a nice old tiller, you just can't beat older equipment, it's must built to last unlike the junk of today. Nice work fixing up this old tiller James!
"Troy-Built" used to be a reliable sign of really GOOD quality. That seems to be reflected in this machine. I guess that small roto-tillers are much like mobile generators in that they are are used on a very limited basis. Long periods of time can be spent awaiting the next use. Certainly not much "day to day" usage. Your step by step analysis of the current issues is very thorough AND educational. I always learn more about the "machines" involved. The Black gloves are also a nice touch for the video watchers. Thank you very much!!
I've got the exact same tiller. I replaced the motor with one from Harbor Freight, and it bolted right on. I had to remove the oil shutoff on the motor because of all the tilting I do when tilling it would cut off. It's leaking a bit around the drive wheels so watching you take those seals off and replacing them was a huge help for when I do it. Thanks for sharing.
Got to love those old Troy-Bilt tillers. Very little plastic on that ol' girl. I must be crazy, but if there was ever a tiller that warranted a full restoration, it would be this one....that is, in about ten years when it was fully broke in....🙂
Hi James - I had a similar problem with the tynes and the oil leaks at the shaft- on a Masport Rota Hoe ( New Zealand brand ) My dad & I cut out thick felt washers and placed them between the seal and the tyne - we covered these felt washers in grease and they have worked well - still in use today/ The troy machine is a bit more upmarket than the rota hoe - they are both about the same age however. Anyway they both get the job done effectively.... well done - I do like the old Tecumseh engines - much smoother than B&S of the time.
My parents had one of these growing up and I remember it being a BEAST. My brother would have the auger completely underground and engine sticking straight up and it just went. It was only used for 30 min every year but damn was it reliable. Same thing with our chipper shredder. Same engine.
3 месяца назад
We used ours a lot more, spring ,summer and fall: we had different crops. As soon as lettuce, peas, chard and spinach were done , they were tilled under for corn, beans and tomatoes. They were plowed under for fall broccoli, cauliflower, and brussule sprouts. I picked the last of them Christmas week one year. Just to see rows of corn get chopped up and buried in one pass was beautiful: a great machine! The tomato vines were too tough and had to be pulled out.
Those were great tillers. My grandfather bought one in the early 90s, and it's still running stong. I always thought the drive wheels could have been a bit slower but we have really hard dirt where I live.
buddy i grew up with. his dad worked at the troy shop for troy bilt. he use to bring home parts for horses and build them in basement then sell them off. also bring the 8hp motors and toss them on minibikes. omg the fun we had. we were not allowed to use the tiller tho. as they buck bad and u have to learn to it go when it does hahhaha.... when i buy one of these i check the ser to see if years he worked there it was made. offten think his hands may have touched this tiller back then when building it. memorys........... you brought back memorys for me mr c. ty
James, once again a great video. Since you mentioned getting a part from Amazon I would like to tell you a recent story I had regarding Amazon. My van started leaking from the thermostat housing so I nursed it home and went about finding the replacement part. First Chrysler discontinued the part and it is now made by Dorman. All the big name part stores could get the part in about 5-7 days for roughly $35. While googling other possibilities it said Amazon had the part so I went to their site. I found the exact same part by Dorman for $19 and a new thermostat (Gates) for $8 and it would be delivered in just hours. It arrived at 6:30 am and I was back on the road literally 30 minutes later.
What a sad day when Gardenway, the parent company of Troy Bilt went bankrupt. I still have my Troy Horse and it still performs like the day I bought it back in the early 80s. They are so well built that that they very seldom needed repairs but if they ever needed repair, the owners manual included a complete shop manual with step by stem directions as how to make the repairs. Although the TroyBilt tillers are still made, they are nothing as compared to the older ones.
Very nice repair. That's a well made Tiller. I'm impressed OEM parts are still available. The bolts for the tines are breakaway bolts. Protects the machine if it hits a big rock or root.
I have a 8 hp Briggs Troy Bilt tiller purchased in 2001. These machines are tanks. I would rather have a 20 yr old one than the tillers they sell today. I also have a 2001 Gravely 16 hp tractor which is similarly bulletproof. They don’t make equipment like this anymore. Great video as always.
Those tillers are designed to be run with one hand so you can walk to one side of the freshly tilled dirt. "No wheel marks or foot prints" was one of the tag lines in Troy-Bilt ads. When I was a kid, my dad bought a Pony (next size up from the Jr). It had a 5 hp Briggs I/C on it. I ran it a lot, much of it one handed. I wish you had pulled the depth bar all the way up. Those tillers look pretty cool running down a row with the nose pointed at the sky, tines buried in the dirt and the tine guard flat on the fresh dirt.
3 месяца назад
Less weeds that way too. The rain would soak in and had less erosion.
James, it always amazes me how you can come up with wiring diagrams, part numbers and torque specs on so many of these different pieces of equipment that you are able to resurrect. I would love to see a video on how you find this information. Other than that, I am always impressed with your presentation and content. Thanks.
Great video. I love it when I see videos like this showing every pain staking detail. I have been working on my Craftsman front tine tiller and watching videos on it, so RUclips took me to this video automatically. I started watching and couldn't stop. I watched the entire hour and a half, lol.
top notch entertainment 79 years young and still enjoy mechanics . my latest toy is a Twin Busch 242-A. two post car lift . €2,200 euros delivered and it came in two days .
Another amazing video. This was full of challenges, which you overcame. I owned a troy built tiller like this one with a Koehler engine. It was the best engine I have ever owned.
Great job on the tiller James. I always thought those Troy built had the tines turn in opposite direction, while the wheels turned forward. That’s why they worked so well. I guess I was wrong. And I wondered why you didn’t stick the axle pin through the wheel and then the axle. I figured that out. Thats just for travel. I’ve had a craftsman tiller for years and didn’t know this about those pins. By the way, I’ve sheered 3 of those off this year. Keep up the good work on the videos.
You might consider getting a multi hole punch for making gasket screw holes. Enjoy watching you trouble shooting and repairing old equipment,learning a lot even at my 80 years of age.
I really enjoy your videos, James. Thank you for your effort in the engine work as well as the videos. Naturally, I was not surprised your power washer was a small engine version 😄
Great video James! Luckily for me, I just acquired an almost identical tiller that needs some work. I hope mine turns out as good as yours has. Thanks for this!
Beautiful. I hope the gear box didn't take less oil than expected because there's a quart of sludge in there that didn't drain. Maybe not worth it but could try an oil change now that it's run. Really appreciate your logical and thorough approach to bringing back these fine old machines.
I can remember seeing a neighbour using one of those things to till his vegetable garden. It was interesting to me as a young child to see how it easily churned up the soil ready to be raked and then planted. I'm always impressed by your attention to detail and how much care you take to make sure that everything has been fixed so that the machine will work for years to come. It's also fun to watch you work. It's nowhere near as much fun working on my own stuff. I finally got another carburetor, drilled the jet out slightly, put it on, then turned the fuel on, the ignition on, the choke on, pulled a few times on the rope... and it promptly snapped! 🤨 No worries, I thought. I've seen James replace the rope on these things. I unscrewed the pull-start from the cowling and tried to unscrew the bolt to get the winch out so that I could replace the rope... and the bolt promptly snapped right off! 🤥 So now I have an engine that I can't even start until and unless I get a new starting rope assembly... whatever it's called. I gave up in disgust for the time being, but I guess I'm at the point where I feel like I just about have to see it through, so I'll be trying to get a new pull-start mechanism (second hand if possible). I really do want to get the (insert expletive here) thing going, but I'm starting to seriously wonder if I'm being a schmuck and should just cut my losses and sell it as a parts machine.
It’s different when it’s your own equipment that you need to use. There is nothing worse, especially if it’s needed and waiting for a week or two for parts to arrive may not be an option.
It’s different when it’s your own equipment that you need to use. There is nothing worse, especially if it’s needed and waiting for a week or two for parts to arrive may not be an option.
I loved watching you bring this well-made older machine back to life. I would take a nice older machine like this tiller any day over some newer poorly made, half-plastic made in china piece of junk.
I have an old Sears tiller with a 6hp engine of that make. I love that old engine, it idles low and you can set it just above idle to till already worked soil, when you hit a hard spot you can hear the governor pick up and the engine will load up. The tiller won't stall and the tines keep moving at the same speed, but that thing is like a tractor engine or a diesel engine, it just pulls and pulls.
Excluding having sold this to someone else who didn't do maintenance, if they really cared about this machine they would have used that chart and filled out and tracked the maintenance. I'm just being picky. Thanks for the content.❤
I have my dad's Troy-Bilt tiller. He always tilled his garden every weekend when he was working and more often after he retired. He wore a set of tines out so I hard surfaced the new set for him. He was constantly replacing those seals. I took the number of the seal and got some from Motion industries. I also got some Speedi-sleeves for the damaged shafts. I got some of the Mobilith SHC 007 that we used in the cable cranes and trailer wheel hubs. We got it in 5 gallon pails. I don't know if it's sold in smaller quantities. It is what is called a semi solid gear and bearing lube that is very thick so it doesn't leak through seals as easily.
Very valuable information. What did you think about him driving that new seal in right over the scored shaft? I think I would have tried to avoid that. Maybe not driving it all the way in. How would you handle that? Is that what the Speedi-sleeves are for? I hope he read/reads your comment. Excellent info.
![What's in the box?! 1890s Safe [Restoration]](/img/1.gif)
James, every Thursday morning, I get my grandson off to school and settle in for my coffee and James video. Can't tell you how much I look forward to seeing something new and interesting from you every week. You are a great teacher and an inspiration to so many viewers. Thank you!
Thanks
Yes!
@@jcondon1James next on the Tecumseh fuel lines take a bolt and connect it to the existing fuel line and then use electric tape and you can pull it right thru. Doneyboy has a good video on it.
I totally agree. He's great
We inherited my wife’s grandfather’s 1967 Troybilt Horse after we got married. This was 25 years ago. It had a 5hp Tecumseh. I lost my religion more times than I care to remember trying to start that thing. But of course this was before RUclips and your videos. Anyway, I bought a brand new Kohler direct replacement engine and it’s been the best money I ever spent. First pull every time. Love it. We actually keep it in our basement. It’s an old heirloom with a new heart.
My grandfather had one just like this, and now I have it. They are incredibly well built machines from a different era when quality meant something.
James, you are the consummate professional -- Each week your presentations are always worth-the-wait ! -- Thank You
Thanks
The old Tecumseh and Briggs flat head motors were so darn tough. I don't think that those classic designs get enough appreciation.
yes i have a1980 + 5HP.. pony still have it...:-)
I have a 42 year old Troy built tiller and it still works great and is the best investment I ever made for my garden. They last forever!
My mother bought one like that right after they came out. I can remember the commercial for them of a lady going along behind the machine using only one hand to control the machine with. You could do that easily until you hit a rock then you'd better hang on with everything you have because it's going wherever it wants to go. Lol great video again sir.
1:11:15 mom?
Yea, my dad had one. I think it was in the 50s
I volunteer at ReStore - Habitat for Humanity's retail store - and a several years ago we had one of these come in as a donation. The donator said he couldn't get it started but when it ran, it ran well. I'm somewhat familiar with this Tecumseh engine since it was on the first snowblower my father had years ago so I had a go at it. Got it running; like yours, it ran well and smoothly. One of the guys at the store decided he'd "test" it at home to make sure it worked. He brought it back the next day and complained it ran too well. Seems that he under estimated how powerful the engine really was. While tiling he slipped and fell and the tiller dragged him for a few feet before he let go. The person who bought it was a regular customer and always talks about how well it still is running today. Don't make them like they used to.
James, you and I are around the same age, give or take a few years. I have to tell you that your videos are a Godsend, especially these last several months. Your videos help me zone out from life for an hour or so, and I thank you for that, especially since I really enjoy watching your methodology and skills being applied to these machines to bring them back to life. Thanks, man, I really appreciate it.
Yes!
In the late 70s my uncle started a small engine shop. We used to work,on a local landscapers machines. His guys was animals. Very hard on equipment. I serviced 6 new mowers one morning. At noon they came back with 4 of them broken. Handles broke, wheels broke. They just throw them off the truck I guessed. One day they came in and we thought it was weird the boss didn't come in or call. He ran a flower shop m as well. Guy was in a panic. They had a machine on the truck I recognized immediately. Only one I ever saw, it was the bosses personal troy built tiller. The big one. It was the biggest tiller I ever saw so I knew right away who's it was. They dropped it off the truck and busted the carb. Snapped it right off. My uncle told them it's a easy fix but it's gonna hurt. No after market back then. I remember it well. My uncle made them pay for the carb up front. It was over $100 just for the part. Plus gaskets and labor. He told them he give them the labor to help them out. It only took me a few minutes to put it on. They ponied up the money, we fixed it. Back then $100 was alot of money . Was probably over a weeks pay for a couple guys. They stopped throwing stuff off the truck.
Money the best way to fix stupid
Nice!
@@johncourtneidgeit is still the biggest tiller I ever saw. That old way of making stuff. Big,heavy,expensive. It was a beast. You could till up a huge garden in no time with that thing. Glad they picked it up and dropped it off for service. It weighed as much as a car. What a beast. The boss had to notice the new shiney carb on it. Not red anymore.
James great save, a tip from my grandfather from many years past 2/3 gear oil 90w and 1/3 gear grease mixed with a mixer helps with stopping leaks and lubrication in small engine gear boxes.
Keep posting.
Tks Michael.
I like watching your videos. You are meticulous and patient.
That machine is from an era when companies still built their products to last and be repaired. Thanks for extending its life.
I don't want to "dump on" all makers... there are still some solid machines that can be maintained to have a long life... Those don't show up in "mart" stores though. The TroyBilt brand under current ownership is not as tough as it used to be.
Yes!
looked after properly that old girl will last another 40 yrs, great video James
I have the home gardener model build by Mastport and it is 44 years old and is still as when we brought it for $250 in 1980. they still this model but it cost $1500.
I have a Troy Bilt Horse tiller. My dad bought it new in 1978. Use it every year in my garden.
Yep, same here. Pop kept about a 1/4 acre garden every year with it. Still runs like a champ!
Growing up in the 80s my Dad had one just like this and when you started this machine up those engine sounds brought back so many memories back from all of those different growing seasons throughout all of those years 😎🙂👍
Now waiting to see a couple of rows of cabbages in your yard this year! 😄Great fix, love the video!
That is a beautiful machine, thank you James for saving it. Year's of use left!
That was really well done. You brought that machine back to life.
I have one (Horse model) from the 1970;s. Best way I have found to get the tine assembly off, if it is siezed, is to take the pin out and operate it in hard clay or similar hard soil. Generally, spins it free so you can slip it off. Great machines back in the day. Great video. I had to eventually repower mine as the old Tecumseh (not a fan) just was beyond repair.
Great job!!!!! Glad you went the extra mile and checked the gear boxes to find the potential demise of this tiller! Thanks!
I just tilled my mothers garden using this exact model on Monday! We've been using a single tine toro for years, and we asked if we could borrow the neighbors troy bilt. This thing ate up the earth like nobodys business. We were done in under an hour. Cool to see this video so soon after.
You gotta drop that depth lever all the way so you can push the tines into the soil. The rear end flap should be riding on the top of the soil with the tines dug in, spinning and churning almost all the way up to the fender.
Think kneeding dough, and you're kinda just scoring it on top with a fork.
The drive function should be in its slowest pace, just strong enough to drag the tines forward into more dirt.
Dig in bud!
The soil should be all torn up for more than 6 inches, otherwise you aren't turning under the other plants root systems, and they'll grow back among your tomato plants.
Those Troy bilt made in Troy, New York were excellent machines. I have a 15 horsepower Horse which is an animal. Always nice watching James. Thank you.
They throw 100 lb. rocks out of the ground like nothing. They have tractor tires on them and they will drag you. They have a high and low range transmission and they can pull you around like a rag doll.
Imagine stabling etc 15 horses!
This was a welcomed video and will be quite helpful to me and my son, he has a older tiller just like this one and has been setting in my shed for years and never run. So we now have a winter project to work on . Thank you for sharing with everyone. Fred.
I have a Troy Bilt Econ Horse, purchased new back in mid 80's. Still running strong. Easy to start. My model had a leak in the rear seal at the end of the shaft between the tines. My shield has enclosed sides. A well made machine back in the day.
Mine has seen more use than your machine. I replaced the tines about 8 years ago.
Glad that the water did not damage the transmission. There was a LOT of water which came out.
My machine has spent its life in the garage except for the short time tilling the garden each year.
Good to see your machine back for a second life.
I was able to bring the peace of mind to see this report to the end.
Thanks for making these moving images.
See you next time.
I have the Troy Built Horse, the 8 horse power version. I believe that we purchased it in the 1970's. We till about a half acre several times a year to control weeds. It takes about 4 hours. It does an amazing job if I keep the ground soft and weeds small. Great machine!
That was made back when Troy built was the best tiller on the market before MTD made changes to Troy built company thank you for posting this video on this tiller James 😎👍💰
Well, I had a Troy Built tiller like this AFTER MTD owned the company and it was nothing like the quality that this one seems to have. I have rocky ground and I found that the tines were made of some sort of soft steel because they bent every time I used it. It also had some different size drive pulleys so that you could run at different speeds - you changed the speed by having a lever which raised the entire engine on a lever so that the different size drive pulley could be used. Like the tines this lever bent every time you used it. Then on a larger garden the tine width was far too small for what I needed. I sold this beast soon after and cursed MTD for ruining what was a good quality make originally.
MTD didn't make changes to the company. Troy-Bilt went out of business, and a few years later the name was sold to MTD. MTD is NOT making true Troy-Bilts, just slapping the name on their products. John Deere riding mowers and Motorola walkie-talkies are the same: made by companies you've never heard of, with the brand name they bought slapped on.
BCS tillers we're far superior to Troy Built. No belts, clutch and gear selector for the wheels, pto clutch for the tines and array of implements( sweeper,brush cutter, snow blower ECT) . Tiller tines spun really fast without slippage. Check em out.
@@Bob-bm3pd thanks for the info on this brand of machine
That recoil sounded ruff 🐶 but I remember those from back in 85 and they really worked well. It’s nice to see one still tilling. 👍
Thank you Stanley, for your generous donation and support to a worthy channel. Thank you James for another demonstration of your skills.
Love the sound of an old engine like that. Music to my ears!
WATCH all your goodies and knowledge everyday. It gives me back my memory and abilities to continue.
Kudos on a great video! 👍 I have a 1985ish 8hp Troybilt Horse that I bought new back in the day and have taken good care of so it runs as good today as it did almost 40 years ago! They are a great machine. 😊
Loved the video.
If I remember correctly, those were Deep Tillage Machines. Sheesh that brings back ALOT of memories! I so wanted one 30 years ago.
Great video sir.
These are so expensive and this thing runs better than anything in my life has seen.
Heck of a little tiller. It should give a man many more years of service.
James, I worked my way through high school and undergrad fixing lawn equipment for a hardware store. It was fun to bring a non-operable mower or tiller back to life. Your videos remind me of those days 60 years ago! Thanks!
Very good video again James! I love the old equipment over the new because it was just built to last . The only down fall in this case is that Tecumseh is no longer in business , however you could repower it if needed .But I also look at it as they built engines to last if taken care of . One funny thing which I did today when I was mowing our back yard is the same thing you did and that was to turn the gas on . I \'m mowing and all of a sudden my mower started to surge and I was like what the heck , then it dawned on me to turn the gas on . Oh well. Take care sir and catch you on your next video.
James that is amazing to see the quality of the Manuals back in the day. Caterpillar always provided good manuals for repair and service with their equipment too.
I should add the quality of that Tiller is first class, you would struggle to find one made like that today.
Star Pattern sockets work great on the Square head bolts if you are working in low space areas.
I love the older power equipment with adjustable carbs. And parts made of steel!
I like that you show the younger people the principle of carb adjustment and fine tuning. The surging under load at the end of the video was really a great illustration of how the mixture plays together with the work being done!
Amazing troubleshooting James 😊
I have watched almost all of your videos as they really distract me from my health problems and help me relax. That tiller certainly was designed and built well. As always, I appreciate your thoroughness and care for details. Best wishes!
Rance here, I to want to give you my thanks and appreciation for your time and efforts required to produce rhese high quality videos that afford us pleasure and a learning experience. For me your videos are perfect and again "Thank you"
Thanks Rance
My grandfather had one of these. It was built like an old Chevrolet farm truck. The soil on his IA farm - when I put my weight onto the handles the tines sunk all the way in. That Tecumseh engine angled its nose up into the sky.
The amount of good luck on this project just blows my mind. Good and lucky you are.
Very satisfying to watch you bring that machine back up to par. Well done James. 👍👍
That is a nice old tiller, you just can't beat older equipment, it's must built to last unlike the junk of today. Nice work fixing up this old tiller James!
"Troy-Built" used to be a reliable sign of really GOOD quality. That seems to be reflected in this machine. I guess that small roto-tillers are much like mobile generators in that they are are used on a
very limited basis. Long periods of time can be spent awaiting the next use. Certainly not much "day to day" usage. Your step by step analysis of the current issues is very thorough AND educational.
I always learn more about the "machines" involved. The Black gloves are also a nice touch for the video watchers. Thank you very much!!
Great video. Enjoyed seeing such a lovely old tiller out back to working order. Thanks James.
I've got the exact same tiller. I replaced the motor with one from Harbor Freight, and it bolted right on. I had to remove the oil shutoff on the motor because of all the tilting I do when tilling it would cut off. It's leaking a bit around the drive wheels so watching you take those seals off and replacing them was a huge help for when I do it. Thanks for sharing.
Got to love those old Troy-Bilt tillers. Very little plastic on that ol' girl. I must be crazy, but if there was ever a tiller that warranted a full restoration, it would be this one....that is, in about ten years when it was fully broke in....🙂
Hi James - I had a similar problem with the tynes and the oil leaks at the shaft- on a Masport Rota Hoe ( New Zealand brand ) My dad & I cut out thick felt washers and placed them between the seal and the tyne - we covered these felt washers in grease and they have worked well - still in use today/ The troy machine is a bit more upmarket than the rota hoe - they are both about the same age however. Anyway they both get the job done effectively.... well done - I do like the old Tecumseh engines - much smoother than B&S of the time.
Another exquisite video on a very thorough repair. I enjoy your professionalism very much. Keep the videos coming.👍
I just found n this channel about a week ago....I hand surgery and you have saved my sanity! GREAT chanbel!!
My parents had one of these growing up and I remember it being a BEAST. My brother would have the auger completely underground and engine sticking straight up and it just went.
It was only used for 30 min every year but damn was it reliable. Same thing with our chipper shredder. Same engine.
We used ours a lot more, spring ,summer and fall: we had different crops. As soon as lettuce, peas, chard and spinach were done , they were tilled under for corn, beans and tomatoes. They were plowed under for fall broccoli, cauliflower, and brussule sprouts. I picked the last of them Christmas week one year. Just to see rows of corn get chopped up and buried in one pass was beautiful: a great machine! The tomato vines were too tough and had to be pulled out.
Those were great tillers. My grandfather bought one in the early 90s, and it's still running stong. I always thought the drive wheels could have been a bit slower but we have really hard dirt where I live.
Seasonally timed content, a well built machine, and original documentation. Another good one James.
Back in the 70’s they were factory direct sales only. They shipped straight to your house. What a fantastic reputation they had.
buddy i grew up with. his dad worked at the troy shop for troy bilt. he use to bring home parts for horses and build them in basement then sell them off. also bring the 8hp motors and toss them on minibikes. omg the fun we had. we were not allowed to use the tiller tho. as they buck bad and u have to learn to it go when it does hahhaha.... when i buy one of these i check the ser to see if years he worked there it was made. offten think his hands may have touched this tiller back then when building it. memorys........... you brought back memorys for me mr c. ty
amazing to see how well that machine runs!
James, once again a great video. Since you mentioned getting a part from Amazon I would like to tell you a recent story I had regarding Amazon. My van started leaking from the thermostat housing so I nursed it home and went about finding the replacement part. First Chrysler discontinued the part and it is now made by Dorman. All the big name part stores could get the part in about 5-7 days for roughly $35. While googling other possibilities it said Amazon had the part so I went to their site. I found the exact same part by Dorman for $19 and a new thermostat (Gates) for $8 and it would be delivered in just hours. It arrived at 6:30 am and I was back on the road literally 30 minutes later.
Love your clear and detailed analysis, so easy to listen to. Thanks.
What a sad day when Gardenway, the parent company of Troy Bilt went bankrupt. I still have my Troy Horse and it still performs like the day I bought it back in the early 80s. They are so well built that that they very seldom needed repairs but if they ever needed repair, the owners manual included a complete shop manual with step by stem directions as how to make the repairs. Although the TroyBilt tillers are still made, they are nothing as compared to the older ones.
12 point sockets work well on square drive plugs.
James, I have watched several of your videos and get so much out of them so thank you for putting these out
Very nice repair. That's a well made Tiller. I'm impressed OEM parts are still available. The bolts for the tines are breakaway bolts. Protects the machine if it hits a big rock or root.
Troy Bilt really built quality products back then. Horse and Bronco are tough.
James, you are the small engine whisperer! Thank you for sharing! :)
I have a 8 hp Briggs Troy Bilt tiller purchased in 2001. These machines are tanks. I would rather have a 20 yr old one than the tillers they sell today. I also have a 2001 Gravely 16 hp tractor which is similarly bulletproof. They don’t make equipment like this anymore. Great video as always.
Those tillers are designed to be run with one hand so you can walk to one side of the freshly tilled dirt. "No wheel marks or foot prints" was one of the tag lines in Troy-Bilt ads.
When I was a kid, my dad bought a Pony (next size up from the Jr). It had a 5 hp Briggs I/C on it. I ran it a lot, much of it one handed.
I wish you had pulled the depth bar all the way up. Those tillers look pretty cool running down a row with the nose pointed at the sky, tines buried in the dirt and the tine guard flat on the fresh dirt.
Less weeds that way too. The rain would soak in and had less erosion.
James, it always amazes me how you can come up with wiring diagrams, part numbers and torque specs on so many of these different pieces of equipment that you are able to resurrect. I would love to see a video on how you find this information. Other than that, I am always impressed with your presentation and content. Thanks.
Great video. I love it when I see videos like this showing every pain staking detail. I have been working on my Craftsman front tine tiller and watching videos on it, so RUclips took me to this video automatically. I started watching and couldn't stop. I watched the entire hour and a half, lol.
Good show Mr. Dondon. I have o garden, but I would get a tiller if I had one. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!
Thanks!
Thanks David!
I just bought myself a compression tester. What a time saver.
top notch entertainment 79 years young and still enjoy mechanics . my latest toy is a Twin Busch 242-A. two post car lift . €2,200 euros delivered and it came in two days .
Nice
Nice, older machine! Well, you've got yourself a nice little tilled plot, no time like the present to plant a little garden!
Another amazing video. This was full of challenges, which you overcame. I owned a troy built tiller like this one with a Koehler engine. It was the best engine I have ever owned.
Great job on the tiller James. I always thought those Troy built had the tines turn in opposite direction, while the wheels turned forward. That’s why they worked so well. I guess I was wrong. And I wondered why you didn’t stick the axle pin through the wheel and then the axle. I figured that out. Thats just for travel. I’ve had a craftsman tiller for years and didn’t know this about those pins. By the way, I’ve sheered 3 of those off this year. Keep up the good work on the videos.
You might consider getting a multi hole punch for making gasket screw holes. Enjoy watching you trouble shooting and repairing old equipment,learning a lot even at my 80 years of age.
I got one, but the holes it made were too small. Need to try a different one.
Great video! Wire brushing the pulleys was superb ! Keep up the great work!
I really enjoy your videos, James. Thank you for your effort in the engine work as well as the videos. Naturally, I was not surprised your power washer was a small engine version 😄
Great video James! Luckily for me, I just acquired an almost identical tiller that needs some work. I hope mine turns out as good as yours has. Thanks for this!
Beautiful. I hope the gear box didn't take less oil than expected because there's a quart of sludge in there that didn't drain. Maybe not worth it but could try an oil change now that it's run. Really appreciate your logical and thorough approach to bringing back these fine old machines.
I brought it back in after and changed the gear oil again to flush things out.
I can remember seeing a neighbour using one of those things to till his vegetable garden. It was interesting to me as a young child to see how it easily churned up the soil ready to be raked and then planted.
I'm always impressed by your attention to detail and how much care you take to make sure that everything has been fixed so that the machine will work for years to come. It's also fun to watch you work.
It's nowhere near as much fun working on my own stuff. I finally got another carburetor, drilled the jet out slightly, put it on, then turned the fuel on, the ignition on, the choke on, pulled a few times on the rope... and it promptly snapped! 🤨
No worries, I thought. I've seen James replace the rope on these things. I unscrewed the pull-start from the cowling and tried to unscrew the bolt to get the winch out so that I could replace the rope... and the bolt promptly snapped right off! 🤥
So now I have an engine that I can't even start until and unless I get a new starting rope assembly... whatever it's called.
I gave up in disgust for the time being, but I guess I'm at the point where I feel like I just about have to see it through, so I'll be trying to get a new pull-start mechanism (second hand if possible). I really do want to get the (insert expletive here) thing going, but I'm starting to seriously wonder if I'm being a schmuck and should just cut my losses and sell it as a parts machine.
It’s different when it’s your own equipment that you need to use. There is nothing worse, especially if it’s needed and waiting for a week or two for parts to arrive may not be an option.
It’s different when it’s your own equipment that you need to use. There is nothing worse, especially if it’s needed and waiting for a week or two for parts to arrive may not be an option.
Another fantastic video Jim! I look forward to your weekly videos!!
Always nice to have a real Garden-Way produced TroyBilt Tiller! They are bulletproof!
Nice fix James! I have some oil seals on my 78 Ariens blower that needs replacing. I’ll try the method you did instead of disabling the gearbox etc. 👍
I loved watching you bring this well-made older machine back to life. I would take a nice older machine like this tiller any day over some newer poorly made, half-plastic made in china piece of junk.
I have an old Sears tiller with a 6hp engine of that make. I love that old engine, it idles low and you can set it just above idle to till already worked soil, when you hit a hard spot you can hear the governor pick up and the engine will load up. The tiller won't stall and the tines keep moving at the same speed, but that thing is like a tractor engine or a diesel engine, it just pulls and pulls.
Hi James, great job, tiller is running great. from Derrick Congdon
this was a great save ! working "vintage" machinery is in many cases a better choice than some of the newer stuff available out there in my opinion.
Excluding having sold this to someone else who didn't do maintenance, if they really cared about this machine they would have used that chart and filled out and tracked the maintenance. I'm just being picky. Thanks for the content.❤
I have my dad's Troy-Bilt tiller. He always tilled his garden every weekend when he was working and more often after he retired. He wore a set of tines out so I hard surfaced the new set for him. He was constantly replacing those seals. I took the number of the seal and got some from Motion industries. I also got some Speedi-sleeves for the damaged shafts. I got some of the Mobilith SHC 007 that we used in the cable cranes and trailer wheel hubs. We got it in 5 gallon pails. I don't know if it's sold in smaller quantities. It is what is called a semi solid gear and bearing lube that is very thick so it doesn't leak through seals as easily.
Very valuable information. What did you think about him driving that new seal in right over the scored shaft? I think I would have tried to avoid that. Maybe not driving it all the way in. How would you handle that? Is that what the Speedi-sleeves are for? I hope he read/reads your comment. Excellent info.
@@alext8828 A Speedi sleeve is a thin sleeve of stainless steel that fits tightly on the shaft to bridge the damaged area.
The old ones dig like a king
Great job giving this machine a new life!
Good fix and definitely worth saving. I would have to install some sort of diverter on that muffler to keep the exaust from blowing in my face!
Wow! We had on just like it as a kid in the early 80s when we had a farm in PA. Awesome !
Thanks for the video…I have the same exact tiller that I bought in 1984!!
I just got my hands on an old TB horse with all the paperwork. The owners manual is 200 pages.