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Old 01-03-2018, 04:03 AM posted to rec.gardens
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Posts: 678
Default Re-powering the tiller


Â* Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year
.. Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one
.. We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .

--
Snag
Ain't no dollar sign on
peace of mind - Zac Brown

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Old 01-03-2018, 02:25 PM posted to rec.gardens
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Posts: 59
Default Re-powering the tiller

On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:03:51 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:

Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year.
Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one.
We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .


About 15 years ago I bought a 7 HP Simplicity tiller. What a horrid
beast, very difficult to control and being belt driven made it a pain
as it constantly wore out the belt and required a major mechanic's
tool box to change the belt.
Once an area is tilled it doesn't need a big cumbersome beast. So I
decided to try a Mantis tiller, 2 cycle. Works beautifully, so easy
to control a seven year old can use it. Had I known I would have
bought the Mantis to begin with and for virgin untilled soil I'd rent
a giant tiller for a day. I sold the $700 Simplicity and only took a
$100 loss.
Actually the Mantis can handle virgin soil but takes longer as you
need to first go shallow and then deeper. I've been using the Mantis
for more than ten seasons and it's needed no maintenence other than a
new air and fuel filter that I changed only because I figured it was
time. Don't let this 20 pound machine fool you, it's quite a
powerhouse.... easily handles my 50' X 50' veggie garden.
https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-2-Cycl...rs+gas+powered


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Old 01-03-2018, 03:05 PM posted to rec.gardens
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2012
Posts: 678
Default Re-powering the tiller

On 3/1/2018 8:25 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:03:51 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:
Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year.
Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one.
We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .

About 15 years ago I bought a 7 HP Simplicity tiller. What a horrid
beast, very difficult to control and being belt driven made it a pain
as it constantly wore out the belt and required a major mechanic's
tool box to change the belt.
Once an area is tilled it doesn't need a big cumbersome beast. So I
decided to try a Mantis tiller, 2 cycle. Works beautifully, so easy
to control a seven year old can use it. Had I known I would have
bought the Mantis to begin with and for virgin untilled soil I'd rent
a giant tiller for a day. I sold the $700 Simplicity and only took a
$100 loss.
Actually the Mantis can handle virgin soil but takes longer as you
need to first go shallow and then deeper. I've been using the Mantis
for more than ten seasons and it's needed no maintenence other than a
new air and fuel filter that I changed only because I figured it was
time. Don't let this 20 pound machine fool you, it's quite a
powerhouse.... easily handles my 50' X 50' veggie garden.
https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-2-Cycl...rs+gas+powered


Â* I had one of those little 2-stroker tillers , might even have been a
Mantis . I also have a lot of rocks in my soil , they call this Stone
County for a reason . End result is that it stripped the worm gear down
in the bottom end , no reasonably priced replacements available . Other
than an occasional oil change , one new belt , and last year a new coil
(around 8-10 bucks IIRC) I've never spent anything on this tiller . The
new motor is costing me less than a third the cost of one of those
Mantis units , and rocks don't faze it . I try not to over till , and
don't till all areas every year - but this year I need to incorporate
some amendments recommended by my county extension agent to correct some
deficiencies in my soil . Didn't expect to see you here , you didn't
strike me as the gardening type from your posts in RFC .

--
Snag
Ain't no dollar sign on
peace of mind - Zac Brown

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Old 01-03-2018, 04:49 PM posted to rec.gardens
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Apr 2017
Posts: 59
Default Re-powering the tiller

On Thu, 1 Mar 2018 09:05:28 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 3/1/2018 8:25 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:03:51 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:
Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year.
Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one.
We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .

About 15 years ago I bought a 7 HP Simplicity tiller. What a horrid
beast, very difficult to control and being belt driven made it a pain
as it constantly wore out the belt and required a major mechanic's
tool box to change the belt.
Once an area is tilled it doesn't need a big cumbersome beast. So I
decided to try a Mantis tiller, 2 cycle. Works beautifully, so easy
to control a seven year old can use it. Had I known I would have
bought the Mantis to begin with and for virgin untilled soil I'd rent
a giant tiller for a day. I sold the $700 Simplicity and only took a
$100 loss.
Actually the Mantis can handle virgin soil but takes longer as you
need to first go shallow and then deeper. I've been using the Mantis
for more than ten seasons and it's needed no maintenence other than a
new air and fuel filter that I changed only because I figured it was
time. Don't let this 20 pound machine fool you, it's quite a
powerhouse.... easily handles my 50' X 50' veggie garden.
https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-2-Cycl...rs+gas+powered


* I had one of those little 2-stroker tillers , might even have been a
Mantis . I also have a lot of rocks in my soil , they call this Stone
County for a reason . End result is that it stripped the worm gear down
in the bottom end , no reasonably priced replacements available . Other
than an occasional oil change , one new belt , and last year a new coil
(around 8-10 bucks IIRC) I've never spent anything on this tiller . The
new motor is costing me less than a third the cost of one of those
Mantis units , and rocks don't faze it . I try not to over till , and
don't till all areas every year - but this year I need to incorporate
some amendments recommended by my county extension agent to correct some
deficiencies in my soil . Didn't expect to see you here , you didn't
strike me as the gardening type from your posts in RFC .


I do a lot of gardening, pretty soon there'll be no let up on the
gardening chores, it's almost spring.
Depending the size of the area you till it may pay to add about a foot
of good clean topsoil to bury all those rocks.... that's what I did
with my vegetable garden, and each spring I add another three cu yds
to compensate for losses from rain and melting snow.
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Old 01-03-2018, 05:20 PM posted to rec.gardens
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2012
Posts: 678
Default Re-powering the tiller

On 3/1/2018 10:49 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 1 Mar 2018 09:05:28 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 3/1/2018 8:25 AM,
wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:03:51 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:
Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year.
Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one.
We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .
About 15 years ago I bought a 7 HP Simplicity tiller. What a horrid
beast, very difficult to control and being belt driven made it a pain
as it constantly wore out the belt and required a major mechanic's
tool box to change the belt.
Once an area is tilled it doesn't need a big cumbersome beast. So I
decided to try a Mantis tiller, 2 cycle. Works beautifully, so easy
to control a seven year old can use it. Had I known I would have
bought the Mantis to begin with and for virgin untilled soil I'd rent
a giant tiller for a day. I sold the $700 Simplicity and only took a
$100 loss.
Actually the Mantis can handle virgin soil but takes longer as you
need to first go shallow and then deeper. I've been using the Mantis
for more than ten seasons and it's needed no maintenence other than a
new air and fuel filter that I changed only because I figured it was
time. Don't let this 20 pound machine fool you, it's quite a
powerhouse.... easily handles my 50' X 50' veggie garden.
https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-2-Cycl...rs+gas+powered


Â* I had one of those little 2-stroker tillers , might even have been a
Mantis . I also have a lot of rocks in my soil , they call this Stone
County for a reason . End result is that it stripped the worm gear down
in the bottom end , no reasonably priced replacements available . Other
than an occasional oil change , one new belt , and last year a new coil
(around 8-10 bucks IIRC) I've never spent anything on this tiller . The
new motor is costing me less than a third the cost of one of those
Mantis units , and rocks don't faze it . I try not to over till , and
don't till all areas every year - but this year I need to incorporate
some amendments recommended by my county extension agent to correct some
deficiencies in my soil . Didn't expect to see you here , you didn't
strike me as the gardening type from your posts in RFC .

I do a lot of gardening, pretty soon there'll be no let up on the
gardening chores, it's almost spring.
Depending the size of the area you till it may pay to add about a foot
of good clean topsoil to bury all those rocks.... that's what I did
with my vegetable garden, and each spring I add another three cu yds
to compensate for losses from rain and melting snow.


Â* I planted a bunch of seeds yesterday for the garden ... Hauling in
topsoil isn't an option here , there just ain't that much available and
it is costly . I have been adding organic to it every year by mulching
with straw , but it was poor soil to begin with . The soil reports I
just got back tell me I'm almost there . I'll be taking in a sample from
the orchard , it's not doing well - the whole clearing we live in was
until fairly recently mixed hardwood - mostly oak - forest . The rock
problem is not as bad as it was , down to the occasional large stone and
a few smaller ones now and then . Except the north end - the newest
addition to the garden - and future expansions ...

--
Snag
Ain't no dollar sign on
peace of mind - Zac Brown



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Old 01-03-2018, 08:20 PM posted to rec.gardens
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Apr 2017
Posts: 59
Default Re-powering the tiller

On Thu, 1 Mar 2018 11:20:34 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 3/1/2018 10:49 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 1 Mar 2018 09:05:28 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 3/1/2018 8:25 AM,
wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:03:51 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:
Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year.
Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one.
We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .
About 15 years ago I bought a 7 HP Simplicity tiller. What a horrid
beast, very difficult to control and being belt driven made it a pain
as it constantly wore out the belt and required a major mechanic's
tool box to change the belt.
Once an area is tilled it doesn't need a big cumbersome beast. So I
decided to try a Mantis tiller, 2 cycle. Works beautifully, so easy
to control a seven year old can use it. Had I known I would have
bought the Mantis to begin with and for virgin untilled soil I'd rent
a giant tiller for a day. I sold the $700 Simplicity and only took a
$100 loss.
Actually the Mantis can handle virgin soil but takes longer as you
need to first go shallow and then deeper. I've been using the Mantis
for more than ten seasons and it's needed no maintenence other than a
new air and fuel filter that I changed only because I figured it was
time. Don't let this 20 pound machine fool you, it's quite a
powerhouse.... easily handles my 50' X 50' veggie garden.
https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-2-Cycl...rs+gas+powered


* I had one of those little 2-stroker tillers , might even have been a
Mantis . I also have a lot of rocks in my soil , they call this Stone
County for a reason . End result is that it stripped the worm gear down
in the bottom end , no reasonably priced replacements available . Other
than an occasional oil change , one new belt , and last year a new coil
(around 8-10 bucks IIRC) I've never spent anything on this tiller . The
new motor is costing me less than a third the cost of one of those
Mantis units , and rocks don't faze it . I try not to over till , and
don't till all areas every year - but this year I need to incorporate
some amendments recommended by my county extension agent to correct some
deficiencies in my soil . Didn't expect to see you here , you didn't
strike me as the gardening type from your posts in RFC .

I do a lot of gardening, pretty soon there'll be no let up on the
gardening chores, it's almost spring.
Depending the size of the area you till it may pay to add about a foot
of good clean topsoil to bury all those rocks.... that's what I did
with my vegetable garden, and each spring I add another three cu yds
to compensate for losses from rain and melting snow.


* I planted a bunch of seeds yesterday for the garden ... Hauling in
topsoil isn't an option here , there just ain't that much available and
it is costly . I have been adding organic to it every year by mulching
with straw , but it was poor soil to begin with . The soil reports I
just got back tell me I'm almost there . I'll be taking in a sample from
the orchard , it's not doing well - the whole clearing we live in was
until fairly recently mixed hardwood - mostly oak - forest . The rock
problem is not as bad as it was , down to the occasional large stone and
a few smaller ones now and then . Except the north end - the newest
addition to the garden - and future expansions ...


I can buy decent top soil blended with composted mushroom mulch for
$30/sq yd, when I buy three yards delivery is free. But then I have
to shovel and hump that mountain into my garden a wheelbarrow at a
time. I tried hiring a high school student but he gave up after an
hour... the hardest work youngsters do nowadays is lift a cell
phone... this kid was a 16 year old on the wrestling team, I could be
his grandfather, I out worked him easily.


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Old 03-03-2018, 02:38 AM posted to rec.gardens
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2012
Posts: 678
Default Re-powering the tiller

On 2/28/2018 10:03 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:

Â* Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year
. Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda
"OHC" motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV
motor , but still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new .
The reviews I saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be
from power washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so
I bought one . We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the
FedEx truck . The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the
gearbox at the bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real
wear item is the drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the
motor to the shaft down to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season
is fast approaching when I'll need it . Just got back the results of
soil tests , and got some amendments to make to the soil .

Â* Motor came today , we be tillin' . This is a fixed-speed motor ,
which I can change easily . And it's like brand new . Bolted it on ,
added oil and gas , started on the 3rd pull . I need to see if I can
find that other pair of tines (got 2 each side now , as stock) , I'm
betting this motor will pull the load . More power , ar ar ar .

--
Snag
Ain't no dollar sign on
peace of mind - Zac Brown

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Old 03-03-2018, 04:10 PM posted to rec.gardens,rec.food.cooking
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2018
Posts: 2
Default Re-powering the tiller

In article , penmart01
@aol.com Penmart Shelon says...
I can buy decent top soil blended with composted mushroom mulch for
$30/sq yd, when I buy three yards delivery is free. But then I have
to shovel and hump that mountain into my garden a wheelbarrow at a
time. I tried hiring a high school student but he gave up after an
hour... the hardest work youngsters do nowadays is lift a cell
phone... this kid was a 16 year old on the wrestling team, I could be
his grandfather, I out worked him easily.



Your very powerful for such a little guy, Sheldon!

https://imgur.com/a/22Eqa LOL!!!
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