So approximately 8 years ago I purchased a tractor supply Tarter tiller. This was so I could til approximately 3 acres of food plot in a year. The soil here in Vermont is very Rocky and rough that's, why there's not much farming here anymore. The first day I used the tiller we literally lowered it in the ground and three tines broke right off. That was 8 years ago. The tines broke right at where they were bolted on, leading me to believe someone torqued them inappropriately at the factory. So 8 years later and a couple of broken tines my torque tube finally broke. The torque tube broke exactly in the middle where the middle rotor is which holds the tines on. It broke right on that weld.
So many are asking am I happy with the tiller. I would say somewhat I can't be a hundred percent angry because my soil is very very rough up here. However the gearboxes have leaked since day one (second gear box to leak) and the tines broke and didn't make me feel super confident it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. I don't intentionally mean to abuse my equipment, I actually wash it every time after I use it, and occasionally wax it.
Another aggravating thing was when all these items broke I went back to Tractor Supply to get parts. It was very difficult to work through Tractor Supply to get the new gearbox, times and seals. Ordering parts through Tractor Supply was aggravating. If I had purchased a King Kutter or another brand tiller I feel like you could find parts on the internet rather easily. So all these things have added to my frustration and I wanted people just to understand these issues that I had, so hopefully they can make an educated decision when they purchase a new tiller.
Just the other night I picked up this new frontier tiller on Craigslist for 1300 bucks it was used only three times. I hope it is reliable. I have posted pictures of my new tiller. And a picture of my old Countyline tiller where it was welded on the torque tube. The wild part is that tube is not a solid pipe, it broke right where it was welded to the tine hub.
So many are asking am I happy with the tiller. I would say somewhat I can't be a hundred percent angry because my soil is very very rough up here. However the gearboxes have leaked since day one (second gear box to leak) and the tines broke and didn't make me feel super confident it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. I don't intentionally mean to abuse my equipment, I actually wash it every time after I use it, and occasionally wax it.
Another aggravating thing was when all these items broke I went back to Tractor Supply to get parts. It was very difficult to work through Tractor Supply to get the new gearbox, times and seals. Ordering parts through Tractor Supply was aggravating. If I had purchased a King Kutter or another brand tiller I feel like you could find parts on the internet rather easily. So all these things have added to my frustration and I wanted people just to understand these issues that I had, so hopefully they can make an educated decision when they purchase a new tiller.
Just the other night I picked up this new frontier tiller on Craigslist for 1300 bucks it was used only three times. I hope it is reliable. I have posted pictures of my new tiller. And a picture of my old Countyline tiller where it was welded on the torque tube. The wild part is that tube is not a solid pipe, it broke right where it was welded to the tine hub.