Tiller for Sale: A Matter of Scale

It was heartbreaking to sell my old faithful Troybilt Horse rear-tine tiller when we metamorphosed from country to city life in 1987.

But when we moved back to the country (in western Carolina) in 1989, I would need me a tiller, and thought I’d just get what I had before.

No, said the salesman, you’ll not be happy with the “new” Troybilt. It’s not built like the old ones. So I set my sights on Honda, which they also carried, and I kept that tiller til today. And it has been a very good machine.

I’ve enjoyed the swing-handle feature that lets me walk beside the machine and not in the row I just tilled. I’ve appreciated the reverse gear and the power.

But life goes on. Our first garden here had a six foot grass perimeter that we had to keep mowed, but it gave me some tiller turning room at the end of my rows.

Now, we garden inside a small-square-foot stockade, and planted space goes right to the fence, but not with the big Honda. I have to stop far short of the fence to turn it, and we just can’t give up this much space.

So last year, I was leaning towards selling it and getting a very small cultivator of the Mantis variety. And to make that decision easier, late in the summer, the Honda wouldn’t crank. I went that afternoon and got a small hand-holdable Stihl tiller, and now the Honda needs a new home.

It has new tires I replaced two years ago. I’m asking $300 for it, as is. My guess is since it stopped in mid-season, it’s probably clogged fuel parts.

Send me a message if you’re interested.