A Troy Bilt tiller was the first rear tine tiller made in America.
The A-1 Model was first made in Troy, New York in 1937 and though based on a German blueprint was specifically designed for American conditions.
It had rear tines and power driven wheels and set the pattern for Troy Bilt tillers that you’ll still find reflected today in the [easyazon-link asin=”B0001AU33I” locale=”us”]Troy-Bilt Pro-Line FRT Mid-Size rear-tine garden tiller (model number 21A-665B766)[/easyazon-link].
The Pro-Line FRT is an outstanding rear tine tiller (with forward rotating tines) that will take the backbreaking work our of your garden cultivation.
It’s big and powerful, but it is also easy to operate.
Most importantly, it will keep you from causing undue strain to your body and help you get your work done in a fraction of the time it would take otherwise.
Some larger tillers are powerful enough to break ground and cut through any type of soil, but they can be difficult to operate because of their size.
Smaller tillers are light and maneuverable, but many of them are unable to break new ground or deal with heavy soil.
The Troy-Bilt Pro-Line FRT garden tiller has been designed to include the best of both worlds while eliminating the negative aspects of them.
This Troy-Bilt tiller is big and powerful, but not so powerful that it cannot be used with relative ease by most able-bodied operators.
It is able to break new ground and it is also capable of getting smaller, existing garden plots ready for the planting season.
It is designed to be able to work effectively in all types of soil.
According to Troy Bilt:
Our Pro-Line FRT rear-tine rototiller works like a pro because it’s designed for your large scale or commercial groundbreaking applications. A professional strength, mid-size tiller, the Pro-Line FRT offers unmatched durability and performance in gardens up to 1,500 square feet.
If you are looking to do some serious growing – vegetables, fruit, ornamentals, the Pro-Line FRT could be an ideal choice for you.
This machine features an ultra-reliable Honda OHV (overhead valve) GX engine, which is one of the finest small engines in its class.
It is designed to be extremely fuel-efficient, quiet, to reduce vibration and to be very easy to start.
This four stroke, 160 cc air cooled engine produces:
4.8 Horsepower (3.6 kW) @ 3,600 rpm, and
7.6 lb-ft (10.3 Nm) of net torque @ 2,500 rpm.
For these and many other reasons, this Honda engine is the perfect power source for the Troy-Bilt Pro-Line FRT garden tiller.
Key engine features
According to Honda, these are just some of the features of the Honda GX engine:
Fuel efficiency
Precision camshaft design for better fuel efficiency
OHV design for increased efficiency and optimal power transfer
High compression ratio for better fuel efficiency
Reduced noise
Troy Bilt tiller: Pro-Line FRT Honda GX160 engine
Precision engineered components result in lower vibration
Reduced piston weight and precision balanced crankshaft result in lower engine vibration
Aluminum push rods reduce valve clearance and noise level
Reduced mechanical noise due to light weight, noise-reducing materials
Reliability
Forged steel crankshaft and rigid crankcase
Sophisticated air intake system
New carburetor chamber coating and carburetor filter help to protect against fuel impurities
Troy Bilt tiller honda GX engine, image courtesy of Honda
Cast iron cylinder sleeve
Dual element air cleaner
Starting
Heavy duty recoil starter
Ergonomic, easy to grip recoil rope design
Automatic mechanical de-compression system
The transmission
A great engine is no good unless it has an equally good transmission system to transfer the power it generates into the operating parts of the machine.
The Troy-Bilt Pro-Line FRT tiller has an impressive cast iron transmission with bronze gears for extra strength and durability.
The drive system has one forward gear and one reverse gear. The reverse gear is essential since it gives you the ability to maneuver the tiller more easily, even if it gets bogged down.
Tilling operations are started by engaging the wheel drive as well as the tine drive.
Tilling is made especially easy by the tiller’s ability to be controlled with a single hand.
As with most tilling machines, work gets done more efficiently when you let the tiller do its job. In other words, you should never try to push the tiller or press down on the handles in order to till more deeply.
You need to set the throttle to give the machine enough power, but at the slowest speed possible until you have tilled to the desired depth.
A tine depth handle helps you regulate depth.
Though this machine is capable of breaking new ground, it may take a few passes to do so effectively.
You can till to a depth of up to 8 inches and in swaths of 16 inches wide. As you work up and down your land you’ll need to overlap the swaths slightly to ensure you cover all the ground.
Full and detailed operating instructions are set out in the user manual.
They are forward rotating (hence FRT), Bolo tines.
Bolo tines have a right angled ‘digging scoop’, as you can see in the picture.
Theses tines are ideal for heavy machines like the Pro-Line FRT and are made of tough and durable steel, so they can take a lot of action.
One nice aspect of this tiller is the fact that each tine can be replaced individually. This means that you will not have to replace an entire tine assembly if just one tine requires replacement.
In order to get the most out of the tiller’s tines, you should operate the machine as directed. Obviously, hard or rocky soil will wear the tines down more quickly than softer soil.
If you want to make sure that your Troy-Bilt tiller lasts as long as it should, you will need to perform some basic maintenance. You will need to change the oil at regular intervals, plus you should check the transmission gear oil after every 10 hours of use.
It is also a good idea to check belt and cable tension from time to time. Checking the air pressure in the tires before each use is also recommended.
Again, a full maintenance schedule is in the manual.
At the time of writing, the Troy-Bilt Pro-Line FRT garden tiller has been reviewed six times on Amazon.com. Its average score on the five star scale is 4.7 out of five stars. Of the six reviewers, five gave the machine a five star rating, while one user rated it at three stars.
The reviews for this machine are overwhelmingly positive. Users have been pleased with how powerful the machine is. They have also expressed their happiness with its ease of operation.
The three star review is hardly negative, but the customer stated that belt adjustment was necessary immediately. This consumer also said that his particular machine was defective in that there was a transmission leak from the front seal. This did not prevent the customer from stating that he was pleased, overall, with the machine since any necessary repairs would be covered under warranty.
On Toy-Bilt’s own website, there are have been 14 reviews: 8 reviewers gave it 5 stars, 4 reviewers gave it 4 stars, 1 reviewer gave it 3 stars and 1 reviewer gave it 1 star.
Here is what one Amazon reviewer had to say:
Pros:
1.) Honda GX engine lives up to the hype. Very easy to start, quiet, and fuel efficient.
2.) Tills already cultivated soil into fine powder.
3.) Reverse option is a great feature.
4.) Perfect size for fitting between rows, but still big enough to tackle large jobs.
Cons:
1.) A bit too light for easily busting new sod (but I knew that before I bought it). Just a word of warning Read more …
The [easyazon-link asin=”B002DQBV9S” locale=”us”]Troy-Bilt Pony Electric Start 16-Inch 250cc 4-Cycle Briggs & Stratton 1100 Series Garden Tiller[/easyazon-link] is similar to the Pro-Line FRT, but with a more powerful engine and electric start.
Both machines sell for about the same price, but the Pony has a a Briggs & Stratton engine instead of a Honda.
The standard [easyazon-link asin=”B004OM5CI0″ locale=”us”]Troy-Bilt Pony (16″) Forward Rotating Rear Tine Tiller – 21A-662G066[/easyazon-link] is also very similar.
It is identical to the Pony ES, but it does not include electric start.
Troy Bilt Horse
A step up in power and size is the [easyazon-link asin=”B004HKVV52″ locale=”us”]Troy-Bilt Horse 305cc Briggs & Stratton 1450 Series Horse Forward Rotating Rear Tine Tiller[/easyazon-link].
This is a heavy duty machine with 12 inch diameter tines and:
Buy the [easyazon-link asin=”B0001AU33I” locale=”us”]Troy-Bilt Pro-Line FRT Mid-Size Rear-Tine Garden Tiller (21A-665B766)[/easyazon-link] online at [easyazon-link asin=”B0001AU33I” locale=”us”]Amazon [/easyazon-link].
Disclosure
This site has affiliate relationships with certain merchants or service providers.
What this means in practice is that where you see a link to a product or service, then it is likely that we will be paid a commission if you click on the link and go on to buy a product or service from that provider or take some other positive action (like sign up for further information). These are called affiliate links.
For the sake of simplicity, please assume that a link that takes you to a page where you can buy or sign up for a product or service is an affiliate link.
Leave a Reply