New member of the family!

So I wanted to introduce the newest member of the family…no not Dylan, everyone knows him.

<- Pic of her to follow shortly ->

This is Bernice. She’s a 6.0 hp Troy Bilt Super Bronco tiller (whew). For people who want the gist, she makes the garden pretty and the dirt soft all while burying the weeds in a shallow grave.

A more detailed spec of her:

• Counter-rotating tines for easy use and greater control
• Cast-iron transmission with bronze gear drive
• 1 forward speed with power reverse
• 16" tilling width
• 10" tine diameter
• Adjustable tilling depth up to 6"
• Just One Hand operation
• 12" ag tires for easier manueverability
• Limited lifetime warranty
• 208cc Troy-Bilt engine (lies! It’s a Tecumseh engine.)


<- Insert Tim Allen grunting here ->

The one hand operation is a bit of a stretch, at least when your garden has a fair amount of weeds in it, which ours did. I was able to operate her with one hand but that was after the garden had been run through a couple of times. So yeah, sure, if you’re dirt is loose and sans-weeds then yes you can do it one handed, but not before then.
We actually got her a couple weeks ago and I should have taken a picture of her when she was brand new clean but I forgot. Now she’s dirty and probably always will be, but she’ll wear it like a badge of honor! I have zero buyer’s remorse which is nice (and rare). I did find a couple design flaws but they’re really minimal and don’t effect the ability of the tiller. Only thing I wish it had is a Briggs and Stratton engine (B&S is the best) and the ability to attach a plow to the backend. The next tiller size up (the Pony) can add a plow which makes raised rows for you. A super nice feature but mine apparently can’t handle it even though there’s only a 0.5 hp and about 2” tilling width difference between the pony and bronco. *rolls eyes* Oh well. Maybe I can jury-rig something.
Starting the ol’ girl is a bit of a chore. I seem to always flood the engine. The first time I tried to start it I spent 15 minutes yanking on it’s cord and cursing the fact that it is a Tecumseh engine. I read and re-read the manual to make sure I didn’t have to pull, push or twist something else to get it going. In the end I just pulled the air filter off and cranked it again and that worked. Seems like the choke doesn’t give it enough air at the start…or I don’t have enough pull. Either way it’s a simple remedy and once it’s warmed up it’s easy to get it going again.

Well that was probably more information than you wanted to know about some random yard equipment but now you’ll totally nail the Jeopardy category “Sign of the Tines”