Repairing worn out tiller tines.

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Biggkidd

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So a little while back I priced new tines for my little 28 inch tiller that goes behind the GT. They wanted nearly $500 for a complete set. I didn't bother looking again as I'm sure they have gone up even more. I'm considering welding scabs or bandaids on to repair them. I have some harder than mild steel plate. Not sure exactly what it is. It was sold to me as mild steel but I found out it wasn't the first time I cut any. It cuts HARD way harder than mild steel. My tines are about shot. There's just about enough of the horizontal surface left to get a decent weld to. The vertical part is pretty good. There is room to just add a full layer over top the old layer which would make the tiller about 1/2 larger in diameter. I also have some hardface wire but I don't really want to try and build all that back with wire facing. Since I seldom use it in unplowed ground I can't think of a reason it couldn't work. The tines would be nearly twice as thick though.. The metal I have is 1/4 inch and they were 5/16. Opinions please. Each one would be about 2x5 inches.
 
So a little while back I priced new tines for my little 28 inch tiller that goes behind the GT. They wanted nearly $500 for a complete set. I didn't bother looking again as I'm sure they have gone up even more. I'm considering welding scabs or bandaids on to repair them. I have some harder than mild steel plate. Not sure exactly what it is. It was sold to me as mild steel but I found out it wasn't the first time I cut any. It cuts HARD way harder than mild steel. My tines are about shot. There's just about enough of the horizontal surface left to get a decent weld to. The vertical part is pretty good. There is room to just add a full layer over top the old layer which would make the tiller about 1/2 larger in diameter. I also have some hardface wire but I don't really want to try and build all that back with wire facing. Since I seldom use it in unplowed ground I can't think of a reason it couldn't work. The tines would be nearly twice as thick though.. The metal I have is 1/4 inch and they were 5/16. Opinions please. Each one would be about 2x5 inches.
Kudoes to you for wearing out tines!


My brother @Firepolice271 is my best resource when it comes to tillers. He has owned/destroyed a 1/2 dozen or more.

But if you can weld the heavier onto what you have, go for it.

Ben
 
I would weld the tines with 7018 and then go over the side of the weld that will be exposed to the cutting action with your hard face. I would also try to bend the replacement so I could weld it accross the tine and then up the shank a bit for strength.
 
So a little while back I priced new tines for my little 28 inch tiller that goes behind the GT. They wanted nearly $500 for a complete set. I didn't bother looking again as I'm sure they have gone up even more. I'm considering welding scabs or bandaids on to repair them. I have some harder than mild steel plate. Not sure exactly what it is. It was sold to me as mild steel but I found out it wasn't the first time I cut any. It cuts HARD way harder than mild steel. My tines are about shot. There's just about enough of the horizontal surface left to get a decent weld to. The vertical part is pretty good. There is room to just add a full layer over top the old layer which would make the tiller about 1/2 larger in diameter. I also have some hardface wire but I don't really want to try and build all that back with wire facing. Since I seldom use it in unplowed ground I can't think of a reason it couldn't work. The tines would be nearly twice as thick though.. The metal I have is 1/4 inch and they were 5/16. Opinions please. Each one would be about 2x5 inches.
Two things came to mind:
First and easiest, contact your local small engine repair guy(s) & ask if they have any sitting around with the size blades you are looking for. Slightly used can be sharpened and maybe get you quite a bit of tilling.
Second, maybe take them into a machine shop and see if they could drill holes in your existing tines and bolt on "new" or newly formed blades - only if there is a really reasonable machinist otherwise this might be as much as new blades.
I guess I thought of a third: do a craigslist add "looking for parts tiller with X size blades."
 
Thanks everyone. These are badly worn they were 14" x 5/16. So quite a bit larger and heavier than most tillers have. Standard these days is 10"x3/16

I was the small engine guy in this county for some years. I still get calls all the time. Apparently the guy doing stuff now is not to popular. I met him once he's the type that keeps 2 types of mower blades and chops them to fit. If you can imagine that! I have seen stuff he worked on and heard all the complaints from the county.

I have both a stick and wire welder so welding is an option but that's making a whole lot of metal out of rod or wire. Some of these tines are worn down to 2-3 inches long on the horizontal and 1/2-3/4 wide. The horizontal was 2x5 originally IIRC. I've had this tiller since the 90's it mounts to the rear of a garden tractor and gets powered via the tractor PTO belt.

The right side ones are still available for $21 each there are no more left side to be had. It takes either 10 or 12 facing each direction. Both sides have been discontinued. I have the connections to many places the general public doesn't from being in this business and I can't find them.....

I did find a reproduction place waiting on word back from them. But another shop owner told me he had tried this place before with SAD results!
 
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You said you had some metal that could be used to make new tines. Do you have enough to bend it to weld it to the vertical too? It should be ok with 3 inch vertical bent into a 5 inch horizontal... start with a piece 8 1/4 inch long and bend it to fit and weld it in place. You only need one extra bead of hard facing on the leading edge of the new piece. Don't use the hard facing for anything other than the cutting face - no need to waste it.
 
If it were mild steel I could bend it easy enough but this is something like AR500. I am not positive what it is. I bought it as mild steel it only took working it once to know it's anything but mild steel. I have plenty enough I could make a whole set of tines. That's not the best use of my energy and time, although I may resort to that.
 
Well I had a response from that aftermarket company this morning surprisingly enough. They've never had my tine size even though they have it listed. All their tines are 10 inch
 
I was looking at some 10" tiller tines, and noticed that they are made to bolt to a flat plate bracket, could you make up 6" brackets with holes drilled to match the shorter 10" Tines welded to your shaft? Then you could bolt and use 10" tines with a 14" reach on your tiller. Your brackets could be harder and stiffer to allow the wear to happen on the replaceable tine ends.
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