TheWaterbug wrote:I already dropped it off at the repair shop this morning.
Hooray! [url=https://www.yelp.com/biz/andys-lawnmower-shop-torrance]Andy's Lawnmower Shop[/url] rebuilt the carburetor for $59, and now it runs great!
I took it home and took it for a spin, and it churns the soil nicely.
Pictures, as promised:
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/PonyTillerProfile.jpg[/img]
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/YupItsAPony.jpg[/img]
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/BriggsStratton5HP.jpg[/img]
For those who are knowledgeable about such things, the model number is 15020S, and it's got a Briggs & Stratton 130297 5HP engine, 16" tilling width, and 4.0 x 12.5" tractor tread tires, and 12" diameter tines with an 8" tilling depth.
Also, for anyone else wondering how difficult it is to transport a rototiller in minivan, it's not! I bought a piece of 5/8" plywood and two 8' 2x4s and built two of these:
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/PlywoodRamp1.jpg[/img]
Home Depot cut the plywood in half for me so I could get it in the van and get it home. I cut the 2x4s shorter by about 2 feet so that the one end of the ramp would sit flat on the ground and the other end would hang off my bumper, then attached them with 2" wood screws spaced about every 8", and every 4" near the stress points.
At first I used 1 1/4" screws, and those ripped right out of the greenish 2x4s, causing my plywood to nearly break in half, but once I put the longer screws in, everything was fine.
I also put a big screw eye in the 2x4 and ran a hook strap from there to the seat anchors in the van so that it wouldn't slide off while the tiller was on it. Here's the underside of the ramp with the screw eye:
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/PlywoodRamp2.jpg[/img]
I made two ramps because I had no idea how large this tiller was until I got there, but for this little 160 lb Pony tiller one ramp is enough. For this bumper height I could also have cut the ramp about 2' shorter, which would make it easier to transport. If I were to do this for a 300 lb Horse or similar model, I'd probably double up on those 2x4s and put them nearer the edges of the plywood for stability, and I'd definitely use both ramps.
This weekend I'm going to try putting the tiller in my SUV, which has a much higher tailgate, just to see if I can do it and whether I need the full 8' of ramp. The tiller is 24" tall without the handlebars, or 38 1/4" tall with the handlebars at their lowest position. I hope I can get it in the SUV, as I much prefer driving my own car, and it gets up and down the trail behind my house much better than the minivan.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to be out and tilling at 6:30. I hope the neighbors don't complain!