Tines will not engage

Do you have the 2 speed or 4 speed version?

Do the drive wheels always turn when engaged?

Did you check drive shaft end play? Severe wear of the drive shaft sleeve, spacers, shims, and two drive gears can accumulate enough so as to allow the tine drive gear to displace far enough that it will no longer engage the large brass worm gear.

Take it to a machine shop.

undo the cap bolts for the "u" joints at both ends of the shaft and take it out If it is held in with a u section strap around the bearing cap then remove them and do the same for the other end.

Here's what Chilton has to say on assembling the main shaft.
1.assemble 2nd gear, from rear of main shaft, with hub toward rear.
2.Install 1-2 synchronizer ring , with clutch taper to rear, together with a blocker ring on each side so their keyways line up with the clutch keys. Some units will have a snap ring to go on now or some units will have a 1st gear spacer sleeve to go on.
3. Install 1st gear with hub toward front and 1st gear thrust washer.
4.Press rear main bearing onto shaft being sure to seat it firmly. The diagram shows a piece of 1 and 5/8 ID pipe used to do this.
5. Install correct snap ring in groove on mainshaft behind rear bearing. Max gap between snap ring and rear face of bearing is 0"-.005".
6.Install 3rd gear, hub to front, and synchronizing ring, notches to front.
7. Install 3-4 clutch assembly with taper and hub to front. Make sure keys in hub correspond to notches in 3rd gear synchronizer.
8.Install snap ring on mainshaft with ends of snap ring behind spline teeth.
9.Install rear bearing retainer. Spread snap ring in plate to allow plate to drop around main bearing and press on end of mainshaft until snap ring engages groove on bearing.
10. Install reverse gear with collar to rear.
11. Press speedometer gear drive on mainshaft. From the inside face of the speedometer drive to the inside face of the rear bearing retainer should be 4 and 5/16".

Brake Rotor (Disc) - REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

1. Loosen the wheel lug nuts.
   
2. Jack up the front of the vehicle and support on jackstands.
   
3. Remove the wheel and tire.
   
4. Remove the brake caliper assembly as described earlier in this section, but do not disconnect the brake hose.
   
5. Suspend the caliper assembly by a piece of wire. Do not allow it to hang by the brake hose.
   
6. Follow the procedure given under wheel bearing removal in Suspension and Steering for models with manual and automatic locking hubs (lines down).

New rotor assemblies come protected with an anti-rust coating which should be removed with denatured alcohol or degreaser. New hubs must be packed with EP wheel bearing grease.

1. Installation is the reverse of the removal procedure.

Front Wheel Bearings - REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
(see Figure 1 )

Fig. 1: Inspect the bearings for abnormal wear and/or damage

With Manual Locking Hubs
(see Figures 2 through 17)

1. Raise the vehicle and install jackstands.
   
2. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
   
3. Remove the retainer washers from the lug nut studs and remove the manual locking hub assembly from the spindle.
   
4. Remove the snapring and spacer from the end of the spindle shaft.
   
5. Remove the outer wheel bearing locknut from the spindle using 4 prong spindle nut spanner wrench, T86T-1197-A or equivalent. Make sure the tabs on the tool engage the slots in the locknut.
   
6. Remove the locknut washer from the spindle.
   
7. Remove the inner wheel bearing locknut from the spindle using 4 prong spindle nut spanner wrench, T86T-1197-A or equivalent. Make sure the tabs on the tool engage the slots in the locknut.
   
8. Remove the outer bearing cone and roller assembly from the hub. Remove the hub and rotor from the spindle.
   
9. Using seal removal tool 1175-AC or equivalent remove and discard the grease seal. Remove the inner bearing cone and roller assembly from the hub.
   
10. Clean the inner and outer bearing assemblies in solvent. Inspect the bearings and the cones for wear and damage. Replace defective parts, as required.
    
11. If the cups are worn or damaged, remove them with front hub remover tool T81P-1104-C and tool T77F-1102-A or equivalent.
    
12. Wipe the old grease from the spindle. Check the spindle for excessive wear or damage. Replace defective parts, as required.

Fig. 2: Before beginning the wheel bearing removal, and after the outer hub is removed, wipe off any excess grease

Fig. 3: After the grease is wiped off, remove the axle shaft snapring ...

Fig. 4: ... then pull the splined spacer from the axle shaft end

Fig. 5: Use a 4 pronged socket to loosen the outer wheel bearing locknut ...

Fig. 6: ... then remove the outer locknut

Fig. 7: Remove the lockwasher from behind the outer locknut ...

Fig. 8: ... then loosen and remove the inner locknut-note the lockwasher engagement pin (arrow)

Fig. 9: While pushing inwards on the rotor/hub assembly, remove the outer wheel bearing ...

Fig. 10: ... then pull the rotor/hub assembly from the spindle, taking care not to scratch the bearing cups in the hub

Fig. 11: Pry out the grease seal on the back of the rotor/hub assembly ...

Fig. 12: ... then remove the inner wheel bearing. Thoroughly clean and inspect all of the parts for wear or damage

continue...

check the sher bolt on the tine to drive shaft. ill need model and ser number off the unit before i can go further with helping you thy changed them around a lot

The gear box can be removed, reset and resealed using gasket magic. It is not a quick fix and during this process I also replaced the tine shaft seals as I had lubricant leaking from the gear-box to the tine shaft. When you are tilling you should avoid rocky areas. It iseems sudden tension due to bouncing is what knocks the chain loose.

DO NOT remove the belt pulley from the top of the gear box. It is unecessary. You must remove the entire assembly from the rear of the machine. It is set in place by 6 bolts and come off as a whole unit. Once it is removed then undo the three bolts and spacers that hold the case in place. Remove the case from the frame by sliding it out the open end. You will have to remove all of the bolts around the outside of the case; a cordless drill really comes in handy here. Lay the case on its side, as you remove the bolts you may experience lubricant dripping from the centers of the removed bolt holes, or at the center holes where the case connected to the frame. This is not a problem as you will need to replace the 90 weight lubricant after you have resealed the case anyway. Once you have removed all of the bolts, using a flathead screwdriver and a mallet or hammer. break the seal around the outside of the case. You may have to go around a few times, but eventually it will pull apart revealing the sprockets, bound chain and remaining lubricant. Since it is open this is an ideal time to check for wear on sprockets and remove any large debris from the case. reset the chain so that the tine shaft moves freely and the corresponding sprockets spin as you move the tine shaft. Using a gasket sealant (Gasket Magic**) put a thick bead of sealant in the center of flat outside edge where the two sides of the case come together. Add a little extra around bolt holes. Replace the two covers snugly together and begin finger-tightening the bolts back into the crank case. Once you have completed this task, go back over the bolts and tighten with a hand wrench. Once the case is back together allow 45m to an hour for the sealant to completly harden before introducing lubricant to the system. Then reattach the case to the rear assembly and then put your tiller back together.

This occurrence seams to be an issue with these machines, however the problem is avoidable as it is persistant use in rocky or hard ground areas which causes causes the system to jump and bind. If you happen upon a hard patch of earth or rocky area, go slow, do not force the tiller and remove any large debris when possible before tilling.

Put the tiller in a vise clamping on the bottom of worm gear housing. Remove worm gear housing cover. Clamp the worm gear at the top with a vise grip (I think Kuya Jon is correct in that you could skip this step because the transmission won't move when unscrewing, but I did it anyway just in case). Put a pipe wrench on the left tine shaft and unscrew it like it was a normal bolt. It's in there tight and it will take some force. When I unscrewed mine, the left bearing seal retainer, left bearing seal, and left bearing all came out with it. I just needed to replace the seals. I went to the right side, and with a screw driver carefully pried out the retainer. Then it's easy to just pull out the right seal with your finger. Put a new right seal in and insert the right retainer. Make sure the retainer is facing the correct way. I used a block of wood to tap mine in once I had it positioned because I was afraid to hit the retainer with a hammer. Now I put the tine shaft back in while holding the worm gear with the vise grip. Screw the shaft as far as it will go by hand and then go the rest of the way with a pipe wrench. Now came the tricky part. The right bearing did not slide right in. There was some resistance. I had to use a 1/2" threaded pvc pipe (not sure it needs to be threaded but that's what worked for me) longer than the tine shaft that was sticking out. I slip the pipe over the shaft against the bearing and tapped with a hammer. This drove the bearing in all the way. It needs to go in far enough to leave room for the seal and retainer. The plastic pvc allowed for this. Now put the right seal in. If the outer edge of the seal is only flush with the housing you did not tap the bearing in far enough. I made this mistake on my first try and tried to force the retainer in. Take it from me. It won't work. You will end up ordering another retainer to replace the one you mangled. Once in properly I slid the retainer over the shaft and then put a washer over that to tap against. The block of wood doesn't work on this side because the shaft is in the way. I used my pvc pipe again to tap against the washer and, wala, it worked like a charm. I hope this helps someone. All the other posts really helped me. Thanks!

Tools needed- typical socket and ratchet set, Axle slide hammer, Wiz Wheel type rotary cut off tool, chisel, ball pein hammer, hydraulic press, bech vice
First you must remove the rear wheels, then you must remove the brake capiler and mounting bracket, remove the brake rotor. unbolt 4 nuts on back side of brake dust shield that hold the seal and bearing securly in place. then you must attatch the slide hammer to the axle shaft by using the vehicles lug studs and lug nuts. use the slide hammer to knock the axle shaft out of the housing. it generally takes about 10-15 hard slams before it comes loose. once axle shaft is free to come out remove the slide hammer and pull the shaft from the axle tube. place the axle shaft into a vise and use the cut off wheel to cut off the bearing spacer. cut parralell to shaft until you hear a snap sound once it snaps use the hammer to slide the spacer off the end of the shaft. next you need to cut the bearing off the shaft using a the same technique being careful not the cut the shaft or the seal retainer plate. once the bearing is off then you can slide off the old axle seal. now slide on a new axle seal, axle bearing, and bearing spacer. take assembly to a hydraulic press and press the spacer and bearing onto the shaft until it seats squarely and make sure its all the way down onto the axle shaft. lubricate bearing with gear oil. and install shaft back into axle tube making sure that the recess in the seal retainer plate lines up with the abs sensor wire. tighten all nuts evenly top off gear oil

1. Remove the tire and wheel center cap.
2. Remove the drive axle nut.
3. Raise and support the vehicle. Remove the tire and wheel. .
4. Remove the brake rotor.
5. Disengage the wheel drive shaft from the wheel hub and bearing. Place a brass drift against the outer end of the wheel drive shaft in order to protect the wheel drive shaft threads. Sharply strike the brass drift with the hammer. Do not attempt to remove the wheel drive shaft from the wheel hub and bearing at this time.
6. Remove the wheel hub and bearing from the steering knuckle by removing the three bolts coming in from the back side of the knuckle.

Of course you may have to use a hammer to loosen the bearing from the knuckle.

Good Luck