I bought one of these the other day off Facebook marketplace. I liked all the access they give you. I got tired of adjusting the valves and replacing rods on the Briggs and Stratton.
i’m about to purchase one of this tomorrow morning for $400 dollars it looks super well taking care of the guy it’s upgraded to a bigger one i’m glad i saw this video thank you so much man
Great video! I’m waiting for my bronco to be delivered, I do a lot myself, and when i was told $600 to mow my backyard and clean up some leaves, one time, I figured mind as well invest
Some of the newer Kohler residential grade engines have a lot of problems with camshafts failing. I just recently (within the last week) purchased a riding mower. After doing so research I decided on a Husqvarna with the Briggs 18.5 hp. The Briggs has some issues with head gaskets but the cost and ease of repair over the common Kohler issues steered me to the Briggs. Ultimately I think the difference between Briggs and Kohler comes down to personal preference. Some people have tons of problems with Briggs engines while others run them for many years with no issues and the same goes for Kohler. The newer Troybilt's are the same exact machine as the Craftsman mowers and while doing my research I found far more complaints about Craftsman mowers then any other brand. I can't speak from personal experience but the amount of issues people complained about with their Craftsman machines steered me away from them.
this is my second bronco troy built and other one was bought in 2007 and still going but with 3 acres it was straining to keep up .I bought the newer bronco back in 2016 so I can say they are great mowers for the price
My Bronco with the Kohler engine now going on over a decade and runs like new. I have changed the carb , all the belts, blades, and had to use slime in one tire but the engine never fails. Worse thing is I treated it like crap with respect to maintenance in the past but treat it right now.
As per the Briggs & Stratton engine comparison, I give the B&S engine 5 STARS every time! MY Troy-Bilt 42-inch Bronco is still like day ONE and I would buy it again and again... My only problem I have is the FOREWARD speed is slower than the REVERSE, which is twice as fast as the Foreword speed. And my second problem is the STIRING gets very HARD to TURN a lot of the time and wears me out as a 75-year-old man. If you saw me, you would say I look like a 50-Year-old man, and if you saw me working outdoors, you would call me the ENERGIZER BUNNY. If any questions or ANSWERS from this, please let me know form anybody, anywhere... TYVM !
Very good video about the likes and dislikes of this MTD (troy built) mower. I have a MTD (yard machine) with a Briggs 17.5hp I/C Intek engine. You mentioned the small fuel tank, and I agree, so I solved the problem on my mower by converting to propane using an on-demand-regulator which is very safe and approved by the gas industry. So when the engine quits for any reason, the propane shuts off too. And the two reasons for the conversion are 1.) No more clogged jets and dealing with the alcohol in the gas and 2.) Now I have a 4.5 gallon fuel tank that runs for about 7 hours which is about 5 mowings on 1/3 acre corner lot. Best thing I did and much fewer problems when trying to keep the lawn looking great.LOWES took on the Craftsman named lawn mowers which are also built by MTD and apparently dropped Troy Built.
Troy-Bilt used to be one hell of a good mower but mad bought them out and it's the cheapest piece of junk the steering is heavy hard and binding transmissions and transaxles aren't worth a shit the frames are weak they don't cut grass when the dam and they tear up a lot I own one I wouldn't give a nickel for a dozen
Sweet Tea lol. I saw it when I released the video. Dang autocorrect. I tried to fix it in a hurry but life happens. Thanks for the comment and veiw man! Glad to see your still here!
For your phone just put Velcro in that cubby and then get a phone case that you can use for lawn cutting so you can put the other part of the Velcro on the phone case so when you put the phone in the cubby it’s not going anywhere
I’m looking to buy a riding mower for 1 acre of yard and I’m confused. Some people are saying don’t get a Briggs motor, get a Kohler. Others are saying Don’t get a Kohler, get a Briggs. Don’t get a Husqvaurna (I think I spelled that correctly), get a John Deere. Don’t get a John Deere, get a Cub Cadet. I just need a consistent review.
Just bought a 2013 used at a (I think) good price. 19 hp Kohler. Put little over $50 bucks into oil and filter change, gas filter, air filter, and new valve cover gasket. It was dripping oil on the heat shield over the muffler and smoking. So far so good… but it doesn’t do very well on slopes… fortunately I’m taking it to a second home that is flat. Disconnected the feature that shuts it off if you try to mow in reverse… I think the new ones have an override on the dash.
I have a 2022 Troy-Bilt pony with the 19 horse Kohler. Love it! I've never had a problem with it. It has the bagger system on it. Also a lot of times I do hook the wood splitter to it in a wagon behind it and go out and collect what now. I'd also have a 2024 Troy-Bilt pony with the 17.5 brigging Stratton again. I've had no problems with that mower at all. Runs great cuts! Great! I got to admit I was kind of surprised because my bronco was actually cheaper than my pony, but I think that's just because of the difference in the years I bought both of mine at tractor supply. I don't know if you have one down there in Kentucky. Give it a try and I bought the second one because we are running into that same problem up here in the Adirondack mountains. Hard to find a good riding lawn mower at a reasonable price
My mom got a Bronco in 2020. I want to say it’s a good mower but it’s a POS at the same time. There belts are ridiculous can’t find anything on YT how to work on this model. Everything is a pony or something else. You have upper and lower transmission belts plus deck belts. Can’t find any info about lower transmission or about the idler pulleys for the transmission. Everything you find is for upper or it’s not the model so it doesn’t help. Also new to take body off because my son decided to take off one of the idler pulleys now there is a nut that we can’t get to unless the body is off. Even if we could find and get the nut there is no way to get a wrench on it to tighten up the Pulley.
As a small engine mechanic I can positively say that the troybilt bronco or any troybilt lawnmower is not a machine worth buying. I have many of these machines come through my shop and all of them are plagued with issues. The construction on them is cheap, the motors and transmissions are absolute junk the the decks feel like there made of paper. I see a lot of decks completely rusted out or straight up with giant cracks or bends In them. Overall imo not a machine of good quality. Save your money and buy a mower built bye a higher grade company.
Briggs & Stratton already proved that it will last longer than a cooler engine any day.😮 Especially the bucket top cooler engine nothing but problems look it up.😮 Cooler's okay but you got to keep after them Briggs & Stratton you can run to the ground without servicing it.😊 Let me know what y'all think about that in the comment section. God bless.
I don’t know if the Kohler engine will make a big difference in that and it depends on who selling them Rural King offers one for $1099 that is one super nice looking lawn tractor with lots of room and it has their own engine on it,,,,well I believe it’s an MTD Briggs & Stratton knock off,,,,don’t know anything about those engines however $1099 for a brand new 42 inch deck rider that will accommodate the smallest of riders and the biggest of riders is one heck of a deal I don’t care if they had a harbor freight predator engine on them that’s a darn good price,,,,flat out man.
I would advise any one looking to buy any lawnmower to inspect it carefully .I learned the hard way troy built does not back it's product no customer care .I bought a 2016 troy built bronco from lowes and it has a 46 inch deck bracket that holds the pulley and brake pad on the discharge side and brake pad does not sit right and it gets burned into .I saw the stamped 46 inch on 3 spots on the bracket and sent pics to troybuilt and was on the phone with tech support for over an hour and they keep trying to tell me the bracket is right .Then why would the brake pad bracket set sideways to the pulley ,you can see it on my video of troy built mower HELP so you can make sure you do not end up with this problem .It is a 42 inch bronco deck .I have a cub cadet bought just months before this one since I have 3 acres and so far under warranty they have replaced the idle pulleys and the drive belt .I also learned that troy built has 2 drive belts that are probably harder to replace .The cub cadet is easy to replace and decided while i was at it I would replace deck belt also with kevlar belts .I am pretty sure a lemon is a lemon and this troy built is a piece of the lemon .I am now looking myself for the bracket and will need to replace it myself to maybe salvage a brand new lawn mower .I take very good care of my mowers .Look before you buy and look at videos of how these mowers work and are put together ,sad because how do you really know what you are buying
i know this video year old but just bought one last month now the new troy builts are only using the Briggs motors my 2019 Bronco is a 19Hp Briggs ive used the mower 3 times so far its been good so far
Mikey Ownz Depends on the model and who is selling them Rural King sells a pony looks real nice very roomy I’m 6 foot 318 pounds and it fits me very well lots of room with some room left over actually for even bigger guys,,,,very impressed with that,,,however it has an MTD Briggs & Stratton knock off version of an engine don’t know if that’s good or bad???42 inch deck,,,I believe right now they’re being offered for $1099 I’m tempted,,, very tempted and from what I can tell craftsman huskies Troy built and a few others are all pretty much the same mowers with a different name plate,,,, I’m talking gear driven that has the reverse neutral and forward gear selector on the fender with the actual speed selector or gear selector on the dash like a hand operated throttle.
i just bougt a 2020 troy blit bronco for $550 less then 3 hours from a guy and said his dad used it 3 times befor he got sick and passed a way i love mine 42 cut 19 horse with a dump trailer how did i do
My old Craftsman LT2000 died after almost 15 years & not a lotta love!! Like my ol' Cajun friend used to say, "you jus' put th' gas & geaux!" Simple!! Having a hard time getting used to this Bronco! It's cost me over $600 (½ orig cost!) for 2 Service visits & small electrical problem (blown fuse They Couldn't Find!!) & couple of blades, oil & plug. As a Senior, the gas pedal is a bear to hold down for an hour!!;)) Kig, could you explain the gears/tmsn again for me? Has forward & reverse - how do I engage the other gears (says 7) - real mystery to me!! Great video!! Thx! ATB&God Bless!! jim, ¹rcs!
The best way to keep the deck clean is to wash it after every usage. Just lower the deck all the way down and take a hose to it. Now the blades are not hard to remove but it does require you to get under the deck and take the two nuts loose that hold the blades on, But you can sharpened the blades if you get them off. Just be careful, the blade will want to turn as you try to loosen the nuts and those blades still could be sharp. on a scale of 1-10 1 being easy. I would give this project a 4. just because you have to get under it and hold the blades as you remove them. (wear gloves) Now the snow removal part. Troy built has all the options for this mower to push snow, wheel weights, chains and blades. I will say that it will do it but I have never tried to push snow. so sorry about that. thank you for the comment and view
Why do I need to remove my shades, do you need to look me into my eyes?? Little weird, guess I can Squint my eyes on the next video for you. But hey thanks for the comment and veiw
after all this time do you or anyone else feel like the bronco is a good buy from home depot / lowes or do you feel like you should have gone with a cub cadet or something else..?? getting ready to buy my first riding lawn mower
I have a 20 HP Kohler courage bucket engine, in my 11 year old troy built bronco mower. still going strong. key to maintaining a rider mower, Keep it clean out, I use a leaf blower after each time I mow the yard, Last year I bought some new parts, did some upgrade work to it. which included making up a ball stud tie rod for the front axles. although getting that screw they used locked tight in under the steering gear shaft was a bear to get out. I wash it out 2 or 3 times a year, I will tell you, although you can purchase a bag set up to mount on the rear, The Troy built mower is not the best at moving the cuttings to up the tube. plugs up easily, even with 20 hp, heavy grass will cause the 20 hp to stammer under the load of cuttings . at 73, I sort of doubt I'll be buying an other mower as long as this one keeps keeping on.
...all new mowers are great at first.after the honeymoon is over please post a video every year .im divorcing troy built.the costs of parts over the years.you get what you pay for.im getting a higher quality brand next tyme.
There is a 3rd difference between the Pony and the Bronco besides the motor and price. The Bronco has this wheel attached to the cutting deck. The Pony doesn't have these wheels on the deck. Also the Pony doesn't have a oil filter either. Home Depot sells Troy-Bilt and Lowes sells Craftsman now. They are close to the same in every way. Even the extra attachments can be used be both. Hey it has been a year now. Where is the 1 year review?
Three gallon capacity for the Cub Cadet XT1 ! That has the Kohler engine too. I gave up on Troy-Bilt after my two year old high wheel mower fell apart. Two wheel bearings failed and later after hitting a soft willow root the blade shaft bent so bad it was useless. But nice video, well done!
I just get a used Bronco and the problem I have is,,, when I put it level 1 or the Blades doesn’t work, Why? I always have to cut the grass on level 3 or higher…. Help me to figure out What is the problem? Thanks
MTD Products is an American manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for the mass market. Headquartered in Valley City, Ohio, USA, the company began in 1932 and is a family-owned, private company. It originated as a tool and die maker. MTD's main competitors are Stihl, Ariens, Snapper Inc., John Deere and Husqvarna. (Wikipedia)
@@rearview2709 Snapper hasn't been its own company since 2003, Simplicity hasn't since 2004. They were bought up by Briggs and Stratton product's division. Now that, that has occurred I have seen Snappers rolled into AYP (Craftsman) rebadged Snappers and I've seen Snapper push mowers that are identical to Troy Bilts, which is MTD. The Snapper line was completely discontinued at the end of 2017. That Wikipedia page needs to be updated and edited. You can't trust everything you read, its not always entirely accurate. Its fair to say MTD competes with Briggs product division, but they have also worked together and use their engines.
The K46 isn't as bad as it may seem. The greedy tractor manufacturers are to blame for most of the k46's short comings. Tuff torq (the company that makes the K46) calls for 50 weight oil to be used and replaced on a regular basis. The tractor manufacturers fill this trans with 10w30 due to costs and also require Tuff torq to not add a drain plug for additional cost savings then the tractor manufacturers claim it is sealed and non serviceable. If you search for videos on how to change the fluid you will find it is possible and it is a pretty decent transmission when serviced properly.
Well I would agree with you but until you try a specific company you will never know what oil they use JD used bad oil in my L130 and my tranny failed. As far as I can tell Tuff torq has not changed the blue prints very much and they could make it much better and easier for users to change fluids and basically maintain it. They are the only tranny manufacture out there for low end tractors so they can influence how the buyers use their transmissions. At some point the lawyers are going to have to step in with a class action lawsuit. I have received two checks from lawyers in JD settlements so far.
@@michaelwittman1935 in my research (I wish I had a link for you) I found a reply to a comment directly from Tuff Torq. They stated that they build units to the specs of the tractor companies and most insist on no drain plug for cost savings. Tuff Torq also stated that they cannot ship units with fluid in them and it is up to the tractor manufacturers to fill them during the tractors assembly, Tuff torq even said that most fill their units with 10w30 for cost savings and not the recommended 50w that Tuff torq suggests. Tuff torq also suggests replacing the fluid after the first 50 hours of use then every 200 hrs after that. I think if you follow these guidelines for fluid and service intervals they are actually a pretty reliable transmission. To be honest it is going to be hard to find a residential yard tractor that doesn't have a K46 unless you go with a manual shift trans or one of the CVT transmissions that most manufacturers are now offering The down side there is the CVT uses a plastic transmission case. Good luck with your next tractor. Hopefully it is a better experience for you, it really sucks to invest so much into a machine to have it fail due to profit margins for those who built it.
Thats 100% true if the vendor in this case Tuff Torque wants to damage their reputation by selling to spec equipment im sure they know is inferior. I make products as well and I know what your talking about but like my company we too make a product thats almost a monopoly so we have the power to say NO we are not going to make a product that makes us look bad and leaves us open to liability of workmanship. But I do understand the pressure to just make it barely passable. We shale never make an inferior product our reputation is worth alot more to us then keeping a buyer happy.
Just bought one, at least here in east TN they're being sold by Home Depot. Took forever and a day to get the damn thing delivered (they didn't even have one at the store, had to order it online). If this thing has a problem I suspect I'll be screwed for weeks waiting for parts or replacement... but that may be true of every mower company with how messed-up everything is right now.
First, I have a Pony which does not have an oil filter. The engine on this one is the 15.5 HP Briggs. I'm still not sure why some Ponies had the 15.5HP and some had the 17.5HP. The 15.5HP has plenty of power. I bought this one used with less than one years use. I've used it 3 years now without any problems. I change the oil at the beginning of each year, mow my lawn once a week. It takes about an hour. Seven months is right at 30 hrs a year. Again I've had 0 problems with the mower. Still doesn't use any oil. I use 10W-30 Mobil1. It still feels like a new mower. Starts on first compression hit by the starter. Secondly, there are other differences between the Pony and the Bronco besides engine size and brand. The Pony does not have any deck wheels. That's a big difference That alone is the reason to by a Bronco. The Transmission in the Bronco is an automatic, not a manual like the Pony. Personally I prefer the manual. If the Pony had deck wheels I would actually say save the $200 difference, but it doesn't so yeah, buy the Bronco for the deck wheel which will keep you from scalping your lawn. As far as Briggs vs Kohler, I've heard good and bad on both. I still have a very old Toro Briggs push mower that still runs like a champ. I think it has more to do with up keep than brand as far as how long they last.
And why do you believe that. You don't support you opinion what so ever. Makes me think it's pure bias or you are a John Deere salesman. If you are comparing a Pony to a commercial grade mower - is that really fair. You don't buy a Pony to do commercial mowing any more than buying a F150 to haul semi trailers. Does that make the F150 bad? Compared to the mowers in it's price range the Pony is a very good mower. Using it 30 hrs a year was what it was designed for and what it price range is for. It's impossible to respond to you because you give ZERO justification for you opinion.
I own one of these.....just bought this, only because my own yard is destroyed thanks to the seller of this log cabin. He drove his truck around the property and put so many ruts (deep ruts mind you) in this yard it destroyed my last troy-built bronco.....so i was forced to pay the last of my moving expenses, (another $2,500) to replace it. I have finally managed to get the tall grass cut down and hauled off so i can start from scratch. I bought a yard roller to try to get my property flat again and with the roller full of water it weighs 920lbs....how much water would you recommend i put in the roller that wont destroy my bronco?
Avoid Troybilt! Absolute trash. Bought one from Rural king it was in the shop 4 of the 6 weeks I had it .One problem after another. Sold it for a 50% loss. best move I've ever made. Bought a Husqvarna and never had a problem in 3 yrs.
Do you have a Home Depot where you live, as they carry the TB Bronco. Thanks for the great info and I’m on my way to purchase this Bronco at HD for $2199.00. 04.01.23
I bought my bronco used for $100 with a bagger system, guy couldn’t get it to crank when I arrived..I made $100 offer, got it home and it was a $.25 fuse under the seat
I have one a tad newer. The only thing I noticed that is different is the filter and mine is a Briggs and Stratton motor (540cc). But it has done really good until it started leaking oil in the front. I have to check and see if the seal is bad on the valve cover or if it needs to be tightened . I have been searching all night to find the right gasket, but think it just uses a silicone seal. Which is fine. Otherwise I have been using mine for 3 summers, going on the 4th this season! Can't wait to get out there and start mowing our acre and a quarter of Alaskan wilderness! It really is a tough little ride on. I paid $1499 for my Bronco.
I like your picture, i am a stihl man myself! But anything you buy anymore from the depot or lowes is made so cheaply! I hate how un-serviceable products have be came. Guess thats why i like stihl so much. Thanks for the comment and view
Bought a used Pony with a rebuilt 18 hp pressure lubed with Oil Filter Briggs & Stratton rebuilt Intek from a Craftsman. So now I have basically a Bronco. The Craftsman mowers that Lowe’s sells now are in fact re-branded Troy-Bilts
The only difference between the 31R700 series Briggs engines (what is used in the Pony, or at least the one I have) which have an oil filter and which don't is the sump. So I believe they are ALL pressure lubed. (The ones with a filter have a different engine type number, but the sump is interchangeable between them, so you could add an oil filter to your 31R700 Briggs engine by changing the sump to one that has the oil filter). Then again, I just read a post saying that none of the OHV Briggs engines are pressure lubed, the oil pump only pushes oil through the filter and they still use a slinger for lubing the internals.
I saw this click bait and had to hear what you had to say as my neighbor has an older style Bronco that I am constantly having to fix for her (I just got it running last week but it still has lots of work left). You start off the bat with the oil filter. I have a 2008 MTD that still runs smooth in 2022 with no oil filter. I change the oil every season just as you would with an engine with a filter. Kholer motors are notorious for not being mechanic friendly. I would advise in being very careful when adjusting the rockers as the cover will give you issues. This is an updated engine so hopefully they fixed the oil leaking issue, but they probably still have the 6 bolts compared to B&S 4. If everything is the same as you say, then I assume the blade belt and drive belt routing are the same. Best to take pictures now before running that engine so you know how those belts run as the manual can get confusing.
All the larger engines have full pressure lubrication. That's just an advertising gimmick. Oil filter makes it last. It's not a Kohler courage is it? Because if so I'm not even going to start getting into the major design flaws it has. Hands down worst engine Kohler has ever made. If it's a single cylinder Kohler Courage engine take it back now and get another one while you still have time. Look that engine up online for issues one time.
Bronco has an automatic transmission (foot pedal control), pony has manual transmission. Bronco has front wheel anti scalp on deck. I believe the steering is also better in the Bronco.
Some lady contacted home advisor to haul this unit away I was thinking bad engine or bad trans or just needs a carb clean out looks almost new and fires right up and drives now time to clean it up and sell it
Bought it two years ago and it’s been nothing but problems. So many times I’ve called a repair man for pins, transmission, tires, engine , gas pedal issues, etc. will never buy another one ever.
I bought one in 2009 has same engine and it looks just like the one I have still runs good but unfortunately the deck is rusted out hope I can find a good used deck for it.
