BCS Tillers

Hello mens. Does anyone know about BCS Tillers? My mid 60's Troy Bilt is just about shot and I've heard some good things about the BCS. Where are they made, are they durable, are parts available,etc. I don't want an MTD piece of $hit! Thanks.

Hey 4020,

I have a bunch of BCS equipment. They're made in Italy and have been in the U.S. since the mid-70s. Paul Sullivan imported them under the Mainline name until 1982 when BCS started importing their own. He then started importing SEP machines under the Mainline name.

Parts are readily available and they're very durable. Only way you can destroy one is through abuse or neglect. The biggest, best dealer in the US is Joel Dufour in Owenton KY. His site is earthtoolsbcs.com.

I'll warn you, new prices will make you sit down. I've bought all my machines used off eBay and Craigslist. I have an 850, 605, and 730 for tractors, and 30 inch tiller, 26 inch tiller, 38 inch mower, 28 inch snowblower, 60 inch snow blade, trencher, 3 inch chipper, combined ridger, cultivator, potato plow, 2 way moldboard plow, sickle mower, rough cut mower, etc. I got a half dozen videos on youtube of me running the machines- blowing snow, pushing snow, digging potatoes, chipping sweetcorn stalks. If you want more info, just ask me.

I, too, have a BCS tractor with a roto-tiller attachment.

They are actually a two wheeled tractor that you can add a variety of attachments to.

The handle bars can be swung around for using either end of the tractor for a needed purpose.

One summer I had been roto-tilling my garden when a divorced neighbor lady showed up and asked me to roto-till her garden with her Troy-bilt that she had gotten in the settlement. I was thrilled to finally get a chance to use one. Not so after having used it.

If you don't wish to spend the lifetime investment money on a BCS then go ahead and buy a Troy-bilt, but if you can justify the added coin by all means you will never be disappointed in the finer machine that BCS is.

I traded an older Gold Wing motorcycle for mine and a chipper/shredder. Priorities change you know.

What is your youtube account so we can look at your videos?

Christopher

Hey Chris,

Here's a link to the search "farmerboybill" on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=farmerboybill&search_type=&aq=f

Ive used a BCS for about 20 years.Only repairs have been a carb drain and tines.Put a new rope in the starter last year.My tiller has the Acme engine,it has been trouble free.I have the snow blower for it.Its under powered for snow blowing.BCS has been using B&S engines which I think is a step backward.

Hey 36 coupe,

Acme engines are very good, reliable engines, but Acme left the US market in the late 80's and went out of business in the mid 2000's. Take good care of that Acme, parts are gonna get hard to find. Joel at Earth Tools is about the best source for them, but his supply will eventually dry up, too. I needed a float for an ALN 330 this fall, but found it's not longer available. Joel would sell me a whole carb he modified for 200 bucks, but had no floats. Turned out I didn't need it after all. The float had swelled up and was binding at the hing pin. I shaved off some of the float and it was good as new, whew.

When Acme exited the US market, BCS started mounting Briggs and Kohler engines. In the early 2000s, they dropped Kohler and added Honda. A couple years ago, they started using exclusively Honda engines. They used to mount Acme diesels until they left and now mount Yanmar diesels as an option. Joel sells much better Lombardini diesels (now owned by Kohler). He's one of a very few dealers that will sell a BCS with a Lombardini diesel.

I have a 14 HP v-twin Briggs on my 850. It's a powerful engine, but a real fuel hog. I'm hoping to save my pennies and buy a Lombardini 11 HP diesel ro mount on it this spring. My 605 has an 8 hp Kohler Magnum on it and it is what I use on my 28 inch snow blower. You can see the video on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSfEQA4VY_Y I think you'll agree that mine isn't underpowered. The video of me plowing my potatoes is a 730 with an 8 horse Kohler Magnum as well. I was losing traction, but the engine pulled it without much complaint at a little more'n an idle. I really like those engines. They're reliable, powerful, have a nice sound, and don't SEEM to use much fuel.

I'm willing to buy your snowblower if you don't think you'll use it anymore. Shoot me an email at farmerboybill at gmail dot com.

Bil

Here's an old Troy Bilt with new tines and a new 10hp engine. No interlocks on the handles to mess with. Hal

Looks like a Troy Bilt Horse! My dad has an older one like that. I have the Pony its a little smaller. Were partial to Troy Bilts because the factory was right here in Troy NY, about 30 miles from my house. About 14 years ago I worked for a woman who told me her late husband owned a foundry and made castings for Troy Bilt.
I have never heard anything bad about the BCS tillers, and the market gardener Andrew Lee talks about them in his book. He seems to like them alot. J

I've had about 30 of those Troy Bilt's over the years. I bought them and fixed them up and resold them. I had one of the Black Troy Bilt's
when they came out for their 25th anniversary in the early 90's. Someone offered me $2000.00 more than I paid for it and I sold it. I kept the hiller/ furrower. I only paid $100.00 for this tiller. It needed new seals under the tine holders, new tines and a new engine. I sold the Tecumseh engine for $60.00. I use a motorcycle battery for starting the 10hp engine. Hal

I've used Troybilt for about 30 years, was always satisfied with it. Ended up with a BCS (Briggs motor) with tiller and mower attachments in settlement of a debt, and used it for prepping the garden this spring.

One of my winter projects is to spiff up the ole Troybilt and get it sold in the spring. That BCS just flat ate Troy's lunch. The gear drives are worlds better than the mickey-mouse engine lift belt tightener on the Troy.

the new troybilts arent half the machine the ones from the 60's and 70's were. bill m.

The Troy-Bilts are too top heavy and tip over.

I saw a cut away model of a BCS years ago and that thing sure was designed good. Low center of gravity,and built like a mini tractor inside. I never have used one but if I was looking for a tiller of that size I'd get a BCS.

For tilling you can't beat a 3pt. hitch mounted tiller on a compact tractor with hydro tranny.
For weeding and culitvating and even putting out the garden since the ground has been worked Mom uses nothing more then a Mantis.

I liked the Bradley we used as a kid. Had all kinds of attachments. The down side was that the knot on the end of the pull rope would pop me somewhere every other time I started it depending upon how many wraps I put on it.