Troy Bilt 830 Self Propelled Mower

Built for life? HAH!

My Troy Bilt 830 was the biggest piece of junk I ever owned. I bought it in 2005 to mow an average size suburban yard. Within two years I had to have the drive wheels replaced. The gears on the drive wheels are made of plastic!

This year it wouldn't self-propel. I replaced the belt as the owner's manual directed... still no help. It turns out that there is a service bulletin that requires change out of the crankshaft pulley. Hard to do yourself. So... off the to the service center. They, ordered the belt kit (belt and pulley). No luck. It turns out that the transmission is shot. Cost of repair: almost as much as I paid for the mower originally.

Today I bought a Lawn Boy (built by Toro), with heavy duty metal geared drive wheels and an oversized drive belt.

My advice, avoid stuff built by MTD.

Pros
- none

Cons
- had to replace most of the mower

Rating
1 out of 5