Kitchen Garden Forum

I need a little advice, please.

I was given some old Merry Tiller attatchments about six months ago. I didn't realy want them but, they belonged to the old owner of the Big house, 'who sadly died a couple of years ago', where I work on a Friday, so there was a bit of emotional feeling towards them. So I have been looking out for a reasonbly priced Merry Tiller to use them on....anyway a Merry tiller Major 3Hp none runner came up at the right price. It was in very good condition, but hadn't been started for 10 years. So I took a gamble and bought it and luckily enough, had it running within 10 minutes of getting home.

The help I need is, Firstly, it could do with a new belt and I'm sure I can remember someone telling me, or reading about it somewhere, that you should use a Cloth covered belt as they perform better....does anyone know if this is true?

Secondly, In a list of attatchments that came with it, it says that you should use a Vee-Plex pulley if using Traction wheels....now I'm not going to be using it for attatchments such as a mower but to pull the tool bar with hoe blades on....it doesn't say you need that pulley if you are using Pick Rotors to drive the rotovator....so do I need a Vee- Plex pulley or not?

Hope someone can give me some good advice....

Sorry I can't help with the pulleys but 3 h.p. sounds a bit small for pulling things ,I bought an old Howard tiller with a 2 hp Briggs and Stratton engine my idea was I could leave it down the plot with out fear of someone carting it off, it drives ok in forward and reverse the minute I try to get it to work the engine stalls as it's underpowered I think it needs 6 h.p. to work ok

It will only be doing light hoeing, Robo, so should be fine.....I will have to give it a push along if not....

I think you need to hope Richard spots it or perhaps even pm him - "Last active:Sat Apr 28, 2018 10:47 am"
(search Merry Tiller and Richard and you'll find him)
I had a MT many years ago and I think I only used the pulley for the grass cutter.

Thank you, Geoff, I will do that if no one appears by the weekend.

The tools and machinery section seems to have gone a bit quiet, so I don't check it as often as I used to, oddly enough my last "look" must have been just before you posted. Anyway, Wolseley recommended cloth covered belts for Merry Tillers, but Webb chose raw edge, notched, when they came out with the plastic belt guard model. I bought some accessories from a man who had worked for a Webb dealer at that time, and he said they had Market Gardeners complaining the raw edge belts were getting hot if the machine was being used a lot. Don't know why anyone should use the vee-plex with traction wheels. It is for driving accessories which require a second pulley, mower, hedge cutter, soil shredder etc. Are the wheels the right size for your machine? The max outside diameter of the tyres is 12" for Majors etc, and 22" for Titans (though 16" Titan wheels are more common), because you use the low speed pulleys for traction work with a Titan.

Good morning Richard, thank you for such a quick reply.
I was on the right tracks about the cloth covered belt being better, then...
I do indeed have the 12" wheels.....I did think it strange the original 1977 accessory leaflet, said about using the vee-plex pulley for the traction wheels....it also says for the 36" sickle mower attachment, you need the addition of traction wheels and the vee-plex pully, what I can understand. So a hoeing I will go, well when the weather permits...
Do you still sell any spares,Richard, if so, can I have the contact details please ?

Afternoon Richard, I have bought a new belt and I think it is from you....

I hope you have many years of use from your Merry Tiller, and thanks for the order.

All rather exciting for me....

Another quick question...

On the drive wheel hubs, the hole is elongated, it's not worn so, what is the reason?

Dear OH
I have found some footage of Merry Tillers in action hope it helps in some way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XQ17OZ4mwU

Now I thought I was prepared for most sides of your sense of humour, Pa Snip but, even I wasn't ready for that...absolutely brilliant..

Just one thing though, Old Sausage, for the heck of me, I can't fathom out where the elongated holes fit in....

oldherbaceous wrote:
Just one thing though, Old Sausage, for the heck of me, I can't fathom out where the elongated holes fit in....

I'm just not going there

Steady boys! The drive wheels need to be able to turn corners, as there is no differential, and one wheel has to turn further than the other round corners, slots in the wheel hubs allow a bit of difference in wheel speeds. Titan 16" wheels actually have ratchets in the hubs so one can "free wheel" when cornering.