engine runs and tines engage, but tiller will not self propel when in till mode, or during forward or reverse.

John, April 2008

The tines work just fine but suddenly the transmission quit working so it has to be moved forward manually. The belt is tight and it turns the drive wheel.

louie, May 2021

i am having problem getting the transmission case back together once i tigthen the screw it stop moving by hand.

Dan, June 2015

have a 216-340-000 mtd tiller,tines stay engaged when in forowed and reverse

jim, February 2015

Where can I get a repair manual for a craftman tiller model 917293202? Need to know position of gears in transmission.
Thank you for your help

Tony, June 2012

My tiller is 10 years old have never had any trouble out of it untill now. Was plowing hit a rock and it stoped digging. Still pulls can hold the tines up and they turn but when they touch the ground they stop . changed the belt still no dig . Anyone know what happened????

Jimmy Law, May 2012

i just fixed axle drive chain on friends tiller i borrowed and broke. what a piece! the drive chain broke becouse the sprocket is welded to the axle and the bushing they put in to hold the axle isnt long enough on one side so the axle forces the chain over and stressed it to sheer apart. it happens when you put weight on one tire and have it in gear,tipping it. to fix the problem you need to put spacers behind the tires to hold axle from walking back and forth. i used pieces of pipe with big washers on both ends. hope this helps

jays custom homes plattsburgh, May 2011

I just installed a new replacement transmission for my craftsman rear tine tiller model 917294271, and it won't operate in forward/forward tine. Every other mode works fine. Has anyone found a way to make an adjustment without tearing apart the transmission or ordering a new one?

Orienta, October 2010

I'm on my second drive chain w/ only 4 hours of service on the machine. This is the biggest piece of garbage I have ever bought. You have to tear the machine completely down to replace the chain and the chain on it is no more than a bicycle chain!! I will never buy another sears product again!

Aharding, April 2010

my 17" rear tine craftsman rototiller (model 917...) just started having a grinding in the trans. It started popping out gear and then just began to grind. The only tilling mode it ever worked in was forward/reverse tine. I have never been able to get it to work in forward/forward tine mode since it was new. Never used it much or very hard. The trans never was really right since it was new. I agree bad design.

Plowboy, March 2010

We have the same problem only sears said they won't take it apart to see what the problem is they want to just replace the transmission. We think the chain came off.

Kj, June 2009

I have a Sears Craftsman 850 Series rear tine tiller (Model No. 917.297040) that has the same problem. Sounds like this could be a design flaw. I've seen several websites in which people report the same problem

Frustrated tiller, May 2009

I have a Craftsman 17" rear tine rototiller that has the same problem. It ended up having a broken chain on the drive axle. I had it replaced with a new chain I purchased from Sears. It worked for 10 minutes and then it popped out of gear. I haven't been able to engage it back into gear again. $270 in parts & labor and I'm back to square 1. Cutting torch is my next move tomorrow.

Jeff F, April 2009