Troy-Bilt® is a brand that has been owned and marketed by MTD since 2001. Prior to that, Troy-Bilt was part of one of America’s leading gardening marketing companies known as Garden Way, Inc. Garden Way was founded by one of the icons in US garden marketing, a very interesting gentleman named Lyman Wood. What do they offer now you ask? They currently produce the following models:

More on the company's history

Wood had been a businessman and entrepreneur since the age of 13, when he and several of his friends opened their first business on the shore of Lake Champlain in Vermont. Wood later worked as an advertising executive and was also a very creative and entrepreneurial direct marketer … selling rabbit’s feet for good luck and even personalized prayers by mail. (The US Postal Service shut down his rabbit’s foot business because of his fraudulent claims that the buyer would soon experience good luck.) His first venture into the gardening business was the successful marketing of a book called "The Have-More Plan – A Land, a Lot of Living," written by Ed and Carolyn Robinson.

The popularity of The Have-More Plan resulted in a consulting opportunity for Woods with Watco Manufacturing, a tiller manufacturer in Troy, New York. Watco had manufactured a power tiller called the Roto-ette in Troy, New York since 1937. Watco sold them exclusively through a network of small independent dealers.http://www.profitadvisors.com/live.shtml

Interestingly, the early Watco tillers had “saw tooth” tines that were similar to the famous (and patented) serpentine tines used today on all Mantis mini-tillers. These tines, when used with a slower RPM rear-tine tiller, had two inherent problems:

One of Watco’s engineers – working at home on his own time - redesigned the tines so that they would turn vegetation into the soil, where it would more quickly decompose to add nutrients to and improver the composition of the soil. The redesigned tines were very similar to the “bolo” tines used on most rear-tine tillers today.

Wood tried to convince Watco that they could – and, indeed should - sell large, expensive tillers by mail order. While Watco did dabble in direct marketing with Wood’s assistance, they never really embraced the idea. Since Watco had a fairly well-established dealer program, perhaps the direct marketing efforts seemed either unnecessary or competitive to their primary business. Finally, in 1967, Wood and a few partners bought controlling interest of Watco, which later became Garden Way Manufacturing.

Garden Way, Inc. was a Vermont-based direct mail powerhouse in the 1970’s and 1980’s, selling the famous Troy-Bilt Tillers, the Garden Way Cart, and hundreds of other gardening and self-sufficiency products almost exclusively by mail order.

Mr. Wood shared the ownership of Garden Way with several key employees; but it proved to be his undoing. Lyman Wood and several of the senior managers were ousted by a group of other shareholders in 1982, in a carefully planned “coup” for control that not only surprised Mr. Wood, but literally shocked the direct marketing community. Garden Way later spun off several of its divisions, which became independent enterprises. The Garden Way publishing business was purchased by Martha and John Storey, who created Storey Publishing in 1983. Will Rapp purchased the catalog business and created Gardeners Supply the same year.

Garden Way continued to be a dominant force in the direct to consumer gardening business. Wood and others went on to create Country Home Products, another Vermont-based direct marketer of home and garden products, including the famous DR® Trimmer. (DR is not an abbreviation for doctor; DR reflects the initials of one of Wood’s partners, the very inventive and creative Dick Raymond.)

So, perhaps in a way, Troy-Bilt has come full circle. Now owned by MTD, Troy-Bilt Tillers can be purchased at thousands of independent dealers, virtually all Lowe’s stores, as well as ACE Hardware, TrueValue Hardware, Tractor Supply, and other retailers. For those with a desire to buy “direct,” Troy-Bilt Tillers can purchased from the Troy-Bilt web site or from Amazon.com.

Todays Troy-Bilt Tillers

The Troy-Bilt brand is almost synonymous with big, red, walk-behind tillers … although the brand also includes mini tillers similar in size to the Mantis Tiller.

More than a few loyal owners have simply referred to their Troy-Bilt Tillers as “Big Red.” (One gardener who owned both a big rear-tine Troy-Bilt tiller and a Mantis Mini-Tiller wrote that he owned both a “Big Red” and a “Little Red.”)

4-Cycle Garden Cultivator/Edger The Troy-Bilt 2-in-1 push cultivator easily tills your garden and makes a crisp bed edge. Convert quickly and easily between a standard push cultivator to an edger -- with no tools required. Plus, it is lightweight for easy maneuvering. That's why it's a favorite of gardeners with small vegetable, flower or herb gardens. • 26cc, 4-cycle engine - no mixing of oil and gas! • SpringAssist starting system for dramatically reduced starting effort - starts with a slow and steady pull! • Edger attachment kit included - converts in minutes with no tools required! • Durable gear-driven transmission • 8" patented steel cultivating tines dig, weed and shred for premium soil preperation • Adjustable tilling width from 6" to 10 1/4" • Adjustable tilling depth up to 8" • Integrated front bumper included • Lightweight for easy use and storage • 2-year limited warranty

Electric Cultivator Get all the benefits of our standard push cultivator for soil preparation and bed maintenance with the ease of an electric motor. The TB154 electric cultivator is simple to start - just push a button - and lightweight for improved ease of use. • Easy electric start - no pulling the cord! • 120 volt / 6.5 amp electric motor • Durable gear-driven transmission • Forward-rotating tines - ideal for cultivating and weeding in gardens • 8" patented steel cultivating tines dig, weed and shred for premium soil preparation • Adjustable tilling width from 6" to 10 1/4" • Adjustable tilling depth up to 8" • Integrated carrying handle for easy transport • Standard cord minder keeps your extension cord in check • Lightweight for easy use and storage • Quiet operation! • 2-year limited warranty