Remove rust from tiller tines - Mantis Garden

SOURCE: craftsman front tine tiller 917.299011 parts

If you are looking for repair parts diagrams and part numbers they are located pages 38 through 45 of the Owner's Manual.
Hope this helps.

SOURCE: Craftsman tiller engine dies when I try to engage tines

tilt the back of the tiller up and check for a rock or stick wedged in between the tines and the shield

SOURCE: Tiller tines will not turn. Engine runs fine...

Well hopefully it's not the transmission, as sometimes these tend to go. Another common but cheaper repair are the two bearings where the tines connect to the unit.

MORE THAN LIKELY.. The bearing is located above the worm gear housing, the part connected to the tines beneath the guard. This removal can be somewhat frustrating but if you remove it and remove the engine flange you'll be able to manually spin the drive shaft and see if it's the worm gear housing/lower bearings or if it's the more likely bearing on the clutch drum or the clutch itself.

SOURCE: Tine shaft removal for mantis 2 cycle tiller

Put the tiller in a vise clamping on the bottom of worm gear housing. Remove worm gear housing cover. Clamp the worm gear at the top with a vise grip (I think Kuya Jon is correct in that you could skip this step because the transmission won't move when unscrewing, but I did it anyway just in case). Put a pipe wrench on the left tine shaft and unscrew it like it was a normal bolt. It's in there tight and it will take some force. When I unscrewed mine, the left bearing seal retainer, left bearing seal, and left bearing all came out with it. I just needed to replace the seals. I went to the right side, and with a screw driver carefully pried out the retainer. Then it's easy to just pull out the right seal with your finger. Put a new right seal in and insert the right retainer. Make sure the retainer is facing the correct way. I used a block of wood to tap mine in once I had it positioned because I was afraid to hit the retainer with a hammer. Now I put the tine shaft back in while holding the worm gear with the vise grip. Screw the shaft as far as it will go by hand and then go the rest of the way with a pipe wrench. Now came the tricky part. The right bearing did not slide right in. There was some resistance. I had to use a 1/2" threaded pvc pipe (not sure it needs to be threaded but that's what worked for me) longer than the tine shaft that was sticking out. I slip the pipe over the shaft against the bearing and tapped with a hammer. This drove the bearing in all the way. It needs to go in far enough to leave room for the seal and retainer. The plastic pvc allowed for this. Now put the right seal in. If the outer edge of the seal is only flush with the housing you did not tap the bearing in far enough. I made this mistake on my first try and tried to force the retainer in. Take it from me. It won't work. You will end up ordering another retainer to replace the one you mangled. Once in properly I slid the retainer over the shaft and then put a washer over that to tap against. The block of wood doesn't work on this side because the shaft is in the way. I used my pvc pipe again to tap against the washer and, wala, it worked like a charm. I hope this helps someone. All the other posts really helped me. Thanks!

SOURCE: mtd rear tines tiller won't engage tines. F and R

I had similar problem recently with 2007 Huskee MTD series 410. The shift assembly bent and couldn't move the clutch collar all the way over on the drive shaft.