The reason it is often difficult to find parts for Troy-Bilt and Bolens equipment manufactured prior to 2000 is that following the bankruptcy of Garden Way Inc. of Troy, N.Y - owner of the Troy-Bilt and Bolens brands - several of the lines were broken up, purchased by different companies and in some cases completely abandoned. It is a complicated string of events. In 1988, Bolens was purchased by GardenWay; then in 1993, GardenWay purchased Troy-Bilt. The company manufactured very durable, sturdy equipment but eventually filed for bankruptcy, was broken up and the parts were sold off. MTD Products Inc (Modern Tool and Die Company) acquired Garden Way in 2001. According to their company history page, "The MTD family of brands includes Cub Cadet, Cub Cadet Commercial, Cub Cadet Yanmar, Troy-Bilt, White Outdoor, Yard-Man, Yard Machines, Bolens, Arnold, GardenWay, MTD Pro and MTD Gold." The MTD purchase included the Troy-Bilt and Bolens brands but did not include the debris lines (chipping, shredding, vacuuming and/or debris related equipment). These assets were purchased by Murray Inc. in January of 2002. Finally, Briggs and Stratton Power Products purchased Murray which subsequently included the Garden Way Inc. debris equipment. So, if you own a Troy-Bilt chipper from the mid 1990's, what few replacement parts you can find will be through Briggs and Stratton and will generally have MA following the original part number. For example, 1902808 becomes 1902808MA.
Although many of the parts for the older equipment is no longer available, you can still find a large selection of used and after market
Garden Way and Troy-Bilt parts and equipment on eBay
Thank you, Brent Chalmers. Email