New Craftsman 5HP tiller at Lowes is $1,000. They aren't nearly as well built of a machine as your Horse. Around here in MS, a Horse Tiller goes for between $400 - $700, depending on condition and whether it's a I, II, or III. To have super low hours on a tiller is not unusual, unless it's been used in a green house operation. A tiller usually gets used less than 5 hours per growing season. That's why you see so many of the 50 year old Horse I tillers still around and working just fine. A 50 year old tiller might only have 200-250 hours on it, even if it was used every planting season since the 70's. The ones with the lesser values are the ones that came with the Tecumseh flat head engines and that is only because Tecumseh has been out of business for 14 years and parts are getting tough to find and only going to get worse.
Chassis parts are readily available for all models and if a Tecumseh engine pukes, most guys just re-power with a 6.5HP Harbor Freight Predator for $149. A new 7HP Kohler CH270 horizontal runs about $500 and it's made in China also. My understanding is that only 10HP and above Kohlers are still made in the USA and they are made in their Hattiesburgh MS plant. Kohler no longer has any engine production at all in Kohler WI.
