We purchased this tiller new in spring of 1987, and put a lot of years of hard use on it. I had a concern the tine gear was near shot, as I had too little gear oil in it when it was new. I caught the issue the first day, but it cooked the seals and (If I recall) put a lifetime of wear on the gear in an afternoon. (but did I remember things correctly?) As it worked out, the gear was perfectly fine. Thus... did I replace it when I replaced the seals in 1987? Hmmmm, I'll never know!