On 3/1/2018 8:25 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:03:51 -0600, Terry Coombs
wrote:
Oh dear me dear me , the free tiller won't start ... again this year.
Always been difficult and I'm tired of throwing money - and more
importantly , time - at a Briggs that's at least 20 years old and
finicky . So I get on eBay , and there's a guy selling 6 hp Honda "OHC"
motors for around a hundred bucks . Most likely it's an OHV motor , but
still it's probably twice what that B&S put out when new . The reviews I
saw all said "like brand new" , these are supposed to be from power
washers that had bad pumps and all have just a few hours so I bought one.
We'll see on Monday , it's supposed to be coming on the FedEx truck .
The rest of this unit is in pretty good shape , the gearbox at the
bottom end runs cool and turns smooth , the only real wear item is the
drive belt - it uses a v-belt for drive from the motor to the shaft down
to the foot . Gotta get 'er fixed , the season is fast approaching when
I'll need it . Just got back the results of soil tests , and got some
amendments to make to the soil .
About 15 years ago I bought a 7 HP Simplicity tiller. What a horrid
beast, very difficult to control and being belt driven made it a pain
as it constantly wore out the belt and required a major mechanic's
tool box to change the belt.
Once an area is tilled it doesn't need a big cumbersome beast. So I
decided to try a Mantis tiller, 2 cycle. Works beautifully, so easy
to control a seven year old can use it. Had I known I would have
bought the Mantis to begin with and for virgin untilled soil I'd rent
a giant tiller for a day. I sold the $700 Simplicity and only took a
$100 loss.
Actually the Mantis can handle virgin soil but takes longer as you
need to first go shallow and then deeper. I've been using the Mantis
for more than ten seasons and it's needed no maintenence other than a
new air and fuel filter that I changed only because I figured it was
time. Don't let this 20 pound machine fool you, it's quite a
powerhouse.... easily handles my 50' X 50' veggie garden.
https://www.amazon.com/Mantis-2-Cycl...rs+gas+powered


Â* I had one of those little 2-stroker tillers , might even have been a
Mantis . I also have a lot of rocks in my soil , they call this Stone
County for a reason . End result is that it stripped the worm gear down
in the bottom end , no reasonably priced replacements available . Other
than an occasional oil change , one new belt , and last year a new coil
(around 8-10 bucks IIRC) I've never spent anything on this tiller . The
new motor is costing me less than a third the cost of one of those
Mantis units , and rocks don't faze it . I try not to over till , and
don't till all areas every year - but this year I need to incorporate
some amendments recommended by my county extension agent to correct some
deficiencies in my soil . Didn't expect to see you here , you didn't
strike me as the gardening type from your posts in RFC .

--
Snag
Ain't no dollar sign on
peace of mind - Zac Brown