"357nickelplate" wrote in message
...

grd Wrote:
Hi there,

I am thinking of buying a mini tiller - either a Mantis or the Honda
FG201.
I am leaning towards the Honda as it is 4 stroke and I don't fancy the
hassle of mixing two stroke for the Mantis. Although I notice that in
the
US, the Mantis actually has a Honda 4 stroke engine!

Does anyone have a Honda FG201? What do you think of it?

Are there any other mini tillers that I should consider?

Graham.

I recieved a Mantis with the new Honda 4 cycle engine for Xmas 2004;
did not get to use it until April 2005. The Mantis tiller tines does
everything it is supposed to do, the problem was with the engine, the
new Honda 4 stroke. It smoked through the exhaust and was leaking oil
somewhere near the carburetor. After about 5 hours of use the spark
plug was so fouled the engine wouldn't run. Took it twice to 2
authorized Honda dealers, no luck. Mantis does not work on the Honda
engine and you have to rely on local dealers. In the USA most dealers
will shun away from you if you did not purchase the unit from them. I
am going to purchase another one but it will be a two stroke.
Utilizing a gas/oil mixture may be a pain but if done correctly, the
engine will last almost forever because of the less moving parts. Hope
this info helps.

I am not familiar with these particular modern models as I have been out of
the garden cultivator business for about 35 years or so, but the symptoms
you describe just yell at me that the engine is running on full (or near
full) choke. Sounds like flooding.
I know that some engines have a Choke on/off lever located on or near the
carb' whilst others have the adjustment as part of the throttle lever on the
handlebar.
Does the Operating Instructions inform you to switch the Choke Off,
immediately after the engine fires and runs ?
But then maybe it has an automatic Choke.?.....which is perhaps sticking.
Another cause could be a sticking carb' needle or a damaged piston ring.
Are you using a lot of fuel ? Drain the oil sump and see if the oil is
'thin', diluted with petrol......it shouldn't be.
Is the spark plug dirty and wet, or is it thickly sooty ?
Because its a new machine surely it is covered by manufactures warranty
?......unless, of course you've forgotten to adjust the controls !!
This happens zillions of times.

Sorry for sounding like a lecturing nanny.

capstan

ps....For me I'd always choose a four-stroke.....higher torque / HP and less
hassle with neat fuel.