On Feb 10, 3:55*pm, (EVP MAN) wrote:
Does anyone own a Mantis tiller and if so, how do you like it? *I'm
looking to buy a small tiller for my 250 sq. ft. garden. *They seem a
bit expensive at just over $300 but it seems most all the small tillers
are in about the same price range. *

Rich

Hello, Madgardener (Maddie) here,
I got my Mantis tiller back in 1993. I loved it immensely. About
five years ago, I inherited a much older Mantis from a dear friend.
I had given my first Mantis to the mechanic at the local Co-op for
getting my older Mantis a seasonal preparation. I did this because
I lacked the funds to pay him. He was shocked that I gave him mine,
but I'd been negligent in the care of mine. I had not stored it
completely
out of the humidity, and hadn't had much opportunity while living up
in the old Faerie Holler, to using it as much as I would have liked.
For
conditioning the older one for me, I vowed to do better by it. My
English husband first used my Mantis at the rental house when we
tilled
up an area for the pole beans and tomato's. Yes, I have a huge
selection of good, solid, heavy duty well made hand tools, and nothing
is
better than good old back breaking digging. But I can now say that
James loves my Mantis as I do. When we moved to our new home last
summer, he cranked it up more than once. He turned the ground here to
a workable depth of over a foot in preparation for his cypress trees.
I then cranked it up to till the raised bed here at the house for my
perennials going to the workable depth of over two foot. After that, I
used
it to till up the long raised bed that I planted all my sedums and sun
loving perennials, and while it was still running that day, James
tilled up the area
that we're going to have our vegetable garden. This is no small
plot. It's only now about 25 foot by 30 foot long. He's only tilled
one strip so far for
the shallots, garlic and onions. But in a couple weeks, he'll turn
over the rest of the patch for the whole garden with it. It's never
let us down, and
the life time guarantee on tines that never break is well worth it.
One warning, though. Whereas Mantis does guaranted their tines for not
ever
breaking, they don't consider wearing down to nubs as a valid reason.
You have to replace those at your own cost. My first one's tines were
literally worn down by all the rocks in the soil in Eastern Tennessee.
I had no idea. But that little tiller spit out hundreds of rocks like
watermelon
seeds when my former husband was first using the tiller when it came
in the mail and tilled up 14 beds! I called them for replacement
handles
because mine became pitted early into having it, and they did so
courteously and quickly. I never had to replace the handles ever
again. I suspect
it was just a fluke chrome flaw.
I still have this older tiller, and it works like a charm. The
weight of it is easy on your body, your back, and doesn't beat you up.
I am a little woman,
middle aged and now a bit out of shape, but it doesn't pound you to
death when it's running. Easy to use, easy to crank and get started,
and the
fuel mix is simple too. If this one ever wears out, I'd replace it
with another one sure thing as replacement parts would be the same
price if I bought
a new one. No, I don't work for Mantis, but I know what I like that
works.
madgardener gardening in zone 7b with shallots, garlic and onions up
in the five inches of snow in West Tennessee