"Doug Kanter" expounded:

Ann, have you tried breaking sod with it? What were the results? What kind
of soil were you dealing with?

As I said in my other post, I've broken a small bit of sid with it, it
was a struggle. I do have lots of rocks, too, it's been jammed once
or twice, but it's easy to free it up. I use it mainly to mix in
leaves in the fall and manure in the spring. It's also great to churn
up a compost pile with.
--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

"Doug Kanter" expounded:

Ann, have you tried breaking sod with it? What were the results? What
kind
of soil were you dealing with?

I'm not sure if you've already made-up your mind on size or brand, but
this is the tiller I have:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...subcat=Tillers

I've ripped-up sod, I've prepared new beds, and I, of course, turn over
my vegetable bed each year.

It's a little bigger than you may want, and it's no good at all for
cultivating between rows, but when I chose mine, I wasn't looking for
something to cultivate, which isn't that big of a deal physically. I was
looking for some way to save my back from having to do a lot of digging.
I'm very satisfied that I fulfilled my goal effectively, and
economically.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Fahrenheit 9/11 ships 10/5. Order your copy now:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/911.html

"Warren" wrote in message
news:C%m9d.88197$He1.34652@attbi_s01...
"Doug Kanter" expounded:

Ann, have you tried breaking sod with it? What were the results? What
kind
of soil were you dealing with?

I'm not sure if you've already made-up your mind on size or brand, but
this is the tiller I have:


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...subcat=Tillers

I've ripped-up sod, I've prepared new beds, and I, of course, turn over
my vegetable bed each year.

It's a little bigger than you may want, and it's no good at all for
cultivating between rows, but when I chose mine, I wasn't looking for
something to cultivate, which isn't that big of a deal physically. I was
looking for some way to save my back from having to do a lot of digging.
I'm very satisfied that I fulfilled my goal effectively, and
economically.

--
Warren H.

Looks like an interesting machine. But, I may have found a solution. I had a
stroke of genius (duh!) yesterday and called the yard equipment place where
I bought my lawnmower. They sell tillers, and were able to recommend a
person who offers tilling as a service. I don't know why it took me a week
to think of this.

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...
Anyone have one? I'd appreciate comments pro or con. They're cheaper than
renting one three times around here, and at least according to the promo
material, they're much easier than trying to wrestle with the bigger
units.
I'll be using it to create a 40x40 vegetable garden, and as many flower
beds
as I can find time to fiddle with.


Have had my Mantis for several years now and wouldn't part with it. I have
absolutely horrid soil, very hard and has to be amended many times over
before things will grow. Have only run into one patch that we had to get
out the farm tractor for, and that was a large garden that bulldozers had
run over a number of times. Otherwise the Mantis does it all. It's light
and easy to move about. It starts every time and I have had no problems
with it at all. In fact, my brother who is getting ready to open a
greenhouse business borrows my Mantis often instead of using his own horse
of a tiller. And my cousin who is a professional grower uses Mantis
exclusively. BTW... I don't work for the company or anything. I'm a 58
year old flower fiend with arthritis. lol Suz

"Suuzzee" wrote in message
...

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...
Anyone have one? I'd appreciate comments pro or con. They're cheaper
than
renting one three times around here, and at least according to the promo
material, they're much easier than trying to wrestle with the bigger
units.
I'll be using it to create a 40x40 vegetable garden, and as many flower
beds
as I can find time to fiddle with.


Have had my Mantis for several years now and wouldn't part with it. I
have
absolutely horrid soil, very hard and has to be amended many times over
before things will grow. Have only run into one patch that we had to get
out the farm tractor for, and that was a large garden that bulldozers had
run over a number of times. Otherwise the Mantis does it all. It's light
and easy to move about. It starts every time and I have had no problems
with it at all. In fact, my brother who is getting ready to open a
greenhouse business borrows my Mantis often instead of using his own horse
of a tiller. And my cousin who is a professional grower uses Mantis
exclusively. BTW... I don't work for the company or anything. I'm a 58
year old flower fiend with arthritis. lol Suz

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before storing the
tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.

That's an important point. Many people don't even like to read the manuals.
Of course they are going to have problems starting the engine next season.

I enjoy the tough little mantis. I actually used it for the initial
breaking of the sod on my garden. It got grass tangled around the tines the
first time I tried it, but then I mowed the area short and the Mantis chewed
through the clay like a champ. It also pulled up some substantial sized
rocks out of the planting bed. I started piling them up next to the 20 x 30
garden area and will have a good amount of nice looking river rock for
decorating.

Mine still starts on the first pull. All it takes is a few minutes of
maintenance, from time to time.

Paul

Doug Kanter wrote:

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before storing the
tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.




I have 2 Echo chainsaws and an Echo weed trimmer, and a 4-cycle mower,
and a new Honda tiller that is too new to make a judgement about its
reliability. I run the same gas in all the 2-cycle engines, and I run
them dry in the fall or whenever I'm not gonna use them for a while.

The Mantis tiller is the only one I've had any problems with; I thought
it had an Echo engine. The Mantis is the only one that has a carburator
that's partially made out of plastic, and last time the tiller was in
the shop (because it wouldn't start again) they said that plastic plate
was warped and they replaced it. It ran again for about a year. Maybe
the newer ones have a different design carburator; mine is about 11 or
12 years old. (the big chainsaw and the weed trimmer are much older)

Buy whatever you want, and good luck with it.

Best regards,
Bob

"Paul" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.

That's an important point. Many people don't even like to read the
manuals.
Of course they are going to have problems starting the engine next season.

I enjoy the tough little mantis. I actually used it for the initial
breaking of the sod on my garden. It got grass tangled around the tines
the
first time I tried it, but then I mowed the area short and the Mantis
chewed
through the clay like a champ. It also pulled up some substantial sized
rocks out of the planting bed. I started piling them up next to the 20 x
30
garden area and will have a good amount of nice looking river rock for
decorating.

Mine still starts on the first pull. All it takes is a few minutes of
maintenance, from time to time.

Paul

This is driving me nuts. Half the responses say to stay away from the thing,
and the other half are like yours. :-) I **do** read instructions, sometimes
multiple times. Maybe that's the key. And, my soil's not clay unless I go
down about 3 feet.

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before storing
the
tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.




I have 2 Echo chainsaws and an Echo weed trimmer, and a 4-cycle mower,
and a new Honda tiller that is too new to make a judgement about its
reliability. I run the same gas in all the 2-cycle engines, and I run
them dry in the fall or whenever I'm not gonna use them for a while.

The Mantis tiller is the only one I've had any problems with; I thought
it had an Echo engine. The Mantis is the only one that has a carburator
that's partially made out of plastic, and last time the tiller was in
the shop (because it wouldn't start again) they said that plastic plate
was warped and they replaced it. It ran again for about a year. Maybe
the newer ones have a different design carburator; mine is about 11 or
12 years old. (the big chainsaw and the weed trimmer are much older)

Buy whatever you want, and good luck with it.

Best regards,
Bob

Ya know....I could do this with a spade & fork if I could just get everyone
to LEAVE ME THE &$%@ ALONE for a weekend! :-) If you saw a gardener with
explosives and wires duct taped to his chest, would you leave him alone, or
try and chat?

Doug Kanter wrote:
"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

Doug Kanter wrote:

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before storing

the

tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.




I have 2 Echo chainsaws and an Echo weed trimmer, and a 4-cycle mower,
and a new Honda tiller that is too new to make a judgement about its
reliability. I run the same gas in all the 2-cycle engines, and I run
them dry in the fall or whenever I'm not gonna use them for a while.

The Mantis tiller is the only one I've had any problems with; I thought
it had an Echo engine. The Mantis is the only one that has a carburator
that's partially made out of plastic, and last time the tiller was in
the shop (because it wouldn't start again) they said that plastic plate
was warped and they replaced it. It ran again for about a year. Maybe
the newer ones have a different design carburator; mine is about 11 or
12 years old. (the big chainsaw and the weed trimmer are much older)

Buy whatever you want, and good luck with it.

Best regards,
Bob


Ya know....I could do this with a spade & fork if I could just get everyone
to LEAVE ME THE &$%@ ALONE for a weekend! :-) If you saw a gardener with
explosives and wires duct taped to his chest, would you leave him alone, or
try and chat?




I'd get a lawn chair and a beer and I'd watch (from a safe distance)

Chattingly, ;-)
Bob

"Doug Kanter" expounded:

This is driving me nuts. Half the responses say to stay away from the thing,
and the other half are like yours. :-) I **do** read instructions, sometimes
multiple times. Maybe that's the key. And, my soil's not clay unless I go
down about 3 feet.

I keep mine in the cellar over the cold of the winter. It starts
reliably each spring. 5 years now. I highly recommend it.
--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...

"Suuzzee" wrote in message
...

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...
Anyone have one? I'd appreciate comments pro or con. They're cheaper
than
renting one three times around here, and at least according to the
promo
material, they're much easier than trying to wrestle with the bigger
units.
I'll be using it to create a 40x40 vegetable garden, and as many
flower
beds
as I can find time to fiddle with.


Have had my Mantis for several years now and wouldn't part with it. I
have
absolutely horrid soil, very hard and has to be amended many times over
before things will grow. Have only run into one patch that we had to
get
out the farm tractor for, and that was a large garden that bulldozers
had
run over a number of times. Otherwise the Mantis does it all. It's
light
and easy to move about. It starts every time and I have had no problems
with it at all. In fact, my brother who is getting ready to open a
greenhouse business borrows my Mantis often instead of using his own
horse
of a tiller. And my cousin who is a professional grower uses Mantis
exclusively. BTW... I don't work for the company or anything. I'm a 58
year old flower fiend with arthritis. lol Suz

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before storing
the
tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.

Ayup. We always winterize our garden equipment at the end of each season.
The Mantis and the lawn mowers and the farm tractor ... all get cleaned and
drained or antifreezed or whatever they need. We aren't neatness nuts by
any means. It just makes sense to maintain equipment to make it last.
Suz

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...

"Paul" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Others have said they have problems starting the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type
of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.

That's an important point. Many people don't even like to read the
manuals.
Of course they are going to have problems starting the engine next
season.

I enjoy the tough little mantis. I actually used it for the initial
breaking of the sod on my garden. It got grass tangled around the tines
the
first time I tried it, but then I mowed the area short and the Mantis
chewed
through the clay like a champ. It also pulled up some substantial sized
rocks out of the planting bed. I started piling them up next to the 20
x
30
garden area and will have a good amount of nice looking river rock for
decorating.

Mine still starts on the first pull. All it takes is a few minutes of
maintenance, from time to time.

Paul

This is driving me nuts. Half the responses say to stay away from the
thing,
and the other half are like yours. :-) I **do** read instructions,
sometimes
multiple times. Maybe that's the key. And, my soil's not clay unless I go
down about 3 feet.


You can send it back within the first year if you don't like it. No
questions asked. This is why I purchased it in the first place.
Suz

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before
storing
the
tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting
the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the type
of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.




I have 2 Echo chainsaws and an Echo weed trimmer, and a 4-cycle mower,
and a new Honda tiller that is too new to make a judgement about its
reliability. I run the same gas in all the 2-cycle engines, and I run
them dry in the fall or whenever I'm not gonna use them for a while.

The Mantis tiller is the only one I've had any problems with; I thought
it had an Echo engine. The Mantis is the only one that has a carburator
that's partially made out of plastic, and last time the tiller was in
the shop (because it wouldn't start again) they said that plastic plate
was warped and they replaced it. It ran again for about a year. Maybe
the newer ones have a different design carburator; mine is about 11 or
12 years old. (the big chainsaw and the weed trimmer are much older)

Buy whatever you want, and good luck with it.

Best regards,
Bob

Ya know....I could do this with a spade & fork if I could just get
everyone
to LEAVE ME THE &$%@ ALONE for a weekend! :-) If you saw a gardener with
explosives and wires duct taped to his chest, would you leave him alone,
or
try and chat?


Keep an extra couple of spades and forks around for company. Tell them, "We
can chat while we work." Word should spread fast that there is a lunatic
gardener digging up your yard and everybody best stay away until the digging
is done.
Suz

"Suuzzee" wrote in message
...

Doug Kanter wrote in message
...

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:

Do you or someone else take care of draining the gasoline before
storing
the
tiller for the winter? Others have said they have problems starting
the
engine after a year or so, which makes me wonder if they did the
type
of
maintenance required of ANY yard equipment.




I have 2 Echo chainsaws and an Echo weed trimmer, and a 4-cycle mower,
and a new Honda tiller that is too new to make a judgement about its
reliability. I run the same gas in all the 2-cycle engines, and I run
them dry in the fall or whenever I'm not gonna use them for a while.

The Mantis tiller is the only one I've had any problems with; I
thought
it had an Echo engine. The Mantis is the only one that has a
carburator
that's partially made out of plastic, and last time the tiller was in
the shop (because it wouldn't start again) they said that plastic
plate
was warped and they replaced it. It ran again for about a year.
Maybe
the newer ones have a different design carburator; mine is about 11 or
12 years old. (the big chainsaw and the weed trimmer are much older)

Buy whatever you want, and good luck with it.

Best regards,
Bob

Ya know....I could do this with a spade & fork if I could just get
everyone
to LEAVE ME THE &$%@ ALONE for a weekend! :-) If you saw a gardener with
explosives and wires duct taped to his chest, would you leave him alone,
or
try and chat?


Keep an extra couple of spades and forks around for company. Tell them,
"We
can chat while we work." Word should spread fast that there is a lunatic
gardener digging up your yard and everybody best stay away until the
digging
is done.
Suz

The word's already spreading, although the dog owners are responsible. I've
asked a few to NOT stop their dogs on my property. Some of the morons ask
why. I asked "Excuse me??? I asked you politely". The nerve of me, thinking
I have something to say about what happens on my property. Must be out of my
mind.