I have been looking at Rotovators and today was lent a Briggs and
Stratton 5hp to play with. Great, Tilled about half my plot in an
hour. But it is a brute trying to turn it round on uneven groud was a
nightmare.

Now On our allotments (mostly clay, some lucky ones have 1/2inch of
topsoil.) there are two schools:

1. More HP the better If they could get a flail tank throught the gate
they would.

2. Mantis users.

Both swear that theirs is best. The 1 say the mantis will not cope
with the ground. The 2 say that the big ones are too big.

I am undecided. Yes the B/S was great, but I dont fancy luggin it home
in the back of the landrover each time, Mantis is it going to be up to
the job (Obviously I am going to dig it over before I rotovate). I
know the B/S will last a lifetime and there is one going for £200 with
all the bits.

any views.

From personal experience Mantis will till through almost anything down to
8"-10" on the first go and 12" after that.

This includes going through paths that have not been dug over in over four
years and heavly compacted as easy as a knife through butter. Very portable
and easy to maintain. If this is all you need should meet you needs easily.

John Pearce

"Dogger" wrote in message
news
I have been looking at Rotovators and today was lent a Briggs and
Stratton 5hp to play with. Great, Tilled about half my plot in an
hour. But it is a brute trying to turn it round on uneven groud was a
nightmare.

Now On our allotments (mostly clay, some lucky ones have 1/2inch of
topsoil.) there are two schools:

1. More HP the better If they could get a flail tank throught the gate
they would.

2. Mantis users.

Both swear that theirs is best. The 1 say the mantis will not cope
with the ground. The 2 say that the big ones are too big.

I am undecided. Yes the B/S was great, but I dont fancy luggin it home
in the back of the landrover each time, Mantis is it going to be up to
the job (Obviously I am going to dig it over before I rotovate). I
know the B/S will last a lifetime and there is one going for £200 with
all the bits.

any views.

On Tue, 4 May 2004 15:20:28 +0100, "John Pearce"
wrote:

~From personal experience Mantis will till through almost anything down to
~8"-10" on the first go and 12" after that.
~
~This includes going through paths that have not been dug over in over four
~years and heavly compacted as easy as a knife through butter. Very portable
~and easy to maintain. If this is all you need should meet you needs easily.

May I ask a naive question? I've never used a rotovator but having
recently been left begging for friends to help dig after my back went
out to lunch, I'd love to know if they strain backs as much as
bending/digging does. Also the lotties are full of flint, though the
actual soil is nice.

Shoulders I can cope with, just not the lower back.

jane

scuse snip of Dogger's original post
--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

Jane

I've managed to till sections of my plot in twenty minutes with the Mantis
with no back strain that would have been half a days digging and forking
through. Very easy and light to use. Half my reasoning behnd the
investment was that I could spend all my limited time digging and none of it
actually planting or enjoying life instead.

Well worth the investment and better for my back.

John


"jane" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 4 May 2004 15:20:28 +0100, "John Pearce"
wrote:

~From personal experience Mantis will till through almost anything down to
~8"-10" on the first go and 12" after that.
~
~This includes going through paths that have not been dug over in over
four
~years and heavly compacted as easy as a knife through butter. Very
portable
~and easy to maintain. If this is all you need should meet you needs
easily.

May I ask a naive question? I've never used a rotovator but having
recently been left begging for friends to help dig after my back went
out to lunch, I'd love to know if they strain backs as much as
bending/digging does. Also the lotties are full of flint, though the
actual soil is nice.

Shoulders I can cope with, just not the lower back.

jane

scuse snip of Dogger's original post
--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

On Tue, 4 May 2004 17:02:00 +0100, "John Pearce"
wrote:

~Jane
~
~I've managed to till sections of my plot in twenty minutes with the Mantis
~with no back strain that would have been half a days digging and forking
~through. Very easy and light to use. Half my reasoning behnd the
~investment was that I could spend all my limited time digging and none of it
~actually planting or enjoying life instead.
~
~Well worth the investment and better for my back.

Thanks!
Useful information... now all I have to do is save up for one!

jane

~
~John
~
~
~"jane" wrote in message
...
~ On Tue, 4 May 2004 15:20:28 +0100, "John Pearce"
~ wrote:
~
~ ~From personal experience Mantis will till through almost anything down to
~ ~8"-10" on the first go and 12" after that.
~ ~
~ ~This includes going through paths that have not been dug over in over
~four
~ ~years and heavly compacted as easy as a knife through butter. Very
~portable
~ ~and easy to maintain. If this is all you need should meet you needs
~easily.
~
~ May I ask a naive question? I've never used a rotovator but having
~ recently been left begging for friends to help dig after my back went
~ out to lunch, I'd love to know if they strain backs as much as
~ bending/digging does. Also the lotties are full of flint, though the
~ actual soil is nice.
~
~ Shoulders I can cope with, just not the lower back.
~
~ jane
~
~ scuse snip of Dogger's original post
~ --
~ jane
~
~ Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
~ you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
~ Mark Twain
~
~ Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!
~
~

--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

A friend bought a Mantis a few years ago and brought it to me as she
couldn't start it.
I got it going after about 8 tries(Which didn't do my back a lot of good).
I fount it not at all easy to use and so slow to get down to even 4 inches,
, my opinion was that they might be of use in a 20ft x 30ft garden but on
anything bigger I wouldn't give it house room even if I was given one.
Granted most of my rotovating is large scale, about 140ft runs, and for this
I use a 6hp machine with a 90cm dig width.
I have osteo arthritis in both knees and find that rotovating is one of the
easiest jobs for me as it is almost like a powered Zima frame. Whilst
rotovating I am putting 30 to 60% of my weight on the machine and walking on
softer ground cuts down the impact of walking..

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

On Tue, 4 May 2004 18:16:21 +0000 (UTC),
(jane) wrote:

On Tue, 4 May 2004 17:02:00 +0100, "John Pearce"
wrote:

~Jane
~
~I've managed to till sections of my plot in twenty minutes with the Mantis
~with no back strain that would have been half a days digging and forking
~through. Very easy and light to use. Half my reasoning behnd the
~investment was that I could spend all my limited time digging and none of it
~actually planting or enjoying life instead.
~
~Well worth the investment and better for my back.

Thanks!
Useful information... now all I have to do is save up for one!

jane

Its odd that in the USA they are $300 with some of the accessories
thrown in in the UK the machine is £300. I am going to buy one in the
Us and get it Fedexed and pay the VAT on delivery I still think I will
be £100 better off.

Dogger
EU more like FU.

On Wed, 05 May 2004 21:20:09 +0100, Dogger wrote:

On Tue, 4 May 2004 18:16:21 +0000 (UTC),
(jane) wrote:

On Tue, 4 May 2004 17:02:00 +0100, "John Pearce"
wrote:

~Jane
~
~I've managed to till sections of my plot in twenty minutes with the Mantis
~with no back strain that would have been half a days digging and forking
~through. Very easy and light to use. Half my reasoning behnd the
~investment was that I could spend all my limited time digging and none of it
~actually planting or enjoying life instead.
~
~Well worth the investment and better for my back.

Thanks!
Useful information... now all I have to do is save up for one!

jane

Its odd that in the USA they are $300 with some of the accessories
thrown in in the UK the machine is £300. I am going to buy one in the
Us and get it Fedexed and pay the VAT on delivery I still think I will
be £100 better off.

Dogger
EU more like FU.

EU? GB FU2?