Small garden tiller

Animal

Well-known Member
I am in need of a small Mantis like garden tiller. Would you please give me some of your input on different brands, likes and dislikes. With all of our rain the garden is getting out of control.
 
I have a troybuilt pony and wish I didn't. Next small tiller I get will have counter rotating tines.
 
We have a Mantis. Just remember they really aren't tillers, they're more cultivators. Calling them a "power hoe" or something like that would be more accurate. Despite the pretty pictures of those little guys tilling a 40 acre field, one session with them in a heavy sod will prove me out.
 
I have a Stihl MM55. My neighbor has a Ryobi. His needs weight and still doesn't do very well. I don't need to add weight but it still isn't a real tiller. As Brett said I call it a gas powered hoe. I use it to go between plants but plant rows far enough apart to run a bigger tiller between. It runs hard and burns quite a bit of gas. I don't think you'll like it for the entire garden but smaller areas they're ok.
 
Mom has a Mantis. It has served her well for a very long time !
I picked up some other brand for cheap and it is not as good because of the tines.
The Mantis tines will not plug up from rocks as quick and so far are unbreakable just like they say. But you can wear them out. Mom has worn a set out but she has a lot of shale in her ground.
My other brand has broken a few tines and plugs quicker from rocks.
I vote Mantis !
 
Mantis also makes a version with the 4 cycle Honda engine on it. A very durable machine. Where I work, we sell one and we never see it again.

The regular 2 cycle engines on Mantis tillers are tagged by the parent company that owns Echo trimmers and saws, Kioritz. I may not be spelling it right. The engines share many parts with Echo trimmers.

In the 5 years I have worked on Mantis equipment, I can only recall one tiller that was simply unrepairable. And you could tell by the wear on the tines that it had seen many hours of serious use. It belonged to the master gardener who writes a column in the local paper. . .

STAY AWAY from all the small Troybilts. (Unless its a Horse model)
 
FWIW- the more I see of the newer Echo products, the more impressed I am. I was unaware of the Mantis/Echo relationship but it sure doesn't scare me!
 

I have a Murray brand one I got maybe at TSC about 7 years ago. Good little gas hoe. No problems yet.
 
I have a Mantis 2cycle. It is one of the finest piece of equipment I have ever purchased. I have all the attachment. Most people don't read the manual. Other tillers are walk behind. The Mantis you back up. Weighs 20lbs and it will did up clay with the tines on correct. I saw a guy walking forward with one & it was jumping a foot off the ground.
 
Yup, walk backwards and tilt it to get it moving from side to side across the row. Good little machines.
 

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