Dan Richardson
Member
What do you think about the MANTIS tiller?
- Thread starter Dan Richardson
- Start date
mab570diesel
Member
very light duty use think of most of the other crap on infomercials
Neighbor has one, real handy for tilling between garden rows. But I got a Stihl Kombi tool- Its like a weed-eater, but the shaft is split in the middle, and you can get other tools for it. I needed a weed-eater anyhow, so got that and tiller heads, later added a leaf blower. They all work great. Tiller works as well as a Mantis, and much more maneuverable.
But as others said, its not a substitute for a "real" tiller, for getting the ground worked up in the first place. But sure beats a hoe for weeding between rows.
But as others said, its not a substitute for a "real" tiller, for getting the ground worked up in the first place. But sure beats a hoe for weeding between rows.
Texasmark1
Well-known Member
YES!!!!!!!!! Won't know how you got along before you got it. It's
light, tough, and fast. Gets in and around everything or for
between rows, you can easily work it back and forth, like
mopping a long hallway to cover wide areas. Had mine over 10
years and have replaced nothing. Gals have a blast with it. Easy
to start.
Just use a quality 2 cycle oil (I prefer full syn) with something in
it to preserve the fuel....StaBil, Sea Foam, for a couple of mix it
with the oil or Stihl full syn chain saw oil....in the grey container
which has everything you need except gas. No problems in 10
years with E10. I usually mix up a gallon of gas mix at a time to
help in keeping the fuel fresh. I use the same 50:1 mix on both.
Works great.
Oh the best part. I bought mine off the www for $200.
Mark
light, tough, and fast. Gets in and around everything or for
between rows, you can easily work it back and forth, like
mopping a long hallway to cover wide areas. Had mine over 10
years and have replaced nothing. Gals have a blast with it. Easy
to start.
Just use a quality 2 cycle oil (I prefer full syn) with something in
it to preserve the fuel....StaBil, Sea Foam, for a couple of mix it
with the oil or Stihl full syn chain saw oil....in the grey container
which has everything you need except gas. No problems in 10
years with E10. I usually mix up a gallon of gas mix at a time to
help in keeping the fuel fresh. I use the same 50:1 mix on both.
Works great.
Oh the best part. I bought mine off the www for $200.
Mark
Texasmark1
Well-known Member
My soil is Houston Black Clay. Really gets hard when dry and harder if not cultivated in a lot of years.
Yes it is light for breaking new ground but it does it if you take your time. If you bight off too much soil it will hop up and down but will get it cut. Since most of us have tractors, a first pass with a tractor is a great way to get started.
Mark
Yes it is light for breaking new ground but it does it if you take your time. If you bight off too much soil it will hop up and down but will get it cut. Since most of us have tractors, a first pass with a tractor is a great way to get started.
Mark
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Pretty slick for flower beds, but I think they'll have a little
troublle getting through our 3.5' oof frost!
Glenn F.
troublle getting through our 3.5' oof frost!
Glenn F.
John Fulton
Member
Santa Clause gave me one for Christmas. I have previously borrowed one and love them. Very good for cultivating between rows of beans, etc. that grow too close for standard tillers.
Yes, they are very "vigorous" in attacking the soil. For their size, they do take a lot of care in operating.
I have 1/2 acre vegetable garden and use a 6 ft. 3pt. hitch tiller, a Troy-built and a Craftsman rear tine tillers also, but the little Mantis will be well used this summer, I am sure. The are regularly traded on Ebay, either new or used.
Yes, they are very "vigorous" in attacking the soil. For their size, they do take a lot of care in operating.
I have 1/2 acre vegetable garden and use a 6 ft. 3pt. hitch tiller, a Troy-built and a Craftsman rear tine tillers also, but the little Mantis will be well used this summer, I am sure. The are regularly traded on Ebay, either new or used.
In Iowa, my parents had one with the Mantis engine and used it for around 12 years. Their garden was 40'x80'. I've got one with the optional Honda engine here in Idaho and really like it. They are great for any purpose after the first pass. It is tough for it to cut into new sandy clay here in Idaho. On the loamy soil in Iowa they are better for the first pass but its slow work. I guess it all depends on how big your garden is.
Dan Richardson
Member
Thanks for all the advise. As I get older the less soil work I can do. I still have five tractors two plows middle buster and a four foot PTO tiller. This year I'm only going to have raised beds and a corn patch. I'm thinking the Mantis would do the work for the raised beds. It's not that much fun anymore.
My parents have one, and when it runs it runs great. When it doesn't, well let's just say this is the most finicky thing I've ever seen.
The trick with these is to pull them backwards. Not let them pull forward. going forward they bounce and don't do much, but pulling back they'll bite in pretty good. Light for breaking sod, but I've used it to till last year's garden first thing in spring and it works well for it.
Donovan from Wisconsin
The trick with these is to pull them backwards. Not let them pull forward. going forward they bounce and don't do much, but pulling back they'll bite in pretty good. Light for breaking sod, but I've used it to till last year's garden first thing in spring and it works well for it.
Donovan from Wisconsin
Blackhole49
Well-known Member
- Location
- White Lake MI
My neighbor and I share one for our 60'x60' garden.
It was was old and tired when I got it. Best
little tiller on the market once the plants get too
big for the Troybuilt.
It was was old and tired when I got it. Best
little tiller on the market once the plants get too
big for the Troybuilt.
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
Can not say what they are today but the one on dad got years ago was JUNK from the get go
Chris Jones
Member
My father bought one an was so excited about all the attachments. He rarely uses it. They make great sales literature. 
He said it was a good hoe replacement for around plants and it does work a flower bed up very nice. It'd be excellent for someone who's into "square foot gardening" in those 4X8 raised beds. But he has a garden big enough to make effective use a 54" PTO driven 3pt hitch tiller--which he uses often.
He said it was a good hoe replacement for around plants and it does work a flower bed up very nice. It'd be excellent for someone who's into "square foot gardening" in those 4X8 raised beds. But he has a garden big enough to make effective use a 54" PTO driven 3pt hitch tiller--which he uses often.
rockyridgefarm
Well-known Member
I had one. Sold it. They're a neat toy, but they mostly sell because of a MASSIVE amount of advertising that overstates their abilities.
I bought a Glaser wheel hoe after I got rid of the mantis. The wheel hoe beats the baby tiller hands down in terms of the amount of cultivating work you can do in the garden. By the time you fuel your Mantis, get it running, and listen to that stinky, loud little engine warm up, I can have the garden work done and the hoe put back away.
I bought a Glaser wheel hoe after I got rid of the mantis. The wheel hoe beats the baby tiller hands down in terms of the amount of cultivating work you can do in the garden. By the time you fuel your Mantis, get it running, and listen to that stinky, loud little engine warm up, I can have the garden work done and the hoe put back away.
nybadlybent
Member
Check to see if the tines are not on backwards. I bought a regular rototiller and it was used one summer by a family member who said it worked great. I tried to use it the next summer and it bounced so bad I could not handle it. I turned the tines around to the correct way and it worked good.
I can't believe that there are as many negative comments on them as there are ??? Maybe they thought they could break new ground with them ? But I even have on a very small scale.
Anyhow Mom has one and LOVES it !!!!! It is very old now and so far has been one of the best 2 cycles we own. She has a lot of shale in the ground and rocks. She even worn out a set of tines. They warranty them from breakage but of course not wear. Hers have never broken a tine. Never use the troy built anymore since the garden is established.
There are other small tillers on the market but their tines will break and jamb up from rocks quicker. I have one of those other makes got it for near free so I can't complain too much.
I even used the Mantis edger attachment to make a groove around my 2 acres for an invisible fence wire.
Anyhow Mom has one and LOVES it !!!!! It is very old now and so far has been one of the best 2 cycles we own. She has a lot of shale in the ground and rocks. She even worn out a set of tines. They warranty them from breakage but of course not wear. Hers have never broken a tine. Never use the troy built anymore since the garden is established.
There are other small tillers on the market but their tines will break and jamb up from rocks quicker. I have one of those other makes got it for near free so I can't complain too much.
I even used the Mantis edger attachment to make a groove around my 2 acres for an invisible fence wire.
Patrick Klise
Member
I had a Mantis and managed to "blow it up"--but it was my fault--trying to make it do things it wasn"t designed to do. Bought a Honda Harmony model like the Mantis-but more powerful and quieter. If you limit yourself to what they are designed to do they work very well.
rockyridgefarm
Well-known Member
That's just the thing - They DO claim they'll break ground and easily cultivate. They don't live up to advertised expectations.
My wheel hoe will do ANY cultivating you want it to do with NO headaches that come with small engines. I'll never need to dump old gas, or rebuild the carb. My wheel hoe isn't likely to catch a rock and jump over into the row while cultivating. It'll do a better job, faster.
The Glasers are a little higher priced than some would pay (though not as expensive as a Mantis), look into the Boss Hoss hoes. They're modeled after the Planet Jrs of old. Make sure you get the Oscillating Stirrup hoe, though. That's the part that really makes mine shine. These aren't those horrible Kentucky high wheel cultivators you might be picturing. They're low wheel hoe and are a joy to use for cultivating.
My wheel hoe will do ANY cultivating you want it to do with NO headaches that come with small engines. I'll never need to dump old gas, or rebuild the carb. My wheel hoe isn't likely to catch a rock and jump over into the row while cultivating. It'll do a better job, faster.
The Glasers are a little higher priced than some would pay (though not as expensive as a Mantis), look into the Boss Hoss hoes. They're modeled after the Planet Jrs of old. Make sure you get the Oscillating Stirrup hoe, though. That's the part that really makes mine shine. These aren't those horrible Kentucky high wheel cultivators you might be picturing. They're low wheel hoe and are a joy to use for cultivating.
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