Finally used my little tiller.....

[jltrent]

I bought it from an older guy who had quit gardening and had used it very little for $50. It needed all new gas/tank vent lines and a I just went ahead and bought a new China carb for it as gas had been stored in it and I knew the diaphragm in the carb would be bad. Those carbs are hit and miss from China, but I must have gotten a good one as I didn't even have to adjust it.

Long story short I probably got the biggest surprise of my life how good it did. In rocky areas with rocks no bigger than a tennis ball just pull it backward and it hardly ever bounced. I put fertilizer down and my garden is around 1/4 acre plus my mothers garden and took the little tiller and tilled it in. You can get close to the plants etc. As far as using it I don't know if I would trade it for a Troy-built.

If you don't have one of these I Highly recommend.

 

[slick4591]

I've owned one for years but it's been in the back of the shop since I bought my little Honda. In our Blackland clay the Mantis had a hard time breaking up the compacted stuff.

 

[greybeard]

I tore the bottom end out of 2 of those blasted things. Dang worm gears...never give ya a break. Gave 'em both away.

 

[jltrent]

49 ratings and 42 come back as a 5 star. That is pretty hard to beat .........some people will betch and gripe and can't be please with anything. I have already put it through the ringer and it has taken everything and still in one piece. Even my wife was impressed after I used it to mulch up a couple of flower beds. I don't know if I would give $389 for one though, but it is 10x better than I ever thought.

https://www.tillersdirect.com/Mantis-7940/p16324.html

Video
https://youtu.be/jdjxwz9C3P0

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have a Honda tiller that will only run wide open. Changed the carburetor and still runs the same way. Brought it to the local small engine repair shop and they said the engine was wore out. I found that hard to believe but I know my wife put regular fuel in it a few different times. Definitely an excellent tool.

 

[jltrent]

I tore the bottom end out of 2 of those blasted things. Dang worm gears...never give ya a break. Gave 'em both away.

That was the first thing I did was pull the plate off the gear box to check the gears and if it had grease in it. Plenty of grease and the gears looked pretty robust for a little tiller. I ran 2 tanks throw it and the gear box got warm, but not hot. As with any gear box with a worm gear that is usually the weak spot.

 

[slick4591]

49 ratings and 42 come back as a 5 star. That is pretty hard to beat .........some people will betch and gripe and can't be please with anything. I have already put it through the ringer and it has taken everything and still in one piece. Even my wife was impressed after I used it to mulch up a couple of flower beds. I don't know if I would give $389 for one though, but it is 10x better than I ever thought.

Must have been the moment there. I'd rate the thing very high on sandy or previously broken ground in my neck of the woods, but it does have its limitations for my purposes. Yes, it's great for tilling close to the plants as I used mine for years with no complaints, but fully understood its limitations.

 

[pricefarm]

My dad has had a couple of them. There good tillers.

 

[Chevy]

I need a GOOD heavy duty tiller... pull behind a tractor... what do ya'll recommend? We have rock, worms, spiders, and More rocks call it dirt/soil.