Kinds of tillers

[Cassandra]

hope this is in an OK spot. Move it if there is a more appropriate forum for it.

I have been looking at tillers (for over a year) and still haven't got one yet. We only have two acres altogether, so I'm not ever going to be doing a whole lot of tilling that would justify a seven hundred dollars or more machine.

I saw those Mantises advertised that will break ground. Have any of you used one of those? Would it be appropriate for tilling small areas? I am mostly going to garden in raised beds.

Thanks,
Cassandra

 

[sparks]

I LOVE my Mantis. Very easy to use. Had it about 4 years and never had any problems with it! I can till my large garden with it or take it out for small cultivating. I find walking backwards with it does the nicest job and takes your footprints out.

 

[Cassandra]

That is good news.

I remember last year I was at sears one day looking at tillers and the salesperson told me the small front tine tillers would not break ground.

She said I'd need the big expensive one for that. I think she was just trying to sell me an expensive tiller!

The dirt in my future garden spot is pretty soft, though. The previous home owner used this same spot for a garden. (I noticed when I was looking at the house before we bought it that she had a mantis tiller.) But the sears lady scared me into thinking it wouldn't work.

My rat terrier can dig a hole big enough to burry herself in in less than a minute. LOL I have dug in it, too. Carrying dirt from there to put somewhere else. It is very easy digging.

I think I will start shopping around for a Mantis.

Thanks,
Cassandra

 

[digitS']

Cassandra, I'm not the greatest fan of machines so may not be the best one to respond but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in:

Two acres!! I have some ground that has been cultivated with a spading for 10++ years and the spading fork is all I need there. I have a separate garden of nearly one-third acre. A guy will be in there soon with a tractor. It used to take me a couple days to till that garden with a 5 hp, rear-tine tiller.

Years ago, I had a front-tine 5hp Toro and really liked how it got down to some depth. But, I was younger and could take the pounding better. The rear-tine does a poor job at getting down beyond 4 inches. I shouldn't really complain about it since it has lasted thru years of hard use in very rocky soil. This year, it needs to be replaced. (I'm open to suggestions of what can handle lots of rock. )

Beyond initial cultivation (which is very limited) - I mostly use tillers for weed control. A small Honda Model FG110 tiller works pretty darn well even tho' I can cover a lot more ground with the rear-tine. Just like Sparks, I like to pull the little tiller as I walk backwards. It doesn't go deep but slices the weeds off below the surface. I bought additional tines rather than the "ninja" type that comes with both the Mantis and Honda. Those should go deeper but on my rocky ground - that won't happen anyway and those tines miss more weeds.

The Mantis uses a Honda engine but some have the smaller two-stroke. The 31cc Honda four-stroke engine should be the same on both Mantis & Honda. The two-stroke is smaller and requires mixing oil in the gas. It smokes because of that but there's no choice.

The four-stroke doesn't require mixing of oil and gas and it is real quiet. I can hardly believe that the 31 cc (think it is a 1 1/2 hp) is capable of the work it does. Big weed wackers are this size ! Going with a smaller engine and mixing the fuel just doesn't make any sense to me :/. Oh, and I saved some money buying the Honda rather than the Mantis!!

Steve

 

[Cassandra]

Two acres!! I have some ground that has been cultivated with a spading for 10++ years and the spading fork is all I need there. I have a separate garden of nearly one-third acre. A guy will be in there soon with a tractor. It used to take me a couple days to till that garden with a 5 hp, rear-tine tiller.
Steve

oh no no no no!! LOL

I own two acres altogether. I didn't mean to imply I was going to be tilling that much. The garden spot is probably 20'x50' or something thereabout. I wouldn't even attempt two whole acres without a tractor.

I'm 'bout to pass out just thinking about it!

Cassandra

 

[ams3651]

I guess Im lucky, my dads farm is only 3 miles away and he farms property litteraly a few hundred yards from here so my son just comes over and does about 1 1/2 acres here. We dont plant all of it but tilling it keeps the weeds down. He just spread chicken maneure over the weekend....my neighbors love me :tools

 

[digitS']

Cassandra, if your soil is soft, a Mantis or mantis-type tiller should be fine for the initial soil preparation in a 20' by 50' garden. And, keeping it weeded is what those little tillers do very well.

(A spading fork followed later in the season by rake, cultivator, and hoe should also work well. )

Steve

 

[Cassandra]

Steve if I weren't gone to work over fifty hours a week, I'd do a lot more by hand! I really enjoy working in the dirt (with no shoes and no gloves!) In a few years when I'm back to housewife & garden mama, I hope to be a lot more hands on.

Cassandra

 

[ozark hen]

I have a Mantis and I love it. Have had it for three years now. It started right up, does not smoke at least, not yet it doesn't. It gets the soil looking just like the ads on t.v. I just finished tilling my garden with the deep litter-method shavings from my coop last weekend. Now there has been so much rain it is still too wet to get into the garden. I will need to till it again now but it is so very easy and I am retired if that tells you anything?

 

[OCMG]

I LOVE my Mantis. Very easy to use. Had it about 4 years and never had any problems with it! I can till my large garden with it or take it out for small cultivating. I find walking backwards with it does the nicest job and takes your footprints out.

My thoughts exactly. I just bought the thatch attachment and can't wait to try it.

This is a sturdy well built small tiller that anyone can handle.
Besides it comes with a guarantee, use it for one year and if you don't like it you can return it, you can't get better than that, you will not send it back.