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Small Tillers

P. Dreadie

P. Dreadie

Greeting All ,

I'm wanting to get a small tiller. I have raised beds that are 2 1/2 ' wide. Those of you that have small tillers what brands do you like ? And how deep will they dig / turn the soil ?

Looking on line the Mantis looks pretty good. Will dig / turn the soil 9" deep. The only thing that seems bad is , as I get , you have to buy direct. What could be bad about that is getting it repaired if you can only order it from them.

Any feedback on small tillers would be great.

Thanks & Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
We have a Mantis, bought it locally and used it a LOT. Unfortunately due to model changes, etc replacement parts can be a PITA to get. The gas line needs to be replaced, developed a leak but unfortunately you have to buy the whole darn gas tank, line, etc...so it is just not worth the cost of the repairs. The smaller tiller was a plus as hubby has emphysema and it's an effort for him to run the bigger ones. At this point I'm not sure what we will do for next year but it looks like replacing a tiller might have to be in the budget.
 
I think you will have a hard time finding a small tiller that will till nine inches deep - their tines are from 8-12", but that means only 4-6" on each side of the axle. The larger ones advertise they will till 11" or more but I don't see how as their tines are only 12-14". A couple of years ago, I borrowed a rear-tine tiller (a large one) and it didn't till much deeper than seven inches, maybe eight.

I've used the Mantis types and they do a good job as long as you don't have weeds or any size grass growing. They tend to get wrapped around the tines and can become difficult to remove. But they are light enough to lift into a raised bed. The other thing is that after 20 minutes of use, your hands are going to sting for a few minutes from the vibrations. I also found they work much better at chewing up the soil if I pull them backward.

I'm looking at getting a new one as mine died (it was only 45-50 years old, maybe older!) and the Poulan Pro with the 800 series Briggs engine looks nice, especially if I can remove the outside tines when needed.

Mike
 
I've got a Mantis. It came with the house.

It works good enough I suppose but it's small and unless you've got a pretty small plot you'll soon wish for more. The damn thing is a workout if you've got any serious work to do.

So yeah, it works but it's small.
 
I borrowed my neighbor's Mantis last year and loved it! It was perfect for my raised beds and I was really impressed with the power. If it wasn't for the fact that my neighbor has said that I can borrow it every year, I'd have one in my garage. Just my 2 cents.
 
Thanks Pepperfreak ,

All I want is a good small tiller. I've been clearing out last years dead pepper plants and the soil is still very loose. I'll have to lift the tiller up 2 ' to the beds , then all it needs to do is mix in what , more or less , what I add. I could do it by hand but would rather send my time else where.

Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
I hAVE THE MANTIS AND LOVE IT FOR WORKING MY GARDEN. i HAVE USED IT TO PLANT SMALL TREES. i CAN WALK IT BACK AND FORTH AND IT WILL BURY ITSELF IN A HOLE. sorry for the caps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for a raised bed it is grest because you can till all around the plants safely.
 
I got a Stihl tiller. The shop here had both the Mantis and the Stihl. They said in the rental department they rented the Stihl more. They said I could rent both , take them home and use them. Then decide and they'd refund the rental fee towards my purchase. I thought that was a great offer , but I didn't take it.

I went ahead and bought the Stihl. Both units are pretty much the same. The Stihl had a few more CC's in power but what's a CC or two. I liked the wheels on the Stihl , it would be easier to roll in and out of the garage and with wheels if the wife wanted to use in her flower beds I felt she'd like it better.

I used it in my raised beds yesterday and it worked great. It did just what I wanted. Now the soil in my bed was still very loose , but I think it would good in breaking up new ground for a small garden or flower beds.

Thanks again for everyone's feed back,
Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
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