| Author | Content |
pirl
Southold, NY
(Zone 7a)
July 17, 2008
06:05 AM Post #5272399
| We love our 16 year old Mantis. It makes a big job much easier (as in tilling the vegetable garden each spring) but also makes smaller garden renovations a breeze compared to turning the soil by hand. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
July 17, 2008
07:32 AM Post #5272531
| 16 years old! OH, I like reading that!
Thanks, Pirl. |
pirl
Southold, NY
(Zone 7a)
July 17, 2008
07:43 AM Post #5272580
| You're welcome. It's been serviced just once and only then because he thought it might be a good idea - not that there was any problem at all. After seeing Kassia's new Mantis I think I know what one of his Christmas gifts will be. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
July 17, 2008
08:26 AM Post #5272803
| That's good to know, also... I wondered if it was something I should be doing regularly, like getting the lawnmower looked over every few years. |
pirl
Southold, NY
(Zone 7a)
July 17, 2008
10:03 AM Post #5273257
| The guy who was at the original mower shop where we bought the first riding mower started a small engine business and does mowers as well. He comes over and picks up every outdoor tool that has an engine and returns them in two days. It's well worth it. He even made a house call for the chipper! He was the same person who recommended the Mantis and has one as well. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
July 17, 2008
10:43 AM Post #5273389
| We need a guy like that around here! |
Sharran
Calvert City, KY
(Zone 6b)
July 17, 2008
12:15 PM Post #5273876
| Nice article. Now I am looking for a push mower, one of the lightweight ones that are run by muscle power!! Gotta keep my yard guys away from my flowers.
Thanks, Jill. |
JaxFlaGardener
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 8b)
July 17, 2008
03:35 PM Post #5274800
| I've been really pleased with my Mantis tiller. It is lightweight, easy to maneuver, and does everything I want it to do in my yard, which is mostly Florida sand. It works great for turning in compost, oak leaves, and other organic matter.
I got the gas powered model. I share your aversion to pull cords on gas engines, but my Mantis is usually fairly easy to start. I don't follow the rule of emptying the gas tank after usage, and it is often several months between the times I need to use it, so it is probably my own negligence that makes it sometimes hard to get it going.
I opted for the edger blade attachment as the "free offer" several years ago when I got my Mantis. The edger does work well for my front curb by the street. It sometimes take two passes with the edger to cut through the tough bahia grass, but my blade is probably overdue for sharpening.
As you mentioned in the article, the only real hassle is having to stop frequently to pull spools of spun weeds out of the tines, but the tines are made to come off fairly easily with a "hairpin" type fastener. Be sure to stock up on extra fasteners. You will surely lose one just when you need it most.
Jeremy |
leaflady
Hughesville, MO
(Zone 5a)
July 17, 2008
04:21 PM Post #5275015
| There is a special piece you can get for $10 or so from Mantis to keep weeds from tangling around the axle which happens every time they tangle around the tines here.
I use to do really heavy duty tilling with our Mantis. Our original was purchased in the summer of '91. It had to have a new transmission in about '2001 or so because I kept getting rocks and harness & machinery part in the tines which brought everything to a dead stop instantly. Very hard on transmissions. Jack installed the new one. A few years later I purchased my brother's almost new one from him and gave my old one to my youngest DD who is a yardener like myself. Everyone who has asked to borrow mine has ended up buying one for themself. About 3 or 4 of them so far. lol. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
July 17, 2008
04:34 PM Post #5275085
| ooh... that weed thingy actually prevents the tangling? I figured it was just a fancy doodad for removing the weeds once they'd knotted themselves around... tangling around the axle is the worst part, because you can't reach that without taking off the tines! (Although, as Jeremy said, they are reasonably easy to remove... I admit to "holding" that cotter pin in my mouth like a seamstress because I'm so afraid of misplacing it!) |
JaxFlaGardener
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 8b)
July 17, 2008
05:52 PM Post #5275407
| Being the do it yourself maniac that I am, I'm convinced a piece of PVC pipe cut to fit on the axle would do about the same thing as the attachment offered by Mantis, but please, "Don't try this at home," unless you are willing to accept the liability for damaged machinery. LOL
I must admit to being somewhat protective of my Mantis. If someone asks to borrow it, I tell them I won't loan it, but I do offer to do the tilling for them. There is just too much that can go wrong, both to the machine and the humans, if the tiller is not run properly.
Jeremy
|
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
July 17, 2008
11:21 PM Post #5277504
| You've got a good point... so far, I've offered the services of Me *and* my Mantis, but not just the tiller alone... it's too easy for somebody to get careless with something that "looks like a toy tiller," especially folks who are used to using the big ol' machines. |
leaflady
Hughesville, MO
(Zone 5a)
July 18, 2008
12:10 AM Post #5277735
| I only loan it to people I know I can trust and who have run tillers for years. They are just on the verge of buying something like it but not sure which way to leap. Using mine for even a few minutes settles the question for them.
We tried the PVC pipe, but it needs to be mushroomed at the tine end to keep the grass/weeds off the axle. You do have to remove the tines sometimes but they sure do save a lot of wear and tear on the transmission and axles bearings if there are any. I'm not a mechanic but Jack was. He is with JESUS now so I'm on my own except when I can get one of the boys to do something for me. I'm thankful for the information I accumulated while Jack was here with me. |
JaxFlaGardener
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 8b)
July 18, 2008
01:24 AM Post #5277994
| Wow! I'm happy to learn that I am not alone in my schemes to find a "do-it-myself" mania. I can see why the end of the pvc would need to be mushroomed. The wheels are already turning... if I take a metal pipe of a diameter slightly smaller than the pvc and heat to high enough temperature and force it down into the pvc (and if I survive the toxic fumes from melting pvc) have something similar. LOL Maybe it would be easier to buy the already manufactured gadget.
Jeremy |
pirl
Southold, NY
(Zone 7a)
July 18, 2008
07:04 AM Post #5278429
| Loaning anything to those not familiar with using machinery is a horror. We lent our auger attachment for a drill, for fall planting of bulbs, to a friend. We gave more than sufficient warnings about going in reverse but she wouldn't/didn't listen and ended up with a sprained wrist and an ER visit. Then it became our "fault" somehow. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
July 18, 2008
07:37 AM Post #5278498
| *ouch* Yeah, that's the sort of thing... and with a tiller, you could be talking missing toes, not a sprained wrist. |
