You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I too was impressed with the Mantis for the first 6 months I had it. I have a gas model. I have a small landscaping business and it was terrific for digging holes for shrubs and perennials. But the luster soon wore off. Mine is very difficult to start and keep running. With further research I found out that they recommend a new carburator be installed yearly. Well that's just great since the shop that does my complicated maintenance, also a Mantis distributor,wanted to charge me about 200.00 in parts and labor to do that. Consequently I found someone else to rebuild the carb. and now it really doesn't run at all and is collecting rust under a tarp in my staging area. The handle is poorly built as well and if it is under more than minimal stress the bolts unscrew and fall out. I think this would be great if you have an already tilled area and plan on using it for light duty, but rocks and clay or anything harder than that pretty much destroy it in a hurry. It is lightweight to carry and use, but you get a lightweight result as well.
Periodically rebuilding the carb on small gas engines is just something that will have to be done. My daughter just had the carb rebuilt on her gas-powered mower. However, having said that, I don't think it should have to be done every year. Her mower is three years old.
I agree that it's a "lightweight" sort of tiller... that's why I think of it less as a tiller and more as a "power hoe."
I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with yours. That doesn't measure up to other reports I've heard... I think it was Pirl on the other thread who mentioned having one for 16 years that went in just once for routine maintenance that the engine might not have even needed. Hopefully, I'll avoid some of these issues altogether with the electric engine on mine.
Well, I must say, am sorry to hear that someone had a bad experience with the mantis. I have one that is about 14 years old, love it. Have not had to do anything to it, except fix tines, as brother borrowed and bent them up big time , trying to till stones and boulders, that even a hugh tiller could not have handled!!! We live in Nc and have solid rock hard clay and it still works great. Sometimes you simply get a lemon I guess, is too bad , but we love ours , Still
I have a gas Mantis and have had no problems in 4 years. I did have to replace the spark plug last year, but, other than that it cranks every time I ask it to. My soil is pretty sandy, no clay or rocks. I could not get along without it. I tilled up a border that was originally all grass along the back and sides of my back yard with no problem.
