Mantis Small Garden Tillers (& some Lighthearted stuff...Like Weiner Dogs)

I know there will be people who swear by Mantis. There are also people who swear AT the Mantis. :) Obviously there are pros and cons.

Because I've had mine for so many years, I have to say that I'm really quite attached to the little fella. (Again, once I get home, I'll take and post some photos of our own Mantis 2-cycle in action.)

Here are some of the things I really like about the Mantis:
- It is VERY lightweight. The whole kit-n-kaboodle is only about 24 pounds. That makes it light enough for me to lug around and maneuver.
- The maintenance for a Mantis Rototiller/Cultivator is pretty easy I added a YouTube video below about Mantis maintenance.
- For a small machine, it really can tear up quite a garden space. Our garden is about 20 feet x 20 feet, then the garlic bed is another 6 feet x 12 feet. We get all the garden area tilled within about an hour.

Maintenance Points to Keep in Mind:
You want to use CLEAN fuel. Don't think you can put the tiller in the garage in November with old fuel in the tank, and then expect to bring it out in the spring and have it crank up on the first pull. It ain't gonna happen. :) You'll probably want to put a fresh spark plug in as well.

We're fortunate enough to have a wonderful neighbor who is the small-engine repair king. Hmmm. Actually, we live on a road where SEVERAL neighbors are pretty handy when it comes to small engines.

Anyway, my point is, the Mantis is easy to maintain. For me, I can just bring the thing over to Greg in the spring and let him look it over and make sure I'm good to go.

Ta da! Here is a photo of the bottom of my driveway. This particular photo was taken in February of 2009 I think - but it always looks like this in February.

Ya know... There are a LOT of people in my town who live for this. Seriously. I'm not one of them. I spent a bunch of time working in Antarctica from 1984 - 1991, so I can - in good faith - say that I sure have given cold-weather living a try. I really have.

John has winter-withdrawal pangs once in a while, because he has been an avid ice-climber. But, he's getting used to not shovelling.

Ok. Back to Mantis Rototillers - Are they the BEST small garden tiller for sale today? Let's continue...

I'll try to be a little more serious here. There are 4 basic types of Mantis Rototillers/Cultivators. That's not to say Mantis doesn't have MORE products. They do. They have a cool little woodsplitter, composting equipment, etc. But that's for later.

For right now, let me outline what the 4 basic tillers are, and how they differ.

Mantis 2-cycle Tiller
This is the "Classic" Mantis. It weighs about 20 pounds - this is the one I have. This is a 2-cycle, 21.2 cc engine (whatever THAT means). I liken it to the sound of a chain saw. But bigger. Sounds like I can put it off the back of a canoe and it would zip me around the lake. Takes a gas/oil mix for fuel. It's a little louder than the others.

Mantis 4-cycle Tiller
Weighing in at 24 pounds, this little guy is a step up in strength from the 2-cycle in that it's a ... ummm... 4-cycle, 25cc engine by Honda. Evidently that means something good.. This one is a little quieter than the 2-cycle. This does NOT need a gas/oil mix. I'm guessing it doesn't sound as much like a chain saw. But, I'll bet it would do a good job pushing a boat. Just switch the tines w/ some propellers, and let's go!

Mantis Electric Tiller
You probably guessed that this does NOT run on gas at all. :) It weighs and costs about the same as the 2-cycle. The specs say that it is a 115 volt, double insulated, 3/4 horsepower engine with a 544 watt circuit breaker. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? The only thing I know about electric things is that they plug into an outlet. I know what a plug is. I know what an electric cord is. I know what an outlet is, and I know what a rototiller is. So, I'm guessing I could run it. As long as I paid attention and didn't run OVER the cord.

Mantis XP 16-inch Tiller
Now THIS puppy sounds like one I'd like to try. The tilling width on the XP is 16 inches (versus 9 inches on the other models). I can tell just by looking at the numbers that this is bigger. First of all it's 34 pounds, so that must mean something. This one boasts a 35cc, 4-cycle Honda GX35 engine (I know that means something to people who understand motors).
(By the way, I could not find this one on Amazon, but because I'm an affiliate, I have the company's product feed at my Portable Garages and Shelters.com small garden tillers for sale page, and once you click on any of the Mantis products in the feed, you can find the 16-inch model. It's still pretty new.)

I'm only kidding. :) Of course there are people who don't like the Mantis small garden tillers. There are people who don't like pancakes too, so what's up with that? Or chocolate chip cookies. Actually, I have an "honorary daughter" who does NOT like chocolate chip cookies. Some people are just beyond understanding.

Ok. I'll try to be serious again.
Sigh. I really am so serious most of the time, that when I'm doing Squidoo lenses, it seems like one of the only places on this otherwise serious planet that I can have fun with my writing.

After all - when you see words like "squidsnog" and "squidoodle" and stuff like that, doesn't that just make you think of FUN?

Once again I digress. But what else is new?

Yes, I have found negative reviews for this marvelous small garden tiller. It breaks my heart. But, some people say that they have a difficult time starting it. I wonder if they have an older model, or if the gas/oil mix isn't correct, or if there is a dirty sparkplug or something.

But honestly, that seems to be the biggest complaint I've read in the "cons" column when I was doing my research.

MOST people love their Mantis. I think there must be some kind of "We Love Mantis" support group out there somewhere - because it almost seems like a garden cult of some kind. To me, it was just another rototiller that I really liked.

=> Seque to Weiner Dog Convention Story and Attempt to Connect with Relevance to Mantis Rototillers
I remember once John & I were visiting New York City, and we ran into a weiner dog convention in Union Square. I mean, there were HUNDREDS of people with their little weiner dogs of ALL shapes and sizes. I never knew there were blue dacshunds out there, but that day, I am telling you: I saw a blue weiner dog.

So, now I'm picturing people from all over bringing their various Mantis Rototillers/Cultivators into the city, and converging on Union Square, comparing their small garden tillers, talking lovingly about them - maybe even petting them. Maybe they name them. From reading some of the reviews on Mantis, I would say that the people who love their Mantis REALLY love it.

What shall I name my old faithful and trusty Mantis? Hmmm... Any ideas?

Over the years, I have had a couple of small issues with my own little Mantis 2-cycle tiller.

Those small issues are called "rocks" up in northern New Hampshire.

It seems that EVERY single year, we grow more rocks. I honestly don't recall planting any, but evidently they are a winter crop that get harvested upon the first spring tilling.

Now, I'm not really sure that this is a problem with the MANTIS per se - but when I catch a rock of a certain size - say, about the size of a potato - it sometimes lodges in between the tines, and I have to stop what I'm doing and DIS-lodge the little bugger.

It doesn't happen ALL the time, but I have yet to till the garden in spring without hearing that old familiar sound of tine on rock.

If I happen to be using the Mantis to clear weeds (which is likely, because I am lazy when it comes to weeding)...
... and it catches too many long strands of weeds (which is likely, because I usually procrastinate about weeding until the weeds are 30 feet high) - well, then I have to stop the Mantis and pull a few hundred feet of overgrown weeds that have wrapped themselves around the tines.

But other than that, I truly have never had problems with the Mantis Rototiller.

Of course, as I write this, it is February, and I'm still at the beach - and my garden is 1100 miles north of me, still covered in snow. We'll see in May how we do!

Ok. So we're home from the beach. And we cannot yet begin the garden even though it's May. It's been rainy and yucky these last few days since we got home, and it snowed in the mountains above us (makes for a lovely sight on this gorgeous sunny morning though!)

BUT... I thought I would share a photo of two of our most amazing results that have EVER come out of our garden... Ladies & gentlemen, I bring to you the Giant Veggies from John & Kathy's Garden... No, folks, this potato and carrot were NOT exposed to some bizarre or secret scientific experiment. Must have been a lot of compost in that end of the garden!

They weighed over a pound each. :)

Although we had a number of large red potatoes and carrots a couple of years ago, these two would have taken the prize at the Fair! We had a lot of fun with these... Brought them on tour in towns all around, where gawkers threw money as they watched me dance them in front of the crowds. :) (uh...just kidding... but you knew that, right?)

They were VERY tasty. Of course we were able to feed the entire town with these two. :)
(NOTE: As of June 1st we STILL cannot till the major garden! Now it's MUD instead of snow and cold!)
(NOTE: WE FINALLY GOT THE GARDEN IN! After we got the truck that was loaded with manure TOTALLY stuck in the mud near the garden! Wish I had taken a photo of THAT! Anyway, I think I forgot to mention that I have a nice little blog about Mantis Rototillers for Sale HERE at Blogger The blog came out kind of cute! But... no weiner dogs there. :) )