Mantis Report

[growmore]

I took the mantis tiller onto the Lotty this morning ,Filled it up with 2 stroke fuel followed instructions for starting per hand book and no probs it started .I was Amazed how quiet it  was was expecting something akin to a strimmer etc with engine having a roar sort of but it was really quiet...Used it for 10 minutes getting feel of it akin to using a vacuum cleaner .Soil was very wet but it coped OK with it .Then at end of row i upped the revs and walked backwards with it this made a nice straight shallow furrow .
It was digging and tilthing to about 8 ins in depth ...
As I had some largish bunches of everlasting onions (Welsh onions ) to set I took mantis to back of green house (rarely dug soil ) which is a confined space and would have been impossible to use my husqvana in there despite it having reverse ..I did a forward and back motion again with Mantis this time taking my time and letting it dig  up to guard on tines no probs at all with it  finished up with a  ridge about a inch higher then soil each sides about 10 yards long nearly a foot wide and  9inch deep.  I managed to set onions just scooping soil out with my  hand trowel  and treading them in with my boot .
I then reversed tines  other way up as recommended for hoeing weeds etc I started at end of a row between some leeks drawing Mantis backwards I finished up doing 4 rows of leeks and 4 rows of spring cabbage it was a breeze ,Weeds between rows would be about 2 to 3 ins high it  lifted them out and chopped them up no probs..

I still have the ridger furrower attachment which I bought to try yet but all in all first impressions were excellent ..Ok It would take you quite a time to cultivate a full lotty with it but it would be possible ..But I will use it for tilling rows for carrots  parsnips etc.
as well as getting soil to a fine tilth for seeds . It certainly wont be just hung in shed not getting used I can think of loads of jobs for it ..I was well impressed with it ..Cheers Jim

[growmore]

[growmore]

hang on Wardy while a resins my bow and tunes my violin up ...haha ..Jim

[spacehopper]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a good investment.  :)

[tim]

Good report, Jim. Perhaps I should eat my words, citing incompetent usage!!

But the main reason that I parted with mine was the noise. OK on an allotment, but not in a closed-in village. I find the 4-stroke Honda only just acceptable.

[tim]

Thought that this was rather helpful for the newcomer?


http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60159