Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: out4nowt on May 20, 2009, 17:56
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I've gone and spent some money :wacko: on a Mantis Tiller which I've been trying out on my allotment this afternoon. I think it is really great and I imagine it can perform all sorts of tasks. So far I have used it in digging mode and reversed the tines for weeding mode. I ran it down between my rows of potatoes and it seemed to throw the soil up and bank them a bit. Great!
I'm wondering if anyone knows how to get the best out of a Mantis? Any special methods, etc?
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They are a great little machine :)
Sounds like you've got the hang of it ;)
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Which one do you have? 2 or 4 stroke?
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I went for the 2 stroke. I did consider the pros and cons of 2 stroke v 4 stroke and decided 2 was right for me. I'm very pleased with it!
Some of the long established allotment holders came over to see me starting it up, etc and they had nothing but praise for the Mantis. They did mention that someone else on our allotments has got one and he can bank a row of potatoes in seconds. They were even more enthusiatic when I told them I got it for £199 brand new!
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I'm pondering a purchase and which is the best piece of equipment... what difference does 2 stroke have over 4 stroke etc....?
Is it simply a case of economy vs not mixing fuel?
any advice appreciated...
cheers....seriously confused mouse.
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Well, first off, I borrowed a large & therefore very heavy, 4 stroke, rotavator from my friend. I checked the oil, filled it with fresh petrol & then wrestled it around the allotment until it blew up due to having used all its' oil. The larger rotavator was hard to use and impossible to lift in and out of my vehicle without help. The Mantis I got today has its' oil pre-mixed in the fuel (which took about 30 seconds) and I can lift it with one hand. It digs 10 inch deep and really works the soil to a fine tilth very quick.
A four stroke will last a lot longer, but is it really important when I'm only going to use the Mantis for about 10 hours per year? Fuel economy is good. I did about 30 square metres, to 10 inch deep on half a tank (0.2 of a litre).
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I've got the 4-stroke Mantis - which I presume is more or less the same weight as the 2-stroke.
In general I think that 4-strokes are easier to re-start when hot.
Other than that I have a large garden :) so quite a lot of work for it.
Easiest to walk backwards, and use it side-to-side. its a bit like digging, really, create a trench across the plot, then step back one step and turn the next section into the previous trench, thus creating a new trench, and so on.
When i used to hire a rotavator, once or twice a year, the soil was never "just right". Now I own a Mantis I can do it whenever it suits me and conditions are right.
For any new ground I want to break, or a really large job, I'd be happy hiring a bigger machine - with the Mantis I just can't see the need to own a bigger machine.
All my beds were prepared and ready much earlier this year than previously, and it has been a joy to plant out into nice fluffy soil, instead of having to use a crowbar!
Unlike a larger rotavator it doesn't leave a levelled surface, its a small machine, and I get peaks and troughs of soil which then have to be levelled and spread about a bit.
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Unlike a larger rotavator it doesn't leave a levelled surface, its a small machine, and I get peaks and troughs of soil which then have to be levelled and spread about a bit.
I made a harrow several years ago, originally to be pulled by a Templer Tiller, but now pull it with a length of rope. It levels the ground well and will also pull out any roots. It has 11 tines. See it on my website:- http://erowell.co.uk/Gardening/Tillers.html (http://erowell.co.uk/Gardening/Tillers.html)
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for weeding between the rows etc i turn the tines around (weeding mode if you like) and on half revs walk forward slowly.if you walk backwards it digs itself in.you only need to be scratching the top inch or so when weeding.
brilliant little machine 8) 8) 8)
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This is my first post and really it's because I've also bought a Mantis about four weeks back (four stroke, didn't want to mess with mixing oil) and I'm just Googling for hints on how to get the most out of the machine, so please share.
for weeding between the rows walk forward slowly.if you walk backwards it digs itself in..
Thanks for that hint Shaun I was walking the machine backwards myself - any other tips on weeding.
It strikes me that if you don't have anything planted in your beds over winter then three or four times during winter (when frost is expected) it would be a good idea to turn the ground over, should kill off a lot of weeds.
Kevin
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Hi Shaun
How wide do the rows need to be to weed with the mantis.
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i space mine just enough to walk down about 16"-18" for general stuff and 24" for spuds,I have only used the howard a handfull of times this year.I remove one of the tines for fiddley bits ;)
heres a few pics from a few weeks ago
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/shaungill/DSC00117-1.jpg)
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/shaungill/DSC00116-1.jpg)
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Looking good Shaun
I thought you would be spacing about 6"or 8" with the mantis.
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Looking good Shaun
I thought you would be spacing about 6"or 8" with the mantis.
i would frankie but i have got big feet ;)
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Im short of cash at min but this seems like a good machine. Is there anything similar but cheaper?
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A spade
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The 4 sfoke is a lot quieter and not anti social, and thats from somebody who owns a 2 stoke.
celery :)
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A spade
A Spade is ok if you are retired or only gardening a window box. But to manage a resonable area mechanical assistance helps reduce the time involved, so allowing a life behond the allotment
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A spade
you are funny noshed :) :)
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Sorry. I don't really mind digging in the winter but my soil is a good clay/loam which is getting easier to dig the more compost I put on it. I've never had to deal with bad soil or a hugely weedy plot (well there's loads of weeds now but they're just annuals).
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Just to update a bit, now I've owned and used my 2 stroke Mantis for a wee while......
It's is absolutely fab.
Easy to store and transport, being small and lightweight.
No worries about it running out of oil like the 4 stroke I killed earlier in the year.
Fits between narrow rows.
Banks tatties in seconds.
Not tiring to use.
Goes easily into even the hardest soil & deep enough.
It saves a lot of hard work.
One negative is that it picks up a certain size of stones which need clearing out of the blades now and again.
I'm well pleased. :D
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I love mine too, AbFab IMHO.
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Me too. Good arent they?
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Mantis is really useful, light weight and strong. More of a bouncing up and down push and pull rather than up and down like the groundsmen at Lord.
I found the turning around of the tines a tad confusing with up and down pointing prongs etc but that will come with experience.
I bought some engine oil from thegarden centre to replace the Honda oil and it seems to be okay.
A local farmer shop had a mantis copy at £70 cheaper which hurt when I saw the price label but the tines didn't look so strong. Still a Honda engine mind.
I got a 4 stroke engine because of ease of use.
The mantis is no substitute for digging up roots in waste ground however. There is no easy way.
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wheres the cheapest place to get one of these from?
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wheres the cheapest place to get one of these from?
Fleabay but be careful ;)
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The Mantis UK folk have an "Outlet Shop" on eBay (their eBay store name is obvious, once you find it). They sell "ex demo" machines which are, in effect, returns I think. That's where I got mine. Normal factory guarantee etc. as far as I recall. I was just a bit miffed that, as the UK Outfit, they wouldn't also supply me with the extras I wanted - their loss as I still haven't bought them!
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think I paid £229 for mine BNIB from ebay inc del
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decided not to have a mantis, and had a stihl combi instead, but does the same job, plus i can use it to remove moss from the lawn when i change the tines.
martyn
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I use a Mantis Electric, very quiet and three speed, but you do have to have power available.
I have extension leads to cover my 1/4 acre garden.
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wheres the cheapest place to get one of these from?
I bought mine direct from Mantis. On ebay Mantis do have a shop selling ex demo units, but you do not save much + buying new from mantis they give the option to spread the cost over 4 monthly payments and full 5 year on the unit, and life time on the tines.
I would be lost without it now, I got the 4 stoke unit, and can no sing its prises enough.
I have the potato attachment, but have not managed to get it to work, the weed catchers are good, and also the narrow set of tines.
As mentioned about the unit catching on stones, I only see that as an advantage as it helps clear the stones out.
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On ebay Mantis do have a shop selling ex demo units, but you do not save much
I bought mine on eBay, just checking the price of a 4-stroke now it is New=£339, eBay =£279. Both include free delivery and border edger + kickstand, eBay=1 yr warranty, UK Distributor = 5 yrs, but I reckon that 17.5% discount is worth having!
The eBay account I bought off was mantisoutletuk - which I believe is the factory outlet.
Anyone wanting other attachments, or to have it assembled, might be better off getting it from the UK Distributor
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Yes a saving of 17.5% is good, which = £60, but for that you have to pay up front in full £279, which for some is a lot of money in one go.
where as direct from mantis yes you pay £60 extra but you can at no extra cost pay £84.75 for 4 months at no extra cost, which really helps spread the cost.
+ you are getting a brand new machine.
Either way, a great little machine.