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Anyone have a tiller/cultivator?

post #1 of 13
3/17/11 at 12:20pm
Thread Starter 
I found a small electric one I liked at Sears and the price was right. I want to get it on Saturday but wanted to see if anyone had experiences with one.

My garden will be about 20x20 feet and it has been previously tilled but not for many years.

Here is a link for it:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...2&blockType=G2
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post #2 of 13
3/17/11 at 1:13pm
I don't like the ones with the wheels. I hope you can take them off, you'll be able to go alot deeper.

My Mom has the Mantis Gas tiller. Lifetime warranty on the tines. 5 year consumer warranty. 1 year money-back warranty. About $350. The electric one is the same price. You can do a 4 payment plan at no extra cost. Totally worth it because you can add attachments to it. I really enjoy using it and the tines on it are REALLY tough! I've hit concrete and large rocks many times and the tines just keep going!

I'd look at warranties, attachments and ease of use. Mantis is top of the line but very well priced...and made in the U.S.A.

http://mantis.com/mantis-electric-tiller.asp
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post #3 of 13
3/17/11 at 4:07pm
An electric tiller will NEVER generate enough power to do a good job. Esp if it hasn't been tilled for several years. You might want to consider renting a rear tine tiller to do an initial till.

I have a Honda mini tiller I use it for small areas where I don't need my Troy Built one.
It works great. Its a 2 stroke(?) engine as I do not have to mix gas for it. My neighbor has a Mantis and I didn't like how it performed I didn't like the design of the tines. My Honda's tines look like smaller versions of our big tiller. Easy to start, move etc.....
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post #4 of 13
3/17/11 at 5:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whisky'sDad View Post
I don't like the ones with the wheels. I hope you can take them off, you'll be able to go alot deeper.

My Mom has the Mantis Gas tiller. Lifetime warranty on the tines. 5 year consumer warranty. 1 year money-back warranty. About $350. The electric one is the same price. You can do a 4 payment plan at no extra cost. Totally worth it because you can add attachments to it. I really enjoy using it and the tines on it are REALLY tough! I've hit concrete and large rocks many times and the tines just keep going!

I'd look at warranties, attachments and ease of use. Mantis is top of the line but very well priced...and made in the U.S.A.

http://mantis.com/mantis-electric-tiller.asp
Sears had that as well for $299.00. Is it easy to control?

Gail, I would love to have a more heavy duty tiller but I have a bad back and can't lift or more than likely move something like that. I had a quote of $75.00 to till up my back yard for a garden.
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post #5 of 13
3/17/11 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zohdee View Post
Sears had that as well for $299.00. Is it easy to control?

Gail, I would love to have a more heavy duty tiller but I have a bad back and can't lift or more than likely move something like that. I had a quote of $75.00 to till up my back yard for a garden.
It depends how bad your dirt is. The Mantis is fairly light. With this, you till it going backwards, otherwise it hops around alot. It depends on your soil, too. It does do a number on your hands and wrists, at least it did on mine. For $75, I'd have someone do it. Once it is tilled and kept up (by using compost and feeding the soil) you won't have to till again for quite some time.
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post #6 of 13
3/17/11 at 5:17pm
I hate to chime in with this, but last year I applied for a job at Sears to work in their hardware/garden area. The most important thing to them was that I was able to sell service policies, because in their words, "Craftsman tools just aren't as good as they used to be". Craftsman still has a wonderful reputation, but the older things are much better than the new things. They push service policies so people don't get so angry when things break.

I have an old (1976) Troy Bilt Horse that I bought used for $250 from a family member. It plows thru just about anything and once it's plowing, I can manage it with 1 hand.
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post #7 of 13
3/17/11 at 5:17pm
Mine is a Honda Harmony mini tiller. Its the size of a Mantis and works best by pulling in forwards and backwards. I use it on some landscape jobs and in my veg garden to work between rows. But not all the time. My veg garden is about 1/4 acre and I usually use my shuffle or colinear hoe for weed control.

In the spring is when we use our Troy Built Horse 8 hp tiller in the veg garden and if I want to churn up some grass for another garden bed. I agree its a one handed piece of equipment. And the older ones (ours is a late 80's version) is much for heavy duty than the newer ones.
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post #8 of 13
3/17/11 at 5:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofmany View Post
I hate to chime in with this, but last year I applied for a job at Sears to work in their hardware/garden area. The most important thing to them was that I was able to sell service policies, because in their words, "Craftsman tools just aren't as good as they used to be". Craftsman still has a wonderful reputation, but the older things are much better than the new things. They push service policies so people don't get so angry when things break.

I have an old (1976) Troy Bilt Horse that I bought used for $250 from a family member. It plows thru just about anything and once it's plowing, I can manage it with 1 hand.
Maybe Craftsman is now made in china....like Schwinn has been since 2001.
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post #9 of 13
3/17/11 at 5:35pm
Troy Built went belly up several years ago and I think MTD bought the name.
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post #10 of 13
3/17/11 at 7:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whisky'sDad View Post
Maybe Craftsman is now made in china....like Schwinn has been since 2001.
That's exactly what happened.
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post #11 of 13
3/19/11 at 6:36am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the input. I think I will pay someone to till it up but also get the Mantis for inbetween the rows and in the fall to cultivate leaves into the soil.

I am excited about a garden. I have been doing container gardening for my hot peppers and tomatoes. This year, I purchased way to many pepper seeds to container garden. I also want to grow pumpkins. I did that with my son when he was younger and I want to do the same with my daughter.
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post #12 of 13
3/19/11 at 7:33am
A 20 x20 garden is rather small to include pumpkins as well as other vegetables. Unless you have one of the borders of your garden next to space you don't use. Pumpkins can take up alot of room!
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post #13 of 13
3/19/11 at 7:49am
Thread Starter 
I was just going to plant them at the edge and let the vines go. I used to grow those hybrid giant pumpkins. I grew one that I could barely roll to the front yard. I had many people comment on the size of it. Plus, that will less yard my son has to mow .

I bought tons of pepper seeds that I have to get started soon. I love growing hot peppers. Last year, I had so many Habanero peppers I was giving them away! This year, I am going to attempt to grow some Bhut Jalokia peppers. That will be a challenge.
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