Nancy - depends on how big the tiller is. The smaller ones don't require a lot of effort to pull start & operate, but the larger ones can be a bit of a hand-full. But $175.00 for a Mantis??? Better make sure that it starts/runs/doesn't need any maintenance, and the GRAB IT if it turns out to be OK!!! These tillers aren't really all that cheap, and (with proper care/maintenance) can last for YEARS. Prime example: we've got a friend who owns a landscape/lawn care business & has had a couple of Mantis tillers for >10 years. Just used the little one this past Spring - it started w/ one pull, every time, and ran like a champ.

Ilsa

Nancy, why would you want to till a raised bed? Raised beds are much more conducive to no-till gardening, or perhaps loosening the soil gently with a garden fork, but that's about it. What's more, if you have back/neck problems, pulling the starter cord on a 2-cycle engine might be painful for you. The Mantis uses a pretty standard 2-cycle engine. As Ilsa points out, they can last for years, but as anyone who has ever used one knows, they can be very fussy too. Once they get out of zen adjustment, forget about it. Plan on pulling the cord a LOT if it's not running right. Of course, you can bring it to a repair man to get it running smoothly, but that will cost you. Also regarding your back problems, be advised that because of its light weight and high rotation speed, the Mantis will jump around a lot more than most tillers if it encounters rocks or roots or other debris in the soil. Even a small rock the size of an egg may cause it to jump. Will trying to hold on to a jumping, bouncing tiller bother your neck/back?

I'd encourage you to forget about tilling altogether and practice no-till with mulch. Your plants will be healthier and it is by far the easiest option.

-Diggity

Has anyone bought the new one they advertise on TV?
They don't give a price for it, and I have always wondered
how expensive it is.

Haziemoon

Diggity, Thanks for the wake up call! I haven't been able to start a pull started engine for years!(even when I was in my 20s!)
I'll put a ton of compost on (a little at a time) Then mulch it.Should be fine.
I'm going to kinda lasagne garden where I'm putting my new beds, layer goat poop, compost, grass clippings etc then put the new soil in and plant away. It'll have the winter to settle in. the winter veges are already planted in another bed. Nancy

I paid about $400-425 for mine roughly 10 years ago I think? I let a neighbor borrow it though and he put straight gas in it totally ruining it! But it's okay because I wouldn't own one now. I do the compost, paper/cardboard, mulch thing and hand pull the few weeds that pop up here and there. It is work though. But then again so is walking behind a tiller. I'm with the no till folks on this one. However, 175 is a great price!....if it works.

Nancy:

I just posted about building raised beds, and realized I forgot to ask about using a Mantis! I'm hoping to eliminate the need for one, since it just becomes another step that makes the whole process take longer. I'm trying to move to sheet composting/lasagna gardening, but I know some folks are not comfortable with that, or feel some areas need something different.

Our neighbors are awesome, and loan us their Mantis whenever we need it. They have an older model, so it doesn't have all the "bells and whistles" you see on TV. I have back problems also, and specifically have issues with bearing large amounts of weight. I have tried the Mantis before, and other than my arms feeling VERY tired from the "buzzing", I was able to handle it well.

I did have trouble lifting it to place it in a new area, so it might be a problem for you if you have to pick it up and place it in a new area, such as lifting it over the edge of a raised bed or over a stone edging that is higher than a few inches. If you can just roll it along, I would think it would not be a problem. Also, hitting rocks can be VERY scary, and at the very least make your teeth stand on edge!

Shellva brings up a good point: many of these machines require a specific fuel mix. It's a common mistake many Mantis owners make, from what I have been told. Test drive your machine if you are thinking about it!

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

Take care,
Emmie

See if you can find one to take a test drive with.

I don't have a Mantis, mine is a craftsman. It was about the same price, had been used once. I like it alot and have used it for about 10 years. Never a problem to start it, or run it, it plows through sod like a champ and mixes in compost for my raised beds.

Most of my beds get weedy and need to be tilled in, we have a long growing season and I tend to get too busy to weed and mulch. I have horses so we have a huge supply of fertilizer to work with. Which is where the mini-tiller comes in, I'm always putting in something, a tree or new bed that requires mixing up soil.

The only things I don't like are the noise and the smoke. It doesn't jump unless I hit a rock, I can move it around to get into corners. It tears up sod in one pass, and I can get a good depth in two passes.

Spading kills my back, and I don't have time to double dig beds even though I'd like to. This year I tilled the beds, fertilized with bone meal and composted horse bedding and got sidetracked before I mulched. (When I got back to the garden it was a MESS!)This year I'm putting in cement blocks filling the bed with compost and tilling it all in again. Year two has to be better!

good luck!
Kitty

Hi, Diggity.
I have a potager garden and use the Mantis Tiller for several tasks. Bought it new; starts like a top; it is two years old and is great. It is easy to handle and I am a average size woman; it can 'buck' a bit on hard ground but I don't fight it, and just backoff the gas to settle it down...due to a bad back. One great thing we do is run the tiller up into the compost pile (4ft x 4 ft x 4 ft) and give it a good mix every time we have the tiller out. This month (Dec.) we used it to break up the sod and dirt to build a brick sidewalk. We use it in the spring to loosen the dirt in the 12ft x 4 ft raised bed vegatable garden area; and 4ft x 18 ft diameter circular garden; then again to mix the compost we spread on the top. This garden finished its second season, so the top soil can still get quite compacted over the winter and if the soil dries out; and we are adding compost at every opportunity. I mulch with compost during the growing season, which is dug in with the tiller after each plant completes its productivity. Seems we are always getting out "Mighty Mite"for some task or the other...my husband 's nickname for our Mantis Tiller.
Good Luck,
SharingThyme in Pine Ridge Potager

Here is a link that might be useful: Sharing Thyme

Well, thank you all for your responses!
Unfortunately, I was in a car wreck in early Dec that did in my back and neck even more, so I'm not in the market for the tiller anymore!(I'm fine, just 2 months of the chiropractor)
We have found a 20 something kid that will do almost anything for $10 per hour. He's coming by a couple hours a week. Hey! $100 per month to paint the house, build new garden beds etc etc! Totally worth it! Nancy