[Bud Cline]

What can anyone tell me about the mini cultivators on the market today.

I've looked at Stihl, Troy-built mini, Earthquake, Mantis.

Borrowed a Mantis and rented a Stihl but stll don't have a feel for performance and reliability.

Any comments?

 

[oh'mike]

My folks had a Mantis for several years----If they are as good as they used to be that one worked well.

I've owned Stihl chain saws--all good there and finding service on a Stihl would be easier than the other brands---

I have no personal experience with any of them.---Mike---

 

[rollinastang]

i have an earthquake MC43 Viper high performance 43cc engine and have had pretty good success with it. i have used it on 4 pretty large cultivation jobs where i tilled up surface grass and clay soil it work wonderfull with enough power to get the job done. there is only one problem i have had with it and that is the on off toggle switch. the two wires that attach to the switch come off while cultivationg. so i just have to pull the spark plug wire off to cut off the engine. i remedied this by using my wire cutter and crimping the connections down which should have been done at the manufacturer but i guess were not. all in all good cultivator.just a tip- i just used mine to make alittle garden for my tomato plants...loosen up hard soil with your shovel this makes chopping the dirt much easier wish i would have thought of it when i was doing my last big job...lol

 

[user1007]

I think the concept of the things intriguing and I have worked on them. People seem to like them. I can see them quite useful in maintaining a garden or bed properly turned over or tilled in the first place but they just do not have enough weight to them to but bounce around and till soil from scratch. The place I worked for sold only the Mantis brand.

If you could design your garden or beds so you had room. I think the tillers where you can remove tines to till whatever width you need to turn over on a regular basis worth looking at as one alternative.

 

[Bud Cline]

My main desire is weed control in an already fully tilled and planted garden. My tiller could work with two outer tines removed but it is still too big for my liking, I afraid it would throw too much soil and fill the ditches with dirt. Besides I would have to remove the tines and that wouldn't cost me anything.

 

[user1007]

My main desire is weed control in an already fully tilled and planted garden. My tiller could work with two outer tines removed but it is still too big for my liking, I afraid it would throw too much soil and fill the ditches with dirt. Besides I would have to remove the tines and that wouldn't cost me anything.

So shop online for a good price and try one of the things. Aren't they like $100 or so new at a store near you? By the way, when they were returned to the retailer I worked for we yellow tagged them as used and sold them for like $45 or so. Nothing wrong with them but that they did not match customer expectations. As mentioned, all returns I processed had to do with customers expecting them to till soil from scratch and they really are not built for that. I can see how the things might be nice for keeping beds and smaller vege gardens weeded.

 

[Bud Cline]

Locally the Earthquake sells new for $200, ($239 on line) the rest mentioned are around $350 and even more in the case of a Stihl. Stores bring them in in the spring, sell out and that's the end of them until next year. Right now isn't the time to buy a used one unless a guy lucks into an ex-gardener and knows to advertise it right now. We've looked.

Actually I think I would rather have a new one. I looked at the damned things three or four times during the past few weeks but could get myself off dead center. Now that the weeds have begun to flourish and I'm out there with a friggen hoe I finally have enough motivation to go buy one.

 

[oh'mike]

My folks were avid gardeners,to the point where the big tiller was just to big.

They used the daylights out of the Mantis---It's a cultivator and really made getting the soil between established planting easy.

What ever brand you choose,I believe you will be glad to have it.----Mike----