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Author Topic: Mantis Cultivators  (Read 8248 times)

Guy

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • East Devon
Mantis Cultivators
« on: February 11, 2008, 07:44:59 pm »
Hi all. The OH and myself have decided on getting a cultivator ( due to the new raised beds we are creating and my really duff back :-[) We have seen a "Mantis" advertised recently boasting of its " prowess and power - yet light and manageable qualities" Has anyone seen one in action? If so are they any good , or does anyone have any other suggestions ??? - we only need a smaller one ,but powerfull - any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. :)
relax and enjoy life - let others do the worrying

rustyme

  • Guest
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2008, 08:17:03 pm »
hello Guy,
            I know the feeling with the back , got a duff one myself. As for rotavators/cultivators I haven't used a Mantis ,is that the little electric one ? ,anyway , I found that they are ok for turning already dug ground ie : just turning the ground over at the end of a year or in between crops. I bought a rotavator years ago to dig a plot ...it nearly crippled me ...lol . Mind you it was just after I had my big car smash ( in which I broke my neck and back ) , But I still found it easier to dig by hand first and then use the rotavator after. If you can, try borrowing one from someone or rent one ,that way you will see if you can get on with it ok first. My late dad had ( I think it was a Mantis) and he used it to till between plants and so on , it was fine for that . So , for digging fresh undug ground I would go at it with a spade and fork first . There after you could use a smaller tiller type thingy , but I find that they hurt my back more than just working by hand. The thing with rotavators is that they hit stones and the like and jump and kick over very violently and if you have a dodgy back it bl**dy hurts like hell , where as , if you are digging by hand you feel when you are doing just a bit too much, and can ease up or stop .
  We are all different and what suits one won't suit another , so give it a go and see if you get on with them ...you may well do .... Good luck either way .
 

cheers

Russ

Guy

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • East Devon
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2008, 09:53:39 pm »
Many thanks Russ - yes there is one in their range on electrics , this is a new one i think ( a four stroke petrol engine!) I know what you mean about using a spade and fork , I just keep forgetting to ease up til i get to the point i can barely move :D lol Thats the trouble with bad backs - they get set off so easily ( mine came from a bad fall from my horse about 6 years ago :P- its ok though , my horse was fine!! ;D). I will continue to do some research - although i have just re-read the literature and it says you get a free one year guarantee - "your money back if not entirely satisfied within one year" so i suppose thats good :)............Ive just let the dogs out -  to find alice (one of my oxford sandy and blacks) tearing around the garden, so we have just been pig hearding by moonlight  :D :D. Great fun 
 
relax and enjoy life - let others do the worrying

rustyme

  • Guest
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2008, 12:41:42 am »
I hope you get your OSB back ok ! 
              I used to forget to stop , with the back , but not any more .... (had 24 years to get used to mine...! ) lol. Now I just set a target and stop when I reach it , if my back doesn't say stop before hand.  Good luck with whatever you go with , but don't do too much at a time !!!!
 
Cheers

Russ

Guy

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • East Devon
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2008, 07:37:18 am »
Yes we did thanks - although not until she had broken through two new lengths of fencing which i had put up on Sunday :D! Hey ho , back to fencing today- have a good day!
relax and enjoy life - let others do the worrying

hexhammeasure

  • Joined Jun 2008
    • golocal food
    • Facebook
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2008, 12:02:00 am »
I managed to get a mantis at a collective sale last year and i have to say it is great, but limited in what it can cope with.

I use it mostly to create a seed bed AFTER digging over a plot its also good at light hoeing (providing you dont rake up the weeds for the hens and ducks)

next year I'm using it as part of my rotation plan...
plot 1 - double dig and deep manure
plot 2 - Home grown compost and mantisate.. (rotovate with the mantis)
plot 3 - dig in manure
plot 4 - mantisate

should make life a bit easier than digging every plot..... I hope

Ian

Kev

  • Guest
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2008, 02:45:54 pm »
hello

I got the mantis sales stuff with free dvd etc. and it did all look pretty good. I then dug more around "the net" and realised that yes it appears to be good for working on already dug over soil but I wanted something that was a bit more "fierce". So I have opted for a larger MDT cultivator from mowdirect.co.uk (who do a large range of cultivators and rotovators) which is working out just fine.

Yes it can be a bit of a pig on new to turn soil but I sorted a large area within an hour (see a piccie of my raised beds in the "bitten of more than I can chew" post to get an idea of the size of ground. It did kick and buck a bit but as its a forward travelling cultivator once it had bit into the soil it was off by itself. My MDT is also adjustable which means I can use it on the beds as well, ok not as well as a Mantis but I'm glad I got a larger machine as the Mantis would have been too small for my needs.

Basically i'd weigh up what you have to turn over and use that as the judgement of whether a Mantis is big enough or whether you'd need a larger model.

Only minor point is that I was a bit put off by the marketing of the Mantis - its a bit full on and if it was/is that good surely it should sell itself?

hexhammeasure

  • Joined Jun 2008
    • golocal food
    • Facebook
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2008, 01:51:14 am »
A year on  and an update :-

Dont get a mantis if you want it purely as a rotavator:

my onions and brussel sprouts have bolted early as a result of being planted in tilled soil next year i will plant these in hand dug plots

of course it could be the wet weather but other people locally haven't had the same problems so i'm blaming the Mantis
Ian

Tweedle

  • Joined Jul 2008
  • GMT -5
  • Callender Farms
    • Callender Farms, New Hampshire
Re: Mantis Cultivators
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2008, 04:46:56 pm »
I have both a larger tiller and a mantis.  I fell for the hype on the tv and got the mantis only to find that it works great to weed in the rows between the beds and work in compost,  but cutting new soil or tilling large plots it makes for back breaking work. and just like you, i have found that it doesnt work at all in wet soil...  :pig:
"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."  -Winston Churchill-

http://www.callenderfarm.com

 

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