Mini Cultivator

Sawdust

Sawdust

Jim from Kentucky
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If you don't have one you need to get one. I use to look at these & just couldn't buy what looked like a weedeater with tines on it. A friend of mine gave me this last year but wouldn't start. I put a new filter, gas line & carb on it & it started second pull. I use it a lot in between garden rows, flower beds anywhere you need to cultivate. It screams & pulverizes the soil. It's a Husky, one you might think isn't very good but so far it's working well. It's light weight too. You can move it around as it digs or just scratch the surface for weeding.
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I have a Craftsman and a Mantis, they are great for weeding and cultivating. I think I'm on borrowed time with the Craftsman, I hear the little gear box locks up, they get hot and they have no way to add fluid. The Mantis was given to me as it wouldn't run, quick carb cleaning and runs like a top, I like it better than the Craftsman.
 
I have a Hoffco Li'L Hoe! It took a while to get it running, has a Tecumseh 2-cycle on it. Then I was using it and is acted like it was binding up. Found out how to grease the gearbox and all is well! Cool little tiller!
 
Yep. I want one of those too. I have my onions spaced far enough apart that one of those would work nicely. But I’d rather a battery powered one.

Noel
 
I use a Poulan for the last several years. Good machine as long as you use a side to side mowing while weeding it will get them all. Only problem with battery one is chasing after batteries and going dead half way thourhg. I'l stay with gas.
 
Don’t know poncho, and I don’t know if they are even made. I’m just not a fan of little two stroke engines. I use them, but not a fan of them.

Noel
 
Propane1 said:
Don’t know poncho, and I don’t know if they are even made. I’m just not a fan of little two stroke engines. I use them, but not a fan of them.

Noel
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I hear ya on the 2 strokes. Got to keep the gas fresh and run it out if it’s going to sit a while. My string trimmer is a Dolmar 4 stroke. No hassles at all
 
Use Sta-bil in the 2 stroke as well. Mine sat all winter with fuel in the carb and tank. Started like it was supposed to this spring. Did mix up a feresh batch of gas as was out of the 32:1 Mix.
 
I have my 2nd Mantis that I really like. I need to clean the carb to see if I can get it back to running again. This one has always been finicky compared to the first one. Ideally, I would like a small 4-cycle engine on the Mantis .....
 
Easiest way I found to fix a finicky carb on the Mantis and Echo weedeater is to just buy a new carb. Had the new carbs on them for about 3 yrs. Every fall the tanks are emptied and run them 'til they die. They've both worked well with this method. I think one thing that has helped is to buy only non ethanol gas for all my small engines.
Mike
 
Razorback said:
I have my 2nd Mantis that I really like. I need to clean the carb to see if I can get it back to running again. This one has always been finicky compared to the first one. Ideally, I would like a small 4-cycle engine on the Mantis .....
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Funny thing...... last night I was talking to my 92-yr-old dad..... he had been doing some yard work, redoing a drainage swale around their house (pretty flat lot, they get runoff from a wildlife area behind their house). He mentioned that he had gone to Lowe’s and bought a Mantis tiller to do the work. He said, “Here’s something pretty nice about this one...... it has a small 4-cycle engine and it runs like a champ.”
I mentioned to him that I have a 4-cycle engine on a Dolmar blower that I have and would love to have one on my Mantis, and the old him that I needed to order a carb for the Mantis. He said, “Hold off on that. I’ll be finished with this one pretty soon. I’ll just donate this one to you.”
First off.... everything I am as a man came from my dad.... my love for being outside, my mechanical competence, my love for running just about anything that has an engine, etc. I thank God for him, and I also thank God that at 92 my dad can still give a Mantis tiller a good workout!

Looks like there will be a 4-cycle Mantis tiller in my future!
 
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Razorback said:
Funny thing...... last night I was talking to my 92-yr-old dad..... he had been doing some yard work, redoing a drainage swale around their house (pretty flat lot, they get runoff from a wildlife area behind their house). He mentioned that he had gone to Lowe’s and bought a Mantis tiller to do the work. He said, “Here’s something pretty nice about this one...... it has a small 4-cycle engine and it runs like a champ.”
I mentioned to him that I have a 4-cycle engine on a Dolmar blower that I have and would love to have one on my Mantis, and the old him that I needed to order a carb for the Mantis. He said, “Hold off on that. I’ll be finished with this one pretty soon. I’ll just donate this one to you.”
First off.... everything I am as a man came from my dad.... my love for being outside, my mechanical competence, my love for running just about anything that has an engine, etc. I thank God for him, and I also thank God that at 92 my dad can still give a Mantis tiller a good workout!

Looks like there will be a 4-cycle Mantis tiller in my future!
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Good story I knew where this was going before you mentioned it. My dad was the same way. He recently passed away last August. I miss him a lot. Everytime we visited I went home with something. My dad was 89 & cutting weeds along a fence row & had a massive heart attack. He never recovered mentally for almost a month then finally gave up. Cherish those moments. I'll have to check on the 4 cycle Mantis. I was surprised at this little Husky. It starts up second pull, idles well when stopped, & pulverizes what ever is in its path.
 
This thread got me going, I placed an ad in Facebook last night and got an answer that this guy had a couple at the local flea market. Went over on my lunch break today and picked these 2 up. The Noma started after a few pulls. The Ryobi, the fuel lines are rock hard and I will fix them before trying to get it going.

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Yesterday I ordered a Chinese carb for the Ryobi and carb kit for the Noma, a couple of primer bulbs etc...Total about $28 cdn......will take a couple of months to get here likely.


I got the Ryobi running this morning. I bypassed the primer bulb which was leaking, a fe pulls and it fired up. Seems to run nice. I guess I didn't need to order that Chinese carb....lol. Oh well, spare parts. When I got it running, I saw the gas tank is cracked. JB Weld to the rescue
 

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