Disgusted with my Mantis tiller
mitchb2
16 years ago
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rcmoser
15 years agokompressor
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Mantis Tiller bought at yard sale
Comments (4)Gotta love it,rej2.I bought a front tine,chain drive Lawn Chief with a B&S 4 cycle 2HP side shaft engine for $25.00 last weekend.Nice shape but with no spark.I had to clean the magneto and lightly file/reset the point gap and it fired right up.It works perfect and the 4 outer/inner tines are easily removable so I can get'er down between the rows when the veggie plants get big.The chain drive cover is bolted on,instead of riveted too,so if the chain ever needs serviced. Garage sales RULE.:)...See MoreMantis mini tiller review
Comments (8)You are welcome. I am surprised that it took me quite a few times to really get use to the Mantis. But once I get the hand of it, it really behave. I have a front tine tiller so I never have to use it on the untilled ground. Infact I bought it mainly for dethatching, everything else is bonus far as I concern and I am truely surprised how useful it is. I never try the edger. I don't think it will work very well because it turn too slow.( they have reduction gear to gain the torque for tilling, so it only spin about 200rpm max. It is not going to give a very clean cut.) I forgot to say. It is perfectly ok for the motor at hanging position, no worry about smoke and all. One more thing you might know already but I just going to repeat. When you are going to put it away for a few months during winter: 1) Empty the gas. 2) Position the unit so the primer bult facing up and prime to empty all the gas out inot the gas tank. Pour any excess gas out of the tank. 3) Close the choke and try starting it. It should start and run for a few second. This will empty most of the gas within the carb. 4) If you can, keep the choke close, squeeze the throtle all the way and pull a few more times to such the remaining gas out of the carb. With that, you can store the unit. Gas is the single thing that can clog the carb if left inside for long period. This apply to all other equipments also. I am a home owner and don't use my stuff all year long. I need to do this also. YOu should add StaBil gas stablizer( get it in Home Depot) in gas to keep it fresh. Change oil half the recommended period. Also check the gear case to make sure it is full of greese. Mantis forgot to put greese in my gear box and it jam 8 months down the road!!!! That is the time I really got good service. They just sent me a new gear box, no question asked!!! Recieved in 5 days and they arranged to pick up the old gear box few days later!!! I don't have to do anything and don't have to pay shipment. Don't be scare of the gear box, everyone is entitled to make a bobo!!! It is the support that matter. I would check the greese level in your gear box anyway. Easy, just 4 screws.....read the instruction....See MoreMantis Tiller woes
Comments (7)If you are in decent shape, you could spend a few hours doing it with a fork. Manti are not really designed to break sod. . Also unless the hubby's chainsaw was a 4 stroke, the mix isnt the problem . IIRC, Mantis wants 50:1 That is what most chain saws use too. I'm not impressed with your mechanics.. They took the easy way out and changed easy stuff, Charged you for the parts and minimum charge for 10 minutes work. Get the engine running and let it warm up. When it stalls, try to start it Give it some gas if it tries to start but doesnt check the spark I think I remember reading about a run of faulty coils for Echo engines. Research that on google OR The lack of use probably got to the carburettor and clogged something. All I can say is that other than a throttle cable, I have not had any trouble with the the Mantis I inherited from my folks . It runs fine on the rich 32:1 fuel I mix for everything. You can take the carb apart and spray cleaner through the little passages. Then re-assemble. Set the main jet 1 1/2 turns out . and the low speed to to 2 turns . If you googled ' fixing a Mantis carburettor' you may get lucky and find a you tube video . Its not rocket surgery ....See MoreProblem Mantis Tiller w/Honda engine (long)
Comments (4)adkinska, no darn wonder and thank you for the obvious trouble you went to for me. That looks exactly like the schematic in my manual, and I was starting to think that, too, as it is the only way I could envision that looked like the schematic. No wonder I was confused. I don't think that's what the guy at the hardware store told me on the phone, and I watched them one time trying to fill and start it before making out a ticket. He definitely was doing it just tilting it to the side and pouring straight from the plastic container of oil. Wasn't getting anywhere with that, wouldn't start, said I got it all spilled onto the spark plug and other parts, and would have to be all cleaned out which was probably true. So to be doubly sure here, you are saying that I should tip the engine FORWARD like that (perfectly clear, just went and tried it) for BOTH filling and checking? They only had that one tiller, and I don't think they know a whole lot about it to be honest compared to the other one they sell. I will emblazon that magic number 2.7 oz in my brain and find something more exact to measure it with and fill very slowly. A baby bottle comes to mind, maybe my new measuring cup(s) has oz on it. In time, I should gain more confidence about that. What a difference a good explanation makes! First I will try what you said before bothering my son about it and hauling it back over there. You don't know how much I appreciate that! I will check if 10W 30 is the same as the SAE 30 they sold me that I've been using, knew not to put my snowblower/lawnmower oil in it from that older thread....See Moreyungman
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