Is a tiller a good investment??

[Reinbeau]

And my experience is exactly the opposite. The $299 I spent on my four-stroke Mantis was the best $299 I've ever spent. I love the thing. It hits plenty of large rocks with no problems at all, breaks through sod if I want to use it that way (although I've got a large tiller better suited for that chore). It turns over my raised beds beautifully every spring. I do have some clay to deal with, but for the most part my soil is loamy sand.

They aren't cheap, though. The four-stroke is $450 now, which is way too pricey.

 

[dbjay417]

I've been thinking about getting a tiller lately myself. the suns got a way of turning the soil here into bedrock, I often have to create mud puddles in order to dig past the top 2-3 inches. Prepping beds would be much easier with an engine and some blades.

But then what isn't easier with an engine and some blades.

 

[unclejoe]

Last week I got a Mantis off CL for $150. I've been looking for one since last summer after we expanded the garden to about 4000sf and I was weeding it all by hand. Out of curiosity I put it in some sod to see what it would do. While it did cut through it, I wouldn't want to start a large plot with it. I will still use my 10hp BCS to do the fall and spring tilling.
The BCS is an incredibly tough machine but it comes with an outrageous price tag. The only reason I have one is because a landscaper friend of mine gave it to me with a blown engine. One of his guys was running it on a hillside when it was low on oil. I put a new engine on it and now have one heck of a garden implement. I don't think I could keep a garden this size without a tiller.

 

[Rusty]

FWIW I bought my Troybuilt Horse back in 1986 and it is still going strong. They sure know how to build 'em!


Rusty