Are you looking for a garden cultivator, one that is easy to use and store in your garage or garden shed? If you are like me, the old wooden handled garden hoe is not your favorite garden tool. On the other hand, a large garden tiller is just too heavy and takes up way to much space. Let me share a little tip with you, a mini cultivator tiller works great, and takes up very little storage space. As you read this article, I believe you will begin to see how you to can use a mini tiller and cultivate your garden.
What is a mini cultivator tiller?
Sometimes called a power hoe; these little powerhouses pack many functions into a small package. Tilling, edging, and convertible models can change their configuration to include weed eating or dethatching and sweeping like the Stihl Yard Boss.
Small tillers, as the Mantis is available with a wide variety of gasoline engines, and even an electric motor as an option when noise and engine exhaust is a problem. Gasoline powered units are available in either two-cycle or four-cycle engine configurations. For the gardener who has a weed eater that uses a gas and oil mixture may find it easier and more convenient to opt for the two-cycle model. On the other hand, the four-cycle engine option delivers great power, fuel economy without the need for mixing gas, and oil altogether. Although an electric model does not need fuel of any kind, you will need an extension cord to plug your little tiller into the house electric outlet. Then drag the cord around your garden and landscape.
Small compact and easy to handle, mini cultivators are by any other name they are still a small, compact front tine tiller. Which means? Simply the engine or electric motor on the tiller is directly above the tilling tines, making them compact and easier to maneuver, much more so, than a rear tine tiller. The serpentine tines design as those used on the Mantis have a lifetime warranty, and will make digging a hole to plant a small tree or bush much easier. Tilling with a mini cultivator tiller equipped with serpentine tiller tines do a fantastic job working the soil, or cultivate around flowers, tomato plants and any landscape maintenance task, with the best of them, Oh, excuse me for my opinion, but the Mantis or Stihl Yard Boss are the 'best' mini cultivator tillers on the market.
What Makes The Best Compact Tillers and the rest, ?
Ask any professional landscaper or gardener what they want or should I say demand from their equipment and they will tell you, durability, reliability, and easy to operate is a top their list, of important demands.
Durability; incorporates safety and above all, a user-friendly design that uses high quality components. A set of well designed handles, not to short as to put the tilling tines to close to a taller users feet, putting them in jeopardy. Controls that are easy to use understand and positioned in a way that protects them from damage.
Reliability; Starts with high-quality components, major engine manufactures, like Echo and Stihl manufacture high-end two-cycle gasoline powered engines. Honda, being in a class all their own, with the powerful clean running fuel-efficient four-cycle gasoline powered engine. Found on the Honda FG 110 mini tiller cultivator.
All the major compact tiller manufactures use the same small Honda four-stroke engine on their four-cycle engine models as well and charge a hefty premium price for the option.
Here is an important tip, the little Honda engine being a four-cycle engine, has motor oil in the crankcase where it belongs. To insure the motor oil stays where it belongs, the engine "CAN NOT" lay on its side. The motor oil "will" go from the crankcase where it belongs, to the combustion chamber where it does not belong, causing problems. Can you say hydraulic lock; the motor oil can cause the piston inside the cylinder that make-up the combustion chamber to get locked-up. Now this is not the end of the world, but a bit of a mess to clean-up. The two cycle engines do not share this inconvenience, just remember, without a wheel kit or kickstand to hold a mini cultivator equipped with a Honda four-cycle engine up right you will have a problem.
