Does the Mantis Tiller Work If I Have Rocks in My Soil?

Rocky Soils

• All the Mantis lines of tillers perform well in rocky soils, according to the Schiller-Pfeiffer/Commercial Grounds Care Inc. The company’s customer service department advises that the tiller will grab and move softball-sized or smaller stones, expelling them at the surface of the soil for easy removal. The Mantis tiller will hitch if it comes into contact with larger stones, jumping vertically, bouncing off the surface of the rocks. You will then have to work around these stones or use a shovel to loosen and remove the stones before proceeding.

Roots

• Mantis tillers are capable of working through thick clay soils and sod, and the tillers’ tines will cut through roots up to 3/4-inch in diameter, slicing them into pieces. You can remove these pieces as they are churned into the upper layer of the garden bed. The tiller will hitch when it encounters larger-diameter roots and move past or around these obstructions. At this point, you can stop and remove the roots using another method or work around them, leaving them intact.

Operation

• You can operate the tiller by standing in one spot or follow behind as it churns. From a stationary position, alternate pulling the machine backward toward you and either pushing it forward or allowing it to work its own way forward. If you send the machine out at varying angles, you can till outward for several feet, covering the full circumference around a single point without changing position.

Options

• Mantis tillers come in a range of sizes and power options, including 2-cycle and 4-cycle engines, 9- and 16-inch tilling widths, gas-powered and electric tiller engines. The electric tillers operate with less noise, while the 4-cycle engines do not require you to mix oil and gas for fuel. In each model, the tines spin at a rate of up to 240 rpm and till to a depth of 10 inches. The company guarantees the tiller’s tines against breakage for life.