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World famous Mantis Tiller (made in the USA)

"For good health eat less from a box and more from the earth"

#1 SELLING MINI TILLER EVER!
The design is appreciated worldwide by more than 2,000,000 owners. A favorite of gardeners since 1980.

MANTIS TILLER HISTORY – HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Over 36 years ago a small red tiller was first introduced to American gardeners. Its manufacturer boldly promised that the little dynamo would make gardening easier.

Back then, all tillers were big, heavy behemoths that were difficult to maneuver. Running a tiller was a big, manly man chore. After tilling a garden with a giant beast of a machine, every muscle in your body ached.

By comparison, the little red Mantis Tiller/Cultivator looked like a toy. It weighed in at just 20 pounds (10kg), and you could easily pick it up with one hand to move it from garage to garden. But when you pulled the cord to start the petrol engine, the Mantis Tiller’s unique tines chewed up soil with amazing ease. Here was a piece of power equipment that actually delivered on its promises. It really did make gardening easier by taking the backbreaking strain out of tilling garden soil.

Still, when the Mantis Tiller was first offered for sale in 1980, no one could have predicted how popular the world’s first mini-tiller would become. Initially, the Mantis Tiller was largely shunned by men (who, apparently, did not want to be seen operating a diminutive “10kg wonder”), but women and seniors wholeheartedly embraced the little tiller and made it a bestselling sensation. They loved the little red tiller because it was simple and easy to use – and it did exactly what the product ads said it would, that is to take much of the hard work out of America’s favorite leisure activity.

Today, men and women alike are happily tilling their gardens with Mantis Tillers. In fact, it’s hard to find a gardener who will say anything disparaging about a Mantis Tiller. If you do, you will always find someone "feeling sorry" for the person and offering to take it off their hands.

Hunkin Garden Products' own story is that we have been selling the Mantis Tiller exclusively in New Zealand for 28 years and initially came across the same reluctance to purchase such a small machine as they did in the USA. We overcame this by offering a right of return if the purchaser was not happy with its performance. This was not a right of return where you had to return it in an unused state like so many other right of returns, this was a use it and try it for yourself in your own garden. Needless to say, we very rarely get a machine returned.

We used to sell the 2-stroke version and they were incredibly reliable, but after introducing the Honda 4-stroke, our customers preference changed to the 4-stroke. Four stokes are much quieter and easier to pull over, something of benefit as we all get older. Following the popularity of the new 4 - stroke model 7940 we have now introduced the Mantis XP, the big brother to the little Mantis tiller.

Take a look at this Mantis Tiller review. You will also find some very useful information on growing plants here. You don't have to sign up for anything to get a lot of info. A lot is free. We are not affiliated to this website in any way. www.mikesbackyardnursery.com

If a Mantis tiller could halve your work, just imagine what would happen if you purchased two. You would have nothing to do!

From the Mantis US website

"Be ready to easily start your engine next season. Learn about problems associated with Ethanol in pump gasoline, and how to prevent difficult engine starts."

Prevent Ethanol Fuel From Damaging Your Tiller Engine
Q. Why is ethanol bad for small engines?

A. The ethanol added to gasoline attracts water. Humidity and poor storage can accelerate this problem. Over time this water can separate from the gasoline; this water-ethanol blend is highly corrosive to some components in small engines. Gasoline breaks down over time and becomes gummy, causing starting issues made worse when fuel is old and left in the tank or container between seasons.

Q. Gas stations sell fuel with ethanol that we use in our cars; what is the difference?

A. Cars are designed to process this fuel without damaging their engines. In addition, cars are refueled regularly and therefore the gasoline does not have time to cause problems like it does in small engines that are run much less frequently.

Our message. Use 91 octane fuel, the same as you use in your car, couldn't be easier.

 

Mantis Tiller 4-stroke plus model 7940

In stock

An all-season garden tool

  • Tills your vegetable garden - then keeps on working!

  • Quickly digs a new bed even in hard, compacted soil - for spring bulbs, summer annuals or your favourite vegetables.

  • Reverse the tines to weed and shallow-cultivate your garden and flower beds. It's ideal for cultivating in vegetable gardens, and for loosening the soil around precious perennials and shrubs.

  • So easy to manoeuvre, it gently cultivates raised beds. It's so light and easy to lift, so powerful yet so controllable.

  • Digs deep planting holes for trees and shrubs - much faster than you'll do it with a spade.

  • Digs trenches in your lawn for laying irrigation pipes.

  • With optional accessories, it aerates and dethatches your lawn, cuts neat edges on your borders and digs furrows.

We have been selling Mantis tillers in New Zealand for 28 years

Think what a new, powerful, easy-to-use Mantis tiller will do for you!

At Mantis, they make it better…so we back it better!

Use the Mantis in your own garden for 60 days. If you are not completely satisfied, send it back to us for a no hassle refund. All you will pay is the freight. Please note. The machine must be in a saleable condition and with original packaging and manuals. By saleable we expect it to be used, but not abused, which is fair. Return freight is the customer's responsibility and at their cost..

2-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY to original purchaser
The Mantis Tiller/Cultivator and attachments are warranted for a period of two years in domestic use (one year if used commercially) from date of purchase. If any part fails to work because of defects in materials or workmanship, we will repair or replace the part at no charge to you.
NOTE: The customer is responsible for returning the machine or faulty part at their cost for repair. We will return the machine or part at our cost. Excludes the Honda engine that is warranted seperately for 12 months by Honda's world wide warranty.

  • Powerful commercial-grade 25cc 4-cycle Honda engine spins the tines twice as fast as most tillers. The engine will run all day as long as it has fuel. It does not need a rest period.
  • Patented curved tine teeth till down to 250mm, chop through hard soil or clay.
  • Tilling width 220mm
  • One-piece die-cast gear box is virtually indestructible.
  • Tines spin at up to 240 rpm - twice the speed of other tillers!
  • Reverse the tilling tines to shallow -weed the top 50-75mm of soil.
  • Tines are mounted under the engine so you can guide the tiller easily in the narrow rows between vegetables, around trees, or among perennials.

We hold an extensive range of spare parts for our customers (not Honda Engines, they are covered by Honda NZ) so you can purchase with confidence.

We even have parts for our 28 year old machines, and yes some are probably still running if they have been looked after.

Mantis and accessories arrived safely on Friday morning as promised by you. The packaging was spectacular.
I assembled it myself, no problem, and spent Monday and Tuesday using it in the garden. It is the most amazing piece of equipment I have owned; it is so easy to change from one configuration to another; and it runs like a dream.
The extended family simply love it and they are on a waiting list to borrow it.
I am sure we will all be telling ten friends about it !!
Many thanks for your prompt attention to my order.

Phyllis

Just wanted to give you some positive feedback about the Mantis cultivator I purchased from you a few years ago. Even though it is not commercially rated, I have used it in my landscaping business extensively, made it work hard and long hours.
Apart from normal maintenance it has NEVER let me down. It is one of the most versatile little machines I own, and does an absolutely fabulous job of preparing lawns for sowing.
I just brought it out of winter storage, three months of no use, put in fresh fuel, one pull and it fired into life-what more could you ask for? Thank you for supplying a fabulous little machine.

Peter

Graham, thanks for the Mantis tiller. It went together easily, started as described, and on the small but very wet area I tilled this morning performed amazingly. It is not often a “labour saving” device is actually better than expected. I like its light weight, given that our 2200 sq metre section is all uphill with only foot access and the gardens are at the top and the bottom. It is like a terrier, seems almost pathologically intent on churning up the soil. Nice. Thanks. Now it just has to be as reliable as it looks and performs.

Ron

 

Graham and Melanie

Some months ago I purchased a Mantis Tiller at my wife's request because she wanted to use it to develop new vegetable gardens.
I ended up being the one to establish the raised beds and set up for her.

However we are now into serious extensions to the house and the sub soil just 6 inches below the surface is a hard clay. I thought I would see if the Mantis could break the clay down to make it easier to dig the footings. My Mantis has easily dug down 500mm and 700mm width in the clay for over 100 metres almost turning it into fine sand. The builders couldn't believe it.
Made digging foundations easy.

I just thought I would let you know.

Cheers

Jens

 

More pictures of the Mantis in use at the bottom of the page, check it out.

 

Mantis Tiller/Cultivator 4-stroke plus model 7940

All the features and benefits of the 2-stroke Mantis Tiller/Cultivator but with a 4-stroke Honda® GX25 commercial grade engine! It's easy to start and a lot quieter running. No fuss, no mess, no mixing fuels, and it weighs only 12 kg. The Honda engine has a 12 month warranty in domestic use and can be repaired by any Honda certified repairer in New Zealand. The rest of the machine has a 2 year limited warranty (domestic use, 1 year commercial) with the tines guaranteed for life against breakage in normal use.

Engine:

  • 4-cycle Honda GX25
  • Engine size 25cc
  • Fuel 91 unleaded
  • No mixing of gas/oil required

Kickstand is included with the 4-stroke tiller

If you prefer to transfer funds to our bank account instead of using a credit card please contact us with your name, address, phone number and what you wish to purchase and we will email you an invoice with our bank details.

RRP $1319.00
Courier packing and insurance NI $36, SI $66.00
(Rural delivery an additional $6.50)

Australian customers. You are exempt from NZ GST, so the price is NZ$ 1147 plus tracked insured postage @ NZ$230.00. Please note you may have to pay Australian GST and perhaps tax on import into Australia. This is not included in the price. We will warrant the machine as far as supplying spare parts free of charge, but any labour or freight on parts is the customer's responsibility.

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4-stroke Mantis Tiller/Cultivator XP

Model 7566-12-02

Discontinued due to a high buy price and shipping costs which makes it uneconomic

MANTIS XP EXTRA-WIDE 4-CYCLE (GAS ONLY) TILLER
Our Widest, Most Powerful Tiller Ever. This extra-wide rototiller is built for bigger yards and gardens, and features our unique, curvy tines that easily break through new ground and sod, compacted soil… even hard clay. At 406mm wide, it makes short work of big yard jobs!

And even with all this width and power, the tiller weighs just 15.6kg! Once your garden is established, you’ll use the Mantis XP 406mm wide Tiller/Cultivator to weed it quickly and easily.

KEY FEATURES
GENEROUS 406mm -WIDE TILLING WIDTH
Makes it faster to create a garden or prepare and existing garden for planting or expansion.

RELIABLE EASY-STARTING AND POWERFUL HONDA® FOUR-CYCLE ENGINE
Requires no mixing of oil and gas and runs quieter

SOFT, SURE-GRIP HANDLES
Over-molded grips for supreme comfort even when using the tiller in rocky soil. Ergonomically flared for maximum wrist-comfort and fatigue-free operation.

INNOVATIVE TRANSMISSION DESIGN
Generates sufficient speed to turn specially designed curvy tines to enable maximum performance with minimum weight.

 

COMPACT DESIGN
The Mantis® XP Extra-Wide Tiller/Cultivator easily gets into tight places where big, front-tine tillers cannot go. Lightweight – just 35 lbs. (15.6kg)

254mm TILLING DEPTH
With The Mantis Tiller/Cultivator you can till up to 10" (254mm) deep. You’ll have better soil. And better soil is the foundation of better gardening.

UNIQUELY DESIGNED CURVY TINES
Helps Mantis dig deep even into the hardest soil, instead of bouncing around like other mini-tillers. Lifetime guarantee against broken tines… if one of them ever breaks, we’ll replace it for free. No matter how long you’ve owned your tiller.

VERSATILE
Simply turn the special tines around, and your “tiller” becomes an exceptional power-weeder. You’ll use it all season long! Optional attachments add even more versatility.

FOLD-DOWN HANDLES
For easy transport and storage


ENGINE
4-cycle Honda® (no gas/oil mix required) 35cc

WARRANTY (to orignal purchaser)
Five Year Warranty. Five year handle-to-tine coverage excluding engine.

Tines are guaranteed for LIFE against breakage (to original purchaser)

Engine is warranted separately for 12 months by the engine manufacturer.

TILLING WIDTH
406mm

Please note. The outer tines are easily removed to reduce the tilling width to approx 220mm for narrowr spaces, and of course more power to the remaining tines.

TILLING DEPTH
254mm or reverse tines to shallow cultivate 50mm to 75mm deep.

WEIGHT
15.5kg

STARTING/OPERATING
Recoil (pull starter rope to start)

Infinite speed throttle – user controls speed and power

TINE SPEED
up to 240 rpm

GRIPS
Over-molded Sure-Grip comfort grips

 

 Free kickstand with 4-stroke tiller

If you prefer to transfer funds to our bank account instead of using a credit card please contact us with your name, address, phone number and what you wish to purchase and we will email you an invoice with our bank details.

At Mantis, they make it better…so we back it better!

Use the Mantis in your own garden for 60 days. If you are not completely satisfied, send it back to us for a no hassle refund. All you will pay is the freight. Please note. The machine must be in a saleable condition and with original packaging and manuals. By saleable we expect it to be used, but not abused, which is fair. Return freight is the customer's responsibility and at their cost..


 

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If you have a heavy soil that is difficult to manage, sprinkle some fine builder's sand #1 (the type used for making brick laying mortar) over the top of the soil and use the Mantis to blend it in. The fine sand will keep the soil particles apart. Add it a bit at a time, blend and then test. Don't overdo it. It is much cheaper than Gypsum, the traditional clay buster, especailly by the trailer load. Compost helps, but sand is permanent.

 


Restore your lawn's health and beauty with Mantis' lawn-care add-ons.

dethatcherLawn Dethatcher attachment only (no engine)

Lawn thatch is a normal build-up of grass root parts (stolons and rhyzomes), bound up with some dead plant material, near the surface of the soil. Moss is a shallow-rooting plant which tends to grow in wet, cold conditions. When thatch or moss is more than 12mm thick, it can prevent air, water and nutrients from penetrating to the grass roots. Heavy thatch and moss harbour insect pests and prevent new grass plants from getting started. This attachment has 60 strong, flexible spring-steel picks which gently pull up thatch and moss across a 375mm swath as you pull it. Dethatch your lawn regularly in spring or autumn - especially before seeding or fertilising.

 

Dethatcher for Mantis Tiller 4- stroke plus model 7940 and Mantis XP Only $405.90
Postage packing and insurance NI $17.00, SI $26.50, Rural extra $6.50

Australian customers. You are exempt from NZ GST, so the price is NZ$ 320.86 plus tracked insured postage @ NZ$ 70.00. This applies to the dethatcher that fits either the Mantis 7490 or XP model. Please note you may have to pay Australian GST and perhaps tax on import into Australia. This is not included in the price.

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Lawn Aerator attachment only(no engine)

Four (eight on the XP model) parallel blades cut fine slits in your lawn to allow more air, water and nutrients to penetrate. This promotes the activity of beneficial soil micro-organisms and encourages healthy lawns. Periodic aeration is especially recommended in areas where compaction occurs and where soil is heavy clay. Ideal before oversowing or spot-seeding your lawn.

 

For Mantis Tiller 4- stroke plus model 7940 Only $154.00
Postage packing and insurance NI $12.00, SI $16.00, Rural extra $6.50

For XP Mantis (wider aerator) Only $369.00 Postage packing and insurance NI $14.00, SI $16.00, Rural extra $6.50

 

 

 

 

Australian customers. You are exempt from NZ GST, so the price is NZ$ 134.00 (Aerator for Mantis 7490) plus tracked insured postage @ NZ$ 50.00. Aerator for XP Mantis NZ$ 321.00 plus tracked insured postage @ NZ$ 70.00. Please note you may have to pay Australian GST and perhaps tax on import into Australia. This is not included in the price.

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handy item kitHandy Item Kit

1422-00-1 Older 2-stroke engine. Only $47.00
This is what you'll need to keep your Mantis petrol tiller running in great condition: 1 spark plug, 2 air filter pads, 2 oz. tube of transmission grease, 2 tiller wheel retaining pins, a combo wrench tool (funnel not supplied).

3777 Only $118.00 for Mantis Tiller 4- stroke plus model 7940
For use with the 4-Cycle Honda-Powered Mantis Tiller/Cultivator (25cc engine; current model). Includes: 2 bottles of premium 10W-30 4 cycle engine oil (2.6 oz. ea, approx 80mls.), 1 funnel, 1 spark plug, 1 air filter pad, 1 2oz. tube of transmission grease, 1 transmission gasket, 1 fuel filter, 2 tine retaining pins, and combo wrench.

 

3888 Only $75.00 (old price, limited numbers)
For the Mantis® XP 4-Cycle Tillers only (35cc engine). Includes: 2 bottles of premium 4-cycle engine oil, 1 funnel, 1 spark plug, 2 air filter pads, 1 2oz. tubes of transmission grease, 2 transmission gaskets, 1 fuel filter, 4 tine retaining pins, and a combo wrench.

Postage packing and insurance NI $14.00, SI $14.00. Rural delivery an additional $6.00

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border edgerBorder Edger attachment only (tiller not included)

Cuts clean, perfect edges where your flower beds meet the lawn. Includes a rubber-tyre wheel and a steel slicer blade. This unit is more suited to removing heavy growth over paths or garden edges than trimming single blades of grass on a weekly basis.

You can mix and match. Put the border edger blade on one side with a standard tine on the other side and cut around your flower bed. You get a neat edge and then a small furrow to define the edge. Even better if you have a furrower tine instead of the standard tine.

Fits both the Mantis Tiller 4- stroke plus model 7940 and XP model, but not recommended for the XP. it is too difficult to see what you are doing.

 

3222-00-12 Only $166.00
Postage packing and insurance NI $11.00, SI $15.00, Rural extra $6.50

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planter furrowerPlanter-Furrower only (tiller not included)

Used as a pair, the two special tines dig deep planting beds for seed potatoes, asparagus roots, onion and leek sets and flower bulbs. One tine used alone makes furrows for corn, beans, peas, transplants etc. Perfect for creating raised beds. Saves time and energy in the garden.

 

 

 

 

Planter furrower for Mantis Tiller 4- stroke plus model 7940 and XP Mantis Only $185.90
Postage packing and insurance NI $12.00, SI $18.00, Rural extra $6.50

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Tiller kickstand (tiller not included)

  • Works like a bicycle kickstand.
  • Lets you to park your tiller anywhere.
  • Attaches easily to base of tiller handles; flips up or down for instant use.
  • Solid steel construction.

Price $46.50
Courier packing and insurance NI $11.00, SI $15.00, Rural extra $6.50

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A great investment as it can do so much and it is so easy to use.

Close to edge Between plants Lots of control between rows
Furrower in action Soil tilled to look like seed mix. Back and forth
Weeding between rows In a commercial garden Lightweight and easy to carry
Fold down handles for transportt Pull back to till, tines bite in Tiller is used backwards so you don't walk on newly tilled soil
Good control in the flower bed Good control between cloches Ideal in a raised garden
Easy to pick up Furrower in action In the raised bed
Ideal for all ages Great little machine Aerator in action
Aerated lawn, ideal for oversowing Dethatcher on Mantis XP Thatch and moss from lawn
 
Versatile machine, use it anywhere Safely stowed in the boot  

 

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