TC70016

The media could not be loaded. The video was hard to shoot by myself with one hand holding phone, the other working the machine.I tried to show what it is capable of by going through a weeded area.This area had previously been cleared of grass a few years ago (by hand with pick and mattock). But the weeds got pretty thick between the end of last year's growing season and early/mid spring this year. For the remainder of the space I pulled a lot of the tops off the weeds by hand because they would just wind around the spindle. The machine tore the roots out (also winding around the spindle, but eventually that us just unavoidable).There are a lot of rocks in this ground of varying sizes from pea to softball and a few larger. Rocks up to around tennis ball size are handled easily. They get spit out to the side or left in front as you move backwards. I pick them up and get them out of the area. The larger softball size rocks are handled pretty well. But I try to avoid causing damage to the machine and stop it and get them out by hand. They are, however, nicely loosened by the tilling action. The smaller rocks are no issue. Lots get brought to the surface and I gather them up, too.It's rather lightweight, easy to move and carry by the handle (or to pull using the retractable wheels). Having g so little weight does cause it to buck and bounce when it hits hard stuff in the ground (like the larger rocks). Once the ground is cleared it really digs in and churns it up. In my case, since I am removing the rocks as I go, it just keeps getting better, faster and easier.I bought this one over other despite a slightly higher price because the top shield curves down at the back. You'll see other models where the top shield is pretty much just flat. The curved top shield on this model works like a fender on a bicycle and prevents most of the dirt from being thrown back onto your feet. Of course not all of the dirt. This is still going to be a dirty job, but it really helps.It's easy to handle. I've gotten better with it since shooting the video, but then you wouldn't get to see it chewing up the weeds.I wish I had gotten this years ago.

[Update] So the tiller finally failed completely with just 20 sqft left of 1200 sqft. From my perspective, and given the cost to rent a comparable tiller, this is still a win, so I purchased another one and won't change my rating. I did a postmortem to find the exact cause of the failure, expecting to find the worm gear or worm drive was fully stripped. While the worm gear was badly worn, it was still fully functional and woud have lasted quite a while longer. The worm drive, made of stainless steel, looked brand new, not even a scratch. As it turned out the failure was caused by a cheap deep groove ball bearing (6200RS type) above the gear that's being incorrectly used to absorb far too much stress for its design, there should be a pair of bearings both above and below the mating point to manage the stresses involved with tilling through packed clay and large rocks. Additionally, the gearbox is not as fully sealed as they might believe, I found dirt and small bits of rock in the gear oil. Disappointing design choices, for less than a dollar more per unit they could have made the gearbox much more capable. Still, for the price, I got a lot more use than I expected and can restore this one at some point in the future. Still consider it a solid buy.So heres the deal, ive been using a mantis for quite a while, and ive been fortunate that it hasnt needed significant repairs like most have, just usual maintenance. Recently i decided to lay sod on a 1200 sq.ft. parcel of land on my property that is about half flat and half sloped to 15°. We're nestled into the Santa Monica mountains and this parcel has been untouched for nearly a decade, with full sunlight, getting baked daily. The soil below 3" is clay/loam and below 5" is mostly clay - hard, essentially rock-like clay, with lots of large rocks, some the size of watermelons. All of which is to say that it is not a hospitable environment for a non-industrial tiller. Because I wanted to be able to work this project late into the evenings, I decided to try an electric tiller that was much quieter than it's gas counterparts. My expectations for this 13.5A tiller were not that high, having read, in numerous places, that it wasn't the equal of its gas powered counterparts.Now, I can't speak to it's longevity, nor can I speak to the quality of this company's customer service, but I've been using it for the past four days for about 5 hours a day, so I can speak to it's ability. For less than a third of the price of a Mantis, this tiller is, without equivocation, it's equal - with regard to churning our rock hard soil, potentially superior. If you are like me and had reservations about it's power, lose them. This tiller has chopped it's way through the worst of it, kicking out stones the size of cantaloupes without skipping a beat. It does struggle with the hardest of clay pockets, but the Mantis did as well. The higher rotational speed I expected to result in lower torque, again, I was wrong. If anything, the higher speed means I have to be more cautious with this tiller because it digs much faster than the Mantis in loamy soil. Bottom line, this tiller works and it works well with the worst soil I could throw at it.Couple additional notes. The cord is an issue, not a big one, but one you have to get used to. There are many simple solutions to this, something as simple as a long bungee cord attached to the power cable would work. I've chosen to work it forward, in small chunks, rather than in reverse, which always keeps the cord behind me, and, while on the topic of cords, make sure to size your extension cord for the required amperage of your tiller. Second, I recommend hose clamps be placed where the segments of the handle are put together with J-bolts, keeps it from coming loose while it bounces around - and because of its higher speed, it does bounce quite a bit, so be prepared for that. Last, I think the manufacturer should look into ways to firmly decouple the tiller from the handle to reduce transmitted vibrations to the user. It's possible, but would require some rework, I partially achieved this on the Mantis with strategically placed sorbothane, but it wasn't the best solution, makes it much easier on the arms and hands.So that's it. Great tiller, all the benefits of electric power, with the strength of similarly sized gas powered tillers. Anyone who tells you different either hasn't used it, or works for a competitor. I'll update when the project is completed if anything alters my current view.