Kitchen Garden Forum

After your advice in "Tools and Machinery" (Thinking of buying a Mantis) I finally decided to buy a Honda Tiller FG201 today. Itching to try it - any tips before I do ? One very, very happy mouse !

Congratulations!
I love my little Honda!
Sad isn't it! I must try to get out more.
Before you start it just check that there is oil in the engine. Most garden machinery is shipped without oil in the engine and the makers rely on your supplier to add the oil when they set the machine up.

On my machine there is a mark on the top cover and a mark on the flywheel below. It is recommended that you align the two marks, by slowing pulling the starter rope to rotate the flywheel, before you put the machine away so that the engine valves are both closed.

John

Afraid my advice might be a bit obvious, but people often forget this important step.
RTFM

Read The F****** Manual before doing anything.

With my Mantis it was

WTFV

Obvious I know Mouse, but if you need to clear the tines off, ensure that it is not only stopped but turned off so you cant accidentaly start it.

You dont want an arm like a big dibber (no fingers)

Will Try Feeding Vegans

Hello Happymouse - I'll be very interested in your thoughts once you have used you new tiller too. We are in the market a tiller and are also leaning toward the Honda (as a result of your original thread). And very excited at the prospect too!

It's a video Peter.

Hello again Happy(Honda)mouse
Just one more point. Don't use the tiller on very dry soil. This is because it tends to pulverise the soil to a powder and destroys the soil structure. On moist soil there is no problem and you'll get a super tilth.
Happy tilling
John

I should be able to start "Tilly" soon. I found some 4 stroke oil at last (Homebase) Dug over the plot roughly today to remove worms and found the underground electric cables for our garden lights would have been chopped up too !

Feel such a girl. Flooded the engine (forgot to turn the choke off ) Tilly kept sinking and getting stuck and stopping. Cannot get the hang of the depth bar at all ! Ended up going round in a circle pivoting on the bar. About 2 square or round foot rotavated so far. HELP PLEASE! Positive - she started beautifully first time and so.. quiet.

Go to [url]merrytiller.co.uk[/url] and follow the usage advice there, it is probably relevant to all rotovators without wheel drive.

Hello Happymouse
For the first time on your soil I'd set the skid bar at its highest setting ie put the retaining pin through the bracket and top hole on the bar. This will stop it digging too deeply first time round. It will bounce around a bit on rough dug soil so try to get a level start - maybe just walk all over it before you begin.
Also:
don't forget to unscrew the air valve on the fuel filler cap - if you forget the machine will appear to run out of fuel after a while, with a full tank!
Always fully engage the control lever as you can't control the speed of the machine with it - its either stop or go!

John

Can I use "Tilly" with the wheels on instead of the bar ? I will look for the air valve in the cap like you suggest John. It won't start at all tonight.

It says in my manual not to use the wheels only the skid when you're rotovating though it doesn't say why. Best not to I suppose.
Mine is a FG200 but I think yours might a later version. I don't know what the differences are. The air valve is a small knob that you unscrew - its part of the filler cap.
Pity she won't start. Whenever mine won't go its been because I've forgotten to switch or turn something on or put petrol in it!!!

John