Another beauty in bloom Sherry!
I had a Mantis tiller years ago too. I broke it after using it in my rock hard dry clay soil. If I used it in Spring while the ground was still moist, it worked ok. The problem in starting them is the same problem that plagues all 2 stroke engines. Most people leave the old oil/gas mixture in tank when they put it away. You should empty it and run it until it's dry. Or do what I do...before I put any 2 stroke garden equipment away, I'll empty the gas and fill it with a little ethanol free gas and run it. That will clean up the carburetor and help prolong the life of your carb. gaskets too. You could just use ethanol free gas (as I do in my chainsaw), but it gets rather expensive for bigger jobs.
