Flooring Tile - tile floor removal

i am going to be removing about 300 square feet of ceramic tile flooring from a plywood subfloor. i don't know if there is felt underneath or not. i don't live in the house yet, and when we move (SD to GA), i will have a short time window to get the old tile up and put wood down (no ?'s on that right now). i don't need to save any of the tile, but i would hate to have to replace the subfloor. assuming the worst, (thinset on the subfloor i'd like to save), any tips on getting the thinset off? any experiences with the following ideas? 1- handheld grinder 2- sander normally used in refinishing hw floors 3- jackhammer (is there a small version at tool rental stores?). replies appreciated.

You can rent a pneumatic chisel. If the chisel is kept sharp, it can practically shave off the thinset. If you are replacing tile because of grout failure and cracked tiles, this has occurred because of movement in the wood subfloor. Concrete underlayment board is preferred in order to avoid flex.