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Toro 22" Recycler 20018 S/N 220346266 20 years old first service.

Neighbor was thinking of EV and decided to have his Toro serviced. I told him I would be happy to do it for him, we've been neighbors for over 30 years. Same age, same backgrounds, he is as much a buddy as a neighbor. I have a couple questions for the pros here. If it were my own money I would know the answers but spending someone else's money is different. I want the best but don't want to waste any of his money or get poor quality parts either.

1. The belt will need replacement. A genuine Toro belt is $23.09. A Stens belt Amazon is $8.49, Oregon is $13.13 Says takes the 91-2258. There are also some other off brands on Amazon. Which would you use?

2. One rear wheel is broken. The hub is broken off inside the wheel and wiggles and spins. That wheel is bald w/ no tread left whereas the good wheel has plenty of tread left on it like the fronts. Not sure what that is about. The wheel wobbled but it was not the bolt, it was the center part of the hub the bolt goes thru had broken from the outer rim. Would you replace one or both rear wheels? I am inclined to replace both but...? Part number 105-3036 $53.54 each from Toro. There are Amazon brands Kofinam $34.99 pair, Tengmujx #32.99 pair, Budrash $32.99 pair, OTDSPARES $35.99 pair, etc.. Amazon has a two pack of Toro wheels for $58.50. Several people rated them as failures after just a few mowings so I suspect they are not genuine wheels but I do not know, maybe Toro only sells these now. Someone said the sprocket is plastic but the one that came off has a steel sprocket.



3. I have not pulled the belt yet but there is a battery bolted that must be removed where there could be bolts hiding on top for the plastic belt cover. Is this assumption correct, or do I need to loosen the transmission and pivot it to replace the belt? My 21" is similar but was held together a little different and easier to access the belt for replacement. The photo image for that assembly appears to show 3 bolts/screws that hold the plastic belt cover on.

4. Not sure whether to sharpen the blade or replace it. The blade is marked Atomic Blade. You can see the dings that are still left after filing it for a couple minutes. I beaded it to be able to balance it and check for cracks.

Answers, 1. replace the belt with Toro. 2. replace both wheels with Toro. 3. bolt located under battery box. Check out attached manual. 4. Blade looks like an original Toro blade. Can’t tell if the blade can be sharpened, because I can’t see the thickness of the back of the blade.
How can I make these recommendations, been working at Toro dealers since 1983 and that style drive and wheels have been around for a long time. Never found any aftermarket parts that worked as well as the Toro parts. A good Toro dealer may have some decent wheels laying around.
Maybe with this and the last time I bailed you out, you will realize I’m more than the jerk you think I am. I’ve been around the block more than once and teachers know that some students need to be pushed hard to get the best out of them. Next time you criticize my posts, ENGAGE BRAIN BEFORE OPENING MOUTH.

Use Toro OEM Parts.

thanks to both.

Do images these help?

Back of the blade has plenty of thickness, I would re resharpening.

Thank you. Will do.

Blade cleaned up and balanced fine. Lost maybe 1/8th inch on the cutting edge. Ground it on a cool grinder wheel then filed and honed. Cleaned up better than I though it would. I'll add a photo after it is cleaned again and painted.

On the rear wheels, do they come with new bushings or do I need to press the old ones out then into the new wheels? Does anyone know?

after cleaning 20 years of clippings, wire brushing, sanding and as close as possible rustoleum. Blade and adapter is a 3m quick drying trim spray that works well on black items plus lasts. Blade cleaned up nicely. I had my doubts but followed Rivet's advise and sharpened it. Waiting on parts now. The local mower shop or the one in Sacramento may have the parts, if not I will order them tomorrow from Toro. Thanks to all.

Toro blades are designed to be sharpened until the back of the blade gets too thin. Wheels contain bushings.

Thank you

The trailing guard also needs to be replaced. I see it just flexes to come out. A video of a later Toro 22" recycler shows screws that go into each side of the rubber shaft to secure it. Are these needed on the superseded trailing guard 114-1585? Original part number was 105-1843 and has no screws. model again is 20018 S/N 220346266

all parts on hand or on order. $272. well worth it. Should be done with all put the trailing guard and recycling plug today. Those parts are due in from Toro any day. Thanks to all including Rivets especially.

Before I go in deeper is this normal axle play on a 22" Recycler? If not any idea what parts commonly cause this so I can prepare for it? The whole axle assembly shifts so it is not in the differential.

Sg, have you even looked at the manual I posted for you on how the drive system works on your unit? I’ll bet not, so you want someone to do the work for you. I’m not going to do that, because if you had and you have any common knowledge of what that drive gear is telling you, you would understand that lack of maintenance is causing wear and those gears need to be replaced. On another point, you put $272+ into a unit that was sold new for $375. Hope you can find a sucker who will pay you the same cost for a 11 year old unit.

we can't go back in time. The equal model with inferior parts is $700 - $900 here. Effective January 1, 2024 they cannot even be sold here. I read your manual and have it saved to the hard drive as well. It makes no sense to order new thrust and ball bearings if that is normal play. All the thrust washers and e-clips on both sides are intact. The circlips at the thrust bearings are too. I have new parts other than those.

Who are you trying to kid? Just looked up a comparable model in Redding CA, price $499.

not kidding anyone. I did look it up. This is a 22" electric start rear wheel drive personal pace recycler with the Tecumseh engine. Also looked up the ratings on the new TOROs that are similar, quite poor compared to the older models. Lots of used ones but they will have similar problems. The first question I asked in this thread was about replacing the Toro wheels @ $55 each plus tax. As to the axle play, it is not mentioned in the manual, I looked again. Nor can I find it by comparing the dimensions on new bearings and bushings. The frame is not tweaked either. I've run out of parts where it could be.

Also the axle floats inside the ball bearings that go into the bushings. There is no stop on the inside. The new driven key is rectangular where as the old key is half moon - don't know it that matters as to the gear drive when I get to that point of the repair.

The local mower shop is one of two Toro shops in the area. Both are large shops. The one towards downtown had their mechanic retire, the one here lost theirs as he passed away recently. The counter people don't know where the play is either, and they see a lot of units. All the parts are there with equal thickness more or less to the originals. How we got that much play is beyond me. If no one here knows if this play is normal, and they are guessing like everyone else, maybe I will just use the old thrust washers to take part of it up. I don't know. Nor do I feel like bantering with anyone. My closest cousin passed away this morning after a battle with her COPD and the smoke on the east coast. I'd like to get this mower fixed and back to my neighbor. And yes, he would rather spend the money to fix it than spend double or more that on a new one. We are both in our 70's and would not get the full benefit of a new mower. I'm sure if we were in our 50's we would just buy a new mower.

There is no other place the freeplay can have come from except by design. All the parts except the axle, wheel bolts, covers, and housing have been replaced. If no one knows the answer if that is normal, that is Ok.

Nothing binds. Maybe the factory wanted the wheels to float a little so the pinion and wheel teeth would equalize the wear over a larger width. With new parts the play is about 3/8th".

The same generic personal pace with electric start is $560 this week with tax at the orange big box store, shipping to store only, none-stocked locally (Redding is a 360 mile round trip). It is $50 more directly from Toro. He has a mower that will last the rest of his life for half that cost.

"2. One rear wheel is broken." I saw HD sells the Toro drive wheel with metal sprocket the other day. Maybe this is only in my area.

upupandaway said:

"2. One rear wheel is broken." I saw HD sells the Toro drive wheel with metal sprocket the other day. Maybe this is only in my area.

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Thanks. It turned out rust had gotten to all the drive parts on each side. Replaced it all. There are quite a few substitutes for the drive wheels. Considered them but the reviews for them, including a Stens wheel read constantly like, "failed on the third mowing... ."

There was a discussion a year or two ago where someone wanted to re-use the 3 rivets and gear on a front wheel to make a rear wheel, since the front wheels cost so much less. Someone said they had tried it and the rivets came loose, someone else said that there is some special process where they are put in when the plastic is at a certain temperature and more flexible.

Do not use the stens wheels. They have the plastic gear. I have some. The gear teeth barely mesh with the drive gear and will start slipping almost immediately. I have tried them on different toro mowers. Only way I could use them was to swap the old gear off a wheel to the new wheel. Crap fix but worked to fix bald wheels. If I remember right the front and rear wheels have different diameter axles and different models are different.

Thanks - I used genuine Toro wheels with metal gears for the repair. Started right up, drives like a champ. Cleaned up well, looks and cuts like a new mower. He is happy as a clam at the beach. Like me, he'd rather have the difference between the repair and a new one in his wallet. Both of us have learned that new is not always better these days.

I was expecting my back to be killing me after all that standing at the work bench, but it is not. I started taking Taurine the other day as a supplement after seeing some new research on it, and my back pain has gone away. May have been running a taurine deficit. It gets lower as we age. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230608195654.htm I shared that because according to the new studies, having enough in your body may extend your life a considerable number of years with a better quality of life too.

Rivets said:

Answers, 1. replace the belt with Toro. 2. replace both wheels with Toro. 3. bolt located under battery box. Check out attached manual. 4. Blade looks like an original Toro blade. Can’t tell if the blade can be sharpened, because I can’t see the thickness of the back of the blade.
How can I make these recommendations, been working at Toro dealers since 1983 and that style drive and wheels have been around for a long time. Never found any aftermarket parts that worked as well as the Toro parts. A good Toro dealer may have some decent wheels laying around.

https://www.toro.com/getpub/22446

Maybe with this and the last time I bailed you out, you will realize I’m more than the jerk you think I am. I’ve been around the block more than once and teachers know that some students need to be pushed hard to get the best out of them. Next time you criticize my posts, ENGAGE BRAIN BEFORE OPENING MOUTH.

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Blade if Straight can be sharpened. Be sure that is all that is wrong. Check Steering Rack and Sector.

sgkent said:

Toro 22" Recycler 20018 S/N 220346266 20 years old first service.

Neighbor was thinking of EV and decided to have his Toro serviced. I told him I would be happy to do it for him, we've been neighbors for over 30 years. Same age, same backgrounds, he is as much a buddy as a neighbor. I have a couple questions for the pros here. If it were my own money I would know the answers but spending someone else's money is different. I want the best but don't want to waste any of his money or get poor quality parts either.

1. The belt will need replacement. A genuine Toro belt is $23.09. A Stens belt Amazon is $8.49, Oregon is $13.13 Says takes the 91-2258. There are also some other off brands on Amazon. Which would you use?

2. One rear wheel is broken. The hub is broken off inside the wheel and wiggles and spins. That wheel is bald w/ no tread left whereas the good wheel has plenty of tread left on it like the fronts. Not sure what that is about. The wheel wobbled but it was not the bolt, it was the center part of the hub the bolt goes thru had broken from the outer rim. Would you replace one or both rear wheels? I am inclined to replace both but...? Part number 105-3036 $53.54 each from Toro. There are Amazon brands Kofinam $34.99 pair, Tengmujx #32.99 pair, Budrash $32.99 pair, OTDSPARES $35.99 pair, etc.. Amazon has a two pack of Toro wheels for $58.50. Several people rated them as failures after just a few mowings so I suspect they are not genuine wheels but I do not know, maybe Toro only sells these now. Someone said the sprocket is plastic but the one that came off has a steel sprocket.

View attachment 65018

3. I have not pulled the belt yet but there is a battery bolted that must be removed where there could be bolts hiding on top for the plastic belt cover. Is this assumption correct, or do I need to loosen the transmission and pivot it to replace the belt? My 21" is similar but was held together a little different and easier to access the belt for replacement. The photo image for that assembly appears to show 3 bolts/screws that hold the plastic belt cover on.

4. Not sure whether to sharpen the blade or replace it. The blade is marked Atomic Blade. You can see the dings that are still left after filing it for a couple minutes. I beaded it to be able to balance it and check for cracks.

View attachment 65016View attachment 65017

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You are on the right track. No need to file and hone blades nor sharpen until every last nick is removed.
Check rack and sector of Steering assy.

sgkent said:

Toro 22" Recycler 20018 S/N 220346266 20 years old first service.

Neighbor was thinking of EV and decided to have his Toro serviced. I told him I would be happy to do it for him, we've been neighbors for over 30 years. Same age, same backgrounds, he is as much a buddy as a neighbor. I have a couple questions for the pros here. If it were my own money I would know the answers but spending someone else's money is different. I want the best but don't want to waste any of his money or get poor quality parts either.

1. The belt will need replacement. A genuine Toro belt is $23.09. A Stens belt Amazon is $8.49, Oregon is $13.13 Says takes the 91-2258. There are also some other off brands on Amazon. Which would you use?

2. One rear wheel is broken. The hub is broken off inside the wheel and wiggles and spins. That wheel is bald w/ no tread left whereas the good wheel has plenty of tread left on it like the fronts. Not sure what that is about. The wheel wobbled but it was not the bolt, it was the center part of the hub the bolt goes thru had broken from the outer rim. Would you replace one or both rear wheels? I am inclined to replace both but...? Part number 105-3036 $53.54 each from Toro. There are Amazon brands Kofinam $34.99 pair, Tengmujx #32.99 pair, Budrash $32.99 pair, OTDSPARES $35.99 pair, etc.. Amazon has a two pack of Toro wheels for $58.50. Several people rated them as failures after just a few mowings so I suspect they are not genuine wheels but I do not know, maybe Toro only sells these now. Someone said the sprocket is plastic but the one that came off has a steel sprocket.

View attachment 65018

3. I have not pulled the belt yet but there is a battery bolted that must be removed where there could be bolts hiding on top for the plastic belt cover. Is this assumption correct, or do I need to loosen the transmission and pivot it to replace the belt? My 21" is similar but was held together a little different and easier to access the belt for replacement. The photo image for that assembly appears to show 3 bolts/screws that hold the plastic belt cover on.

4. Not sure whether to sharpen the blade or replace it. The blade is marked Atomic Blade. You can see the dings that are still left after filing it for a couple minutes. I beaded it to be able to balance it and check for cracks.

View attachment 65016View attachment 65017

Click to expand...

To avoid your neighbor from accusing you of shotty work, tell him to junk the mower and buy one that's ready to go. When you finally get the mower running, he will find something wrong with it. To avoid disappointment , don't do anything for anyone.

Gord, the thread is about a 22” push mower!

sgkent said:

all parts on hand or on order. $272. well worth it. Should be done with all put the trailing guard and recycling plug today. Those parts are due in from Toro any day. Thanks to all including Rivets especially.

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I'm going to read the rest of the thread to see what happened and probably have some other comments but I had to stop right here and comment because I'm cheap but I'm quite effective and I'm usually quite correct.

It doesn't matter whose money it is being spent, expensive is expensive and waste is waste when there's cheaper options.
Now, while I agree with the other posters that I have had no luck with aftermarket parts for most brand mowers so I always use Toro brand belts.. wheels, I don't really care one way or the other but a lot of the older Toros you can only get Toro wheels for them but I mean older than yours.
This mower isn't a high-end or classic Toro by any means. It is a Home Depot stamped steel deck consumer grade lower end Toro.
Those Wheels were 1688 a piece last year but of course now they're about $24 a piece so whatever you can find online will get the job done regardless of brand.
I did see a picture with your wheel drive pinions though and I would replace them too.
They are cheap unfortunately they are also cheap low quality now even for Toro brand but you want as much perfect mesh as possible.
That also becomes an issue on many of them and there was a TSB from Toro years ago about this and then the stupid plastic ones they built that were grinding into a powder before the warranty was up but sometimes you do have to bend the backing plates or adjust things to get the wheel gears a little bit closer together and more in line.

But THE THING that got me is your like$272 into parts! No! Should have stopped a long time ago and used it for a parts mower..
NONE of these mowers of this type are worth putting $272 in even if labor is free.
There are an entire classifieds and Facebook marketplace of these mowers being sold every day for well under $150 AND you seem to have a good running engine, the way to buy one is one indecently good shape but one that won't start because normally they just need the carburetor cleaned out.

Too many of them giving away and sold for 50 bucks or less to put this kind of money into one of those.

Don't know what state you're in but if you were close to me I could give you one of probably half a dozen to a dozen of them sitting here in various stages of disrepair, Parts etc.
I have several you could probably start and cut the grass with but they're just old and weathered looking and the tires are probably bald.

There's no way I can justify putting that kind of money into one and that's why I say it doesn't matter who buys it. None of these mowers deserve or are worthy of that kind of money being put into them..

That's why I save everything because then you can mix and match and make it perfectly good mower with really good accumulation of Parts without putting any money into it because prices are off the hook out of control currently and I feel they're only going to get worse.

sgkent said:

There is no other place the freeplay can have come from except by design. All the parts except the axle, wheel bolts, covers, and housing have been replaced. If no one knows the answer if that is normal, that is Ok.

Nothing binds. Maybe the factory wanted the wheels to float a little so the pinion and wheel teeth would equalize the wear over a larger width. With new parts the play is about 3/8th".

The same generic personal pace with electric start is $560 this week with tax at the orange big box store, shipping to store only, none-stocked locally (Redding is a 360 mile round trip). It is $50 more directly from Toro. He has a mower that will last the rest of his life for half that cost.

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Yes but I feel it's an unfair comparison to compare the price of a brand new mower to replace a mower that's over 20 years old versus fixing the old mower.
When you fix the old mower, it's not going to be nice and new and shiny even though there's a potential it could last and cut longer than a new one you would buy today but it's just not an apples to apples comparison.
What is an accurate comparison is comparing fixing and putting the money into that old mower versus buying a used similar mower on marketplace, Craigslist etc.
I'm getting the impression that in your area there may not be a great number or selection of them and that's unfortunate. I could go by probably 10 of them within a 20 mi radius of me tonight before nightfall.
Then we have these people going out and buying these new battery mowers who will literally just give their old ones away or push them out to the curb..
Many of them will be wishing they had their old mowers back in a few mows to under a year. But that's beside the point from this.

he is as happy as a clam. He cares for his belongings in general and it cleaned up like a new mower. Cleaning the bottom of the deck I was able to kill the rust and get a good thick coating of Epoxy paint on it. The top and plastic is immaculate. The bottom looks like new now. Owning some classic German cars I do have experience killing rust. The thing cuts and drives great. The wheels and a couple other expendables were the most expensive part of this. New Toro mowers do not rate as well as the older ones. That is just how it is these days. That said, with all new genuine parts it will outlive him. Any used mower here will have the same issues other than maybe good wheels but then the used mower will cost more than new genuineToro wheels. Because of the cost of genuine parts, several of you are shooting your businesses in the foot when your future customers read your comments and head to the big box stores rather than hire you to fix their mowers.

he is as happy as a clam. He cares for his belongings in general and it cleaned up like a new mower. Cleaning the bottom of the deck I was able to kill the rust and get a good thick coating of Epoxy paint on it. The top and plastic is immaculate. The bottom looks like new now. Owning some classic German cars I do have experience killing rust. The thing cuts and drives great. The wheels and a couple other expendables were the most expensive part of this. New Toro mowers do not rate as well as the older ones. That is just how it is these days. That said, with all new genuine parts it will outlive him. Any used mower here will have the same issues other than maybe good wheels but then the used mower will cost more than the new wheels did. IMHO, because of the cost of genuine parts, several of you are shooting your businesses in the foot when your future customers read your comments and head to the big box stores for new mowers rather than hire you to fix their old ones. My friend still has $300 in his wallet that didn't go into a new mower, and this one will outlive him. It looks and drives like new. Replacement factory wheels, a belt, trailing guard, pinon gears, and a recycling plug cost $200 of those dollars. My first post in this thread asked about replacing one wheel - and now some saying it was a mistake responded then by saying replace both wheels. We are Ok with that. Can't tell it from a new mower. Starts first pull after sitting or running. Head was tight, compression is great, carb works right, the controls all work. I'll see to it that it gets lubed once a year to keep the rust down. We discussed how to clean it if it sees wet grass, and how to avoid moisture by mowing when the lawn is dry.

Well done Sir. A few photos would be nice.... Asking for a friend.

sgkent said:

he is as happy as a clam. He cares for his belongings in general and it cleaned up like a new mower. Cleaning the bottom of the deck I was able to kill the rust and get a good thick coating of Epoxy paint on it. The top and plastic is immaculate. The bottom looks like new now. Owning some classic German cars I do have experience killing rust. The thing cuts and drives great. The wheels and a couple other expendables were the most expensive part of this. New Toro mowers do not rate as well as the older ones. That is just how it is these days. That said, with all new genuine parts it will outlive him. Any used mower here will have the same issues other than maybe good wheels but then the used mower will cost more than new genuineToro wheels. Because of the cost of genuine parts, several of you are shooting your businesses in the foot when your future customers read your comments and head to the big box stores rather than hire you to fix their mowers.

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My customers couldn't or wouldn't even consider going to buy wheels and replaced them.
Way before that... They would have no idea IF the prob was the wheels or not. They would call and say the drive doesn't work can you at it.
Man, I try to turn customers away -multiple times every day!
Yes, even Sundays, I get lots of calls.
I tell them that with toros overall, the parts that fail that would need mess up drive are belt issues, cable issues, wheel and wheel drive gear issues, and transmission failure - in that order.
They can't do much of the work and don't want to risk picking the wrong thing to replace even if they are feeling ambitious. Lol
That is certainly best because most every customer that tries to fix their mower causes more harm/work/expense by doing so.

It's almost to the point that if they say they did anything to it, I don't want to even touch it.

so if the wheel is in two parts you would not know it was bad, is that what you are saying?