Help with commercial mower?

TomCooper

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I just bought a golf course mower Toro Out Front Z model 78478. I'm trying to do some maintenance and I'm stuck.
I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction. I think, based on my serial number, it was built in 1990.

Is this the right forum to talk to people about it?
 

Rivets

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Yes it is. I’ll start by attaching a copy of the operator’s manual, which should come in handy. When I was working in the shop I know there was a service manual for that unit, but can’t find it online. I’ll keep looking but it you need more help include the units serial number as the was a model break the last year it was produced, 1989. https://www.toro.com/getpub/12696
 

TomCooper

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Thanks! It's serial number 390174.

I'm working on a couple of issues with it.
1. The prior owner had ruptured hydraulic lines and replaced one of the drives with a drive from a donor mower. That drive seems sluggish and weak compared to the other one. He suggested I add more hydraulic fluid. He also suggested I may need to bleed the lines. He recommended 20w50 for hydraulic fluid but it looks like that is not what Toro recommends.

2. Also, the mower wants to cut off when the parking brake is released. Using the mower with the brake on seems... not good.
He said he thought something needed to be adjusted, but I have not even begun to look at that. I was hoping for a service manual for the "traction unit" but there were hundreds of pages of results on that keyword. I actually reached out to the myturf people and they could not find service info for me. I was finally able to learn the correct (I think) drive belt for the blades.

Any ideas where I should start to look?
 
Last edited:

TomCooper

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Do you have a suggestion about the kind of hydraulic fluid I should use in this? I don't see it in the parts list.
 

TomCooper

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You are THE MAN! The website said under the seat, but the operator's manual pointed me to the place!

Looks like model 74180 and Serial number 790131
IMG_3309.jpeg
 

TomCooper

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Now I feel like I have a reasonable place to start, not just trying to figure it out by looking at it.

Seeing the parts and the way things are supposed to be connected definitely gets me moving in the right direction.

I am getting excited about having this operational and also not having to wonder or hope about why it's working or not working. Thank you.
 

TomCooper

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That’s amazing. Thank you for helping me get started on this journey.
 
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