My old Craftsman died and I decided to try a dealer Toro. Two models fit my needs and price range and, with the salesman help, I bought the PP20372 with the China engine over the other model with a B&S motor. Main reason...salesman claimed China motor had less plastic and better overall motor. Now I'm having second thoughts. We're talking Chinese made here. Anyone had a problem with this model or engine? Any little tips or tricks to keep it running for a few years longer other than the usual maint.? Any secrets to chopping leaves with this thing? I notice she seems louder than my Craftsman that had a B&S on it, is this normal for this engine?
Don't know the engine but as an old fogy I would always recommend 1/2 the recommended oil change intervals, at least for the first two services.
Use a straight 30W mineral oil initially and there after whatever you wish. All engines, particularly air cooled, depend on their oil for a lot of cooling - a frequent oil change is cheap insurance (if fitted with a filter change at every second oil change)
#3
Scrubcadet10
I believe a company called 'Loncin' manufactures those engines as well as other engines branded as the companies "own engine". They seem to do pretty good, i don't hear much about them busting left and right and supposedly are also sold at HF under the Predator brand., I'm sure they'll work for as long as they're designed to work.
After researching the Toro Engine made by Lucin I did not hesitate to purchase the Toro Timecutter with this engine. So far absolutely no problems. Lucin also makes the same engine under the Exmark brand name and they also make engines for BMW. These engines are all made to spec for the respective companies. After the break in oil change at 5 hours I switched to a full synthetic 10W-30 oil and for the remainder of the season burned absolutely no oil. I have had engines on zero turn mowers made by all the big and well known brands and so, far this Toro branded engine has performed just as well or better. If you want more technical information on this engine besides Toro's web site Exmark has information of a technical nature on the very same engine under their brand name.
I have the Lucin engine on my Exmark (high-end Toro) and so far it's giving great service.
As others have said, regular oil and filter changes will make the biggest difference in longevity. After that comes using the correct API rating of the oil. The specified oil is the older API SF/SG which you will NOT be able to buy at Wally World. This is NOT common car oil and so you can expect to pay about $8-10 per quart. Sometimes you can find Valvoline VR-1 which has the correct ratings at your local O'Reily and AutoZone auto parts store. Otherwise, it's back to your Toro dealer.
Born2Mow, I have to disagree with you on the type of oil needed on the Loncin engines. I’ve been working for Toro dealerships since the early 80’s the Loncin engines do not need any special oil. Any good quality 10W-30 will work well in these engines, no reason to look for an API specific rating, in fact I just looked at two operators manuals which as SJ or higher. API ratings are more for the auto industry.
