Well I hope you're wrong but I have a gut feeling you're right. When they call me that its ready, if it doesn't freely roll with the rods pushed in I won't want to pay for a part that didn't solve the problem -- they're probably not a cheap part. I'll guess I'll cross that difficult bridge if and when I get to it. The guy at the repair & parts counter is usually a pretty straight up guy. So we'll see. On concrete I "think" it should roll freely with just the push of just your hands.I think they are spinning you a line
But time will tell
AFAIK all the brake module dose is to move the toothed locking plates onto the toothed wheels to lock the axels .
It also has a set of contacts to lock out the starter motor unless the brakes are on
Never had to touch one to push a Time Cutter unless the battery was flat as the brake module is spring loaded on .
Thanks bertsmobile1. I'll look up Hydro and write to them (email if they have that), and the same with Toro. But first, I'll see if I can remove those two rods from the by pass arm like you said and push the bypass arm any further than it goes with the rods attached to it. I may have to tie the arms in place to test it, or maybe use duct tape to hold it because it moves very freely now. I've got some stuff going on at home I've got to get to today first.To put it in plain language
Total Bull Dust
I have TimeCutters, Z-Masters & even Titans in my run & they all easily push, even on grass with the by-pass open .
Your mowers should have HydroGear ZT-2800 transmissions and they should roll freely with the bypass fully open
As suggested before, get under the mower & check that the bypass valve moves all the way to the end of it's travel before the rods you pull get to the lock ring
If necessary remove the bypass rods , and move the lever on the gear box by hand ( they can be a little stiff )
I would almost gurantee that the arm ( lever if you like ) is not moving all the way that it should .
As for what else you can do try writing ( not phoning ) to HydroGear and ask why their units installed on your mower do not roll freely.
You will need the model & serial numbers from the stickers on them .
And the weight of the mower means nothing unless you are pushing up hill.
I had a friend who worked at the Jet base and they used to have "drag races" to see who could pull a 727 the furthest in 2 minutes and a 727 ( even empty ) weighs a lot more than your mower .
I would also write to Toro and ask them if the mower should push freely and tell them exactly what your dealer told you ( name the dealer & the person if you know it ) .
Toro do not tollerate poor customer service and in particular dealers who lie to customers .
When you write to HydroGear & Toro, have the parts book open and use the correct names & part numbers so they know exactly what you are talking about . If you start talking about "pins" your request will get nowhere .