Buying Advice Toro 22in Recycler Walk Behind, Buyer Beware

[manungneer]

Buyer Beware: I purchased my Toro walk behind with Kohler engine(Model 20371) in September of 2012. By February 2013, it was dead! Customer support was extremely accusatory right off the bat, blaming everything on maintenance or abuse. Ridiculous! There is no way a 6 month old mower, with less than 5 hours run time should be so fragile. If so, it is nothing but garbage! As a kid I made my spending money cutting grass. I can never remember having a mower that would not start and run. I would beat the day-lights out of them during the summer and stick it in a corner until the next year and beat it some more. Usually, the push handle, or the starting cord, or a wheel would break before the engine. As I research this machine I am learning of many occasions where this mowers engine fails within the first 2 years of service. Pathetic! That is all I can say! Thanks, Toro for absolutely nothing. I bought this mower and fired my lawn service to gain a sense of duty around my house. I will now ditch this sorry machine, If I ever get it back from the shop (6 weeks in, at this point), and hire another lawn care professional. Extremely dissappointing machine, and customer support!

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manungneer

 

[CMB59]

Buyer Beware: I purchased my Toro walk behind with Kohler engine(Model 20371) in September of 2012. By February 2013, it was dead! Customer support was extremely accusatory right off the bat, blaming everything on maintenance or abuse. Ridiculous! There is no way a 6 month old mower, with less than 5 hours run time should be so fragile. If so, it is nothing but garbage! As a kid I made my spending money cutting grass. I can never remember having a mower that would not start and run. I would beat the day-lights out of them during the summer and stick it in a corner until the next year and beat it some more. Usually, the push handle, or the starting cord, or a wheel would break before the engine. As I research this machine I am learning of many occasions where this mowers engine fails within the first 2 years of service. Pathetic! That is all I can say! Thanks, Toro for absolutely nothing. I bought this mower and fired my lawn service to gain a sense of duty around my house. I will now ditch this sorry machine, If I ever get it back from the shop (6 weeks in, at this point), and hire another lawn care professional. Extremely dissappointing machine, and customer support!

:thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown:

manungneer

New member: I purchased a new Toro Electric Start Recycler Mower Model 20031 back in June 2004. Has not been a bad mower as it lasted almost 10 years. I didn't replace the battery when it died, but it lasted for several years. I'm now hearing a grinding noise when the self propel is engaged, and will probably replace this mower, as a new transmission cost around $80 before labor. Don't think I want to put that much into a mower thats almost 10 years old. I have not done anything too special in the care of this mower...made sure oil was between marks and changed the oil a few times. Also bought new blade apx every two years. I have replaced the belt and the pulley on the blade shaft, in attempt to fix noise but I think the gears in the transmission is where the problem lies. I'm going to continue to check about the Toro mowers to see if quality has gone down.

 

[exotion]

New member: I purchased a new Toro Electric Start Recycler Mower Model 20031 back in June 2004. Has not been a bad mower as it lasted almost 10 years. I didn't replace the battery when it died, but it lasted for several years. I'm now hearing a grinding noise when the self propel is engaged, and will probably replace this mower, as a new transmission cost around $80 before labor. Don't think I want to put that much into a mower thats almost 10 years old. I have not done anything too special in the care of this mower...made sure oil was between marks and changed the oil a few times. Also bought new blade apx every two years. I have replaced the belt and the pulley on the blade shaft, in attempt to fix noise but I think the gears in the transmission is where the problem lies. I'm going to continue to check about the Toro mowers to see if quality has gone down.

Putting grease in the trans is super easy.......

 

[snapsstorer]

Buyer Beware: I purchased my Toro walk behind with Kohler engine(Model 20371) in September of 2012. By February 2013, it was dead! Customer support was extremely accusatory right off the bat, blaming everything on maintenance or abuse. Ridiculous! There is no way a 6 month old mower, with less than 5 hours run time should be so fragile. If so, it is nothing but garbage! As a kid I made my spending money cutting grass. I can never remember having a mower that would not start and run. I would beat the day-lights out of them during the summer and stick it in a corner until the next year and beat it some more. Usually, the push handle, or the starting cord, or a wheel would break before the engine. As I research this machine I am learning of many occasions where this mowers engine fails within the first 2 years of service. Pathetic! That is all I can say! Thanks, Toro for absolutely nothing. I bought this mower and fired my lawn service to gain a sense of duty around my house. I will now ditch this sorry machine, If I ever get it back from the shop (6 weeks in, at this point), and hire another lawn care professional. Extremely dissappointing machine, and customer support!

:thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown:

manungneer

i picked up a toro 21" walk behind a yard sale for 10$. had it for four years and mowed almost 2 acres of yard with it(approx 4-5 hours run time) each time i mowed the yard. i did not have to put any parts other then the air filter, fuel filter, and change the oil each year. and i beat the crap out of it. it finally broke down after it was about 30 years old. now i look at them as think how cheap they look for the money they want for them.:laughing:

 

[Rivets]

Having worked on and with Toro four the last thirty plus years, I think the original poster has caused his own problem here. You will never convince me that Toro customer service would leave out to dry, unless he is still (beating his equipment to death) or he is not telling us the entire story. I do suspect that he bought it at a big box store and when something wasn't right stormed into a dealer and demanded strongly that he had a piece of $&;3/: and wanted it fixed immediately.

 

[exotion]

Having worked on and with Toro four the last thirty plus years, I think the original poster has caused his own problem here. You will never convince me that Toro customer service would leave out to dry, unless he is still (beating his equipment to death) or he is not telling us the entire story. I do suspect that he bought it at a big box store and when something wasn't right stormed into a dealer and demanded strongly that he had a piece of $&;3/: and wanted it fixed immediately.

Yah that'll get you nowhere fast :/

 

[HIgh Rustler]

I understand the frustration here, and maybe rivets you can help some. my epereince is documented here (new to these forums, apologies for bad manners)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/small...s-through-course-wont-start-4.html#post131244

the 22 inch toro walkbehind I had 2003-2012 was awesome. Far and away the best yard machine I've owned. Now, with this kohler, it is already cutting off again after full carb replacement. (I'm not the most mechanically educated, but I'm trying). Last few weeks, it'll start fine. Then after maybe 5 minutes RPMs drop huge and it starts sputtering. If I'm quick enough I'll get the air filter off, this this plastic cover / lever kinda thing, and reach my finger in and "flap" the round thing, maybe 3/4 inch round, that I think goes into the carb. if I open/close it several times, presto lawn mower starts running fine again. I may have to repeat this maybe 1-2 times in the course of mowing my acre of fescue. Any inights? I haven't contacted Toro customer service, bought at big box (HD). Just, really dissapointed that the $300 I spent on the toro vs. the $150 I'da spent on the murray was so badly spent.

 

[reynoldston]

It was dead ???? Now that isn't really saying much. Only 5 hrs. ? And now the dealer isn't standing behind its warranty? I guess there has to be two sides to this story. The dealer will get paid from the manufacture for the repairs for defective parts or workmanship, but for some reason they must have a question about this repair. Why don't you see if you can find out what the problem is from Toro or from a different dealer.

 

[Rivets]

Original poster never came back to explain himself, so I assume he didn't want to tell us the full story. If Toro really said no warranty after 5 hours, in six months, in Florida, I would think either he took it to the worst Toro dealer in the country or he ran it with little or no oil.

High Rustler, your's is a different problem that I have seen with the Kohler carbs, which are produced in China. To meet the EPA rules for emissions, the engines are being run so lean, which require that the jets and passageways be extremely small. I think that you may have some dirt in the carb, that is floating around in the bowl and temporarily blocking a jet or passageway. You could try removing the float bowl and spray it clean. Also, you should see a black plug on top of the carb held in place by the idle speed screw. Carefully remove the screw and carefully pry out this plug, which is also the idle jet. Make sure that this jet is clean with carb spray and run a very small wire or needle (very small) through to make sure it is open. Reassemble and see how it works.

 

[reynoldston]

He is complaining about Toro and his dealer. He is also saying its dead, which could mean many things? From a blown up engine to a loose wire? Yes if he was putting dirty gas into the tank and plugged the carburetor now is that a factory defect or his own fault. We just don't know nothing unless he gets back to us. If this is any dealer at all and it is a honest defect they will get paid from the factory for the repairs.