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Toro Group

#1

Ric

Ric

Have a Toro Lawn Mower, Push, Self Propelled, Lawn Tractor, Wide Area Walk Behind. How about the Grandstand or A Zero Turn. Lets talk about the Pro's and Cons. Join Our Toro Group and post some Photos and let others see your equipment.


#2

H

Hammer Hand

i have one too my favorite IMG_20160808_171646_857.jpg it purrs like a kitten and is really nice to use


#3

L

lrossmusic

Hello ... just joined .. have had my Toro (w/Kohler 6.5 engine) for almost 4 years ... had to have the carb cleaned this season .. wouldn't start .. first time I had any problem with it .. should I be treating the gas during regular use? .. I always run dry before storing for winter

thanks

Lincoln

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#4

C

Coach Gates

lrossmusic said:
Hello ... just joined .. have had my Toro (w/Kohler 6.5 engine) for almost 4 years ... had to have the carb cleaned this season .. wouldn't start .. first time I had any problem with it .. should I be treating the gas during regular use? .. I always run dry before storing for winter

thanks

Lincoln
Click to expand...
or drain the gas at the end of the season


#5

7394

7394

Some will say draining gas is best.

I use 100% gas & getting near end of mow season I add correct % of Seafoam to my gas & run it in thru the engine good. But that's what I do.


#6

S

Stihlndixie

Drain that gas, there is also a second screw on the carb bowl to drain almost on the side. I do that once I run the gas out at the end of the season. This carb can be finicky.


#7

upupandaway

upupandaway

7394 said:
Some will say draining gas is best.
Click to expand...

Old Tecumseh manuals say to drain for storage. So much so, they put a "push button"??? on the float bowl on the old T's i have making it alot easier.
Actually recently i saw Echo manual says drain gas after usage.

Some believe different. I drain if I don't plan to use it for over 3 months(aka- after winter). To each his own.


#8

7394

7394

Yep, what ever you like.


#9

S

slomo

Briggs also says drain before putting away for the winter. Every Briggs engine manual I've seen says the same.

What I've found especially on 2-smokes, the fuel lines dry up over the winter and get hard. Which leads to cracking and replacement. Started using Stabil year round. No more replacing fuel lines and starts on first yank. Maybe my fuel hoses were due for replacement I don't know.

I can get new fuel injection hose at Autozone. Might last 1 went a whole season till it gets soft. When I was a kid, I never changed a fuel line out, go figure.

slomo


#10

7394

7394

I only use 100% gas in any of my lawn equipment, & I never drain them at season end either. I do add a dose of Seafoam to the 100% gas & run everything to get the mix well thru the systems.

Sta-bil has a shelf life to it, good to mark the date opened on the bottle after opening. It used to say as much on the bottle. maybe still does.
But it goes bad & gets sticky. That was my experience anyhow.


#11

S

slomo

7394 said:
I only use 100% gas in any of my lawn equipment, & I never drain them at season end either. I do add a dose of Seafoam to the 100% gas & run everything to get the mix well thru the systems.

Sta-bil has a shelf life to it, good to mark the date opened on the bottle after opening. It used to say as much on the bottle. maybe still does.
But it goes bad & gets sticky. That was my experience anyhow.
Click to expand...
Tis true on the Stabil shelf life. Think from bottle opening time it is 2 years. Always buy the smallest bottle you can find if you choose Stabil.

slomo


#12

B

bertsmobile1

slomo said:
Briggs also says drain before putting away for the winter. Every Briggs engine manual I've seen says the same.

What I've found especially on 2-smokes, the fuel lines dry up over the winter and get hard. Which leads to cracking and replacement. Started using Stabil year round. No more replacing fuel lines and starts on first yank. Maybe my fuel hoses were due for replacement I don't know.

I can get new fuel injection hose at Autozone. Might last 1 whole season till it gets soft. When I was a kid, I never changed a fuel line out, go figure.

slomo
Click to expand...
When you were young there was this funny stuff called petrol that you bought from the pump
Now you get "fuel" which is not petrol but a light fuel oil mixed with whatever scrap by-product solvent the fuel companies can get cheaply


#13

T

tcant

Anyone know where I can buy Toro part #62-7550? It's the crankshaft pulley for transmission belt on 21" Toro Recycler. I have looked over internet suppliers and all indicate not available. I guess if you have a Toro propelled mower after a few years it becomes a push mower! I know their chainsaws went obsolete due to no parts available after a few years.


#14

7394

7394

My former Toro Dealer can't get in new stock. Sorry, can't help..

Did ya try Parts Tree . com ?


#15

Rwash

Rwash

Coach Gates said:
or drain the gas at the end of the season
Click to expand...
Agreed


#16

S

slomo

7394 said:
Some will say draining gas is best.

I use 100% gas & getting near end of mow season I add correct % of Seafoam to my gas & run it in thru the engine good. But that's what I do.
Click to expand...
Taryl did a couple fuel snake oil tests. Your Seafoam wonder juice didn't do so hot.


#17

7394

7394

Can't believe everything ya read on the net....


#18

B

bertsmobile1

The test was very flawed as I pointed out previously
In places where seafoam or similar are NEEDED it does a good job
Down side is it is NEEDED in probably less than 5% of the places it gets used
And of course it does not fix anything that was not working properly before it is applied


#19

S

slomo

7394 said:
Can't believe everything ya read on the net....
Click to expand...
Or see I guess in 10 new OPE engines and 10 different fuel treatments.


#20

B

bertsmobile1

Fuel going off is a very localised thing
I have seen places where the mower nearest the wall of the shed had it's fuel go off while the one 2' further away is fine & visa versa
Three line trimers ( well 2 with line & one with a blade ) stored horizontal on hooks on a wall
The bottom 2 are fine but the top one always gave problems and this was regardless of which one was on the top .


#21

F

Frustrated Toro Buyer

I'm so pissed off I could run over this mower with my truck. I bought a top-line model 21386 Heavy Duty self propelled MOWER a YEAR AGO and the self-propel has already failed. And to make matters worse, NO ONE AT TORO will answer a phone and explain to me why I have to wait 4-6 weeks for a local dealer to get to it. HOW DO I MOW MY LAWN THE NEXT MONTH AND A HALF IF ITS AT A DEALER??? Anyone else having this sort of experience? I AM NEVER BUYING THIS BRAND AGAIN! ****AVOID TORO LIKE THE PLAGUE****!!!!!


#22

R

Rivets

Why did to tranny fail? Was it diagnosed as a belt failure ore tranny failure? Did you purchase from a Big Box store or the dealer you brought it to? Sounds like you have a dealer problem, not a brand problem. I would agree that if you purchased it from the dealer, six weeks is too long, but I have no idea why you are being told that. Parts not available? Dealer repair backup? Big Box purchase goes to the back of the line? You are only providing us with 25% of the total picture. We can’t make the same assumptions you are without seeing the entire picture. I’ve got the same unit and have sold that unit to at least a dozen friends and neighbors without any problems, except one widow who loves to mow her mulch, which gets caught in between the belt and pulley, burning out the belt.


#23

F

Frustrated Toro Buyer

I have no idea why it failed. It's practically brand new, and it quit on me and started giving off a burning rubber smell. I did not buy from a dealer. I bought it during a pandemic-driven, global supply chain crisis where there were NO MOWERS anywhere. My 10 year old Briggs had a failed part from the previous season, and the backorder on the part extended into the start of last season, so I researched the baddest, toughest, extended warranty mower I could find and selected this mower expecting long-lasting, HD service and performance. I then called every dealer, big box and hardware store in a 100 miles and found the LAST ONE in a Tractor Supply Store an hour away. So I put it on hold, dropped everything, went and got it and rolled my still-working Briggs to the curb for the trash to pick up. You want more? I'll give you more: It ran fine until it %$#@ing FAILED. I manage an OE engine parts plant, and if ONE of my pistons fails at Briggs, GM, Ford or Nissan, all hells breaks loose and I have OE SQAs all over my plant wanting root cause analysis ASAP. This mower sh*ts the bed after ONE year of light use, and I call a 1-800 number and get HUNG UP ON if I dial 0??? Yeah. UN-&^%$-ACCEPTABLE. My only alternative? Call the local number of any of the 5-6 "authorized dealers" the 1-800 number gives me, and they all tell me they are "2-4, 4-6, 3-5, weeks" from EVEN LOOKING AT MY UNIT TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. This is not a DEALER problem. This is either an engineering issue that was insufficiently developed and tested or a quality issue that screwed the pooch the day it was assembled. If you promote and sell a premium product, and it fails prematurely, you have an obligation to protect your customer from this level of frustration and your brand from having this level of vitriol trolled on every site I can find - up to and including a call to the SVP of Customer Service at Toro if and when I can find his name. NFW this is acceptable.


#24

S

slomo

Frustrated Toro Buyer said:
I'm so pissed off I could run over this mower with my truck.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you will be okay sir.
Frustrated Toro Buyer said:
I bought a top-line model 21386 Heavy Duty self propelled MOWER
Click to expand...
That is not the top of their line. You got the baby 160cc engine.
Frustrated Toro Buyer said:
the self-propel has already failed.
Click to expand...
What is wrong with it? These are super simple machines. I'm a Snapper freak but this Personal Pace is D' bom.
Frustrated Toro Buyer said:
NO ONE AT TORO will answer a phone and explain to me why I have to wait 4-6 weeks for a local dealer to get to it.
Click to expand...
How in the world do you expect Toro to provide any help from a totally different company?
Frustrated Toro Buyer said:
HOW DO I MOW MY LAWN THE NEXT MONTH AND A HALF IF ITS AT A DEALER???
Click to expand...
You push it like most sane people would. I use a push only mower for exercise. You should try it.
Frustrated Toro Buyer said:
I AM NEVER BUYING THIS BRAND AGAIN! ****AVOID TORO LIKE THE PLAGUE****!!!!!
Click to expand...
Think you are going a little overboard with the passion here sir. Toro makes great mowers. Only been around for what 10 decades now?


Should of kept your old machine. Built better than this new stuff.


#25

R

Rivets

I’m willing to bet you have a belt problem and not a tranny problem. From your description a piece of debris got caught between the belt and pulley, burning out the belt. Because no dealer is going to push you to the front of the line you are trying to condemn a manufacturer’s problem. You do realize that the manufacturer has no control over how fast dealer handle repair work? In my opinion you are part of today’s generation who think the world revolves around them. Sorry to inform you that it doesn’t. I suggest you go to your local dealer and purchase a new belt. Then search the internet and find a couple of videos on ”HOW TO REPLACE A DRIVE BELT ON A TORO SUPER-RECYCLER”. Takes Less than an hour, 30 minutes for me. Plenty of them out there. I could give you the procedure and even a service manual, but your attitude toward me and my explanation tells me not to waste my time. Read my signature. Plus, with that attitude, I can understand why no one wants to talk to you. Good Luck sir, you’re going to need it.


#26

F

Frustrated Toro Buyer

slomo said:
I'm sure you will be okay sir.

That is not the top of their line. You got the baby 160cc engine.

What is wrong with it? These are super simple machines. I'm a Snapper freak but this Personal Pace is D' bom.

How in the world do you expect Toro to provide any help from a totally different company?

You push it like most sane people would. I use a push only mower for exercise. You should try it.

Think you are going a little overboard with the passion here sir. Toro makes great mowers. Only been around for what 10 decades now?
Click to expand...
Naw. I don't think so. When you work in a world where you're expected to deliver <5 PPM (parts per million) failure rate at your manufacturing facility, and you pay $600 for a HD lawn mower to mow a 1/4 acre flat lot and it fails? No. My company dates back more than 12 decades, and if my product failed like this, it wouldn't matter to you ONE BIT if your F-150, Silverado or Corvette suddenly sh*t the bed in the middle of a cross country trip and it was going to take 3-6 weeks for your engine to be replaced. So no, my passion is fully justified. I could have big-boxed my way to a $250 model that would have likely done better. And last time I checked - a $600 mower for a 1/4 acre lawn IS top of the line. Watch their video - they say it in their own words. And as a triathlete, I don't need the exercise. I need the time savings self-propulsion provides while dodging inclement weather, kids' sports obligations, work and darkness. So, let me decide why I need a self-propelled, OK?


#27

F

Frustrated Toro Buyer

Rivets said:
I’m willing to bet you have a belt problem and not a tranny problem. From your description a piece of debris got caught between the belt and pulley, burning out the belt. Because no dealer is going to push you to the front of the line you are trying to condemn a manufacturer’s problem. You do realize that the manufacturer has no control over how fast dealer handle repair work? In my opinion you are part of today’s generation who think the world revolves around them. Sorry to inform you that it doesn’t. I suggest you go to your local dealer and purchase a new belt. Then search the internet and find a couple of videos on ”HOW TO REPLACE A DRIVE BELT ON A TORO SUPER-RECYCLER”. Takes Less than an hour, 30 minutes for me. Plenty of them out there. I could give you the procedure and even a service manual, but your attitude toward me and my explanation tells me not to waste my time. Read my signature. Plus, with that attitude, I can understand why no one wants to talk to you. Good Luck sir, you’re going to need it.
Click to expand...
My generation? I'm 60. I'm done here, Rivets. I just wanted to get word out that Toro mowers fail prematurely, their service sucks and you're better off going cheap often than investing in "premium Toro" once thinking it will last. I have a masters in Engineering, so I can probably disassemble, diagnose and even lathe a spare part in my tool room at the plant if I need to. But that's not the point is it? I paid $600 a year ago for a mower that failed. Get over it. All you Toro-Proud guys can lecture me all you want. My attitude comes from BEING PART OF A GENERATION where workmanship and execution mattered. 1-800 auto bot lines fail the grade in that case.

Good luck. I'm out. My opinion stands, and I have a call into Greg Janey, VP Residential at Toro to elevate my experience and demand a professional response. You on the other hand can continue to drink the Koolaid.


#28

S

slomo

You still haven't told us what is wrong with your drive. All you are doing is telling us your world is on fire and Toro stinks.

Show us pictures of this traumatic failure.


#29

R

Rivets

The mower did not fail, you’ve burned the drive belt when apiece of debris got caught between the belt and drive pulley. What about that don’t you understand? Make sure you explain that to Mr. Janey if you get to talk to him, wait you’ll probably not do that because then you would be telling him the mower did not fail. How are you going to turn a new one on a lathe? You may have a Masters in Engineering, but the last time I did any work on a lathe, the materials which can be machined on them are metal, wood, plastic etc. not pliable materials. As for age, I’m on the north side of 70, so don’t even try to lecture me about workmanship and execution, as I have a Doctorate in how to handle individuals who cannot accept that things happen outside of anyones control. Your Masters says if something goes wrong, find someone to blame, because it can never be your fault. I truly have sympathy for anyone of the individuals who’ve had to deal with you about this problem. My money says you are not even man enough to tell us that after you diagnosed the problem, you found it was a burnt belt.


#30

S

slomo

Still waiting on his pictures.

He probably ran over something in the yard, didn't walk it prior to mowing. Too busy getting college degrees I guess. Things never fail at his house by God. LOL


#31

R

Rivets

I do have one more question for you Mr. Frustrated. If you blow a tire or burn a fan belt on your vehicle, does that mean all vehicles of that brand are poorly designed and garbage? According to your logic the answer would be YES. Am I correct?


#32

S

slomo

He'll just make a new fan belt on his lathe LOL.


#33

M

MParr

So you buy a big box Toro Personal Pace and you consider it heavy duty? Not even close. I had one years ago with the larger engine. I replaced the belt once and the transmission once. The second transmission went out and I gave it away to a neighbor. I wasn’t going to put any more money into it. You should have taken it in for warranty.
I replaced the Toro Personal Pace with a bullet proof walk behind mower. I bought a Snapper Ninja Commercial mower.


#34

S

slomo

MParr said:
I replaced the Toro Personal Pace with a bullet proof walk behind mower. I bought a Snapper Ninja Commercial mower.
Click to expand...
The same mower your great great grand kids will be mowing with. Yup have several of those. Still waiting on some company to improve on these Snappers.


#35

M

MParr

slomo said:
The same mower your great great grand kids will be mowing with. Yup have several of those. Still waiting on some company to improve on these Snappers.
Click to expand...
There’s not much that can be improved on. The drive system beats every other brand.


#36

S

slomo

MParr said:
There’s not much that can be improved on. The drive system beats every other brand.
Click to expand...
The hi-vac deck. Only pusher I know of that will suck spare change off your garage floor. Bolt the wing tips onto the blade. Best bagger on the planet. No other mower comes close. Don't care if you have a dozen blades on it.

Drive system is top shelf. Although I do like the Toro Personal Pace bar design better. Just the bar design only. Snapper is way better in the transmission department. Easily add 00 grease. Toro is a pain to strip down and clean out the old dead grease. Is do-able though.

Who came out with the steel ball bearing wheels first?


#37

M

MParr

@slomo
The Ninja mulching mower beats the Toro in the mulching department too. The Snapper Ninja blade was more expensive. The Toro Personal Pace transmission is pretty weak. The discontinued Ariens Classic is another top performer.


#38

L

Lawn Ranger Don

Today I got the bagger on my Toro My Ride. I'm thinking of buying the cover for the seat. I will buy the floor mat, assist bar and the jack you attach to the frame. And the hour meter. Which way should the hour meter be placed in that slot. Facing the outside or facing the operator?


#39

7394

7394

Lawn Ranger Don said:
. Which way should the hour meter be placed in that slot. Facing the outside or facing the operator?
Click to expand...
On my former Toro Timecutter my hour meter was facing rearward, it was behind me in the seat anyhow. . But it's your choice.


#40

L

Lawn Ranger Don

I guess I'll have it facing me when I sit down next to the throttle in that slot they provide.


#41

7394

7394

Perfect, my Scag is that way..


#42

J

Joed756

I'm not going to go look for the model number, but I bought my Toro walk-behind used about twelve years ago. I've never had a lick of problem with it, never even had to give it a second pull. If I could figure out how to keep the gas cap from falling off it would be the perfect machine. By the way, I live in Florida so it never gets a rest season.


#43

A

agogo

1969 19" Toro Whirlwind (Tecumseh motor). Runs like a charm (the electric drill "starter" helps).

I'm wondering about switching to synthetic oil. It calls for 30W, but is there a modern or synthetic oil that would work better?

Or just stay the course ...

Thanks!


#44

J

Joed756

agogo said:
1969 19" Toro Whirlwind (Tecumseh motor). Runs like a charm (the electric drill "starter" helps).

I'm wondering about switching to synthetic oil. It calls for 30W, but is there a modern or synthetic oil that would work better?

Or just stay the course ...

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Your engine was designed to run on SAE 30 motor oil. Stick with it.


#45

B

blaster 2023

tcant said:
Anyone know where I can buy Toro part #62-7550? It's the crankshaft pulley for transmission belt on 21" Toro Recycler. I have looked over internet suppliers and all indicate not available. I guess if you have a Toro propelled mower after a few years it becomes a push mower! I know their chainsaws went obsolete due to no parts available after a few years.
Click to expand...

Attachments





#46

R

Rivets

They are still available through Toro dealers.


#47

KM Richards

KM Richards

I have the TimeCutter MX 5475 zero turn radius mower.

It has sealed transmissions that are not serviceable... but they are about to be because I'm going to drill holes in the bottom so I can drain the oil out and then put a plug in.

That way I can drain the oil every couple of seasons and have the transmissions last longer.

Here's the video of the guy I found on Utube that made his transmissions serviceable.



#48

B

Back44L&G

I have a Toro model 21386 and the belt came off two weeks ago. Putting the belt back on was a learning curve as there were no YT videos for this model or anything close. I tightened the tension cable after marking the original position with a Sharpie. I mowed yesterday and when I was almost finished, the belt slipped off again. I suspect that the belt is getting stretched and loosening. I have ordered a replacement OEM belt except that this replacement is made with Kevlar. Hopefully, this newer belt will last longer. And I hope to reduce the installation time to less than an hour. I believe that this Toro is a 2020 model, I purchased it new in March 2023 from a closeout store for $350 with no warranty. My 2020 Honda HRN216VKAA runs well with no belt issues (the belts are Kevlar), and the belt is more exposed than the Toro.


#49

M

MParr

How is the tension cable?


#50

B

Back44L&G

I set the tension cable 5 notches ahead of the factory setting which I previously marked with a red Sharpie. It was quick to take off and go at that point. I haven't checked it since. I've ordered a PIX-brand Kevlar belt, and I'll wait until that arrives before making the belt change.


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