I have a Toro Recycler 20065 22" FWD with a B&S engine. I just bought it used and when I started mowing, the self-propel worked great. Both wheels were spinning and pulling the mower up my big hill.
By the end of the couple hours, the self-propel did not work. It started to make a metal grinding sound when I engaged the self-propel. Then, it started to move slower and slower, while making a metal grinding sound. I can still engage it by lifting the wheels off the ground and pulling the lever, but when I set the wheels on the ground, they stop spinning and I hear a grinding sound.
Engaging the self-propel with the wheels on the ground results in a weird grinding sound and no movement. I dont think it is the belt, as it still engages. The wheels are not stripped as I just had them off to lubricate the wheel bearings.
Is this the transmission? I understand this is a common problem with these mowers. Any other advice would be great. Thanks!
The wheel gears may not be stripped but what about the gears from the drive shaft? How did they look? And can you adjust the tension on the cable to make it tighter?
The gears do not look stripped. The bevel gear and pinion gear do not look torn up (teeth missing). I was expecting to find tons of nasty metal in the transmission, but instead it looked pretty normal. They might be a little worn, but worn enough to not even pull it under load, i'm not sure.
The weird thing is, it was working when I started mowing the yard but did not work at the end. The belt/cable seemed to be pulling a good bit of tension on the pulley.
When I took the belt cover/belt off and spun the pulley, it was spinning the wheels. BUT, when i stuck my hand on one of the wheels to apply some pressure, I was able to spin the pulley without the driveshaft spinning. So to me, sounds like wornout transmission
I had the same issue. Remove the spark plug and turn the mower on its side to check the transmission. There are 4 bolts, I believe they are 7/16th and open the transmission. It has grease in the crankcase and it will not run out, it is very thick. I would check the grease or the metal cover for a roll pin that has slipped out of the drive shaft. The symptoms of the problem is the self propel will not work, or just quits working. Some times if you pull the mower back especially on the concrete, a wheel may hang up. This fix should take about 5-10 minutes depending on the person. I have had this happen several times and it seems to be occurring more frequently. It was suggested that I use lock tight on it to prevent it from coming out.
When you turn the mower back over let it sit a minute so the oil levels out and remember to re connect the spark plug.
I had a TORO,22", self propelled walk behind re-cyceler that I bought four years ago, I went through three transmissions, one under warranty and the others on my dime, this spring I got almost all of my lawn (1/2 acre) mowed when the transmission quit, I no longer own a TORO or recommend them.
I have the exact same problem as 88accordixcarb. I have tried everything in the book and still the grinding continues and the mower is slugish moving forward. I am about to junk my three year old TORO and get some other brand. I will not trust TORO and buy the newer model, and DO NOT recocommend to anyone looking to buy this brand of lawn mower.
I believe your drive problems are not the tranny gears, but the wheel gears. The gears on the axle must be flat, not worn in the center. They wear in the center as the wheel gear is narrower. Another possibility is that the wheel bearings are worn and not allowing the gears to not fully engage and causing the grinding sound.
#9
exotion
Is there ample grease in the transmission. Also use some spray lube on the wheel gears. Make sure the shaft is clean of any strings or debris. Make sure all bolts are tight and belt is correctly installed and not worn at all. Also make sure there is nothing blocking the pulley and that the cable engages correctly let me know what you find
I agree with that,but you must realize that the vast majority of people who read these posts do not take the time to do things like that. That is why I recommend things that they can do which will keep their equipment going, even though they will never get the maximum use out of it.
#13
exotion
:/ Maintence is entirely necessary. Cleaning and lubing is part of that. As home owners they may not need to relube very often maybe once a month? but oil, air, gas, blade, Deck, And transmission are all part of maintence and need to be maintained or the machine is going to die