Toro Timemaster 30" grinding (or squealing!?) noise coming from transmission

[Rivets]

I guess I have to chime in as Nicolamor refered to me in her post. I was contacted by Nicolamor through a PM about this problem and after going back and forth I agreed with the dealer the unit should be run until the problem shows up sooner than 45 minutes. Throwing parts at a unit, hoping to solve the problem by trial and error, is not cost effective or worth the customers or companies time. Who do I bill for the 45 minutes I stand around waiting for the problem to show it's face? I can't bill the customer, the units under warranty, nor can I bill Toro for parts when I don't have a reason for changing out parts. I have contacted my tech rep at Toro about this problem and he agrees with me. The unit has been taken in to a dealer and has been checked out, so there is a record started on this unit. Time will tell and if the unit is use, hopefully the problem will show up soon. Unless you are in the business you probably don't understand this, but that's the way the system works. Comparing this units problem to a TurfMaster is not fair, as they are two different animals. If Nicolamor works with the dealer to solve the problem, not trying to force the issue, I'm sure that it will be resolved fairly for all parties. I will say to Nicolamor, please don't refer to me in a post without explaining why you are doing so. It makes it look like I'm a company man, trying to push off the problem. If you really know me and what I do, through my posts, you would know that I fight for the customer and the company, depending on who I feel is to blame. At this point all we really know is that the customer says there is a problem. As a service tech, I need to have more info. Before someone else posts it, yes right now I side with the dealer and Toro. Again, unless you are in the business you will not understand my point of view.

 

[nicolamor]

Rivets, you know that痴 was not my intention to depict you as a 田ompany man trying to push off the problem? And no doubt that every guest of this forum, reading your posts, knows your expertise and willingness.
Thanks again


P.s.: I知 a 塗e not a 都he? Nicola, in Italian language, is a male name. Have you ever seen an Italian lady getting angry for a noise coming from a mower?

 

[Ric]

I guess I have to chime in as Nicolamor refered to me in her post. I was contacted by Nicolamor through a PM about this problem and after going back and forth I agreed with the dealer the unit should be run until the problem shows up sooner than 45 minutes. Throwing parts at a unit, hoping to solve the problem by trial and error, is not cost effective or worth the customers or companies time.
Who do I bill for the 45 minutes I stand around waiting for the problem to show it's face? I can't bill the customer, the units under warranty, nor can I bill Toro for parts when I don't have a reason for changing out parts. I have contacted my tech rep at Toro about this problem and he agrees with me. The unit has been taken in to a dealer and has been checked out, so there is a record started on this unit.
Time will tell and if the unit is use, hopefully the problem will show up soon. Unless you are in the business you probably don't understand this, but that's the way the system works. Comparing this units problem to a TurfMaster is not fair, as they are two different animals. If Nicolamor works with the dealer to solve the problem, not trying to force the issue, I'm sure that it will be resolved fairly for all parties.
I will say to Nicolamor, please don't refer to me in a post without explaining why you are doing so. It makes it look like I'm a company man, trying to push off the problem. If you really know me and what I do, through my posts, you would know that I fight for the customer and the company, depending on who I feel is to blame. At this point all we really know is that the customer says there is a problem. As a service tech, I need to have more info. Before someone else posts it, yes right now I side with the dealer and Toro. Again, unless you are in the business you will not understand my point of view.

As I said before he can do what he likes. I personally don't agree with the dealer and I don't believe the mower should be run without being fixed. I do agree that throwing parts at a unit, hoping to solve the problem by trial and error, is not cost effective or worth the customers or companies time, I also know that running a machine to make the problem worse isn't cost effective or worth the customers or companies either, Been there Done that. It just creates more down time and cost me money. The fact is and remains that the Time-Master mower just like the Turf-Master have been on the market long enough that Toro should know and have solved these problems long ago.

 

[Rivets]

Let's say I am the dealer, where do you want me to start to solve the problem? You agree that it is not cost effective to throw parts at it, then what do I do. Stand there running the unit until it acts up? Who is going to pay for my time, and don't tell me Toro? You know better. The only other thing that the OP could do is run the unit until it acts up, and then take a good video, with sound, showing the problem. At least that way the dealer would have a starting point. Again I'll say that I have talked to my tech rep at Toro, who approves my requests for warranty, and he has not heard of this problem. Look at it from my side of the counter, what do I do?

 

[Ric]

Let's say I am the dealer, where do you want me to start to solve the problem? You agree that it is not cost effective to throw parts at it, then what do I do. Stand there running the unit until it acts up? Who is going to pay for my time, and don't tell me Toro? You know better. The only other thing that the OP could do is run the unit until it acts up, and then take a good video, with sound, showing the problem. At least that way the dealer would have a starting point. Again I'll say that I have talked to my tech rep at Toro, who approves my requests for warranty, and he has not heard of this problem. Look at it from my side of the counter, what do I do?

I ask in the first post I made in this thread, how old was the mower? He replied It's a new one there for it's under warranty. So being cost effective or not shouldn't have anything to do with it because Toro will take care of it because it's a 3 year full warranty. Personally if you were the dealer that sold me the unit and you told me to run the unit until it acts up, and then take a good video, with sound, showing the problem so I would have a starting point, I'd come to the conclusion you don't back what you sell and I'd find me another dealer.

 

[Rivets]

Do you have any idea how doing warranty service works. By your posts i doubt it. You're lucky you sell a service and not a product, you would soon be out of business. I can't do anything if I can't replicate the problem.. You'll have to look a long time for a dealer who will handle the situation your way and if he did, he would lose money. Toro will not reimburse a dealer beyond reasonable time and failed parts. I'll ask again, where do you want me to start,,, stand around looking at a running unit, start changing parts, which part first and stand around again???? The only starting point I've seen so far is take it to the dealer and demand that it be fixed.

 

[Ric]

Do you have any idea how doing warranty service works. By your posts i doubt it. You're lucky you sell a service and not a product, you would soon be out of business. I can't do anything if I can't replicate the problem.. You'll have to look a long time for a dealer who will handle the situation your way and if he did, he would lose money. Toro will not reimburse a dealer beyond reasonable time and failed parts. I'll ask again, where do you want me to start,,, stand around looking at a running unit, start changing parts, which part first and stand around again???? The only starting point I've seen so far is take it to the dealer and demand that it be fixed.

As long as the mower has or is under warranty Toro will stand behind it. I now have three Toro mowers, the Grandstand is almost three years old, has a 5yr 1200hr warranty and any time anything goes wrong with that mower Toro has taken care of it no questions ask, even to replacing the deck belt which they have done twice, the last belt at 600hrs. The same for my Turf-master. Belts, cables, spindles even the blades all covered under warranty on the recall. I have never paid a dime in parts and labor on a Toro mower as long as it was under warranty.
You keep asking where do I start, you start by taking the mower in and use a process of elimination. Try replacing all the belts and cables first, there the cheapest thing and check the spindle bearings and all the pulleys in the process and if that doesn't solve the issue take the next step and replace the drive unit itself. I mean there are just so many things that could be causing the problem but to tell someone just use the unit until it tears it up so we know what to fix is wrong, it shouldn't get that far.

 

[LoCo86]

If he bought this mower at a "Big Box Store" that everyone hates to do business with cause they are not a dealer, then all he would have to do is walk in with a receipt and they will either give him a new one or his money back.

 

[Ric]

If he bought this mower at a "Big Box Store" that everyone hates to do business with cause they are not a dealer, then all he would have to do is walk in with a receipt and they will either give him a new one or his money back.

He could do the same at a dealer to get it worked on, wouldn't matter where he purchased the machine. All he has to have is the receipt to prove when he purchased the mower and that he registered the warranty with Toro and the dealer can check.

 

[LoCo86]

He could do the same at a dealer to get it worked on, wouldn't matter where he purchased the machine. All he has to have is the receipt to prove when he purchased the mower and that he registered the warranty with Toro and the dealer can check.

All I'm saying is that he can take it back to the store and walk out with a new one in the box in less than 20 minutes without having to wait on them to work on it.