Toro timemaster 30" walk behind

[kotam]

An update to the problems w/ ours.

No - they are not commercial grade mowers. These are for large personal lot and I loan them to B-I-Law for some of his better commercial yards. They can do a fantastic lawn cut.

Regarding the hard starting - The dealership (who is very old and reputable) tells us that the typical hard starting is probably an indicator of the carb leaking gas into the cylinder.

TO THE DEALERSHIP'S Great Credit:

a. They Pulled a transmission from a new unit and replaced the one we had fail. Toro was claiming weeks out for a copy of the gearbox.

b. On the mower that was dumping the fuel tank into the cylinder - AND - the gearbox-problem'ed mower:

b.1 The dealership replaced carbs on both mowers, added in-line fuel filters and a shut off valve. The dealership claimed to be worried about the liabilities of the mower leaking fuel and stated that it was typical of this carb. They tell me that they have contacted ?Briggs/Toro? about the problem, expressing their concern on the known problem. Dealership did not want to release the ~week-old mowers with the factory carbs because of the fuel leak problem once they worked on them and were in line for potential liability of "burning down our house." They picked up the bill.

At about 3 weeks old, one of the mowers died in the middle of use and the electric starter no longer works. After it died, the mower re-started with the rope start but electric no longer works.

I think the concept is fantastic, they cut very well (and fast) at the 30" path but are showing lots of bugs that should simply not be there.

More as it progresses.

Thanks for all your great comments!

 

[HeadlessHorseman]

Looking forward to reading updated reviews on the Tor Timemaster 30:

I've done a lot of research on the internet (big box website reviews, other formats, and etc.). Seems like there are a lot of known issues and from the sounds of it Toro has little interest in fixing the issues (back logged parts, blaming operators for using the wrong gas, and etc.). To wit:

1. Lots of issues regarding the unit being underpowered. People comment that they struggle with hills and often blow transmissions and cracked gearboxes. Sounds like you need to engage the blades delicately or the unit stalls (even on pavement). Mulching thick or damp grass, the unit stalls consistently

2. Sounds like the unit is very difficult to restart hot (previously addressed in this thread). This is complicated by the unit sounds to be prone to stalling so it sounds like this could get old quickly.

3. More than a few comments with the front wheels falling off/breaking and etcetera. Sounds like they're made of cheap plastic.

4. Many comments indicate that the unit does not mulch without clogging and that the side discharge spews chunks of grass

5. Perhaps even more concerning is the number of comments regarding fuel and/or oil leaking from the exhaust, carb, due to blown engines, carbs not suite to the unit...

6. Sounds like the blade doesn't create enough lift/suction to fill the undersized bag. Everyone complains the bag is too small, even so the lift created by the blade doesn't allow the bag to fill more than halfway, and the bag chute clogs very quickly. The lack of lift/suction also seems to contribute to the mohawk strips of unmowed grass between the two blades.

7. Lastly it sounds as if the washout port doesn't work and people uniformly complain about having to turn the unit on it's side to scrape the underside of the deck clean (also sounds as though you need to turn it on it's side to change the oil)

Multiple people have indicated that they've had problems with not just one, but several units. They return one to a big box, then get another one with some combination of the above issues. For those of you that have put this through it's paces, I'm wondering if this is typical? Looking to be better informed before dropping $1K on a non-commercial mower. Sounds like Toro advises everyone to mow slower, make multiple passes, only operate it on level surfaces in bone dry conditions, never cut more than 1/3 of a blade, and so on. Defeats the point of a 30" swath!!! Looking for advice...should I wait another year to see if Toro fixes all the problems, spend an extra $700 for a Turfmaster or Exmark 30", anyone have experience with both that can advise?

 

[Ric]

I think the thing that baffles me about the Timemaster mower is the people who are complaining and when you look on site in different locations the mower has a 4 out of 5 star rating

 

[Rivets]

We have sold over a dozen Timemasters since they came out and have not had any of the problems list in this thread. Did add the fuel filter per Toro's bulletin, but the units that we had to do it on didn't. Have any problems before or after the addition. Our customer have praised their machines.

 

[kotam]

Interesting phenomenon ??

I also asked the dealer what his experience with the service of the machines were - None had any problems until I bought two of them. The service director tells a completely different story - to the effect that he's extremely concerned about the liability of them having known problems leaking fuel. If it were not for the service at the local dealership, i'd send them back without reserve.

An intelligent approach might be to do some simple research on the Toro problems we had..

For instance: Google" Toro timemaster transmission". Note the reviews on Amazon.com." Even the high ratings sometimes note problems/cheap with the mower. Note the comments on the height adjustment system - TRUE!

Try "Toro fuel leak walk behind lawsuit." ?? Hmmm?? Sounds just like one of mine.

I would be of a like consent - that the concept of 30+" is a great one, the general "design" is very nice but the "engineering" tends to lean way too far towards the big-box competition .vs. a quality mower for over $1k. Bag capacity is very small for a wide-cutter but i'm sure there's a concern about gross traveling weight - with such a noted weak gearbox? The mower is a paradigm of good .vs. weak. Probably using one on a pristine yard that's often mowed 1/4" at a time would yield ok results. It cuts very good in this environment but does not appear to take anything that a non-perfect yard might yield. Per other thread, Yes - we can easily stall the motors on both mowers by clamping the blades in too quickly - we just tend not to do that. I also note that the gearbelt driving the blades is a polymer also. That might be ok if the gears are glass-filled nylon (GFN) or Acetal - I'll check on that one. I'm sure the gear belt is a real cheap-o!

FYI: If you've not experienced it yet, you most likely WILL pop the 40a fuse (Located on the rear-left side of the top of the deck) if you try to start the mower with the blade engaged. That design works well.. It does, however, beat melting a battery or starter.

I'd rate the concept a 5+ - Toro's implementation and value, a tight 1.5 at best.

I would not buy another one until you guys note lots of big improvements. It's just not worth the cost . "Hell .. Heim-joint linking two commercial mover decks together would give you 42, twin exhausts, dual carbs, twin coils... Just too many throttles & a nice Mohawk between the rotors!" "Roger! - Motors are now sync'ed up! and ready for takeoff."

 

[Ric]

We have sold over a dozen Timemasters since they came out and have not had any of the problems list in this thread. Did add the fuel filter per Toro's bulletin, but the units that we had to do it on didn't. Have any problems before or after the addition. Our customer have praised their machines.

Rivets can I ask is the drive system on the Timemaster the same as the Turfmaster.

 

[Ric]

We have sold over a dozen Timemasters since they came out and have not had any of the problems list in this thread. Did add the fuel filter per Toro's bulletin, but the units that we had to do it on didn't. Have any problems before or after the addition. Our customer have praised their machines.

I asked my dealer about the list of complaints that HH posted and he said he had sold a few of the TimeMaster and never heard of anything or anyone one have those types of problems. He infact sold a TimeMaster the day I purchased my supply's.

 

[ajs]

Anyone have or used a toro timemaster 30" walk behind? What do you think?

I own a time master and must admit that between July-October it is a lifesaver for the steamy summers but right now during the long days it just doesn't stripe the lawn as cleanly as I was expecting.

 

[Ric]

I own a time master and must admit that between July-October it is a lifesaver for the steamy summers but right now during the long days it just doesn't stripe the lawn as cleanly as I was expecting.

Don't know what you are using for a stripping kit but you can check this one Check Mate Lawn Striping Kit

Check-mate striping kit made for the Time Master, I think the cost is like $169


http://www.bigleaguelawns.com/product/RPM27SC.html

 

[toro_user]

First post here. Thanks for all the helpful info.

My Toro TimeMaster 30 is back in the shop for leaking gas again. I purchased this new in March 2012 and it has been through 2 seasons. This is the 2nd season in a row that I have woken up to smell gas in my house coming from the garage. Last year I was told by the dealer that the float in the carb wasn't seating properly and it cost me $125 to have it serviced (new float/oil/plug etc). I had the plug/filter changed since there was gas in the cylinder. I was told that Toro would not warranty it since anything gas related is not covered.

Now this has happened again. The cord will not pull and gas is coming out of the exhaust. Clearly there is an issue here. I'm a residential user - I use the mower once a week for 1/2 an acre. I have not had the fuel filter put on yet so I printed out the service bulletin ( http://fls.ixfr.com/RM_134-In-Line_Fuel_Filter_Addition_FINAL.pdf ) and brought it to the dealer (he had not see it before). The service bulletin doesn't mention anything about a shut off valve - should I have him put one in at the same time and turn the machine off using that in the future?

Last year I was down 3 weeks during prime time - this time it's expected to be 10 days depending on parts.

This should not be happening. Who can I call / what does one say? This machine doesn't fit in my car to keep bringing it to the dealer. I couldn't even pick it up myself if it did....

Thanks in advance,