I've used it several times now and I'm very satisfied with the mower.
Rear Wheel Drive: Works well with the pressure assist handle. The harder you're pushing the faster the wheels turn. It helps on the big hills.
Clean Out Feature: Attach the hose and let the blades clean out the under carriage. Works very well and helps motivate you to keep the mower clean.
Mulching: Works great. I slow down through the tall grass and it doesn't leave any piles behind. I plan to use mulch almost exclusively.
Engine: Started up when I wasn't even pulling hard. I was just working the oil into the engine and it kicked off...very easy start. I used it in very deep grass the other day and it had plenty of power to chop through the worst of it.
Side chute: Attached it the other day going through a large section of very wet/muddy, very tall grass. Probably should have weed whacked it but I don't have one yet so I mowed. It was a mess. The wheels were spinning and I was sliding all over the place but the mower never faltered and plowed through a very messy job. The clean out feature worked very well that day.
We had just moved into a house that was vacant for a year. Our lawn has not been cared for and the first few mows have been brutal. Even walking the yard a bunch of times I could not get all the debris and limbs out but the Toro blew through them like it was nothing. I've been very impressed with this mower so far.
I take care of my tools and will clean and winter prep it properly not to mention getting the blades sharpened each year. I plan to have this mower for many, many years. TORO 22in. FWD Recycler Mow
Never started out of the box - had to trade it in for a new one (Lowes was great about that by the way). Broke down after second mow - got it repaired and it lasted me the season and now it is dead for good. I ended up getting less than a year out of it.
I have now owned two of these Toros, and the self-propelled mechanism on both malfunctioned after less than one season of use. When it runs it's fine, but when the walk-behind kicks out, it's much heavier and harder to push than a regular mower, not to mention being much more expensive. After my first Toro, I was looking at other brands, but against my better judgment believed the salesperson's assurances that Toro really was high quality, and that I must have just gotten a lemon. I will never buy another Toro again.
I bought this model at Lowe's; I paid a bit more than I ususally do for a mower, but...after all, THIS was a TORO! I proudly drove my brand new baby home and even tho' my lawn didn't 'need' mowing, I couldn't WAIT to try it out. I had a new gas can, new fuel and a new mower...Life is good. I adjusted the deck to the correct height and as guaranteed, it started on the first pull...yeaaa! No more frustrating, arm stretching, stroke inducing repeated pulls on THIS baby! I engaged the self propelled lever and off we went. Wow, this baby has some real speed, I thought. The perimiter of my front lawn is approximately 400 feet. The cut of first pass was perfect. Compared to mine, it made my neighbor's fresh cut lawn look awful. The excitement of having such a gem dissipated any regret that I might have had about 'paying a bit more than usual' for this mower. The second pass only made me beam a little brighter with pride of ownership and the anticipation of how great my lawn was going to look when I was finished. The third pass...OoOOooo...this is sooooo great! RRRRRRRrrrrrr..rrrrrr..rrrr..rrr...rr...r... WHAT? My new mower had suddenly DIED?? Huh? This bull had literally died in the areana, before he even SAW the red cape. Even tho' I knew the gas tank was full and the oil was at the proper level, I checked them ANYWAY. Nope. Nothing wrong with either one.
Like a sad puppy, I loaded up my new, dead Toro and off we went to Lowe's for a refund. Luckily, they did give me my money back, after first suggesting they send it off for repair, but deep down, they knew I was 'done'. I'm now looking for another rear driven self propelled mower and while looking, I often stumble upon a Toro, but I can't help it, but each time I get this galvanic taste in my mouth.
I can't definitively say that the days of high quality products Toro has been known to have are over, but I CAN definitively say that they missed the boat on this particular model of self propelled mower. Should you be a die-hard Toro fan and decide to buy this mower anyway...may I suggest that you keep your receipt and all the paperwork that came with it in a place you'll easily be able to put your hands on; you juuuuust might need it.
I bought this mower on sale late in 2010 when I moved into my home in late fall, the lawn needed a couple of more cuts before winter and I didn't want to pay for a service. I got it on clearance for a good price, but right off the bat it had problems starting.
At the end of the season, I drained the oil and gas and stored it, to start 2011 I added oil and had a good first few uses thinking the bug were out of the system. Performance was ok, certainly no the best mower, but it did he job. Then I noticed the engine smoking some. I added oil on the next use and i seemed fine. Then it started smoking some more. The dipstick seemed to show it was low, so I added more oil, very small amount. Next use about half way through, white smoke started like it was on fire; long story short oil got into the muffler and this was a big problem. The low oil readings were caused by a leak to the oil pan that I had no seen, and apparently I overfilled with oil. The dipstick is impossible to read.
Of course Toro faults me for this and won't help me. The mower is worthless now. I bought a new Honda model rather than pay a couple of hundred in repair cost.
Toro quality has gone way down lately, I will not be buying any more Toro products based on this poor quality and their very unfriendly customer service. - Self-propelled'
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