Walk Behind, Self-Propelled, Push, Petrol and Electric Lawn Mowers
With roots dating back to 1914, Toro was built on a tradition of quality, long lasting products and innovative features to make your mowing experience and caring for your lawn easier. Toro’s line of walk-behind mowers offer battery powered self-propelled mowers, mulching mowers that fertilize as you cut, and 30″ wide-cut mowers to help you finish your lawn faster. Discover the POWER OF EASY with features designed to fit your unique mowing needs.
Most homeowners replace their petrol mower once every 7 years, and a lot can change in that time. In fact, most of today’s new mowers are easier to start, run smoother with less pollution, and are easier to use than mowers made just a few years ago. You may even find a few new features that make mowing fun! Here are some key factors to consider when choosing between a ride on or walk-behind lawn mower.
Lawn size and mowing time
How big is your lawn? A property larger than 2000 m2 typically takes several hours to mow with a walk-behind mower, while a ride on mower can mow it in half the time or even less. If you are active, you enjoy mowing and your lawn is 1000 m2 or less, a push mower should be fine.
A riding mower will take up more space in the garden shed or garage than a walk-behind mower. In addition, a walk-behind mower can get into confined areas that are difficult or even dangerous to mow with a ride on mower.
Cost and maintenance
Obviously, a ride on mower is going to cost more to purchase, and possibly more to maintain in the long run. However, it may be well worth the investment for the significant time savings you gain if you have a larger lawn.
If your needs fall between a ride on and walk-behind mower, there are some “wide format” or two-blade walk-behind mowers that bridge the gap. Some of these units have cutting widths that approach small ride on mowers and can cut more lawn in less time.
Toro 21″ Personal Pace Spin-Stop Super Recycler Mower (21389)
The Toro Super Recycler series has a patented cutting technology in which the Recycler cutting system creates Lawn Vitaimins out of your grass into ultra-fine clippings and then in nourishes your grass and cultivates a greener, more lush lawn. Rock-solid construction with commercial components means you’ll enjoy years of every-day reliability. Take mowing creature comforts to the next level with FLEX Handle suspension and hassle-free maintenance. And you can rest easy knowing Toro stands behind its mowers with a 5-year full warranty. Count on it.
Choose the right fuel for your mower. View our Fuel Fact Tips.
- Safety Stop. Toro’s Blade Stop System allows you to step away from the mower without having to restart. The blades stop spinning, but the motor continues to run.
- Next-Level Mowing. The ultra-fine clippings created by our Super Recycler Cutting System are Lawn Vitamins nourishing your grass and cultivating a greener, more lush lawn.
- Pick Your Pace. You have pinpoint control over your mowing speed with Toro’s exclusive Personal Pace Self-Propel System.
- Durable Deck. You’ll enjoy years of reliable use from your deck thanks to its rust-proof and durable design.
- Safety Stop: Step away from your mower without having to restart with Toro‘s Blade Stop System. The blades stop spinning, but the motor continues to run.
- Engine: 7.25 ft-lb Gross Torque Toro TXP 159cc OHV w/AutoChoke and Blade Stop
- Cutting Width: 21″ / 53 cm
- Height of Cut: 1.25″. 4.25″ / 3.2. 10.8 cm
- Guaranteed-to-Start Promise: 5-Year GTS Full
- Starter: Recoil
- Drive System: Personal Pace Rear-Wheel Drive
- Deck Material: Cast-Aluminum
- Mulch, Bag, Side Discharge: Standard
- Washout Port: Standard
- Blade Brake Clutch (BBC): Standard
- Engine Displacement: 159cc
- Ground Speed: Up to 4.0 mph / 6.4 km/h
- Handle Type: Flex Adjustable Height, Quick Stow Storage Handle
- Wheel Height: 8″ / 20.3 cm
The gross torque of this engine was laboratory rated at 2600 RPM per SAE J1940 by the engine manufacturer. As configured to meet safety, emission and operating requirements, the actual engine torque on these mowers may be significantly lower. See retailer for warranty details.
Toro 22″ Personal Pace Auto-Drive Electric Start Lawn Mower
Introducing a mower that adjusts to you, with no knobs, no levers, no messing around. Grab the easy-to-steer handle, engage and go. with personal pace auto-drive. Supercharge your mowing with an amped airflow that requires less energy to cut more grass into teeny-tiny, clumpless clippings. That’s our vortex technology giving you lawn vitamins for free. Throw on the grass bag and start your lawn vacuum that holds more so you empty less. In total, it’s a boatload of features that easily make you and your lawn look great in less time. This machine starts the first time, every time and is built to last with a 22″ steel deck. Powered by a 7.25 ft-lb gross torque Briggs and Stratton EXi 150cc with ready start. no need to prime or choke. Includes added feature. no oil changes for the life of the engine, just top it off. The quick wash washout port is standard for easy cleaning.
For Gas Powered Engines USE FRESH FUEL
Unbox Unit. unfold handle and attach securely.
Fill NEW unit with oil to specified level to prevent engine damage.
Use FRESH fuel (less than 30 days) with minimum octane rating of 87 and no more than 10% ethanol, to comply with warranty.
See owner’s manual for proper use and maintenance.
Try The Gas Shot Test
To quickly test if we have: (1) Fueling, (2) Spark, or (3) Compression fault, we will bypass the fuel system, and we do this by pouring some fresh gas directly into the carburetor. This is the fastest way to diagnose which of the three systems has failed; it’s an elimination round.
For this test to be successful, you’ll need clean, fresh gas. If you are unsure of the quality, stop now, get fresh, and always in a clean empty can. Fuel older than one month is likely stale.
In my workshop, fueling causes the most issues – stale or dirty gas, dirty carburetors, blocked filters, and the list goes on. When you identify which system has failed, you will be directed to the relevant repair guide, he said confidently.
Remove – Remove the air filter cover and air filter; some will be fixed on with screws or wing nuts, and others will just pull off.
Shot – Pour some fresh fuel into the carburetor, about a cap full.
You’ll have to tilt your mower on its side to get the gas to flow in.
Pull – Now, attempt to start the mower in the normal way.
Two possible outcomes –
(1) Mower attempted to start or started – tells us we have a fueling fault, go ahead and test the choke system. (see below)
(2) Mower made no attempt to start – then we’ve likely eliminated a fueling fault, and the fault will probably be a lack of spark. Check out the “Spark test video” here or check out this post, “Mower won’t start no spark.”
Self-Propelled Mower. 159cc Cub Cadet Engine with IntelliPowerª Technology []
If both fuel and spark have checked out, then our problem is likely in the compression area of your engine.
Compression issues are usually related to wear and tear of the engine piston and rings; while replacing the rings is possible, it rarely makes economic sense to do so; more often, at this point, it makes more sense to go shopping for a new mower.
Try The Choke Test
In this guide, we will check that the choke systems are working correctly. As you know, the correct starting procedure for a cold engine will require giving it extra gas to enrich the fuel/air mixture, which a cold engine needs for a smooth start. Toro mowers are fitted with Briggs Stratton, Honda, and Kawasaki engines. They use two different choke system types to achieve the enriched cold start mix.
If your Toro is pretty new, you’ll have an auto choke, and so you won’t have a lever to control choke. The choke test is covered in the “Mower won’t start video.”
Three types of choke are common, manual, auto, and primer bulb. Go ahead and identify which choke system is fitted to your Toro and check it’s working correctly. If all checks out ok, remove and clean the gas bowl.
To view the choke plate (if fitted), remove the air filter. When choke on the choke is on, the choke plate should be fully closed. If not, check for cable adjustment.
Choke Plate – The first is the choke plate type – The manual version will have a lever to control the choke. There’s an auto choke version, and it won’t have a choke lever, but it operates similarly.
As the engine heats, the choke plate should be open (Choke off). Some auto choke carburetors give hot start flooding issues. Both versions of the choke plate type create a fuel-rich condition by reducing the amount of air and increasing the amount of fuel supplied to the engine.
Manual Choke On – If you have a manual choke control, move the throttle lever to the full choke position to start a cold engine. All current models are auto choke and so won’t have a choke lever.
Manual Choke Off – Move the choke to the fast/run position as the engine warms a little. The choke should be off at this point. Check that it’s moving to the off position.
Auto Choke On – The auto choke system is controlled by a lever connected to a thermostat which is positioned close to the muffler or on the cylinder head. Check that it’s moving to the off position.
As the muffler warms up, the choke plate should open. Check its function. On some auto choke models, customers complain about hot start flooding issues.
The Fix – Drill a hole in the choke plate. Check for binding of the control links also.
Primer Bulb – The second type is the primer bulb – This is very simple and easy to use. It creates a fuel-rich condition by squirting extra fuel into the engine. You do this by pressing a rubber primer bulb mounted at the carburetor.
Check the bulb for damage; mice like to eat them. Replacement kits are available.
If all checks out OK, go ahead, remove and clean the gas bowl.
Clean The Carburetor Bowl
Cleaning the carburetor and fresh fuel will solve the problem of bad gas or a dirty carburetor. But removing the carburetor can take time and effort. So, before we go down that road, we will try a quick fix. Removing and cleaning the fuel bowl fuel feed bolt (Not all mowers have the fuel feed bolt) is something we can do with a minimum amount of effort and tools.
This may well solve your problem. I covered it below in pictures, or check out the “Mower won’t start” video for additional help. You won’t need any special tools for this job, but a carburetor cleaner can make life a lot easier. I use Gumout carb cleaner in the workshop; you can check it out here on the “Small engine tools page.”
I’ve listed a few other tools on this page, “Carburetor cleaning tools.” Cleaning the carb thoroughly is important. Nobody wants to visit the same job twice. These tools will help you nail it the first time out.
You can find your fuel bowl behind the air filter. I’ll show this process for the most common types of carburetors. Remember, if your gas is older than three months, it’s stale. So cleaning the bowl won’t make it go. You need to drain the tank and carburetor bowl and fill them with fresh gas.
Suppose this works out for you. Great! If not, I wrote this guide. It’ll walk you through the whole process – “Remove clean carburetor.” Alternatively, it’s all covered in the “Mower won’t start video.”
If you’re not into cleaning the carburetor, I understand. Why not just change it? Carburetors aren’t expensive or difficult to replace. I’ve listed the most popular carburetors on the page, where you can check the price and availability of “New mower carburetors” or check out the Amazon link below.
Pull – When working on your mower’ remove the plug wire and turn off the gas. If you don’t have a fuel tap, use grips to gently squeeze the fuel line. This prevents a spill.
Briggs Gas Bowl – This is an older model Briggs and Stratton engine. The fuel bowl lives behind the air filter.
Your carburetor may look different; other examples are shown below. Remove the bowl using a 1/2″ socket and ratchet. Turn on the fuel to check that fuel flows from the carburetor. If not, move on to the fuel flow test.
Clean the gas bowl. This model has a fuel feed bolt; it’s a hollowed-out bolt that feeds gas to the carburetor jet. Be careful with the bolt gasket. The bolt must be clean; use a wire brush strand to clean it. Spray some carb cleaner up into the jet.
Check the large o-ring seal, which usually stays on the carburetor, and if so, that’s OK. Leave it there. If however, it came off with the bowl, apply a small amount of oil to help it seat on the carburetor side.
When refitting, don’t over-tighten the bowl; this will cause the feed bolt gasket or the large o-ring to deform and leak.
If, after cleaning the bowl, the mower is still running rough, Check out “Remove and clean carburetor”
Briggs Plastic Gas Bowl – This plastic carburetor is the latest generation from Briggs Stratton.I use grips to gently squeeze the fuel line to prevent fuel spills.
The bowl drain plug is in the bottom of the fuel bowl. Remove it; some can be tricky as clearance is poor. If your struggling to gain access to the drain plug, (Black hex head) go ahead and remove the two bowl retaining bolts.
Use a flat screwdriver to pry off the bowl.
Now pry out the fuel jets. Use a fine wire to clean them. Be careful with compressed air, as the little brass jets will fly and be lost forever. With the bowl removed, remove the grips from the fuel line and check fuel flows from the carburetor; if not, move on to the fuel flow test.
Rebuild in reverse order after cleaning.
If cleaning isn’t successful, order a new jet pack. Few different types, so have your engine number handy.
Honda Gas Bowl – This type of bowl is fitted to the Toro and Honda engines. Honda has fitted a drain bolt that allows you to drain the fuel from the bowl. Nice! This is great if the bowl has some bad gas in it.
However, if the bowl has some grit, it won’t drain out completely. So best to remove the bowl and clean it thoroughly. Turn on the fuel and check that you have fuel flow from the carburetor; if not, move on to the fuel flow test.
If the mowers are still running rough after cleaning the bowl, Check out “Remove and clean carburetor” or check out the “Carburetor cleaning video” here.
If none of this helped, go to the “Mower won’t start video” page and start at the beginning, the solution is there.
Tune-up Your Toro
To get the best from your Toro, you should service at least once per season, ideally in the spring. The tune-up kit includes oil; plug; air filter; fuel filter (if fitted); new blade (optional). Doing a tune-up is simple. This guide will have your mower tuned up in under an hour – “How to Tune-up your mower.”
You will need your engine model code. It’s stamped on the body of the mower or on the engine. Briggs and Stratton stamp their codes into the metal valve cover at the front of the engine. Kohler has a tag, and Honda has a sticker on the engine.
After you find these numbers, buying the tune-up kit online is easy. Suppose you can’t find the code – no problem. Remove the air filter and match it against a tune-up kit listed online, most mower engines are very common, and so you won’t have a problem getting a tune-up kit to match.
A full tune-up, including blade balancing and sharpening, is covered in the “Mower tune-up video.” Tune up once per season at the start of the season. If your mower is new, change the oil after the first 5 hours of use.
Toro Lawn Mowers
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Can’t say I have had a good experience and would not tell anyone they are reliable. Purchased this product near the end of the year and that’s all I got. Won’t start. Brought new battery starts. Two weeks later won’t start. It is stored under cover, but the quality or lack thereof is not demonstrated in their inspection system as I’m now stuck with this lemons problems. I’m a disabled veteran and like many live on a limited income. Seems the company would provide a quality reliable product out the gate or rush to fix it, but they did include a completely meaningless inspection tag. So, fair warning, I would consider other options at this price range before I trusted a Toro.
Helpful Be the first one to find this review helpful
This is the second Toro lawnmower We’ve bought brand new, both of failed within one year. It’s almost like they purposely make them to break down within a year. The first lawnmower takes dozens of pulls to start, then cuts out. Both wheels broke off the second one because they’re connected with cheap plastic. self propel failed on both in no time. If you have a tiny, flat yard with no obstacles. it might do OK but it cannot handle anything beyond that. Been through two brand new Toro lawnmowers and now I’m stuck with two pieces of garbage. Zero reliability, complete garbage. There will NOT be a third one.
Helpful Be the first one to find this review helpful
I bought a lawn mower Toro Machine just 21 days ago that was defective. Since the very first moment the machine arrive, it has been a total pain dealing with it and getting support from Toro. Just to start it was extremely difficult. I tried to use on the next day it arrived. The machine suddenly stopped after 20 minutes been used. I contacted several times Toro for help. They finally recommended me to take it to a dealer for an inspection. All dealers close to my home claimed they did not provide any service for Toro. Then, I had no choice other that take it to farthest dealer. In that dealer, an associate from the dealer told me that the machine’s issue was that oil and gas was mixed because the machine had been too incline. That is impossible as there was no need to incline the machine on the first time it was used and both deposits of oil and gas have been with their respective caps. The person from the dealer told me that they will fix it for 55.00.
I asked him to send me an email with a report of their conclusions so that I could contact Toro to let them know about the fee. The dealer never sent me an email. Later they called me and told me that the cleaning/repair of the machine had been completed and that I should pick up the machine and of course pay. I told them that I did not approve any repair as I was still waiting for their emails. Then they hung up the phone. Since the beginning dealing with Toro and the dealer has been an ordeal, despite Toro claims they stand behind their products.
Helpful Be the first one to find this review helpful
I want to warn all consumers not to buy any products from Toro. I think they are the worst company to work because of they don’t support their products. I purchased an electric lawn mower a year ago and the charger stopped working. They refused to help, sent me to a repair shop that charges 100 to see if it was under warranty. I spoke to customer service, no help. Most companies offer an opportunity to exchange the product, I got nothing. Took the part to the repair shop and still didn’t get an option to exchange it. I spoke to a Toro manager and they said they would not return or even offer a discount for the part. My advice is to never purchase a product from them.
Helpful 5 people found this review helpful
Timecutter 50-inch welded deck is weak sauce… Nothing but problems with the mower deck. Deck continues to fail and service work at Ace is poor. Had to fabricate new brackets so deck would stay on lift arms and spindles are difficult to remove because the bolts that hold them in place also hold the cutting blades in place and consequently turn the same way!…
Helpful 5 people found this review helpful
No hour meter for scheduled maintenance. How are we supposed to know when to perform tasks. Toro support wants met to buy a 90 meter and install it myself. Why would they not add this meter to their product? What else are they going to deny me in the future?
Helpful 5 people found this review helpful
I bought a Toro Titan 48-in cut zero turn in April of this year. iPhone 12 products in the past and they’ve always done very good but this zero turn has been a real let down I paid over 6,000 for this tractor. I bought a hustler tractor 5 years ago that will cut circles around it and only paid 4,000 for that one the cut quality is poor. And you have to drive it so slow to get it to cut at all. I’ve already replaced the deck belt two times the first one had to be replaced around July and just had to put another deck belt on it this week. If I can pawn this dog off on somebody I’ll never own another Toro
Helpful 9 people found this review helpful
Great product and low maintenance. Had it for two years and it works great. Have had to sharpen the blades only once and only had to change the plugs only once as well. Very satisfied with the performance and would recommend to all my friends and family.
Helpful 6 people found this review helpful
The Toro Lawn Mower has always proven to be a safe and trustworthy machine. We have owned Toros for over twenty-five years. We have a small ranchette with over 750 Apple trees. We stand by this product.
Features
Personal Pace Self Propel
Toro’s Personal Pace self propel system automatically senses and adapts to your walking speed.
Briggs Stratton EXI Engine
Featuring the lightweight 7.25 lbs gross torque, 163cc overhead valve engine featuring No Oil Changes ever.
22” Recycler Cutting Deck
Cut more grass in less time and improve the health of your lawn with a larger 22” cutting width.
Bag on Demand
Quickly switch from mulching to bagging in seconds by flipping the quick-change lever.
Washout Port
The deck washout port is a convenient way to clean the bottom of the deck. maintaining optimum airflow for high performance.
One Piece Adjustable Height Handle
The single piece handle can be easily adjusted to 2 different handle heights.
Regular maintenance is still required. To see complete details refer to your Operating Manual. Briggs Stratton standard warranty terms and conditions apply.