New from Idaho

I was directed here to introduce myself. I have a Toro 3200 TimeCutter Model 74621 Riding mower. My hubby died and I have put this off for 2 years now but I MUST change the oil. Please do not freak the oil still looks clean. Buying this brute of a mower for my small lawn was total over kill. Long story short hubby wanted me to have a strong mower I would not have to replace or have trouble with since we knew I was going to be alone. My only request was it be a ZTR no steering wheel. Mowing is a 30 minute job from oil check before starting to mow to clean up deck and driving it back to the garden shed once a week for a very short growing season. The oil still looks clean it is just time over time. I do not know if it is a Kohler or a Brigs and Stratton or the Toro motor it is 452?? I remember him talking about it when he ordered it and that was in one ear out the other with smiles because I am clueless.

I am not mechanical. I have watched youtube videos read the manual found the drain hose I think my hubby used as it fits onto the end of the yellow drain thing and it appears oily inside. My first question is I do not see how that yellow drain piece works. No place to insert a screw driver to open a valve. I do not find this explained anywhere. Removing the cap does not let the oil out as I feared so some thing has to turn some how. Until I know how to do it I am not doing it.

Second there is a large range of oils listed in the manual all starting with 5W-20 and 5W-30 with an arrow saying use these viscosity oils in certain temperatures. Again I just do not understand which one I am supposed to use. This chart just confuses me. It gets up to 100 here in the summer. I usually wait until evening to mow because I do not like to be out there in the sun and 100 degrees. And I certainly am not going to be mowing at -20.

So this is why I came to the forum to try to learn this Nearest dealer is 45 miles away and I do have a trailer I can tow it I am not used to towing anything and it is best I just learn to do this myself. If I can learn how to put the chain back on the chain saw I can certainly change the oil in the mower.

Thank you so much to any one that is willing to clue me in on the flavor of oil and how to work that yellow valve. I am old I am a woman and mechanically clueless but I do take direction well.

:welcome:
Sorry to hear of you loss.

Changing the oil on your mower is no more difficult than draining the water from the washing machine.
There are a couple of different systems fitted to those mowers.
If you have a tube with a yellow cap on it held in place by a clip, then unclip it and let it sit flat on the floor of the mower.
The yellow cap will screw off usually a 1/2 turn then allow the oil to dribble out.
Some are spring loaded so you need to push down before turning some are strait screw cap try both ways.
Do it when you have finished mowing so the oil is hot because you want the gunk to be all mixed up with the oil so it gets removed.
You will need some sort of a bowl to catch the hot oil in.
Leave it till it is stone cold then put the cap back on and clip the tube back in position then add the new oil.
You should really replace the filter as well.
It is a small cylinder about 2.5" round & 3" long on the other side of the engine.
It is very difficult to get at and the 3 legged oil filter wrench ( goes on the end of a socket wrench) works best.

As for oil , any lawnmower oil will do the numbers are not important unless you use it to push snow.
Just make sure the can says "for air cooled mower engines ".
When you go to put it in POUR IT VERY SLOWLY the bottom of the tube is very thin so you will end up wearing it if you pour too quick.

You came to the right spot and we will be willing to help you now and down the road. Draining the oil is not hard and after you do it once you’ll think it’s easy. This manual, just click on it, should help you out, along with Bert’s instructions. One thing though, the yellow drain is not spring loaded on that model, just turn 1/4 turn and pull out gently until you start seeing oil coming down the drain tube. If you pull to hard, you’ll have a big mess to clean up. Nothing serious, just a BIG MESS. You should also change to filter. Take a long close look at the engine, it should have the manufacturers name on it. If all you can find is TORO, then you will need to get the filter from a Toro dealer, as they are probably the only ones to carry it. If it says Kohler, or Briggs, you can get that filter from any repair shop. If you have any other questions, please come back and ask before you make a mistake.

https://www.toro.com/getpub/67964

You came to the right spot and we will be willing to help you now and down the road. Draining the oil is not hard and after you do it once you’ll think it’s easy. This manual, just click on it, should help you out, along with Bert’s instructions. One thing though, the yellow drain is not spring loaded on that model, just turn 1/4 turn and pull out gently until you start seeing oil coming down the drain tube. If you pull to hard, you’ll have a big mess to clean up. Nothing serious, just a BIG MESS. You should also change to filter. Take a long close look at the engine, it should have the manufacturers name on it. If all you can find is TORO, then you will need to get the filter from a Toro dealer, as they are probably the only ones to carry it. If it says Kohler, or Briggs, you can get that filter from any repair shop. If you have any other questions, please come back and ask before you make a mistake. Toro and Briggs use 30W oil, while Kohler uses 10W-30.

https://www.toro.com/getpub/67964

And what we both failed to mention is take the dip stick out first to allow air in so the oil flows quicker.

bertsmobile1 said:

:welcome:
Sorry to hear of you loss.

Changing the oil on your mower is no more difficult than draining the water from the washing machine.
There are a couple of different systems fitted to those mowers.
If you have a tube with a yellow cap on it held in place by a clip, then unclip it and let it sit flat on the floor of the mower.
The yellow cap will screw off usually a 1/2 turn then allow the oil to dribble out.
Some are spring loaded so you need to push down before turning some are strait screw cap try both ways.
Do it when you have finished mowing so the oil is hot because you want the gunk to be all mixed up with the oil so it gets removed.
You will need some sort of a bowl to catch the hot oil in.
Leave it till it is stone cold then put the cap back on and clip the tube back in position then add the new oil.
You should really replace the filter as well.
It is a small cylinder about 2.5" round & 3" long on the other side of the engine.
It is very difficult to get at and the 3 legged oil filter wrench ( goes on the end of a socket wrench) works best.

As for oil , any lawnmower oil will do the numbers are not important unless you use it to push snow.
Just make sure the can says "for air cooled mower engines ".
When you go to put it in POUR IT VERY SLOWLY the bottom of the tube is very thin so you will end up wearing it if you pour too quick.

Click to expand...

OH Thank you so much for the confidence. Every little bit helps. There is no hose on it I just found a hose that fits over the yellow cap thing and inside this host is oily looking. So he must have used it for this. Otherwise the iol will just run out all over the deck of the mower. YUCK messy. There is an oil filter on the work bench shelf marked mower. This is the only mower here so I assume it is the right one.I do not know of a three legged filter wrench I have some thing that has a metal strap that I think is for this. I will look for a three legged wrench. He was tidy with his tools so it will be in the tool box drawers some where. I did locate the oil filter on the other side of the engine. So I just mowed a couple of days ago. I will put this off then and use the 30 oil after checking to be sure it is for air cooled. Best start this project in the morning so I am not waiting up for it to cool late into the night and darkness. Or I could put it in the garage I guess to do it.

I have another question. Looking down into the mower with seat raised are rails and places grass catches. Do I use the air compressor to blow out these areas so I can give the mower a good cleaning or maybe the shop vacc instead?? Might not make as much of a mess. And of course not while I am dealing with open oil ports.

Thanks again. Sorry to be such a dufus on this stuff.

bertsmobile1 said:

And what we both failed to mention is take the dip stick out first to allow air in so the oil flows quicker.

Click to expand...

AH Ha sure makes sense on that one. Thanks. Again

I am not sure I have the right oil. From the bottle it says/reads.

Recommended for automobile and light truck gasoline engines specifying APISN and SAE30. So as far as I know autos and light trucks are water cooled. I can take this back next trip to town,22 miles away for this store. Maybe I will just go the extra 22 miles beyond that to get to the real mower shop and get the right stuff and a second oil filter just to be sure the one I have IS the right one. I do not want to blow this machine up by doing some thing stupid. It would be too expensive to replace. And I kind of like it Easy to mow with except the bucking me out of the seat part. I have other errands in the big city I could do to not waste the trip. Love living in the middle of nowhere until I need some thing. HA have not even looked to see if it can be ordered on Amazon with free shipping.

You came to the right spot and we will be willing to help you now and down the road. Draining the oil is not hard and after you do it once you’ll think it’s easy. This manual, just click on it, should help you out, along with Bert’s instructions. One thing though, the yellow drain is not spring loaded on that model, just turn 1/4 turn and pull out gently until you start seeing oil coming down the drain tube. If you pull to hard, you’ll have a big mess to clean up. Nothing serious, just a BIG MESS. You should also change to filter. Take a long close look at the engine, it should have the manufacturers name on it. If all you can find is TORO, then you will need to get the filter from a Toro dealer, as they are probably the only ones to carry it. If it says Kohler, or Briggs, you can get that filter from any repair shop. If you have any other questions, please come back and ask before you make a mistake. Toro and Briggs use 30W oil, while Kohler uses 10W-30.

https://www.toro.com/getpub/67964
OOPS missed this part of your post ^^^^

Yep I have that manual in my hand right now. Well beside me. Need both to try and type.

Good information on not being spring loaded and I can certainly see the mess it would create if it pulled off of there. All over the mower . Wondering why they would put that drain in such an inconvenient spot??? I am certainly no mechanic but it looks bad to me. The fuel filter is in a bag that looked like it was a pack of two and there is a code number on it. And he wrote Mower on it. This clenches it I will go to the guy that does the mowers He mostly does Dixons though. We delt with him when we were cemetery sextons and mowed 10 acres of cemeteries many years ago. How I liaered the joy of the ZTR stick mowers. Nice for trimming in and out of headstones while hubby drove the grasshopper. That thing was like driving a Cadillac, or a tuna boat. LOL Floating over the ground. Fun Except on the side hills. I know of no Toro dealers. I have looked and looked at the engine but I do not know where to look. Do I take off the air cleaner or the fan thing o top. Would it be under there? Looks like a lot to get that off. I will go look again as soon as I get my dinner. I just hate being so stupid on this stuff. We thought we had everything covered before he died. Sigh.

Please give me the serial number of your unit. I can use that to tell you exactly which engine you have, which will make things a lot easier for all of use. The oil you have is the right one for you unit. Don’t worry about being automotive, that’s what I use in the shop every day.

He did not write the serial number in the book. Can you please tell me where it would be on the mower? The only tag I see is an emissions tag. Will the number be on it? Is it stamped in the frame some where? I have been looking for more paper work on this purchase and finding nothing so far.

Model # is 74621

FOUND it! PHEW.Serial #313002152