Just Bought a Toro

[rajon]

To replace a craftsman.

20381 Toro Super Recycler (2012) with the evil Chinese Toro Motor. I have a personal vendetta against Honda (the other choice) for getting me out of bed at 4am too many times over the last year.

I think my lawn is now too afraid to grow.

EDIT: Corrected the part number / Engine type

 

[Rivets]

FYI, your engine is not built or in any way part of B&S. Yes it is built in China for Toro to Toro's specs. FYI, here are a couple of differences, Toro. Cast iron sleeve, ball bearings on the crank, better cooling setup. Glad to see you got the aluminum deck.

 

[Moldyoldie]

Just Bought a Toro

So did I yesterday! I opted for the 20381 Super Recycler with the Toro engine; it's to be delivered this morning. It will replace my twelve year-old Yard-Man with the broken-down self-propelling mechanism and leaky fuel tank, but which still runs and cuts nicely...and which I'm hesitant to discard.

20092 Toro Super Recycler (2012) with the evil Chinese Briggs and Stratton.

FYI, your engine is not built or in any way part of B&S.

According to this from the Toro site, the 20092 indeed has a Briggs & Stratton, so Rivets' response confounds me.

 

[rajon]

As you can clearly see from the picture I am an idiot and bought the 381 not the 092. I spent an hour at the dealer peppering him with questions and trying every mower in the place so I was a little dizzy before walking out with the first mower he recommended. (Well he picked the same one with the Honda motor)

It starts so easy it feels like cheating.

 

[Rivets]

The 20092 probably has a serial number starting with 311 which is a leftover last years model, which did have a B&S engine. Starting in 2012 the new Toro engineered engines are being used. Just check your serial numbers.

 

[Moldyoldie]

No harm, no foul. :wink: :smile:

I christened my 20381 yesterday afternoon; first impressions were positive. It started on the first pull, restarts were usually one and no more than two pulls. The sturdy wheel assemblies seem like they'll hold up well to the exceedingly bumpy backyard lawn. The Personal Pace system will take some getting used to; I could feel lurching and hear gear engagement on initial acceleration, but was able to negotiate the curves, nooks, and crannies with careful maneuvering including back-and-forth action. 180s also didn't seem to be a problem, but I have to admit I was probably being more cautious with the machine than usual.

What I was absolutely impressed with was its mulching ability compared with my old mower -- there were absolutely no telltale signs of clumps or residue anywhere to be found, even on the sidewalk! I usually mow high so perhaps it wasn't an "acid test", but as to serving my needs I couldn't be more pleased.

 

[Rivets]

Knew you would like it, just one tip. To keep the mulching working, you need to clean the underside of the deck clean. Just tip the mower on it's side (carb up) and give it a quick scraping. Don't have to be prefect, just want to avoid build up.

 

[rajon]

Is the washout port designed to replace scraping or augment it?

 

[Rivets]

Augment, if used after each use, you won't have to scrap as often. Don't have on my unit (18 years old) just check underneath for evidence of build up and remove.

 

[rajon]

This is my first time with one. The dealer indicated that using it once a month with the motor running for a few minutes would be sufficient. I will keep a very close eye on it initially and see what is required. The manual isn't very clear.