New Toro personal pace with the OHV, any advice?

[SOHCman]

Greetings and salutations,

Just picked up a new toro recycler with the toro OHV chonda, any tips or advice on ownership/maintenance?

I'm going to dump the factory oil after a few hours of break in obviously, but do these usually come decently greased, or does the the RWD require some love to get it up to BITOG standards?

Bought it from a local dealer who did the setup and everything, its so nice to find good customer service in the day of big box stores.

thanks!

 

[old1]

IF, and I repeat IF, the dealer did a good job of prep, anything that needed lubing should have been checked/ lubed. I once was servicing a 3 year old Snapper S/P mower, (that was sold and serviced by another dealer) and when I checked the gearbox I found that the factory hadn't put any grease in it. And the other dealer never checked.

 

[another Todd]

Nothing is BITOG good until you make it so!

 

[old1]

+1^

 

[SOHCman]

Originally Posted By: old1
IF, and I repeat IF, the dealer did a good job of prep, anything that needed lubing should have been checked/ lubed. I once was servicing a 3 year old Snapper S/P mower, (that was sold and serviced by another dealer) and when I checked the gearbox I found that the factory hadn't put any grease in it. And the other dealer never checked.


Ouch, I just cried a little at the thought of that.

Good on it for lasting the three years before it was discovered!

 

[SOHCman]

Originally Posted By: another Todd
Nothing is BITOG good until you make it so!


Amen to that! I'm sure most of you share my DIY mentality of "trust but verify" when it comes to other people working on your OPE or vehicles.

 

[old1]

Believe it or not it was in suprisingly good condition, but the gearbox on the snapper s/p's don't have a worm gear, and the only bearings that turn at fairly high rpm are sealed. AND, I don't think the owner put very many hours on it.

 

[Ope_Freak]

Congrats on the new mower. I think most people will be interested to know how the Chonda holds up over time, I know I am. I have a Toro SR4 with a Honda GVC.

I also bought mine from a dealer 3 years ago. They put oil and gas in it and started it before i took it home. They never told me about the rear wheels needing grease to start with, so I lubed the gear box via zerk fitting at the beginning of the second seaon. I would assume it comes factory lubed, but i guess i'm not confident about that. Maybe i took some years of the personal pace by not doing it the first year?!?

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: SOHCman
Just picked up a new toro recycler with the toro OHV chonda, any tips or advice on ownership/maintenance?


Just change the oil once a season, or every 50 hours, whichever comes first. Buy a 2nd replacement factory Toro blade. That way you can change the blade 2-3 times a season, then sharpen the blade you just took off and have a sharp spare ready to go.

Originally Posted By: SOHCman
but do these usually come decently greased, or does the the RWD require some love to get it up to BITOG standards?


The Recycler transmission are a low quality piece of equipment. They last about 3-7 years on average. The plastic (!!) gears wear out and the transmission needs replaced. You can usually swap it out for a new transmission for about $50-$65, but most people decide to upgrade and just buy a new mower.

I read an article that stated that the Chinese Honda (Chonda) clone engines were pretty good quality and lasted about 3 times as long as your typical aluminum bore Briggs engine. The Toro Chonda is a pretty good engine.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Is the Toro Chonda actually Kohler's new XT engine or whatever it's called? I know they're putting these Kohlers on newer Lawn-Boys, and Lawn-Boy is owned by Toro.