[paulgp602]

Hi all ,

I decided to pickup a nice older mower instead of buying another new mower that would wear out in 6 years time like my honda did.

So I have always liked the old lawn boys with the duraforce 2 strokes, but couldn't find any in my area as they are becoming scarce with the EPA killing off 2 cycles these days. So with some looking around I found a 1997 Toro 22040 commercial mower. One owner light use with owners manual and parts manual included. He used Opti 2 oil in it. I plan on using the Stihl HP Ultra synthetic that I already run in everything else. The bagger wasn't used much it is still white with no grass stains. I paid $350 for the mower.

I know it may sound high but when I look at what $350 would get me new, it was a no brainer because everything is junk these days IMO.

What do you guys think? Compression is 150psi, I set the RPMs to turn a bit higher than the 3000 it was set to. To me, 3000 RPMs is barely a fast idle on a 2 stroke motor. It is now set to 3600 no load RPMs. The manual states that is the spec for the motor. Here are some pics below....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157629262503183/

 

[1lawnboy]

I think you did fine. It looks really nice for its age. If spec calls for 3600 rpm, thats where I would put it.$375 does sound steep, but you are right, they dont make them like that anymore and hard to find one in good shape. If you like it, I think youd have a hard time finding one in that shape again. So, you did just fine.

 

[Indy452]

I have a 22040 from 1997.....its exactlly likie yours there. I absolutely LOVE that mower. I've been using and abusing mine for years and do nothing more than clean the air filter and change the plug once and awhile....It liteally takes a beating and keeps on going.

I love my Lawnboys and all but when I mow I grab my 22040....my LB's are for nostalgia for the most part.

Heres a pic of mine.....Quite a bit rougher than that beauty of yours....

 

[Wolfy]

I haven't had a commercial. But I have had a few of the suzuki 2 strokes. They are awesome. So quiet and will run forever on a thimble full of gas. Great engines

And for the money that is the same price as the junk toros that home depot sells
And you have a mower that will last hundreds of times longer!!! Not even in the same field!

 

[Shawnlb]

You did a good job. Good price and that engine will run for almost ever.

 

[LawnboyKS]

I think you did well on it at $350. Looks like it has low hours to me, paint on the handle grips isn't even worn through. A new comparable model is about $1,400, and no 2 stroke.

The one to the right in Indy's pic I believe is the one I own now. I put new tires on it, cleaned and lubed everything, a few adjustments and I used it all last season commercially.

I run Opti-2 primarily, sometimes Amsoil Sabre, but always 100:1.

I believe the high RPM's on those should be about 3200-3300. Check which hole your spring is hooked into (governor spring) If it's in the center or lowest hole you can move it to the top and gain I think about 100 RPMs for each hole. If it's already in the top hole then adjusting is more tedious, loosening the gov. arm, etc. Or you can cheat like I did and bend on the end of the spring to shorten it slightly. I set mine about 3400-3500 with the blade engaged.

 

[paulgp602]

Thanks for the kind words guys, yea you should see the junkers that people are selling on Craigslist in my area compared to this mower, big box store units with 4 strokers- no thanks! I planned on spending around $300-$400 on a good used mower, so hearing here that I did well makes me feel better too.

When I got it I felt like the RPMs were too low, so I did move the spring to the top hole on the governor arm, this was still only giving me about 2960 RPMs on my Tiny Tach at WOT. (Even with the throttle adjusted correctly). So I read that the governor return springs on these are kinda prone to stretching which would cause the low RPMS.

So what I did was put another bend in the spring further down so that when I reattached it to the governor arm (top hole again) it would pull the arm a bit more. Viola! 3600 RMPS at WOT!

Now I can run it at less throttle for the dry summer months when the grass isn't as lush, and in the spring I can crank it up to get through the springtime grass. Plus for mulching the leaves in the fall.

What blade are you guys running on these? I have what I believe to be is the stock blade. It is straight but has these wings on each end of the blade before the cutting edge.

I have read that the gator blade is the blade to run on these for mulching. Can I simply take mine off and go to the store and get one with the same length and same diameter bolt hole Or is there more to matching up a gator blade? I suppose I can go to the Toro dealer and he would know too. Thanks in advance.

 

[lawnboy dan]

make shure to run it out of fuel using the shutoff valve. before storage. these engines will run on any 2 cycle oil and sthil ultra is a fine choice. the carb is the only area that needs to be babyied.

 

[paulgp602]

Yes, I have on order from Amazon a Briggs 1/4" shut off valve which I plan on installing before the fuel filter so I can change the filter without draining the tank (it looks to be a 1 gallon tank too). I run the blue colored marine fuel sat-bil in everything year round to fight off ethanol damage and keep things clean. Should I still drain the carb? I have always been concerned about storing "dry" because of things drying out and leaving residue or gaskets drying and leaking.

 

[LawnboyKS]

The high lift blade will give you the best results for bagging. The standard mulching blade does a poor job...

I didn't drain mine for storage either, but I'm using Opti-2 mix. My lawn boys I generally use Lawn Boy 32:1 oil and it tends to gum them up after just 6 weeks sometimes. (really irritating!) Just had the Toro out a couple weeks ago, getting it prepped for spring, and it fired up on the 2nd pull I believe, after sitting since december 1 or so.

 

[viking427]

You done good. That mower is the crown jewel of 21" true commercial SP mowers in my book, and worth twice that price. Not even in the same ballpark to all the $300-$600 junk out there over the past 10 years. Looks to be in prime shape - deck and wheel paint isnt flaking, no corrosion where the chute bolts down toward the rear of deck. Black plastic wheel adjuster caps still in place, 150 psi is like new. No BBC or console crap. Front spark plug and brush gaurds can be installed and a side discharge chute was optional if you want to gussy it up, but its built for business. Gator/mulch blade is good for fall cleanup, but the oem blade (with slight rear wings), debris deflector, and beneath deck kickers do a good job together of mulching (super-recycling) grass for 90% of your work.


How do you build a 40 year mower ? Take one 22040 and;

1) Wash the deck above and below after each use. The below deck plastic "kickers" and bagging "gate" both accumulate moist, acidic mulched debris and will oxidize the deck in both places left uncleaned. It mulches good even without those kickers if they happen to be missing.

2) Avoid the mulching plug that seals off the bagging gate for mulching. Its nice in theory, but I find its hollow side (design) traps this same debris, I prefer to mulch without it, makes cleaning easier - no place for debris to hide and begin its corrosion cycle. I wash the gate out thoroughly anyway.

3) Always run the carb dry with inline fuel shutoff.

4) Always run an inline fuel filter, I like the larger garden tractor ones ~ 3 mil.

5) Run synthetic oil (I prefer Opti-2) at 100-to-1 ..no smoke, maintains proper air/fuel ratio and ive never had to decarbonize the exhaust port since.

6) Load the rear wheel and transmission grease zerks with fresh grease.

7) Remove the below deck crank protector (big round heavy disk) once or twice a season to remove accumulated debris.

Other than that, replace tires as needed and the pull rope with UV resistant 5/32" dia. Polyester/Technora marine rigging rope.


The only weak spot (if you can pick one) on these are the single dog starters that load only one side of the plastic rope sheave/pulley, effectively stressing and eventually cracking the plastic sheave where it supports the metal pinion on which the dog pivots. The symptoms are pull rope that doesnt recoil back into the starter, or jams. The LB 2 & 4 dog starters that load the sheave equally on both sides are better and some are direct bolt-ons.

 

[lawnboy dan]

dry storage of the carb is the only way to go. i have left some sitting dry for several years with no issue. the exaust ports are huge on these. almost impossiable to clog up. never seen a single one with a blocked exaust port. run opti 2 at 80/1 to be safe but sthil ultra is better. one of the very best oils there is. i have run every kind of oil in these and they tolorate them well. even outboard oil! get a gator blade and be done. best preformance over all. grease the rear wheel pivot blocks often to reduce wear on drive train. this is the best true commercial mower of all time. just ask any pro. this mower may out live you!

 

[paulgp602]

I'm liking the positive comments I have been reading about these mowers! I really don't like throwing away poorly made mowers every less than 10 years or so. I am detailed oriented when it comes to maintenance as it is, so I think this mower will be around awhile considering that these are good units to begin with.

I noticed the drive spindle/pulley on top of the deck for the transmission has a zero too. Does this zero fill the gear case when I put grease in it or is it only for lubricating the pulley?

If so, how do I service the gear box fluid/grease? Or is it a sealed unit? Thanks guys!

 

[viking427]

Yes thats the transmission's grease zerk fitting, just pump it with grease until slight resistance is felt in the grease gun, or you can loosen the trans case halves a bit to see when it oozes out so you know when its full. If you want to replace the trans grease, you'll need to unscrew the two trans. case halves and wipe the old grease out before reassembling and refilling.

That one really looks to be in beautiful shape. I usually remove the engine kill/flywheel brake assembly and cable (cable on the right side handlebars), which allows me to operate it one handed (less bale resistance) and stop to move obstacles out of the way while keeping the mower running, but thats a personel preference.

 

[Indy452]

don't over grease that zerk on the tranny pulley or you will cause grease resistance and then you'll have to crack the cases and remove some. I rarely grease it....maybe like once every two years depending on usage.
I do however keep an eye on the drive block zerks and pump those up every couple of months....

 

[paulgp602]

Yes thats the transmission's grease zerk fitting, just pump it with grease until slight resistance is felt in the grease gun, or you can loosen the trans case halves a bit to see when it oozes out so you know when its full. If you want to replace the trans grease, you'll need to unscrew the two trans. case halves and wipe the old grease out before reassembling and refilling.

That one really looks to be in beautiful shape. I usually remove the engine kill/flywheel brake assembly and cable (cable on the right side handlebars), which allows me to operate it one handed (less bale resistance) and stop to move obstacles out of the way while keeping the mower running, but thats a personel preference.

Yep! thats exactly what I did.

I removed the brake and wired up a toggle on off switch which is somewhat visible in one of the pictures on the right side of the handlebar.
I painted the bracket I made black and used my snowblowers plug in A/C power cord (which is black and blends in well and I don't use for snowblower anyways).

I ran the black wire of the power cord to the black kill wire on the coil, and then I used the white wire on the power cord for the ground to engine block with a ring terminal and leftover bolt from the flywheel brake assembly. The green wire from the power cord was snipped off on each end.

Hooked them up to the toggle switch and presto! No more having to hold the handlebar lever to run the motor, as well as fumbling with the gear selector every time I wanted to stop.

Safety aside- Its a bad design if you stop and think about it from a users perspective. If I left everything in tact and was cutting grass and wanted to stop I would have to jump along with the mower while trying to use my foot to kick the lever to neutral, or bend down and try to get it in neutral while holding the handlebar lever- or I could have simply released the lever which would kill the engine- another PITA.

Now I can release the handlebar lever which stops motion and leaves the engine running. Works much better this way IMO.

 

[LawnboyKS]

If it's still driving foreword when you have the bail released, but still in your hand, your drive belt is too tight. Slack it up a little so you can hold the bail low with your thumbs and have it stop. I'm betting it gets really tight when you squeeze it to the handle?

I have mine set pretty loose, just so I get full speed if I squeeze the lever tight to the bar. I always leave mine in 3rd and never change it, I just adjust the walking speed by feathering the bail.

Mine is a BBC model though.

 

[paulgp602]

Mine didn't have blade brake control. I tried to partially release the handle in an effort to disengage the belt and stop the mower but that would kill the engine.

I prefer it with an on/off switch anyhow. I know it isn't the safest setup but look at older mowers before OSHA and lawyers got involved. They all had on off switches and zero safety controls. My feeling is you can't govern safety into every facet of peoples lives. If they do then we aren't living...

How fast is your 3rd gear?! Its got to be fast, no? My 3rd gear is way to fast for me and my yard. Its like a slow jog. I will be using 1st gear.:trink40:

 

[lawnboy dan]

3ed gear is unuable in these. way too fast. if you think the kill setup is bad on these(and it is) wait till you try the bbc set up. i wont buy a toro with bbc for this reason

 

[GTP]

I love these mowers i have 2 minty ones and one called frankenstein that has been well frankensteined together with multiple parts from all sorts of 22040, 22035 and 220xx mowers. I run these hard over the summer on a hilly 3/4 acre lot rotating them week to week. I very rarely use the lawnboys anymore as they have become collection pieces but these toros are ugly tough pieces of concrete!!. Literally i'd like to meet the guys that can kill these and shame on them for doing so. I run amsoil sabre pro with an ounce of amsoil quick shot per gallon and they run like new. As others mentioned clean the air filters often, lightly grease your zerks and keep fresh plugs in the from time to time and they will represent the cockroaches of mowers and probably outlive us and a hallocaust...Madmax uses one of these.!

Btw i rebuilt the trans on one of these it appeared like the input shaft zerk fitting had come out (these are press fit) and some one ran it open and hence cooked the input shaft bearings- they are not cheap but its all better now and truly the only real effective way to lube trans is to open it up grease the gears and bolt it back up. The input shaft zerk gets the shaft and input bearings but work grease your shift fork or gears.

Congrats enjoy the awesomeness you have mowing your lawn with one of the best mowers ever made !