I sold my Lawnboy (v-series) and Toro 20038 - the TimeMaster 30 was able to get everywhere I needed - so time to clear some garage space. Have mowed 3 times with the TM30 now - when loaded down with a full bag of grass, she gets pretty heavy - otherwise I am liking it alot. I have cut some pretty tall grass and it handled it well - I feel the same about bagging - I have mulched and it does a very good job in that role. The deck has alot of "head room" so you really have to try to bog it down in the deep stuff to have an issue. So far I have no concerns about power....seems to have plenty to handle cutting and propelling the mower. I have alot of experience with the B&S 190cc Intek from my 20038 - this 190cc does seem to have a bit more grunt as the torque rating indicates. My main gripe about the old Intek was hot starts - I found you MUST have the right spark plug and gap or it was a real pain in the rear to hot start (cold starts were always easy). And plugs don't come gapped to .020.....so you have to change it. That is the plug gap on the TM30. My only other complaint is the traction assist handle gets in the way of using the normal personal pace. I could remove it - but I want to see if I get used to it. I have pinched my fingers on it a few times - not bad, but annoying. 10+ years on my 20038 spoiled me into putting my hands pretty much anywhere I wanted on the drive handle. You have to be a bit more selective with the traction assist handle. There are no grease zerks for the rear drive wheels - which is a bit of a concern for longevity of the mower. Things seems pretty well built - but the "standard" is more a step up from a Recycler than a Super Recycler. The 3 year warranty sort of confirms that as well. That all said - there is no competition for this size of mower in the residential market - so Toro can charge a premium. I would assume a competitor will show up fairly soon - which may drive the price down closer to the 800-900 range where it probably belongs. Next on the list.....consideration of a blade upgrade (next year). I have read a few comments the TurfMaster blades are better than the "atomic" blades that come with the TimeMaster....I might go that route....especially once I see how it works in the fall with some clean-up bagging/mulching. I have not been able to find any other blade options.....maybe in a year or 2 "Gator" will have something.....loved the Gator on my Lawnboy. This post was edited by jimbosc on Tue, Jun 18, 13 at 16:09

SUre. Once the fuel tank is removed (I believe the 3- 5/16 head screws on top and one 1/2 head bolt on the side) you must remove the tin engine shroud (usually 3/8 head bolts on one end and 5/16 headed screws on the other). After the shroud is removed- do not disassemble the starter further. Remove the old rope. Have your rope ready to thread, wind the pulley in the direction to which it would turn if the rope were pulled. Tension will get greater but do not force it. Align the hole of the pulley w/ the eyelet of the starter. If you slide a screwdriver thru the fins and the pulley , it will hold nicely in place as you thread the rope through. The rest is making sure the rope is put through whatever the handle won't go or you can't hook it thru. Maybe clean the cooling fins while you are there and reassemble. Voila!

Craftsman equipment is OK. Our problem is the local Sears Hardware refuses to deal with parts and don't even ask about service. Luckily, Sears has a decent online parts system with diagrams and pretty good response times (I got parts for my table saw a few months back). Some parts, like blades, my local lawn mower shop could get cheaper, even after shipping. So if you don't mind working on your own equipment, Craftsman is fine. If you are looking for customer service or a place that will stand behind their sales, find a locally owned dealer. (I might suggest compare the Craftsman to a 17.5/32" Simplicity Pacer - yes I know it is expensive, but with mowers I really believe you get what you pay for. They both have B&S, but the engines are totally different quality levels.)

I have a little more than 1/2 acre and I use a 48-in. JD Z425 (residential duty) for mowing it. The not too large ZTR actually shines on a smaller lot because of the constant turning and edge trimming required. I decided to use my old 38-in. riding lawn tractor the other day and got so tired of the constant back up, turn, back up, turn required; wore me out. I'll not go back to it again. I'm sure the newer tight turn tractor mowers with hydro trannys are a lot easier, but still...... If there are significant hills, that is another matter. In that case there are add-on aftermarket brakes that can be installed on the front casters This post was edited by larso1 on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 9:46