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

No where in your thread James have you mention any fuel conditioner . Unless you use some you cannot ensure clean fuel circuits within these cheap offshore carbs . Draining the floatbowl is not sufficient , residual fuel remains within the (6) very small fuel passages which gums up and actually oxidizes over longer than 30 day duration between usage with e-fuel causing water entrainment . Secondary cause could be a defective carb Thermostatic Choke Assembly .These easy start units have a rather funky carb not the most reliable , wish they had stayed with the manual choke or purge / primer style . P.S. James your engine is exactly the same as mine 6.75 Torque Rated , they have not changed anything on the power plant , only minor cosmetic changes to the mower deck and control design. My Unit was the 1st yr offering of the Kolher rather than the conventional Briggs or former Tec or Toro Engine. Believe me a have repaired numerous chainsaws and gas trimmers / blowers with efuel issues . The Small Engine Mower Market has just began to Wreak the Havoc of this Corn Based Fuel Additive !

Hi guys my name is Joe, actually I have a 1 year old toro 22" 149cc. First time using my mower this year after the winter season, I was cutting my lawn last week and suddenly my mower stopped... so I said what the heck I just bought this mower last year and something wrong already. So I tried and tried no response. Next day I brought my mower to a repair shop, and the guy said your mower needs a tune up. Then I ask the guy how much? He said 120 cash, I ask him if I he can do it for $80 he said no. I said its ok then and I left. On the way home I went to canadian tire and bought gas or fluid stabilizer and carbon cleaner and add it right away on the fuel left on the mower so when I get home it already mixed up. When I get home I remove the spark plug then sand it with 80 grit sanding paper and open the spark plug contact a little bit. Then I grab my small compressor and blow the spark plug and the hole were you put the spark plug in, and the spark plug cable. Then put everything together and pulled the string, guess what 1st try my mower start... I wish this thing will help you and excuse me for my grammar my English is not that good. Thanks

My first thought is that your primer button isn't working right. Try a very short burst of carb cleaner spray into the carb with the air filter OFF. If it starts right up, you have primer problems. It's been my experience that the Tecumseh carbs mounted on the left side of the engine can be a problem for cold start gas supply. You can remove the bowl nut and nothing comes out. Gently bang the front wheels and the flow starts. Weird problem. Next time it won't start, loosen the bowl nut and see if gas comes out, more gas than just what's in the bowl, I mean.