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

Drain the gas from the tank and carb and add fresh. If it doesn't start try squitring a small amount of gas into the throat of the carb, you will have to remove the air cleaner to do this. If it still doesn't start, it is probably time to take it to a mower shop for service unless you feel comfortable removing and cleaning the carb.

The easy fix is to remove the bottom brass bolt under the carb fuel bowl. First tip the mower up on its RH-side wheels so the carb is high. This is also the oil drain position. Never raise the other side unless all the oil and gas are out of the engine. Anyway, when you get tthe 'bolt' out, clean it up and make sure all holes are open. Pay attention to the tiny hole at the end of the threads that is on an angle - rod it out with the soft steel wire out of a wire tie off a loaf of bread, then blast it good with carb cleaner. After this, use STA-BIL 'Marine' fuel stabilizer (blue, super concentrate). Put it in your gas can every time you buy gas.

I replaced a 30 year old Toro with another Toro, a Super Recycler about 7 years ago. Beyond routine maintenance I have had no other expenses. I believe my experiences are shared by many other owners, otherwise Toro would not be in the domionant position they are. There must be more to your story. Which model do you have and what broke. Most Toro mowers have a 5 year warranty so I'm surprised the repoair work on your 2 year old mower covered under warranty. Give us more details.