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| I was at my local mower shop today and the salesman showed me the new Toro 21" commercial. The salesman said this one has about 40% less moving parts than last years model. It looks different than last year's . He said the vacuum is better than the Honda and it has a large discharge chute that doesn't clog. He said two of his biggest lawn care accounts tried the new Toro back in January when it was raining heavily here and this new mower didn't clog and performed great. this new mower is supposed to be great at both bagging and mulching. Has anyone else heard any feedback on these new mowers? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Checking out the Toro site (which is always distinctly unpleasant) I found the 22156 which may be what you saw. This is exactly the same machine (with red/white paint) as the former Lawn-Boy commercial 22271. Excellent mower. I got a 22271 on closeout for $799. I'd venture to say the Toro 22156 will be a bit higher than that. They also have the typical mistakes on their site, such as in one place they call the engine a 'GSX' and in another 'GSV'. It is unquestionably a GSV which is the commercial version of the GCV OHC engine. This new application represents only the second mower this engine has been on. I think its very interesting that they have come out with this full-commercial mower, because now I have a source of parts for mine :). Seriously, there have been doubts about the durability of this engine (basically speculation since it hasn't been in use long enough to know), but having Toro stand behind it on a commercial tells me they have confidence in it. Its an iron-sleeve, ball-bearing engine, so it should last. Another interesting fact - they also sell the 'Super Bagger' 20192 which is the same deck with GCV engine and plastic wheels. This would be a much more affordable version for those that don't want/need a full commercial. Here's my Lawn-Boy. I think the mower looks a lot better in green/orange than red/white, but I'm biased. [IMG]http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb27/INLAND44/yard/22271d1.jpg [/IMG] |
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| Darn - forgot how to post pics on this primitive site. |
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| Okay, we'll try this.
Okay, you have to use a html link - like the directions say. |
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| Hey Saxman1, your mower looks nice. I should have mentioned that the mower I'm referring to is not pictured on the Toro site. The deck is a one piece steel design. To adjust the front wheels you pull a tab up then pull the wheel itself off of the mower then reinsert it into the height hole that you want. It is belt driven. The whole rear axle assembly comes off in about 5 minutes (the salesman said). Looks very easy to work on. |
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| I really need to clean it up. It doesn't look like that anymore since I've been using it about 2 years. I'll watch out for the mower you mentioned, but you made me look at the Toro site and I found the other new commercial I mentioned, so it wasn't a wasted exercise. Yep, the 22271 was the last Lawn-Boy commercial, and they didn't make many. It has an easy life here and gets only Royal Purple 10W30 'Max-Cycle' oil at $12/qt. |
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- Posted by whirlwind1974 Calif (My Page) on Thu, Apr 15, 10 at 1:35
| From your description it sounds like the ExMark 21 Commercial mower , especially the front height adjustment. ExMark is now owned by Toro. |
Here is a link that might be useful: ExMark Commercial 21
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Thanks for that link - looks like a great mower. The plenum chamber under the deck is interesting. I had a Homelite/Jacobsen with a similar arrangement, and it was hands-down the best bagger I ever used. I couldn't tell on the video, but usually the blade is made special for this application, being high inside the chamber, then having a 'dip' on each side for the ring, then returning to the prior height. The center ring separates the 'dead' air center from the high-speed outer ring, providing great vacuuming and discharging. That is quite a mower, but I can't say I'm crazy about the 'pull 'n plug' front wheel height adjustment. The bag also looks a tad small. I'd probably still take the 22156. Here's the deck on my 1989 Homelite/Jacobsen (it's still in the family and I might get it back soon :)). The bagging chute attached to the side discharge port and the bag was between the handles.   |
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| Kinda makes me sad. Last year I bought Honda's HRC216K3HXA - their top of the line commercial mower. I figured I couldn't go wrong, since I still have a 13 year old Honda my inlaws are using now. For the most part I was right, except for the cut. For some unknown reason, since I first got it, it leaves random single blades of grass uncut. I've had RPM checked, brand new blades sharpened, etc. What bothers me most is I was teetering between the Toro commercial, and the Honda I got. Since the Honda was still a couple hundred cheaper than the Toro, I went with it. Now I'm wishing I went with the Toro. Hey saxman - what kinda blade is that on the Jacobsen? Looks like it's serrated along the entire edge. Impressive looking! |
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| I'm afraid that's just 'pixellation', not serrations. The blade is special for that mower but other than that has regular cutting edges. |
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| I'm considering selling my Honda HRC2162HXA and buying the new Exmark Commercial 21. So far I'm so frustrated with my Honda commercial and the random standing grass blades that I'm going to get the Exmark. But, before I do, I would like to hear what anyone else in this forum has heard about the Exmark Commercial 21. |
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| Does anybody know where I can puchase a NEW Lawn Boy 22271. I know it's going to be tough and I know the story of Toro and LB, but you never know. There might still be one out there in its box. I live in Toronto. Greatly appreciated. |
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| Oh, man! Good luck on that one! It has been nearly four years since it was discontinued. As I said above, the Toro 22156 is the exact same mower as the LB22271 except for colors. Plus, you can also get the Toro 'Super Bagger' 20192 which is still the same deck with a Honda GVC160. |
Here is a link that might be useful: TORO 'Commercial 21
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| How about a NEW in the box 10550? |
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- Posted by gfc56 z8 Fl (gfc56@eudoramail.com) on Fri, May 13, 11 at 16:34
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Wed, May 25, 11 at 18:09
| Interesting discussion. I was just looking at a Toro 22156, and may be buying one this weekend. I've never owned a self-propelled lawn-mower, so I have some basic questions for you. 1. How well do these mowers climb slopes? I have some very steep slopes (30-42 degrees). The slopes aren't very long,,,perhaps 8 feet at the longest part. 2. When using these self-propelled mowers, do you simply pull backwards when you want to reverse, or, do you have to disengage the drive mechanism? I presume it's a ratchet-type system,,, is that correct? |
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- Posted by tarheelman (My Page) on Wed, May 25, 11 at 21:44
| The 22156 is rear wheel drive, and rear wheel drive self propelled mowers have more traction than front wheel drive ones, making them better at handling slopes. You're correct, the drive system uses ratchets. To reverse the mower, release the drive bail (which, obviously, disengages the drive) and pull the mower backwards. |
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Wed, May 25, 11 at 22:40
| Thanks tarheelman. I called the dealer today, and I may be buying the mower tomorrow. One of the features I really liked about this machine, was how quickly and easily the bag detaches and re-attaches. I didn't care for the bag attachment on the heavy-duty model, although, the large capacity bag would be nice. |
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Fri, May 27, 11 at 2:09
| I looked at the 22156 tonight. No spin-on oil-filter. Looks like I might have to consider the 22197 or 22198 for my steep slopes. |
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Mon, May 30, 11 at 21:29
| Well, I have a brand spanking new Toro 22156 parked in my back yard tonight. I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl in the morning. I ran it briefly, and the mower was almost pulling me across the yard. I can hardly wait to try it on my steep slopes. ;-)) |
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- Posted by tarheelman (My Page) on Mon, May 30, 11 at 22:54
| Congratulations! Let us know how you like it. BTW, what did the dealer say about operating the splash lubed Honda engine on your slopes? |
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Tue, May 31, 11 at 1:22
| It really shouldn't cause a problem. Although my slopes are steep,,, they're also short. When I'm standing at the bottom of the slopes, I'm usually pushing the lawn-mower up and immediately back down, and the slope will vary from 4 feet vertical height, to 7 feet at the extreme. There are areas of these slopes where I mow diagonally across, and the mower is probably leaning 30 degrees. I've been doing this for the past 6 years with my old Husq/Honda push-mower(worst buy I ever made), with no oil-starvation or motor issues whatsoever. The mower is rarely on the slopes for more than a few seconds at a time, before returning to "level". |
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Tue, May 31, 11 at 20:07
| Well, I worked with the mower for roughly an hour today, and was able to do an area that had previously taken me almost two hours to do. This machine is going to be a real back-saver for me. One characteristic I noticed today was, the machine is very strong at bagging. I was amazed at how small the clippings were, and how densely packed the bag could get. I don't think I could have jammed another teaspoon of grass into that bag. |
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- Posted by tarheelman (My Page) on Tue, May 31, 11 at 21:18
| Thanks for the update---glad to hear that your slopes aren't long enough to cause a problem. Toro's advertising historically has been fairly accurate (as opposed to all hype). Based on your experience with this mower's bagging ability, Toro's promotion of this deck design's bagging adeptness is spot-on. FWIW, the credit for this deck design actually belongs to the now-defunct Outboard Marine Corporation, whose lawn equipment engineers developed a mower with a high-back deck and one-hand bag removal/reinstallation. The 22156 (and its residential Super Bagger sibling) are based on this OMC design, with a few updates to lower both the weight and the manufacturing cost. (Toro purchased OMC's lawn equipment division in 1989).
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- Posted by LawnJohnSilver (My Page) on Wed, Jun 1, 11 at 10:58
| Last night I worked for another hour on my lawn, and couldn't believe how much work and time this machine will save me, compared to my old Husq/Honda push-mower. Tackling my slopes is so much easier now. I've got another 1/2 hour or so to do, so roughly 2 1/2 hours to do the lawn with the new mower. Previously, it was taking me five hours.(3.5hr for the slopes/ 1.5hr for the "flats") Another point; With the light-weight aluminum body, I figured that the center-of-gravity might be a little higher, and that this might cause the machine to want to roll over, when mowing across a slope. This was not the case. Also, I used to remove the bag when mowing slopes with my Husq/Honda. It was wayyyy too heavy and awkward, and the machine actually flipped over on me, on several occasions. With this new Toro, I have no hesitation to use the bag on slopes. Even with the bag nearly full, the machine easily deals with the added weight, and remains stable. The machine has created one problem for me however; I had just ordered a fairly heavy-duty garden-tractor from John Deere (X-500/ 54" deck). The JD rep was here on Monday, to take a look at my slopes, and he says the tractor would do "some" of my slopes, but downhill only. He felt that even a 4wd tractor wouldn't be able to climb the slopes. A Kubota rep who came later the same day, said the same. Now I'm thinking that I should cancel the X-500. I'm torn, but it's hard to justify the expense, if I'm only using it to mow the "flats" of my yard, when the new Toro takes care of that area in less than an hour. If I relegate the mower to slopes only duty, and use the tractor for the flats, the tractor would see only 15 hours of work per year. For snow-removal, I'm using a "tracked" Honda 11/32, and I'm entirely happy with that machine. |
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