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Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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Posted by
continuallylearning MI (
My Page) on
Sun, Jun 6, 10 at 15:49
| My fiance and I have been given a Toro 20463 Super Recycler from her grandparents for our first home. It's probably about 10 years old; hasn't been used for the last 5. From the research I've done, the mower seems a great model and Super Recyclers are still highly recommended (which makes sense since her gpa always bought high quality and maintained eqpt well). It looked as though the gas was drained properly before storage, so I partially filled the tank just to see if it would start. It didn't; worse, all the gas I put in leaked out of the hole in the primer bulb on the front of the engine.
Without formal diagnostics, I'm thinking it could just be the primer bulb, which from what I've found online seems either easy to replace myself or relatively inexpensive to pay the shop to do when I get the tune up that I expected to need anywyas. However I'm now questioning if I should repair it or put the money towards new eqpt. I'm getting tune up estimates alone for $75-$130, so if a total repair bill is $150+, I'm thinking it might be be more cost effective to just spend $300 or so to purchase new, even if that doesn't buy me the same quality mower as a new Super Recycler. Or should I attempt the tune up and primer bulb replacement myself? I've not done it before but am fairly handy and a quick learner, and again, from what I've read it all seems pretty straightforward.
More importantly though, could the leak be indicative of a larger, more costly problem? Would you spend the time &/or money to repair the mower, or just put it towards a new one? Any thoughts or advice is appreciated! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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- Posted by canguy British Columbia (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 6, 10 at 16:02
| It has been sitting for 5 years, the fuel residue has turned to varnish. The estimates are not out of line, I would repair the mower rather than dump it in favor of a wallyworld special. The Toro will last many years and give a much better cut. |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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| with a little research, you should be able to get the parts you need to get this jewel running. DIY is the way I would go. It just needs a carb kit and a new primer. 30 $ and a an hour or 2 should do the trick. |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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| Second on the repair. If it were mine, I would pick up a new carb and fuel line- give the tank a a good cleaning and it will be up and running again. A new air filter, plug and oil plus a shot of grease in each rear pivot arm you will have a great mower. The primer itself is likely fine- just that the carb is all yucked up and overflowing |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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- Posted by ericwi Dane County WI (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 6, 10 at 20:39
| I would repair the mower & put it to use. You need to be aware that many of the postings on this particular forum are made by folks who enjoy maintaining old equipment, and in particular bringing something non-functional back to life. If you really need to get the lawn mowed tomorrow, and you would rather avoid spending time fixing this old mower, then you might be better off with a new one. But, some of us will be sorely disappointed.... |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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| No brainer. Fix it. You'll have a great mower. If you're as quick a study as you say you are, it won't be difficult to replace the carb bulb. In addition, you should take an hour to disassemble a clean the carburetor to make sure nothing's gummed up in there; there are plenty of YouTube videos showing how to do this and you'll be grateful to have been through the process once if you ever need to do a cleaning down the road. Just be sure to wear safety goggles when spraying with carb cleaner if you use that (as opposed to the garden hose nozzle, which I often use after I've taken off all the small parts). I would also remove the fuel tank, rinse it out thoroughly with a garden hose, and drain it well. I'd also replace the fuel hose, which may be rotten on the inside. Going forward, use StaBil (available at Home Depot or auto parts stores) to make sure your gas stays in good shape. |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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| all good suggestions, but tomplum has the best detail. |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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| Small engine repair rates are ridiculous. That's why I always charged a flat hourly rate when I did small engine repair. Seriously, for probably $30-50 you could get a whole new carburetor, bolt it on and go. Do as the others have suggested, and don't forget to change the oil when you do the tune-up. Small engines are still one of the most durable consumer goods out there. I have had several mowers where the decks rusted out, wheels fell off, etc., and the engines were still going strong, and with a minimum of care. |
RE: Repair Handed Down Toro or Purchase New?
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| Agree with tomplum-New Carb and fuel line,clean tank and oil change.Also,if you have a digital camera,take a picture of the linkage on carb.For re-assembly. |
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