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LX460 Riding Mower
By -

I bought a Toro LX460 in summer 2006 from Home Depot. After 8 hours use the mower belt fell off and when I went to replace it I found it was so rounded I could no longer tell the pulley engaging face. Home Depot refused to honor the warranty explaining that 'a belt is a wear item'. I paid $120 dollars to replace the belt and a pulley sheave and mount that was bent apparently by their storefront display cable. I'm sorry folks, twigs don't indent pulley sheaves like Home Depot also claimed!

When I got the mower back with assurances that it was fixed and tested I found the HD contract mechanic had tried to replace the tensioner spring with a screen door spring, had cross-threaded the spring mount bolts, left the retention stud and sleeve and washer on the deck along with his own wrenches (how bright is that?) He therefore could not possibly have 'run tested it' as claimed. I sent it back a second time with a Xerox of the LX460 deck parts diagram, the parts he left out and his own tools in a plastic bag and politely explained by note how to properly put it together.

I got back the mower with the hood keyed as he apparently took offense at being told how to do his job. The mower was still not fixed correctly. Having paid for the repair, I simply asked Home Depot to order the parts so I could fix it myself. After another six weeks' wait I went back and they didn't know who I even was or where the order forms went. I ordered the parts elsewhere and fixed it myself in spite of having paid so much to have the repair done for me.

The next spring, at only 16 hours (because I couldn't use it nearly all summer) the carb began to smoke. I had to pay for a full rebuild and was told again that this is not warranty but 'routine spring maintenance'. The belt again wore out. This time I scanned the Web and learned that Toro had a recall all along so I was able to get the second belt repair under warranty.

By now the rear tire was always flat, the cheap plastic parking brake would release unexpectedly, the trim around the hour meter fell off, the cheap paper strip to mark engine speed peeled, one headlight stopped working (a tricky repair since they use aluminum foil not metal for the reflector cage) and the underside of the plastic hood was abrading away due to lack of proper spacer mounts. The 'quick-disconnect' mower deck would fall off spontaneously so I had to drill through the mount studs and put clip pins through them to even be able to mow at all. The mower smoked black clouds on starting and used oil.

After eight trailer trips with my mower for the four major repairs the mower belt began to slip off again and the tensioner spring snapped off and so I did what I should have done all along - I took the mower to our farm mechanic out in the country. He showed me that the burning oil came from Toro not securing a vent tube into the muffler... some putty sealed and solved that. And he pointed out that Toro had used the cheapest belts possible hence the main drive belt had twenty major cracks by 100 hours use and their third replacement deck belt was already marginally serviceable.

He replaced all with high quality belts (wider, thicker and with more internal threads) and slimed the tires to stay inflated. Don't deal with Home Depot (You can do it WITHOUT their help) and don't deal with Toro for non-commercial products because they apparently lay awake at night thinking about how they can sell cheaper and cheaper made crap.

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Defective Lawn Mower
By -

SOUTH BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA -- Last July I purchased a Toro Lawnmower. It worked fine the balance of the summer and the first 3 or 4 times I used it this spring. The last time I attempted to use it the engine seized up. I attempted to restart it one time and stopped believing that continued attempts could damage the engine. I located a local hardware store that was authorized to complete warranty work and the tech advised that the engine was completely out of oil.

While I confess I didn't check the engine this particular time I check the oil level almost every time. (I know it sound like an excuse but it's true). In my mind it was so unlikely that it was lack of oil that when it seized up I didn't even look. After expressing my disbelief to the person who worked on my mower I mentioned "Where did the oil go? I didn't tip the mower over nor did I drain the oil the correct way." He admitted there wasn't a drop of oil on the exterior and that the mower was very clean. But that if Toro would authorize it he would love to break the engine down and take a look at it.

Seriously I used it the balance of last summer and this spring...if there was no oil it wouldn't have lasted that long...I certainly didn't empty it. There wasn't any oil on the floor of my shed and again the tech admitted it was very clean without oil residue. I then contacted Toro Customer service and explained the situation to them. Since it was a lack of oil issue I mentioned that I thought I was waste of time. She assured me that she would send their local representative to the hardware store to consult with the tech. (I should mention she was very nice.)

A week later the tech called to tell me that the Toro representative stopped by and wouldn't authorize any repairs and when the tech asked if he wanted him to tear down the engine the Rep said no. According to the tech the conversation lasted maybe 30 seconds. Obviously the Toro representative went through the motions in investigating my lawn mower issue. As I stated above....I used the mower without any problem....I didn't drain the oil and no one can tell me where it went. Complete waste of money. I didn't even own the mower a complete year.

Most of the time it was in storage during Autumn and Winter. I realize that in the end the oil is my responsibility and admit that this particular time I didn't check. But I know...I checked the week prior and it had plenty. If there was an issue with the engine it was defective...it was not due to lack of maintenance.

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Home Depot/MTD/Toro are in it for the money!
By -

BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA -- I never bothered talking to the local Toro dealer before I went to Home Depot and bought my LX460 back in 2006. Big mistake! I knew there had to be some difference in the quality of mowers because Home Depot was able to sell the same mower for $1,000 less than my local dealer. When you added in the interest fee financing it was a no-brainer. The trouble didn't start right away since I only used it for half the summer of 2006. It mowed fine through 2007 as well. And then in 2008 I lost my first belt. No big deal...go to Home Depot and get another one. Home Depot does not carry replacement belts for the mowers it sells.

The guy in the department said I could buy one that was close and it would be fine. The replacement belt lasted about two cuts of my 1.4 acre lot. Replaced the belt again and it lasted even less. Decided to hire someone to come in and re-grade my lawn to take some of the bumps out of it and didn't mow again the summer of 2008. In 2009 I hired a lawn service because I tore up another belt the first mow of the season and could not deal with the problem due to family issues. Decided to try again this spring and lost another belt 30 minutes into the first mow of the season.

Finally decided to call Toro because of the belt eater I had bought. Was told that the warranty was for 2 years or 80 hours, whichever comes first. Since it was 4 years old I was out of luck. Forget that I only had about 40 hours on it. Toro had me bring it to an authorized dealer who told me that my pulleys were rusted and pitted because I did not use the mower ENOUGH. They said that regular mowing actually keeps the pulleys polished. I guess it makes some sense, but I decided to talk to someone who has been fixing mowers for 30 years. He said that MTD uses a thinner gauge steel that is prone to misalignment.

Seems that if you weld some extra steel on in certain spots of the deck, it won't bend and therefore eat belts. Toro claims it is because of lack of use when it is really cheap construction. Toro will deny any out of warranty claims automatically because they no longer even make their own riding mowers. Stay away from anything sold at Home Depot or manufactured by MTD. Toro used to stand for quality. Forget that now.

One last note that was brought to my attention. Everyone today is out to make a buck. Toro riding mowers used to sell for $7,000 and last for 20 years. Now they sell for $1,500 and last for 4 years. They are probably still making as much money as before because they are selling more mowers, but their quality reputation is gone.

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Toro & Home Depot will no longer get my business
By -

We bought this mower in March of 2009. We used it pretty much weekly during the summer of 2009 - really type A about making sure it was charged, making sure there was oil in it, but we always had a few stalls doing the yard. We blamed ourselves for having a thick lawn. We stored it over the winter in accordance with the instructions. We did a tune-up, even changing the blade and spark plug in accordance with instructions. On its first time out, it stalled about six times. We blamed it on ourselves - again. It died on the second time out. So I called Home Depot who told me to call Briggs & Stratton customer service which I did.

After a full 25 minutes of waiting someone answered and referred me to their "authorized representatives" nearby. I called each one of the four - the first said they weren't "doing Home Depot's work," the second said that they didn't do warranty work because "they didn't get paid" and the other two said that they were 6-12 weeks behind. So I called Home Depot and finally got someone to admit I could take the mower back there for a $35 fee which would be refunded if the repair was under warranty.

After a week we got a call from the alleged repair service who said that the piston-something-or-other was worn through "lack of lubrication" and that the entire motor had to be replaced, along with an oil change and air filter - none of which fell under warranty and would cost us $221. Bull. An outright lie. At NO time was that mower ever run without more than enough oil - if it wasn't getting to the engine, then I would believe it was a flaw in the motor itself. Besides which one week before it died, the air filter and oil were changed. I'm hoping I can get Toro or someone on the phone tomorrow and give 'em heck. But I'll never buy from there or Home Depot again.

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Poor Customer Service
By -

I purchased a Toro LX425 riding mower from Home Depot and the first time I tried to use it discovered the battery was dead. Called customer care and was told to boost it using my car and jumper cables - That didn't work. Called customer care again and was told to buy a battery charger and use that to get the battery going - That worked, at my expense. Then, after the second use under normal usage conditions, when turning a corner, the blade became bent and the pulley belt severed. When I called customer care they told me to get the parts at the local dealer and replace them, so I did.

I tried the mower again, and again I had to charge the battery for an hour, and the pulley severed yet again, with no bent blade this time. I emailed Toro customer care through their website twice over the course of a week and each time received a message on screen that said I would hear back in 2 business days. But they never contacted me at all. Absolutely nothing. I wrote a letter to the president of Toro and what seemed to be a low level manager called me and told me that Toro sells the mowers to Home Depot and they in turn sell to consumers, and that said I should be contacting Home Depot with any problems I have with the mower (but that is another story altogether).

Never owned a Toro product before, and other than this, I never will again. Really surprised by their lack of customer service. I now have a useless mower that I just paid $1500 for and have used for less than 5 hours. Also, I have spent several hundred dollars on the battery charger and the replacement parts. My grass is very tall.

Resolution Update 08/06/2008:

Update! Well, Toro is still missing in action. As far as Toro is concerned I am stuck with their poorly built mower. However, Home Depot came through for me. Although this whole problem is not Home Depot's fault, they have stepped up to the plate and allowed me to return this crappy mower and receive a full refund. They even reimbursed me for the money I spent having the mower repaired. Home Depot is great. Toro sucks!!

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Toro Dealer Does Not Honor "Full Warranty"
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA -- My local Toro dealer, Arlington Power Equipment of Palatine, IL not only failed to honor the Mfg. "Full 2-Year Warranty" on a snow blower I purchased from them in Oct 2011, but they claimed my machine needed major work, to tune of $160, because of a fuel leak I discovered at the start of this winter caused by a bad carburettor gasket. This problems was deemed not to be a warranty item!

In addition, they claimed it needed a new spark plug, a rebuilt carb etc. because of "varnish" in the fuel system - in spite of the fact that the fuel was drained out and the engine run dry (as specified in the owner's manual) at the end of the winter season. I recommend that you avoid doing business with Toro or this dealer at all costs

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Never Again, Toro
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

NORTH BROOKFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS -- Purchased a new Toro, LX460, from Home Depot 4 years ago. Total time on mower is 145 hours. Have gone through 12 belts, 3 shoulder bolts and 1 rebuild of mower deck ($400) upper belt guide path. Contacted Home Depot 2 years ago about some of the problems. "It's Toro's problem".

Contacted Toro via e-mail with full list of details without the courtesy of a response. Local Toro dealer refused to work on the 460 because: 1) it was purchased from Home Depot, and 2) they claimed that Toro manufactures two different quality products with the same model numbers, one for the box stores and one for their dealers. First Toro lasted about 20 years, but parts no longer available. Now, no longer a Toro customer since they seem not to care. Time for a garage sale for the other Toro products I have.

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Toro - A High Maintenance Mower That Is Hard To Start
By -

My 91-year old father was sold this mower for his 66-year old daughter (me) to used to mow a very large lawn. "Guaranteed to Start" is a deception. All mowers start eventually and this one is so hard to start...but it does start eventually. I was told that, after 30 days, any unused gas must be disposed as it will destroy the engine. How do you do this? The EPA will hit you with big fines if you just poured it out. The Toro company is totally unsupportive. Right now, the gas has no time to become stale. But, I have a terrible time starting it. This is a very delicate, high maintenance mower that is difficult to start unless you are a very strong male.

Please consider Sears with a service contract for any repairs for your next mower. The Kensington MD dealer told me that it needed high test gas but the Toro company said that this octane would burn up the engine. Who can you believe? My dad was sold a "lemon." There is nothing that we can do but warn others.

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Lost its Value
By -

I regret buying my first Toro Riding mower LX460 @ Home Depot. Fortunate I also purchased some extended warranty and that basically took care in part of my problems. I purchased my riding mower in fall 2006. Next summer, the mower did not work. The manufacturer warranty took care. The second year I had problems with carburettor and ignition system. 3rd year problems with carburettor. No problems on 4th year. 5th year problems with belts, I fixed it this time since the extended warranty has expired. I originally purchased this product because I always heard great things about the Toro products.

The brand name Toro originally was to me like Honda or Toyota. For big good old companies, reputation is a must and for them customer service is number one. I wouldn't mind paying the extra hundred bucks to Home Depot for my mower to avoid all the issues I went through. Simply put, the Toro brand name is no longer the same. Stay away from it.

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Poor quality of product & poor customer service
By -

We've only had this lawn mower for 2 yrs. We went to start it up and the entire cable (that starts the mower) and everything attached to it fell apart. Took it to an authorized dealer that Toro advises you to go to and they gave us the run around until the end of day. They then decided they would tell us that they couldn't even look at the lawn mower until Tuesday. We asked why and they proceeded to get nasty saying that this was the busy season and good luck trying to find someone else that will look at it and hung up on us.

The business was called Burdick Lawn Equipment. Then called the customer service at Toro and they couldn't understand why it would fall apart, however wouldn't allow us to order replacement parts for our lawn mower. Do Not Buy Toro... They are not a lasting product.

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Toro Rating:
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1.0 out of 5, based on 2 ratings and
16 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Toro
8111 Lyndale Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55420-1196
1-800-348-2424 (ph)
www.thetorocompany.com
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