any toro groundsmaster fans on here?

[railbike4]

I'm a proud 1980 groundsmaster 52 owner.



still all original motor , in my eyes, one of the best brands ever made for mowing and now that i built a cab and snowplow. I'm amazed how well it stays together.I'm brutal on equipment

 

[Xfaxman]

Yes, I have four Groundsmasters with the Mitsubishi 3 cylinder diesel engine and a front hydrostatic transaxle.

First one is a 1990 322D, I got in September of 2004,


Second one is a 1993 325D, I found on eBay in May 2005. Bought it for mowing, with the 6' deck.


Third one is a 1994 325D, from eBay in May 2008. Parts machine, with a good recycle deck.



Fourth one is a 1996 325D, from Bell Equipment, Stillwater, OK. Bought it in March 2009, for the 4WD and newer recycle deck.

 

[railbike4]

great looking mowers you have. I guess you are very happy with them.great pix also

 

[Xfaxman]

great looking mowers you have. I guess you are very happy with them.great pix also

Thanks, yep, very happy with the way they work and the power of the diesel engine. Only using one for mowing now, the first one has the loader on it, so that leaves two parts machines

Several years ago I read about the 88" Triflex rear discharge deck, it has two fold up wings. It was made from 1988 to 1994. I finally found one last October and put it on the 4WD unit.

 

[railbike4]

i see that there is a major change of how the front hydraulic arms for the deck mounts . it was very easy for us to fab our front attachments. snowplows,dirt buckets, forklift all have a simple mount . I really like the loader you built. and after seeing how ur deck mounts I see why you went that way. Dad has a 1000 toro groundsmaster.our implements are interchangeable. And actually the first forklift was built on my 52. Dad made it the first time easy change,2 pins and 2 quick connects and he ,was mowing. Now that he bought the bigger 1000 the forklift stays on permanently.All his attachments attach to the plate of the forktruck.snowplow,dirt bucket,limbinator, regular,, forks, hydraulic thumb on brush forks,big debris bucket, posthole digger, and the neatest of all is what we call the lawnmower on a stick ,that mounts on forklift plate. all hydraulic controls. he is running a 4way joystick where I run normal control with a splitter. Funny thing is dad has built some just as neat for his 212 jd's as well as for his old 580 case backhoe. I'm trying to get him interested in this forum and put some his inventions on here.

 

[railbike4]

i hope to build a project out of a bigger toro soon,i def.want 4x4 maybe 5000 series .but old enough to cut and build.probably won't even need the mower decks . Would be fun to have a big bat wing mower

 

[Xfaxman]

i hope to build a project out of a bigger toro soon,i def.want 4x4 maybe 5000 series .but old enough to cut and build.probably won't even need the mower decks . Would be fun to have a big bat wing mower

There are always several on eBay. Sometimes the s gets left out of groundsmaster and sometimes a space gets put in, grounds master or ground master.

toro reelmaster -gmc | eBay

Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles, Coupons and More | eBay

toro groundsmaster | eBay

toro groundmaster | eBay

 

[railbike4]

thanks xfaxman, lot of nice toros. spent the day trying to fab up the mtd snow blower to my toro. fun, fun, fun...here are some pics.from todays progress. The belt drive to shaft drive was fun to fig.out. Got lucky as **** that dad had an old gravely 90 shaft drive gear box that worked out close enough . will fab the rest up tomorrow . Then it will be time to fig.final chain drive... this part its really giving me fits. Can not find anything on auger speed for 40" single stage snow blower. I only have 16 hp. and i want it to work the first time.lol There is only one sprocket that I can change....lol

 

[Xfaxman]

Should have updated this thread last year when I got this one.

2004 TORO Groundsmaster 328D, 4WD, 28hp Kubota diesel, 2151 hours.

Pictures from 5-14-2014.

 

[Xfaxman]

Pictures from 5-30-2014 with the 6' Recycler deck.

 

[Xfaxman]

From last month, with R1 tires and a load of dead wood.

 

[Xfaxman]

This month I added a tractor canopy that I found on craigslist.

 

[Kernopelli]

Nice rig!! I was thinking about you today. I was driving by the local golf course and saw a 580D that they took out of service and it has been sitting outside their maintenance shop for several years now. It's 4x4 w/o the side decks and it's a monster! I have no idea what might be wrong with it but every time I see it I think it would make a nice loader and snow pusher! Maybe, I could one-up you and make a telehandler out of it :laughing: . I know the grounds keeper and the course owner and I was thinking I'd better get off my tail and ask one of them about it soon or I'm afraid it will get hauled off for scrap eventually.

 

[Creamer]

When did they quit making groundmasters?

 

[Xfaxman]

Nice rig!! I was thinking about you today. I was driving by the local golf course and saw a 580D that they took out of service and it has been sitting outside their maintenance shop for several years now. It's 4x4 w/o the side decks and it's a monster! I have no idea what might be wrong with it but every time I see it I think it would make a nice loader and snow pusher! Maybe, I could one-up you and make a telehandler out of it :laughing: . I know the grounds keeper and the course owner and I was thinking I'd better get off my tail and ask one of them about it soon or I'm afraid it will get hauled off for scrap eventually.

Go for it! A 580D with a telescoping boom would be awesome. :thumbsup: There are a lot of traction units and parts available on eBay.

 

[Xfaxman]

When did they quit making groundmasters?

They still make Groundsmasters, the GM360 is the latest.

And with a cab.

The 3xx series like I have has been discontinued, but replaced with the 3xxx series.

Here is a 3280D.

 

[Creamer]

I was told by a dealer just a couple of days ago that Toro did not make any front decks anymore. The mid decks may be called Groundmasters but they are not the same. I have a front deck and would not want a mid deck. The Groundmaster always looked like a great machine to me but mine was only half the price and was a ZTR.

 

[Xfaxman]

I was told by a dealer just a couple of days ago that Toro did not make any front decks anymore. The mid decks may be called Groundmasters but they are not the same. I have a front deck and would not want a mid deck. The Groundmaster always looked like a great machine to me but mine was only half the price and was a ZTR.

First thing there is a s in the middle. When searching on eBay you have to spell it four ways, groundsmaster, groundmaster, grounds master and ground master.

I just looked at their Website and all the front deck mowers are the large multi deck models. This may be the smallest one, the three wheel drive, three deck 3500.

I can't afford the new ones anyway, so my 2004 328D should last me the rest of my life.

My put together loader is 25 years old and I used it this week to move the 8' diameter bale ring.

 

[Xfaxman]

Thanks, yep, very happy with the way they work and the power of the diesel engine. Only using one for mowing now, the first one has the loader on it, so that leaves two parts machines

Several years ago I read about the 88" Triflex rear discharge deck, it has two fold up wings. It was made from 1988 to 1994. I finally found one last October and put it on the 4WD unit.
View attachment 357334 View attachment 357335 View attachment 357336 View attachment 357337 View attachment 357338

This is the 88" Triflex deck posted above.

I needed a smaller deck for making and mowing trails to ride horses on, TORO didn't make one smaller than 72", so I removed the two wing decks, that left a 54", 3 spindle deck just a little wider than the wheels, perfect for the trails.

 

[Creamer]

Looks like a fun machine and great for your usage!

Hard to see the machine in that dirt! Looks a little dry.

 

[Xfaxman]

The trailer tongue hits the corner of the ball mount on sharp turns. :thumbdown:

Cut the corners off with the recip saw. :thumbsup:

 

[Xfaxman]

Moved the parts machines into the shop, now they are on dollies.

 

[Mike KC]

Just bought my first Groundsmaster 72. With a 48" McKee Snowlander snow blower and cab.

Here are pics of it on the way home.




Excited to see what else I can do with it, like build me a lift also.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Industrial Toys]

NOTHING like commercial grass cutting equipment!

And now, FINALLY, I know what that odd "THING" is in XFaxman's picture.

 

[Xfaxman]

Just bought my first Groundsmaster 72. With a 48" McKee Snowlander snow blower and cab.

-------------------------

Excited to see what else I can do with it, like build me a lift also.

Thanks,
Mike

Congratulations. I like the horn. :thumbsup:

What engine does it have?

TORO has a great Website with links to manuals and parts.

That looks like the same deck as my 300 series side discharge deck.

 

[Xfaxman]

NOTHING like commercial grass cutting equipment!

And now, FINALLY, I know what that odd "THING" is in XFaxman's picture.

I guess you never saw the link in my signature.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I actualy thought it was some very early Melroe product.

 

[Xfaxman]

I actualy thought it was some very early Melroe product.

I does have some similarity's to the forerunner of the Bobcat skid steer.

 

[Sprinklerman]

For you ground master guys , what speed does that front pto turn , I have a line for a blower off one and wanted to put on my 3 point hitch . Matt

 

[Xfaxman]

For you ground master guys , what speed does that front pto turn , I have a line for a blower off one and wanted to put on my 3 point hitch . Matt

Considerably faster than 540, My recycle deck manual says 1810 RPM at 3200 engine RPM.

The engine pulley, #27 is a little smaller than the pulley #13, on the PTO shaft #43.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Thats what I was afraid of . Still may be worth picking the blower up

 

[Cord]

I was asked to post to this thread, but I won't be here for too long. Earlier this spring I bought a 4wd 328 and put a Lastec deck on it. Cutd and runs great and I really like the mower. Unfortunately, my yard is just too steep and I'm sliding too much. Slid for a good 5 feet last night and was headed right towards the house. I steered out of it, but I'm sure my wife would have froze and hit the house. So I'm upgrading to the Toro 3500 and will be selling the 328. If anybody's interested it's actually on ebay right now...

 

[Xfaxman]

Thanks for posting that neat mower deck.

Sorry the 328 didn't work for your slopes. Good luck on eBay.

 

[Creamer]

Cord - Put some tires on that machine and it will do fine!

 

[hunt4570]

Ok, Xfaxman said I should post here... here goes..

This is actually a Toro Pro Line 220, not really a groundsmaster. Not sure if it is a smaller model, older model or what but its very similar.I think it started life as a golf course mower or something as it has the number 4 on the front, so part of a fleet I'm guessing.
I had to replace/repair a bunch of stuff on it, most noteworthy the PTO driveshaft.$500 and due to the oddball splines on it I couldn't just get one made up!
It has a 20 hp Onan engine that runs great (knock on wood). It works well and cuts well but it has 2300 hours on it so it seems loose as a goose! And it rattles like crazy.. must be some way to settle down/tighten up that front deck!

So heres some glamor pics of the new to me mower.

Coming home.. nice use of my motorcycle trailer don't you think?



And here it is...







If it holds together I'll be happy... HEY... where do you get those R1 tires??? Gotten stuck a couple times now!

 

[Xfaxman]

Looks gooder-un! :thumbsup:

And it has the suspension seat.

I found the R1 tires and wheels on craigslist, they came from Ditch Witch.

The rears came from eBay.

 

[Creamer]

Nice looking machine Hunt. Good Choice

 

[Xfaxman]

From the second post in this thread:

-------------------------------------------

Fourth one is a 1996 325D, from Bell Equipment, Stillwater, OK. Bought it in March 2009, for the 4WD and newer recycle deck.

I used it a lot since I got it in 2009, but in the spring of 2014, it started blowing coolant out of the radiator overflow tube, so I parked it, planning to swap engines with the 1993 parts machine.

Of course I never got a roundtuit. Then last month I saw a can of Bar's Leaks Head Gasket Fix and tried it. To my surprise it worked! Website: Bar's Leaks

It is operational again. :thumbsup:

Then I found a suspension seat base on eBay, so now I have another roundtuit project.

 

[Xfaxman]

Well good news, I got a roundtuit.

Had to drill the TORO baseplate to match the bottom of the suspension seat base.

Put some spacers on top, for the seat to bolt onto.

The seat looks high, but with me sitting on it, it comes down about where the other one was, and has a lot of travel. :thumbsup:

Now I am trying to decide which deck to use on it.:confused3:

 

[hunt4570]

Looks gooder-un! :thumbsup:

And it has the suspension seat.

I found the R1 tires and wheels on craigslist, they came from Ditch Witch.

The rears came from eBay.

So, back to those R1 tires.. Been looking everywhere and no can find! The ones on my mower say 20x8-10, all I can find are 20x10-8... any clue if they would work? What size are yours?

 

[Cord]

No, that tire size will not work. The last number is the rim size. Your stock tire has a 10" rim and your replacement tire has a 8" rim. First number is the diameter, second number the tire width and the third number is the rim diameter. The 10" rims and 20" diameter is an oddball. However there are few options out there for ATV tires and I believe the Carlisle All Trail is available in that size.

 

[hunt4570]

No, that tire size will not work. The last number is the rim size. Your stock tire has a 10" rim and your replacement tire has a 8" rim. First number is the diameter, second number the tire width and the third number is the rim diameter. The 10" rims and 20" diameter is an oddball. However there are few options out there for ATV tires and I believe the Carlisle All Trail is available in that size.

Thanks, I'll have a look at it.

And thanks for the education

 

[Creamer]

Here is a link from the Carlisle site. On my mower I went from a 20X10-8 to a 21X11-8. It is slightly larger diameter so I had to re-level the deck but it is all good. It will climb a hill like a billy goat now. Well worth the change even though they do ride a little rougher than turfs.

 

[hunt4570]

Here is a link from the Carlisle site. On my mower I went from a 20X10-8 to a 21X11-8. It is slightly larger diameter so I had to re-level the deck but it is all good. It will climb a hill like a billy goat now. Well worth the change even though they do ride a little rougher than turfs.

I think you forgot the link.. ;-)

 

[Xfaxman]

So, back to those R1 tires.. Been looking everywhere and no can find! The ones on my mower say 20x8-10, all I can find are 20x10-8... any clue if they would work? What size are yours?

Your tire size is 20 inch diameter, 8 inches wide on a 10 inch wheel. So a 20x10-8 would not work.

Mine are on a 12 inch wheel, I will try to check the diameter and width tomorrow.

 

[hunt4570]

Your tire size is 20 inch diameter, 8 inches wide on a 10 inch wheel. So a 20x10-8 would not work.

Mine are on a 12 inch wheel, I will try to check the diameter and width tomorrow.

What do you think of these? they are the onlyones I can find in this size that aren't turf tires, they seem pretty coarse though.
2 2x8 1 4 Ply Kenda K378 AG Traction Tires 2x8 1 2 8 1 81 4AGR | eBay

 

[Xfaxman]

What do you think of these? they are the onlyones I can find in this size that aren't turf tires, they seem pretty coarse though.
2 2x8 1 4 Ply Kenda K378 AG Traction Tires 2x8 1 2 8 1 81 4AGR | eBay

Yep, too coarse, made for mud.

Measure the physical size of your tire and see if these might fit: New Set of 2 Kenda 22x11x1 Bar Tread Tires Grasshopper 482483 | eBay

 

[Xfaxman]

------------------------------

Mine are on a 12 inch wheel, I will try to check the diameter and width tomorrow.

They are 23 x 8.50-12.

The 1996, 325D has 23 x10.50-12 turfs that are wider, on a wider wheel.

 

[Creamer]

I think you forgot the link.. ;-)

I wonder why it did not post. It was there when I clicked post.

Anyway just Google "Carlisle AT101". This is the chevron tire that is just slightly larger than the turfs that should work well.

 

[hunt4570]

I wonder why it did not post. It was there when I clicked post.

Anyway just Google "Carlisle AT101". This is the chevron tire that is just slightly larger than the turfs that should work well.

Thanks I will do that..