any toro groundsmaster fans on here?

[nas90tdi]

That's good to hear. I did a lot of research trying to decide on tires. I wanted more traction, but not dig the yard up every time I turned. They seemed like a good compromise.

The lifting link on the mower was cracked at the pivot. It really just looked like a terrible factory weld had come loose. Didn't look to be worked on before. So, I cut the split out and rewelded it before it actually damaged something. It wasn't welded along the bottom, just up the sides. I guess it's been on there all these years, but I welded across the bottom of the tube as well just to be sure it never moved again. Should be good to go for a while now.

 

[Asymair95]

Slow progress on the guardian tonight. Lots of rusted carriage bolts that would strip out. Going to have to weld them to the deck or cut them off...delays...delays.



Pulled the spindles. They seem to be pretty tight considering the abuse they’ve endured. The spindle itself slides up and down in the housing about 1/8” - 1/4” but didn’t think this was right. Maybe I need to snug up the nut on top to cinch things up?



Also got the skids pulled. Luckily the carriage bolts didn’t strip out on these. Going to weld these in when it goes back together. You can’t even get the rear bolt out without removing the baffling first...poor design.

Tomorrow I have to roll it outside and weld the baffling bolts so I can get those off. Then, cleanup and repairs begin.

 

[Asymair95]

Deck is officially stripped.



Baffles came out after a valiant fight. Someone had welded them in at a few points, so that was fun.

 

[nas90tdi]

Tires worked out fantastic. I am really happy with how they perform.
Still have one hill it likes to spin on, but overall control feels much better. Adjusting the brakes and treadle plate linkage and pivot made a huge difference as well.




My brother took it for a spin and he says it's way better as well. So, I am calling this stage a success.





Next I think I will tackle upgrading the fuel system to add the spin on filter and water separator. And, replace the electric fuel pump which is not working.

 

[Asymair95]

That looks great. Should have got those for my 2wd. Do they tear up the turf in tight turns, like say going around a tree or something?

 

[nas90tdi]

No , I didn't have any problems with them ripping up turf. I was actually surprised they didn't do any damage. The will dig a hole much faster when it spins though, that's for sure.

 

[HelpingDAD]

I would like to apologize in advance if this isn't the right place to post. I don't want to high jack this conversation and didn't want to start a new post unless I need to but I'm looking for some help. We've had a Toro Groundsmaster for as long as I can remember. Last year my dad purchased another one that needed some work that him and his mechanic buddy have been redoing. They thought they had it complete but they have an oil leak. They need to take the motor apart again but they need a special tool that they have been unable to locate. They have now passed the job onto me to see if I have any more luck. The machine is old so I knew parts would be difficult to locate but this is proving to be more difficult than I though. I've been able to locate everything else they've needed but I'm quickly running out of options now. I'm hoping someone here can point me in the direction of finding this tool or some tips on what to do to get this done.

The specific tool is identified as "Extractor tool for removing the distributor collar". There is a number listed in the picture I have a attached but I haven't been able to locate anything based on this number either. I've also included a picture of the engine tag to help identify as well. The machine is believed to be between 77-79 and has a continental motor in it.

Hopefully someone can help us on what we can do to get this thing back together and running like new.

 

[Asymair95]

Moving along on the guardian mulch deck. Have a tale of caution for all you guardian users out there.



Deck is all stripped down and wire wheeled off. Only exception was under the front lip of the deck.





There was a piece of flat steel welded along the entire front inside lip for some reason. I’m unsure if this is factory or not. As you can see the steel trapped grass and debris causing severe rotting.





My fix is to use a cutting disc to remove this blasted lip piece and clean things out. Unfortunately, there is lots of cancer though.



This was all the junk that was trapped behind the U shaped front lip. Definitely check your decks and see if you have this U channel on yours. Don’t believe it serves any real purpose, as the baffling contains the suction for the blades and such. What it does do is trap clippings causing catastrophic rotting.

All the cleaning and de-rusting is complete. Next phase is fabrication to fix all the rot holes, repair several cracks, straighten bent steel, and reinforce areas weakened by rust or cracks.

 

[Asymair95]

Spent some serious quality time with the grinder and welder today.







Welded up tons of cracks, some big, some small, this is just a sample.





I welded some angle iron on the front deck supports as the lower portions were just about rotted away, this should beef things up.

 

[Asymair95]

And, the welding continued...





The lower pocket of the front deck supports were all rotted out. This was the reason for the angle iron.





I cut out some plate steel and welded it on over the rotted area. Should help support the crumbling metal in that area.