[bruce3404]

I have an 11 year old self-propelled Toro Recycler (20018). It has been a great mower, but I'm having problems. The left rear wheel locks up if I'm pushing it forward without the engine running. If I pull it backwards, the wheel spins freely. If it's running the wheel spins freely. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions? The obvious answer might be to always have it running when I'm moving it, but I have to push it thru an area with a lot of bark and it's messy and dusty to run it over the bark.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Hi, and welcome to MLMF. Just a thought, over time areas that cover moving parts can become clogged with dirt, grass and gunk, causing things to not work and move like they should. Maybe it could be something as simple as some debris stuck behind the wheel cover that wedges itself in place to stop the wheel. On your Toro, there's a "ratcheting" drive mechanism that may have become dirty and clogged up so that it won't spring free as it should. This parts diagram shows the area I'm talking about.
Parts and Diagrams for Toro Consumer 20018, 22" Recycler Lawnmower, 2002 (SN 220300001-220999999)
Parts #4, 14 and 15 are what engage to make the mower move.

Hope that helps.

 

[bruce3404]

Thanks. I just replaced the pivot arm yesterday, so I know everything is clean back to there. Will do a thorough cleaning today and also lube as per the owner's manual. About a year ago I paid a local dealer to fix the problem, but the "fix" only lasted a couple of mowings.