# Toro Time Master 2017



## Nomo (Jun 6, 2017)

I don't see a topic about this mower. Does anyone have it? I looked at Home Depot's site and the reviews aren't all great but I wanted to hear from someone here who might have it.

My electric mower doesn't always cut my grass well when it gets really thick.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

I know people that have had the 30in turf master and it's underpowered for once a week mowing.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Nomo said:


> I don't see a topic about this mower. Does anyone have it? I looked at Home Depot's site and the reviews aren't all great but I wanted to hear from someone here who might have it.
> 
> My electric mower doesn't always cut my grass well when it gets really thick.


I think for non-commercial models Honda has some pretty good mowers.


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## Nomo (Jun 6, 2017)

Yes, I hear Hondas are great. It just seems wrong to pay as much for a 21" mower as i would for a 30" mower.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

I have one, and love it. Mine is a 2014 model that I bought new in 2014 I've read some complaints about poor mulching, but on my approx 2500 sq ft backyard SA , I have no complaints. I mow my SA between 2 - 3 inches, but did have it as high as 4 inches during a really rainy spell we had earlier this summer.


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## high leverage (Jun 11, 2017)

I use a Turf Master the commercial version of the Time Master about 20 hrs a week all summer. I've had numerous issues this season. It struggles on thick grass or anything remotely wet. It also won't mulch Bermuda or Zoysia any lower than 2.5 inches without bogging down or dying. I'd steer clear.


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## glenmonte (Sep 15, 2017)

I have the Exmark 30- same as the Turfmaster. Got it last fall and it did great with light mowing and leaf pickup. When the grass took off this spring, I was mowing twice a week (or twice a day, depending on schedule) just to keep my cool season lawn in check at 4.5 inches. I had to discharge because mulching was just too much. Tried gator G5s, they actually seem worse than the OEM blades. I even had it listed on craigslist, but all I got were super lowball offers for a machine with very little use. As the summer went on, it started to grow on me because of how quick I could get done when it was hot. It really does well with bagging, too.

So yes, the complaints people have are valid, but also apply to a lot of mowers during the spring growing period.

By the way, I went commercial over the HD Timemaster because of the engine that was available. I think they put in a larger one now. That improvement would have kept me in the HD category if it was available when I was looking.


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

glenmonte said:


> I have the Exmark 30- same as the Turfmaster.
> 
> When the grass took off this spring, I was mowing twice a week (or twice a day, depending on schedule) just to keep my cool season lawn in check at 4.5 inches.


eXmark :thumbup:

You should look into a PGR (Plant Growth Regulator).. it really is a game changer for a lot of us.


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## glenmonte (Sep 15, 2017)

ericgautier said:


> eXmark :thumbup:
> 
> You should look into a PGR (Plant Growth Regulator).. it really is a game changer for a lot of us.


Thanks for the tip. I'll have to look around the board for some info about them and I'll probably start experimenting in the next year or two.


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## Nomo (Jun 6, 2017)

Picked up my Time Master on Saturday. Only got to use it for a half hour yesterday. What a shock to my system that mower is. I've only been using cordless mowers for past 4 years so the power was overwhelming and so was the amount of noise it made.

Personal pace is going to take time to get used to as I haven't used used anything self propelled in years.

The mower gets a bad rap from most areas so I purchased from Home Depot with my store card so I can return it up to a year if there are any issues. When to a dealer to purchase one and they told me that it was mine as soon as I walked out the door. That wasn't to my liking.


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Nomo said:


> When to a dealer to purchase one and they told me that it was mine as soon as I walked out the door. That wasn't to my liking.


Congrats on the new mower! :thumbup: Keep up posted on likes and dislikes.

Good call on not buying it from that dealer. Dealers should be "enthusiastic" about the product(s) they sell and honor whatever warranty it comes with.


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## massgrass (Aug 17, 2017)

/subscribe

I saw the TimeMaster on the LCN's youtube channel and have been reading up on it. I currently have a Deere lawn tractor with a 36" deck that will be 20 years old in February and a 21" 11 year old Lawn Boy self-propelled mower. Both are working just fine, but the number of yard obstacles we've introduced over the years (pool, raised beds, old playhouse, trees, edged garden beds, fire pit, etc.) mean that I have to cut around all of them with the Lawn Boy and then get everything else with the tractor. It would certainly be nice to have a single piece of equipment that could handle everything (and that I could maintain myself) as my primary mower and then move the older stuff into secondary roles.


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## Nomo (Jun 6, 2017)

massgrass said:


> /subscribe
> 
> I saw the TimeMaster on the LCN's youtube channel and have been reading up on it. I currently have a Deere lawn tractor with a 36" deck that will be 20 years old in February and a 21" 11 year old Lawn Boy self-propelled mower. Both are working just fine, but the number of yard obstacles we've introduced over the years (pool, raised beds, old playhouse, trees, edged garden beds, fire pit, etc.) mean that I have to cut around all of them with the Lawn Boy and then get everything else with the tractor. It would certainly be nice to have a single piece of equipment that could handle everything (and that I could maintain myself) as my primary mower and then move the older stuff into secondary roles.


I hear you. I have 2 battery operated mowers that 20 and 21 inches and are great on their own to back up the TimeMaster.

I have been watering and it also rained earlier today before I mower. Had to use one if the cordless mowers as the Time Master would have torn the yard up.


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## massgrass (Aug 17, 2017)

I look forward to your ongoing thoughts on the TimeMaster. I'm not in any rush, but I may get a little more aggressive with a purchase if a deal pops up. The 10% Home Depot bonus at plenti.com last month combined with a 10% ebay coupon could be enough to put me over the top though.


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## Nomo (Jun 6, 2017)

massgrass said:


> I look forward to your ongoing thoughts on the TimeMaster. I'm not in any rush, but I may get a little more aggressive with a purchase if a deal pops up. The 10% Home Depot bonus at plenti.com last month combined with a 10% ebay coupon could be enough to put me over the top though.


Finally got a chance to use the mower on my main lawn. It has been raining quite a bit lately and the ground was kinda soggy. Was going to use one of the electrics but ended up doing that last week and didn't want to put off using the mower again so I could determine whether or not I was going to keep it.

The mower did leave a few wheel tracks in the an area of the yard but nothing too bad. I do want to report though that it does cut wet grass contrary to what many people on the net would have you believe. That being said, I was only taking grass that was maybe 5 inches and in some places 6 inches down to 3 and a quarter but the machine mulched the grass without any hesitation and the deck never came close to clogging up.

If I had been using one of my cordless mowers, I would have had to cut some areas twice and deal with tons of stragglers. I cut my lawn today with the Time master and had exactly 1 straggler.

I have a couple complaints and one really isn't a complaint. The mower is LOUD. Maybe it's because I've been using cordless mowers over the past 4 years. The second thing is that the gas tank is way too small for the size of the mower. There's actually a sponge in the gas tank for 2017. I've been told so that the machine is sure to use all of the gas in the tank. I'm wondering if it's soaking up some of the gas I put in the tank.

The cut on my grass was buttery smooth today though. If I had to rate it out to 10 right now, i'd go with an 8. That's because I don't know about the longevity of the mower given the reports many have put out there. I look forward to proving them wrong on that as well though. (knock on wood)


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## massgrass (Aug 17, 2017)

I've definitely read about people not liking the smallish gas tank in a few places. I'm surprised that Toro didn't bump that up a little along with the increased engine size in 2017. From what I've read at lawnsite.com, it appears that several iterations of upgrades have been made to the TimeMaster/Turfmaster since it was introduced (blades, idler pulley, transmission, and of course the 2017 new engine) so I'm hoping that many of the original issues with the TM have been addressed.


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## Nomo (Jun 6, 2017)

massgrass said:


> I've definitely read about people not liking the smallish gas tank in a few places. I'm surprised that Toro didn't bump that up a little along with the increased engine size in 2017. From what I've read at lawnsite.com, it appears that several iterations of upgrades have been made to the TimeMaster/Turfmaster since it was introduced (blades, idler pulley, transmission, and of course the 2017 new engine) so I'm hoping that many of the original issues with the TM have been addressed.


That's according to who you talk to. Many still hate it and say that there are still tons of transmission and belt problems. My cutting season usually goes until after Thanksgiving. At that point, I will take it to a dealer and have them check it from top to bottom if it's still holding up at that point. If everything doesn't get the green light, it's going back to Home Depot. If it does, then of course I'm keeping it.

This mower makes my cordless 20 and 21 inch mowers seem like toys. It's in a whole other league.


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## massgrass (Aug 17, 2017)

Hopefully it'll work out for you. The TM has enough potential where I'm willing to give it a shot next spring (or sooner if a deal pops up). I paid ~$3k for a tractor and bagger 20 years ago, so trying a $1k option seems reasonable to me at this point.


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## kolbasz (Jun 7, 2017)

Although more expensive, I feel if the exmark got a larger engine, then it would be the mower to own.

Put a Kawasaki larger than the b&s in the Toro and you might gave a winner.

This is just a random thought, supported by zero facts.


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