Toro Recycler stripped wheel gear upgrade/repair 

Thank you so much for this! I'd considered taking my lawn mower into the shop, worrying that it would cost as much to repair it as to purchase a new one. But for $60 in parts, you showed me how I could do it, and now, it runs as if new!

This worked great for me. Tried new plastic wheels first which helped a short while, but this is the real fix. My kit off Amazon came with new bearing holding hub, so didn't have to fight with getting them out. The old hubs however were a bugger and took a couple days of spraying with penetrating oil to get out. Very happy with results.

Excellent video. I had the grinding, had a local shop prep for summer and work on grinding last year. They tested on the pavement and thought it was fixed. It grinded in the grass. Had it back twice to adjust the tire mount to straighten. This year it is real bad again. I found the bearings at a local small engine shop and ordered the rest. Fix went real fast like in the video and I was noise free in about a half hour. Mower is about 10 years old and starts in one pull and drives silently. Thank you.

I had simply replaced the rear plastic gear'd wheels and shimmed and in less than a full season the grinding was worth than ever. I used the parts and followed the steps outlined in this video and it all went smoothly. I actually moved the newer plastic gear'd wheels to the front of the mower as the front wheels were getting a wobble. Seems to be working like a brand new mower now! Thanks for the post!

Thank you so much for this video and part list! I followed your entire procedure, ordered the parts as suggested and my Toro 22” Recycler is all working.

Great video, thanks for the part numbers for the wheels and pinions. I was able to use the Amazon link for the wheels but not for the pinions because it is no longer working. I have an old 22" Toro AWD that I put a lightly used B&S 8.75 190cc motor from a 30" Timemaster on that I need to upgrade the rear wheels on. Thanks again

Neat...More of a Hobby than anything...If I pay $300.00 for 3 years of lawn maintenance...I've done more than breaking even... Thank You for showing how to maintain.. Freaking Cool Thank you again.

Great video! After ordering the parts, I was able to make all the repairs you demonstrated with ease! Thank you for posting this, as my mower is running better than new!

Good work. Enjoyed the rain and thunder, it was relaxing lol.

Thanks for making this video. I just replaced everything you did in this video. Hardest part was getting the berings out. I got it done and self pace is working like new again. Got rid of those plastic gears. Hopefully it works for years to come. 😀

Just completed your suggested repair after watching a video on shimming this and that. Replacing worn parts is the proper way to solve a problem for the long run,not just a patch.Great Job!!!!

Great video. Parts perfect. Ended long frustration with poor TORO design (shame on them). Mower works better than new now. Thanks for the video.

Great solution. They really need to go back to the old design. I've gone through 2 sets of wheels in 2 years, just replaced with this solution and it looks like things are going to work great. My current mower has never worked this good.

I generally strip out every usable part from every scrap lawn mower I get thats junk. I agree the metal gears are better. The plastic geared wheels do not mesh up with the plastic drive wheels eather. I have replaced many worn out wheels by simply buying new front wheels and carefully prying the metal pins from the metal gears on the worn wheels. It is cheaper buying the wheels and reusing the old gears and pins. Last year I fixed 20 recycler mowers and they still run great.

Excellent lesson ! Thanks for taking the time to do this video.

Good video man!! Not sure which model Toro you have but I just sold the 20332 model and the bearing was Genuine OEM Toro Part# 108-9779 Retainer Bushing, Ball Bearing, & Sleeve Bushing. $15 bucks on ebay. All you had to do was bolt it into the level adjuster. It was a one part bearing and bolt. You could us an adjustable wrench or locking pliers and remove the entire bearting bolt. It is one thing. Just rest the back on a jack stand. That part you are hitting with your hammer and screwdriver is one unit and all you needed was an adjustable or locking pliers to remover the nut. You took out the bearings and left the nut.

Thanks. It helps me understand more about how it works. I bought a new 60Volt Recycler, in the box, last year and was disappointed that it was one wheel drive, or so I thought until I looked under it a couple days ago. Left wheel spins freely. Shaft doesn't move. Sound like one of the gears isn't there. I'm going to pull the wheel and if that drive gear isn't there, Grrrr!

Super helpful video, and easy to follow. Thanks for including the part numbers!

Great video I had this problem and bought new steel wheels and pinions twice and just bought a Cub Cadet and will never buy a Toro again!!

Thank you very much for this video. I ordered the parts and followed your guide. Now my 10 year old mower pushes better than it ever has.

Excellent video. Informative and helpful. Plus, you used a tripod!! Appreciate you taking the time to do it.

The adjusters squat gears dont mesh over time. Needs alignment. Put adjuster on middle setting. Put bar in adjuster above where wheel bolts on pry out wheel will stand up straight and gears will mesh. You can install wheel without backing plate to check mesh then re install backing plate. ( if you pryed it out too much tap it in where you pryed with hammer. Yo will need new wheel if gear is shot.

engineered obsolescence. I just threw new gears on with the little idk friction clutch things. You know the little pinion one. It works better than ever and is responsive again but all the suddenly a few months later the rear wheels don't want to let me back the mower up. Any ideas? And then the fuel tank sprung a leak . It's a 20076. 16 years isn't bad. It's still better than plastic gears.

My Dad's 2009 Toro 20333 mower has chewed up the plastic gear on the right side twice. His bearings are probably worn, but I am going to attempt to shim the wheel mount/heigh adjustment bracket. I have read that often times they are out of alignment which causes the gear in the wheel to not mesh properly with the gear on the axle. He is also very hard on his rear wheels, as he has also gone through two sets of wheels where the black tire-like material has worn all the way down to the white plastic wheel. I don't know what in the hell he does to his mower for having a smaller town home yard that you wouldn't think of as being traditionally hard on a lawn mower.

Hi,great video.I found a lot cheaper method to fix the problem with the toro personal pace.I bought a set of plastic gears"by themselves"off ebay for 10.00 shipped.I replaced both bearings,plastic bushings and stepped washers.I fixed my toro for 21.00 total.I used toro parts as well except for the gears.The personal pace is like new.NO GRINDING OR locking up as you roll it back.There is no play whatsoever .Its tight.I drilled the old gears out on the wheels,used a soldering iron and a pair of pliers to pull the pins out.I used a flat head screwdriver,hammer and super glue to put the pins back in.I hope this helps someone because 18 to 25 a wheel or the toro updated kit for nearly a 76.00 is freakin aweful.

You can use a hd high speed wheel brg's for that app.And not the low speed ones. It will last alot longer Look in stens, rotary, For parts. And you must remember to keep gear and key and spring cleaned and relubed every year!!!... Dirty and dry and not much lube. I have seen that to many times in the shop that i used to work at.... A former outdoor power equip tech.... And yes i still have all of my fingers....

Tried this on my Toro 20332, however the new pinion doesn't mesh with the wheel's metal gear. The metal gear on the wheel is further outboard and thinner, so the wheel spins freely without meshing with the pinion.

not a surprise to me toro quality has been going south for a while now. started with the personal pace

Dude, you have it backwards. The older models -- pre-2014 -- had the 12T pinion gears and the newer ones have 15T pinion gears (probably because of the problems you illustrate with the older version). Cheers!

You are a God my friend. Loved this.

The deck metal flexes when under stress especially on slope terrain at the height adjuster which causes the misalignment of the gears .

my Toro, model 20066, comes with metal gears (I am replacing them, but I bought plastic ones by mistake). Part # 105-3036

Great video, Thanks.

I have a question. Do you have tonswitch the pinions that were on it for the plastic geared wheels in order to use the steel geared wheels?

1. Great awesome video gets down to the point...THANK YOU...👍👍🌟👍🌟👍🌟👍🌟 2. I swear it was PRINCE HARRY putting these wheels on the lawn mower...WTHECK? 😳😳😳😳

Some 220 grit sandpaper and lubricant on the axel doesn't take much time and would make thing off and on easier.

Ty for posing...great info

This will only work with specific serial numbers. Make sure you check it before replacing the parts suggested.

Went out this morning and replaced one wheel, the worst of the two in order to get my mower running and to get the yard mowed. Went to my local friendly dealer and he soaked me for $32.00 for one wheel. Got the mower running,but ordered another wheel off of eBay $19.95 free shipping. What a racket and as he says in the video, what a lousy design !

Well made and informative video. Thanx

Will this kit work for all toro person pace with the plastic geared wheels?My model is 20332.

Great video, it was the answer I was looking for; " is there a retrofit to replace plastic with metal?" I'm glad you mentioned using a 20mm socket to set the bearing in the bearing retainer. Other sites recommend "tapping it in using a hammer" (which increases a chance of breaking the grease seal on the bearing) .... One question; wouldn't it be a bit "easier" to replace the bearing retainer with the bearing and bushing instead of having to remove the side plate, etc. ? I know it may cost more, but all is replaced and in less time, and all parts, including the bushings. Again, great video.

Great video! Have you ever dissected and of the stock drive wheels?🤔

All your parts were correct.Thanks

Snapper….nuff said!

I need to get the golden backet off. We stumped

You answered your own question they sell more parts

Great video!

Great vid!! This is exactly what my wheels are doing. Is the link you provided for the pinion a pair or just one?

Very informative and now I think I can do it. :) I have an additional problem and not sure what causes it, but I can't pull back on the mower as the rear wheels lock up. ?? What causes that??

Both my pinion gears are seized on to the axle. I have tried penetrating oil and heat plus brute force to no avail. Are there any ideas?

I have a Toro personal pace mower 20093c, all the gears are metal but the drive system where the pinion gear goes on the axel is different, it is a 2008 model, have you worked on one these, just curious on how it worked?

okay took me a while to wrap my head around this but I finally get it... one question... does that bearing retainer need replaced... you didn't do it maybe yours were in good condition.I can see that pinion and gear alignment being affected by bearing hmmm? if the retainer only supports the bearing and that aspect is fine then it shouldn't need replaced.

I need to replace the pivot arm that is connected to the assembly you popped off. Is that connected to the bearings you replaced or does it just pop off once you take the assembly all off?

good video

I have the replacement kit but I don't know how the hex part removes from the adjuster plate? There seems to be a thread on the hex part?

So, I have a Toro model 20332 with worn out plastic gears, can i use the parts you used hear (wheels, pinion and bearings on this model? In other words, as long as I have the pinions to match up to the teeth on the wheel gears, I should be ok, right?

Mowers have got to be too expensive 'just to throw away and buy another'.

Good video for homeowners whom like to fix things and save money. But have you ever heard of the old saying “there’s a tool for every job”? Never use a screwdriver as a chisel. That’s a good way to ruin screwdriver by hammering on it and deforming the tip. Do you have goggles on also?

How does the pivot arm separate from the assembly on a 20333 model?

Subscribed,

Are the part numbers for model 20333?

We have parts that may fit your mower. We're happy to offer you the product completely free of charge in exchange for a video review. Are you interested?

Dude, bolt your vice down.