Monday, March 10, 2014

toro-20018-power-mower



The self propel feature just stopped working. I figured that just I needed to replace the cable because it was just hanging there. I’m sure you’ve heard of the bridge to nowhere? Well this appears to be the cable to nowhere. I flipped the mower over to access where the cable connects to the drive axle assembly. Since the cable wasn’t broken, I expected to see some moving parts at the end of the cable that caused the wheels to engage. I haven’t ventured to remove the entire drive axle yet, but the cable connection on this end is locked in solid with no moving parts. I removed the gear cover on the drive axle and pulled on the belt. Both the gears in the drive axle and the wheels moved. For some reason I am unable to engage the belt that turns the gears that turn the wheels. How does this all work and what do I need to do to make it happen?

You can see a parts break down at Toro.com. Click on homeowners parts, then type in model serial numbers

I have almost the same problem. My cable actually broke, so the self-propelling ain't happening. I went to the Toro website, put in my model and serial numbers and got a hodge-podge of verbiage that almost requires engineering knowledge to decipher. All I want is a part number to replace the propelling cable for my 2006 Toro. It's model 20012, serial 260003443. My fear is that there is NOBODY here in Oxford, MS that I can take my broken cable to so the repair guy can give me a replacement. Working with unknown part numbers causes me acidic stomach. I really need a Toro guy to give me the part number so I can get a replacement somewhere. I'm pretty sure I will have to buy over the Internet.

Originally Posted by rgrcpa
I have almost the same problem. My cable actually broke, so the self-propelling ain't happening. I went to the Toro website, put in my model and serial numbers and got a hodge-podge of verbiage that almost requires engineering knowledge to decipher. All I want is a part number to replace the propelling cable for my 2006 Toro. It's model 20012, serial 260003443. My fear is that there is NOBODY here in Oxford, MS that I can take my broken cable to so the repair guy can give me a replacement. Working with unknown part numbers causes me acidic stomach. I really need a Toro guy to give me the part number so I can get a replacement somewhere. I'm pretty sure I will have to buy over the Internet.
The part number you need is 105-1845 Cable-Traction.

Originally Posted by hawkeye58
I flipped the mower over to access where the cable connects to the drive axle assembly. Since the cable wasn’t broken, I expected to see some moving parts at the end of the cable that caused the wheels to engage. How does this all work and what do I need to do to make it happen?
The drive cable attaches to an arm on the gearbox. All the cable does is pull up on the gear box and rotate the gearbox to apply tension to the drive belt. When the belt has tension, it turns the drive pulley on the gearbox, which in turn drives the rear wheels. This cable is adjustable, if it's not broken then you may just need to adjust the cable.

Originally Posted by 30yearTech
The drive cable attaches to an arm on the gearbox. All the cable does is pull up on the gear box and rotate the gearbox to apply tension to the drive belt. When the belt has tension, it turns the drive pulley on the gearbox, which in turn drives the rear wheels. This cable is adjustable, if it's not broken then you may just need to adjust the cable.
The self propel works just as you say and I was able to get it to work by just pulling on the cable. I ended up breaking the cable in the process so I’m going to replace it anyway. I’m thinking that it was stretched out to capacity through years of use because there didn’t seem to be much room for adjustment. One thing that I’m still not clear on though is how that cable assembly functions. It seems to me that you have to push the handle forward to engage the self propel which causes the cable to slacken instead of tighten to pull up on the gear box. I’m guessing that this is somehow resolved in the cable adjustment process. Any tips along those lines would be appreciated. Thanks.

Can anyone anwer hawkeye on how the cable works ... I agree that it seems backward that you push the handle down and this pulls the transmission tight ... help ...

As 30yearTech indicates, one end of the cable connects to the arm on the transmission and pulls it against the drive belt.
The other end connects into a plastic traction lever that is keyed to fit in the traction control bar, so that the bar and the lever turn together. The traction control bar fits into the groove in the back of the control handle. The traction lever is installed so that it points away from the control handle and thus in the opposite direction that the control bar points.
So, in a mowing situation, when the operator pushes the control handle forward (towards the engine), the traction control lever rotates in the other direction (toward the operator) and applies tension to the traction cable.






Tags: toro, mower, drive axle, part number, cable connects, control handle, drive belt, model serial, model serial numbers, moving parts, Originally Posted, pull gear, self propel, serial numbers