Thanks for watching - appreciate you! I hope that you found this helpful. If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to “like” it and subscribe to the channel! Also, my new website is live! For videos, plans, templates, and merchandise, check out: www.kodiakwoodcraft.com
I bought my TM in 2012 and over time did ALL the same upgrades as you plus replaced the blade brake arm assembly and pulleys & pulley tensioner bracket with the Turfmaster equivalents. I also removed the 2 blue pieces of plastic from the handgrip area. I also modified the handlebar height adjustment to fit me. (Right in-between their high & low setting). I modified the fasteners on the black pulley cover to make removing them much easier. I installed 1/4"-20 heli-coil inserts in all of the bosses in the aluminum deck to avoid further bolts stripping out the soft aluminum. I've tried most aftermarket blades and found most of them to be worse than the stock blades. I mulch most of the time and use Toro Atomic low lifts in lush spring grass (packs the deck up a bit less) and switch to Atomic higher lifts when the grass dries out. If I'm bagging, Ballard Hi Lifts are great and will give you the nicest cut you can get with this machine. Gators can be good for side discharging as they will cut up the clippings a bit finer but are really no better for mulching than stock Atomics (unless grass is really dry). I only use Gator blades (I've tried the G5s) if I am mulching up leaves (must be dry to work well). Most all blades need sharpening even when new if they have the paint coating on the edge. This mower is not made to cut long thick grass. It is optimized for well manicured lawns that get mowed frequently, especially if mulching. Forget about mulching if lawn is wet. When I bought the mower in 2012, I called Toro and told them that the mower needed the Briggs series 1000 223cc engine that was used for some rear engine riders. (The Kohler didn't exist at that time). They were very nasty and told me that their engineers knew what they were doing and that the 223cc engine was completely unnecessary. Then in 2017 they put that exact motor on the machine! I have always found Toro support for homeowners to be poor. Enjoy your TM with the CV224. Just try to mow more often if mulching and always wait until late afternoon to let the grass dry out if possible.
Wow - thank you for all of the great tips. Glad to hear we have had some similar experiences. I basically stopped mulching in the fall when the lawn was wetter and just stuck with side discharge.
Here's the big secret to mowing: New blades are dull by law. When your blade gets as dull as a new blade it's time to sharpen it. I use a 5005 sharpening jig with a 40 grit ceramic flap disc at 30 degrees. My point is, beating the grass in half instead of cutting it causes it to lose all of its fluid. That fluid (which I will refer to as grass blood) is very sticky and dries like glue. When you actually cut the grass with a sharper-than-new blade, the grass doesn't bleed. It doesn't stick to your deck. If the grass is wet, it will stick a little, but will immediately come off next time you mow. Grass isn't sticky. Water isn't sticky. The fluid in the grass is sticky and is what causes buildup on all mowers, but especially the Clogmaster. I will be happy to sharpen and precision balance your blades for free if you pay for the postage. I find they keep the stick free cutting edge for about 6-8 hours of mowing if it isn't dusty. My area is pretty much dust free right now.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I have a couple pairs of blades that I sharpen and rotate. I will try going sharper with more frequent rotation. Great post.
I did the same engine swap for the same reasons. Even if my time master was a little over a year old and bought brand new the Briggs ad Stratton engine felt underpowered. Additionally, the ball bearings in the blade spindles went bad and needed to be replaced. A toro authorized repair dealer was quite a distance from my location so I took the opportunity to do improvements and changes. I also used gator blades which seems to help with grass clippings and reduces clumping in the mower deck. I did got my engine from the same place small engines for the same price. Service was good and arrived within a week as well. Good video and honest review.
@@KodiakWoodcraft the gator blades have more lift than the toro’s. You don’t have to go with the gator but definitely try switching the blades for ones that offer more lift. You will see the difference.
Interesting upgrades. I've found mine to be a pretty good unit in most cases. There feels like a lot of research has gone into this mower. The only thing I would have liked to see given it's weight was an power assist in reverse for when your pulling the mower backwards in tight corners on steep blocks.
Own and love my brand new Timemaster. No grass collection issues. I always clean out any mower I ever use, just because I'm pretty anal about taking care of my equipment. But even in wet grass, no issues. But you cannot mulch wet grass, this applies to anything you use. Always use the side chute or bag if wet. No issues with power at all with even heavy grass, in extreme conditions. Like 1 to 2 feet, it definitely starts to bog down. But that's not something you should be doing in the first place, normal mowings. No issues with power. Only reason I'm thinking of a repower is purely to have a hot rod for keeping up my brothers property which gets unruly. So researching a 10hp diesel option.
Thanks for the great review. Beyond the Briggs engine, the problem with the Timemaster/Turfmaster is the short deck with short height. The clippings do not have enough time to circulate and get cut. Then they smash into the flat deck on the top. Compare the Timemaster deck with the one on a 21 inch commercial Toro or the midsize Toro walk behinds with 32 to 48 inch decks. The decks on those machines are longer giving the machine time to cut the clippings. To fix the Timemaster/Turfmaster, you need a longer deck, at least 270 cc or higher, and a steering system. Doubt Toro wants to do that.
As large as your yard is, you should have a zero turn mower. My gosh, even with the 30" cut, it would be a lot of walking and take considerable time, I would think.
@@KodiakWoodcraft You can still enjoy a podcast, along with a cold beverage in your cup holder, while zipping around your yard in a nice ExMark 48 inch Zero Turn mower! If I had your yard, that’s exactly what I’d do! 👍
this engine looks perfect on this mower. I wish they would sell a version with it from stock. They have it on the turfmaster hdx but they sell it for 3,000.
I had the same problem with grass clippings getting caked on the deck, it drove me crazy. I tried all sorts of sprays. I finally fixed it by cleaning the deck with wire wheels, getting the deck as smooth as possible, then I sprayed several layers of clear coat, until I got the deck as smooth as possible. Also switched to Ballard blades. I haven't had to even hose off the deck in three seasons much less pressure wash it.
Hey the shop I work at sells Toro. Everyone that purchased these with 190-223 engine models complains about all the same issues. Toro properly sold millions of these machines but never really would improve/upgrade components.
Did you have any issues of not starting,after say 30 mowings it won't start..believe no spark,what is the purpose of the microswitch that's mounted to the inside of the choke lever mechanism ( hard to see ),I believe my no start is related to this switch somehow.
Any chance you can give me the Kholer part number as I would also like to order one of these engines to replace the Briggs on my Toro Timemaster. Many thanks, Steve
My old 190cc timemaster briggs engine used 90% of a full tank of gas to do my property, with the swap to kohler cv224 whats your best guess as to fuel consumption?
Hmm. I'm mowing about 15K square feet. On every cut except for one I've finished without filling up. However on my last cut I did have to refill at the very end because the grass was very long.
I have the 223cc engine and I must have some friction or something because it won't even power the blades. I've thought several times about swapping the engine, I thought too myself, "Surely people have thought of this as well!" Any forums you suggest looking at?
Before swapping the engine, it would constantly bog down while mulching higher grass. Hasn't done that since. Probably partially attributable to problems with the old engine.
![[UA] Team Vitality проти NAVI | IEM Cologne 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wttO1zVRTC0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for watching - appreciate you! I hope that you found this helpful. If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to “like” it and subscribe to the channel!
Also, my new website is live! For videos, plans, templates, and merchandise, check out: www.kodiakwoodcraft.com
I bought my TM in 2012 and over time did ALL the same upgrades as you plus replaced the blade brake arm assembly and pulleys & pulley tensioner bracket with the Turfmaster equivalents. I also removed the 2 blue pieces of plastic from the handgrip area. I also modified the handlebar height adjustment to fit me. (Right in-between their high & low setting). I modified the fasteners on the black pulley cover to make removing them much easier. I installed 1/4"-20 heli-coil inserts in all of the bosses in the aluminum deck to avoid further bolts stripping out the soft aluminum. I've tried most aftermarket blades and found most of them to be worse than the stock blades. I mulch most of the time and use Toro Atomic low lifts in lush spring grass (packs the deck up a bit less) and switch to Atomic higher lifts when the grass dries out. If I'm bagging, Ballard Hi Lifts are great and will give you the nicest cut you can get with this machine. Gators can be good for side discharging as they will cut up the clippings a bit finer but are really no better for mulching than stock Atomics (unless grass is really dry). I only use Gator blades (I've tried the G5s) if I am mulching up leaves (must be dry to work well). Most all blades need sharpening even when new if they have the paint coating on the edge. This mower is not made to cut long thick grass. It is optimized for well manicured lawns that get mowed frequently, especially if mulching. Forget about mulching if lawn is wet.
When I bought the mower in 2012, I called Toro and told them that the mower needed the Briggs series 1000 223cc engine that was used for some rear engine riders. (The Kohler didn't exist at that time). They were very nasty and told me that their engineers knew what they were doing and that the 223cc engine was completely unnecessary. Then in 2017 they put that exact motor on the machine! I have always found Toro support for homeowners to be poor. Enjoy your TM with the CV224. Just try to mow more often if mulching and always wait until late afternoon to let the grass dry out if possible.
Wow - thank you for all of the great tips. Glad to hear we have had some similar experiences. I basically stopped mulching in the fall when the lawn was wetter and just stuck with side discharge.
To fix the grass clumping and improve mulching capabilities, use Oregon gator blades on your mower, then you’ll really have an unstoppable machine!
Great tip!
I own the 223 cc version, and I refer to it as the Toro Clogmaster. Constantly scraping cut grass out of the underside of the mower...
Glad it's not just me!
Here's the big secret to mowing: New blades are dull by law. When your blade gets as dull as a new blade it's time to sharpen it. I use a 5005 sharpening jig with a 40 grit ceramic flap disc at 30 degrees. My point is, beating the grass in half instead of cutting it causes it to lose all of its fluid. That fluid (which I will refer to as grass blood) is very sticky and dries like glue. When you actually cut the grass with a sharper-than-new blade, the grass doesn't bleed. It doesn't stick to your deck. If the grass is wet, it will stick a little, but will immediately come off next time you mow. Grass isn't sticky. Water isn't sticky. The fluid in the grass is sticky and is what causes buildup on all mowers, but especially the Clogmaster. I will be happy to sharpen and precision balance your blades for free if you pay for the postage. I find they keep the stick free cutting edge for about 6-8 hours of mowing if it isn't dusty. My area is pretty much dust free right now.
Side note: When you use a sharp blade your shoes barely turn green and you barely smell cut grass.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I have a couple pairs of blades that I sharpen and rotate. I will try going sharper with more frequent rotation. Great post.
Yes, the 5005 and flap disc are the way to go!
I did the same engine swap for the same reasons. Even if my time master was a little over a year old and bought brand new the Briggs ad Stratton engine felt underpowered. Additionally, the ball bearings in the blade spindles went bad and needed to be replaced. A toro authorized repair dealer was quite a distance from my location so I took the opportunity to do improvements and changes. I also used gator blades which seems to help with grass clippings and reduces clumping in the mower deck. I did got my engine from the same place small engines for the same price. Service was good and arrived within a week as well. Good video and honest review.
Thanks Juan! I'll have to try out the blades you recommended. I've only used the Toro mulching blades.
@@KodiakWoodcraft the gator blades have more lift than the toro’s. You don’t have to go with the gator but definitely try switching the blades for ones that offer more lift. You will see the difference.
@@redwolf76 - Excellent - I will try those next! Thanks.
Yep, I had to replace my blade spindle bearings too. I went with a better quality bearing than the stock one this time.
Interesting upgrades. I've found mine to be a pretty good unit in most cases. There feels like a lot of research has gone into this mower. The only thing I would have liked to see given it's weight was an power assist in reverse for when your pulling the mower backwards in tight corners on steep blocks.
Yes, that would be a nice feature. Thanks for watching!
Own and love my brand new Timemaster. No grass collection issues. I always clean out any mower I ever use, just because I'm pretty anal about taking care of my equipment. But even in wet grass, no issues. But you cannot mulch wet grass, this applies to anything you use. Always use the side chute or bag if wet. No issues with power at all with even heavy grass, in extreme conditions. Like 1 to 2 feet, it definitely starts to bog down. But that's not something you should be doing in the first place, normal mowings. No issues with power. Only reason I'm thinking of a repower is purely to have a hot rod for keeping up my brothers property which gets unruly. So researching a 10hp diesel option.
Thanks for the great review. Beyond the Briggs engine, the problem with the Timemaster/Turfmaster is the short deck with short height. The clippings do not have enough time to circulate and get cut. Then they smash into the flat deck on the top. Compare the Timemaster deck with the one on a 21 inch commercial Toro or the midsize Toro walk behinds with 32 to 48 inch decks. The decks on those machines are longer giving the machine time to cut the clippings. To fix the Timemaster/Turfmaster, you need a longer deck, at least 270 cc or higher, and a steering system. Doubt Toro wants to do that.
Nice breakdown! That makes sense to me. The design definitely saves time but there is a price to pay for it.
As large as your yard is, you should have a zero turn mower. My gosh, even with the 30" cut, it would be a lot of walking and take considerable time, I would think.
I'll say...there's something about it I enjoy. I like throwing on a podcast or album and spending some time out there!
@@KodiakWoodcraft I do exactly the same.
@@KodiakWoodcraft You can still enjoy a podcast, along with a cold beverage in your cup holder, while zipping around your yard in a nice ExMark 48 inch Zero Turn mower! If I had your yard, that’s exactly what I’d do! 👍
Great video and explanation of your mowing experience.
Thank you! I appreciate it.
this engine looks perfect on this mower. I wish they would sell a version with it from stock. They have it on the turfmaster hdx but they sell it for 3,000.
I had the same problem with grass clippings getting caked on the deck, it drove me crazy. I tried all sorts of sprays. I finally fixed it by cleaning the deck with wire wheels, getting the deck as smooth as possible, then I sprayed several layers of clear coat, until I got the deck as smooth as possible. Also switched to Ballard blades. I haven't had to even hose off the deck in three seasons much less pressure wash it.
I would love to see a video on this! :D
Using the chute (& not the mulcher) makes a huge difference in the grass not caking-up & clogging-up under the mowing-deck!
Hey the shop I work at sells Toro. Everyone that purchased these with 190-223 engine models complains about all the same issues. Toro properly sold millions of these machines but never really would improve/upgrade components.
Yeah I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Did you have any issues of not starting,after say 30 mowings it won't start..believe no spark,what is the purpose of the microswitch that's mounted to the inside of the choke lever mechanism ( hard to see ),I believe my no start is related to this switch somehow.
Any chance you can give me the Kholer part number as I would also like to order one of these engines to replace the Briggs on my Toro Timemaster. Many thanks, Steve
Hi Steve! I am not sure of the part number, but it was labeled "Kohler CV224-3002 224 CC OHV"
My old 190cc timemaster briggs engine used 90% of a full tank of gas to do my property, with the swap to kohler cv224 whats your best guess as to fuel consumption?
Hmm. I'm mowing about 15K square feet. On every cut except for one I've finished without filling up. However on my last cut I did have to refill at the very end because the grass was very long.
How has the deck held up so fa?. I was told the kohler engine was too heavy for the deck and would cause it to fall. Thanks for the video
I used it for the rest of last year and my two first cuts this year - it's been awesome. The deck is pretty heavy duty. I would not worry.
Kohler vs Honda engine for that Timemaster lawn mower, which 1 is the better engine?
I have the 223cc engine and I must have some friction or something because it won't even power the blades. I've thought several times about swapping the engine, I thought too myself, "Surely people have thought of this as well!" Any forums you suggest looking at?
Also, I don't see any follow-up videos. How is it still holding up?
what model Kohler Command Pro CV224, did you buy? i wanna switch my timemaster Briggs and Stratton motor to Kohler.
Thanks for watching! Kohler CV224-3002 224 CC OHV.
Question: Does this motor have a larger capacity tank than the Briggs it replaces? I sure as heck hope so...
Yes. It is significantly bigger.
Mine is about 4 years old. It has a deck hose connectionthat cleans reasonably fast and well. The engine odds definitely underpowered
Hopefully you have a lot of life in the original!
Where did you get the metal personal pace lever? Great video BTW
I don't recall...I found the part number and got it off a parts site. Thanks for watching.
Where did you buy your transmission, and do you mind saying with it cost? Thanks!
I got mine for $100 from an Amazon seller.
Going to sell mine and buy a used exmark or scag 30"
can you let the engine idle down with that throttle lever?
Yes, you can.
The engine will not make a difference in how this cuts ! The blades are so low lift a three horse briggs could run it
Before swapping the engine, it would constantly bog down while mulching higher grass. Hasn't done that since. Probably partially attributable to problems with the old engine.
Thank you for showing the process. Not this video is no help
Whatsoever
There are other good videos for that on UA-cam.
@@KodiakWoodcraft but why name it how to if you didn’t show how to do it