How To Repair A Toro 22298 Blade Brake Clutch On A Commercial Mower

[@The_GreenMachine]

how do you get that main nut off to even get to removing the pulley plates? my small belt broke and trying to remove the main pulleys is impossible!! the engine is connected to that nut/shaft, so when trying to loosen it the engine turns.. is there an engine brake that i need to apply somewhere? ive seen multiple videos on these replacements and every single video that nut just comes right off without rotating the shaft

[@austinado16]

The big nut on the crankshaft is removed using either a 1/2" drive air impact gun, or a 1/2" drive battery powered impact gun. Literally, the nut just "zips" right off with an impact gun, and it's installed the same way. Any other method will just be a huge fight, probably be unsuccessful leading to a ton of frustration, and maybe even getting injured. The impact gun is also used to zip of the blade bolts, so if you don't own one, it's worth having, along with the impact (black metal) rated sockets in the sizes you need for the machine.

[@gwynnemurkin1279]

Nice video, Todd thanks When I tighten the big nut on the cranks shaft with the pulley on, it makes the engine to tight to pull the starter cable? Any idea why ? I fitted 2 new belts.

[@austinado16]

While tightening that nut. The belt has to be kept free of the pulley halves, otherwise it gets pinched.

[@WJCTechyman]

People apparently like Toros and I have known these issues on Toros for a while. Honda is faaaar superior in blade brake clutches (they invented them after all on walk behind mowers) as well as making a competitively priced commercial mower to this one with direct drive hydrostatic transmission, no belts, everyone else with the exception of Kubota (its mowers look like a Honda HR214 painted orange) outside of Japan or China uses belts for the transmission for some reason. When Deere made mowers I briefly had a 14pb with a Kawasaki 180 style engine that had a true blade brake but it looked a bit like a clock mechanism out of a grandfather clock the way it was made with four posts between two plates. It was strange but worked. Now looking at SCAG's recent mowers, they also use true blade brake clutches that look more like Honda's but not as substantial.

[@austinado16]

Agreed. I tell people all the time, that the Honda Commercials are a much better machine, and even compare them side-to-side so that buyers can actually see the difference. The ones who don't buy the Hondas are the ones who somehow feel that the Hondas are "too heavy." I don't understand that, because it's self-propelled. All the operator has to do is guide it, and dump the bag, and it climbs it's own ramps in to their trailers or pickup trucks. Meanwhile, the Toro's are in frequently, especially in Spring when they're being tasked with mowing deep, wet grass, and being used as field mowers, and in the Fall, when being tasked to sculp Bermuda (instead of the operators using a reel mower), with burned up blade clutch systems, drive pulleys, and belts, and on the new models, bent rear wheel mounting plates, grinding drive gears, and seized or failed transmission axle bearings...... and the owners having a fit about how much it will cost to repair all of the damage. The Honda Commercials? They come in for a blade sharpening, or replacement, and oil change, and an air filter clean. And once in a while, new rear wheels, and/or drive ratchets.

[@karlo6151]

@@austinado16 Would you recommend getting a Honda mower now that they stopped producing them ? I run a lawn care business so part supply is important

[@austinado16]

@@karlo6151 Yes, I still highly recommend them. I doubt very much that the parts for them will be discontinued. If you're using the machine yourself, and using it for what it's intended, which is mowing actual lawns, and don't use it to mow bermuda, skalp, mow field, mow 2 foot deep weeds, it will will last you a lifetime, literally, and seldom need any real work.

[@charlesa.wobbly5578]

I cannot get the base pully to come off. I removed the 15/16" nut but the base pully seems to be stuck on. Anyone have any tips for how to get it off?

[@austinado16]

If you'll notice in the video, the crankshaft is coated in rust, and so are the inner races of the double bearing in the pulley. This is what is holding your pulley on. Spray the area with Kroil, let it sit for a while, and then start rocking the pulley in order to wick the penetrant into the bearing/crankshaft area. You'll then be able to pull the pulley off. If this winds up not working, you can try tapping around the outer edge of the pulley with a small hammer. If the hammer doesn't free it, you'll probably need to use a puller on it. When you re-assemble, be sure to use copper anti-seize on it.