05 December 2017

A day in the life... Toro 322 trim mower

Winter means going through
all the machines.
This is the one chance a year 
to get these reliable for next season.
This antique is a crucial part of fighting 
the weeds and grass,
specifically in the spots between the trees.
Sometimes the trees win.
You'd think a 1990 toro 322d,
almost 30 years old,
would be babied to last this long.
No.
The toro's are built strong but not too strong,
otherwise they'd never get replaced.
Interestingly there are 3 evolutions of this machine,
each seems to be made weaker than the other.
Luckily I'll take any excuse 
to get some cutting and welding in...
The scrap pile donated the perfect metal,
some 3/16" plate and fat rebar.
Way thicker then what these are built with.
There's a risk of making it too strong,
as somethings gotta give.
Well that'll give me or the next guy
something to do!
Looks like a beefy boat repair.
Good enough for years of thrash time.
This was the weak link,
the bracket that holds up the cutting deck.
Not even an inch thick spatter weld could hold it together.
Sometimes welding practice is better on scrap,
not something holding 3 rotating knives.
Probably why I fit in here.
After some grinding the crack was revealed.
Zip zip and as strong as new.
Now let's see how the guys trash this...
Besides going through the whole unit,
oil change, bearings and stuff,
a leaky hydraulic hose was also replaced.
That meant removing all the floorboard panels.
So yea this wasn't really a day in the life,
more like a couple days scattered over a week.
Now get to work guys no more excuses.
TP

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