Toro Timecutter MX Series

Bought a 42in myride 3 years ago in Australia and have almost 200hrs on it. I had issues with it not starting not long into using it. It would backfire and just be plainly difficult to get started. First issue i found was a bent rocker stud (discovered after 2 years) so i replaced it thinking start issue fixed....Nope! Still hard to start and… Read more

backfired. I figured the valves might be burnt or bent and that i would need to pull the cylinder head and lap the valves to get them to seal properly. I put this off and hated buying the mower, hated using the mower.

I decided I'd replace the engine with a Kawasaki and throw the 24.5hp to the dump and rid myself of that nightmare.

No, I thought..... I'm going to fix it!

Disassembled the carburettor and cleaned, still faulty. New plugs and gapped correctly, still faulty. Check magnetic pickups for ignition hadn't moved, still faulty. Checked battery wasn't dropping voltage while cranking, still faulty. Checked voltage across starter solenoid while cracking, BINGO!!. Replaced starter solenoid and now it starts 1st time. No backfire, no cranking forever, no problems, no nothing.

It had never cranked fast enough to start without needing to choke it everytime. So I let the engine get upto operating temp, shut it down and it re-started straight away, over and over again, each time without issue.

As for the rest of the mower it worked flawlessly from the first use.

However it is terrible on slopes but that's the flaw with zeroturn mowers except the ones that steer with the front tires. Doesn't come with an hour meter. There is a cutout for the hour meter under the operations panels sticker. I bought one and installed. It plugs straight into the wiring harness. You don't need to find a power source for it.

I have the mulching kit installed and it works excellently. I use aftermarket thicker mulch blades as i found the ones purchased from toro where too thin and wore out too quickly.

There are only 2 greasable items on the mower. That being the front wheels. I understand its not a commercial mower but I'd like to be able to grease the spindles.

The Myride was the main reason i bought the mower and it works a treat. My back is really bad and since using this mower I've had not one single moment of back discomfort.

Now that it's working as it should i would definately recommend this mower.

Pretty good – Got the mx5050 for 3 acres of grass sticks and rocks. I’ve had it for 3 years. The deck and blades are great handle the tough stuff. Engine is reliable and consistent. The deck is held on by 2 hooks, falls off all the time, when you go over something. Poor design. I’m getting good at changing belts thanks to the deck issues. I probably wouldn’t buy one again as it seems lazy engineering. Show details

No problems – Mows over long grass with ease and doesn't struggle up hills. Does slip going sideways sometimes but otherwise very pleased with it. It does need bigger fuel tanks though. I go through very rocky terrain and the blades have hit many rocks but the deck and blades stand up well to the strain. The my ride suspension system is rather bouncy. Show details

Was told this would end my Toro problems. The fact is, it was just the beginning – I had known this Toro dealer my whole life. When I went to him with the problem I was facing - that my Toro Zero Turn couldn't keep traction on my hilly yard - he insisted that this substantial upgrade to the Timecutter MX5050 was the right solution. He couldn't have be farther from the truth. Immediately, there were MUCH bigger problems than… Read more

traction such as the engine not starting, the shearing of the main belt WAY too often, surging while doing anything, bad solenoids AND, it wouldn't keep traction on my hilly yard. I've got just a couple hundred hours on the mower over the course of 7 years or so and I'm about the scrap it. I look at these Cub Cadets which cost 1/3 the price of my Toro and they work and run flawlessly and with more features and I now think that a 30-year relationship with Toro needs to end. I think it's ending, Toro. I can't do it anymore.

Great upgrade from my John Deere LA115 – My father has a 4200 series Toro and has used it for years at home and at our farm without fault on some pretty rough terrain and ground. On this basis and the fact that it has a 3 year warranty, I purchased a 4225 around 12 months ago. I put on the mulching kit. Apart from forgetting to put the fuel cap on one day and getting dirty fuel, it… Read more

hasn't missed a beat. Driving on slopes can take some practice as it doesn't behave like a skid steer loader (no surprise). Yes if you rush it can dig into your lawn, but with some practice that is only minimal.

My mowing time has cut down by around 50% so am quite happy, a better cut, and a faster cut is always welcome.

**Edit June 2024.

Still going strong, somehow bent a blade a while back, but threw on new gator blades, and its back at 100%. Just had its first full service as i had only done the filter and oil once. Am running the mulching kit still, apart from a bit of grass clippings about the place, can't really fault it.

Difference between Toro Timecutter 5000 and Toro MyRide 50 – I have operated my Toro Timecutter 5000 for 666 hours and have now replaced it with the MyRide 50. The new mower has a tendency to slide and rip up any grass when going around slopes. I don't think that I am overly erratic as I manoeuvre around the paddock. I use my mower on a mostly hilly slope. It is not a parkland but a nicely mown paddock.… Read more

We do open our garden for visits so it needs to be presentable. Our garden is over 3 hectares. I have found that the mower deck appears to be too low in the middle. When I mow (the grass cut is higher than the Timecutter) the bumps of ground are shaved off and with it the grass that was in place there beforehand. The mower deck is also squared off at the sides not rounded like the Timecutter. When I hit something - a fence post - a rock - a lawn edging, etc. I am jolted to a halt instead of the mower just pushing itself off the object in question. As I am also mowing on a slope I have found that on some corners my body hits the key (which is very high on the operating pad) and turns itself off. Most disconcerting. I must admit that I have only done 45 hours on the mower since its purchase but this has given me an insight into what I can expect for the future. I also find that the grass from the chute pushes out much further than the Timecutter. Whilst this may be a positive point for some I used to be able to manoeuvre around trees once and then come back the other way and the clippings would not touch the tree trunk but this is a big problem for me now as I need to go back and remove clippings from the trunks to alleviate any risk of suffocation, disease and death with the clippings piling so close to the trunks. I don't know if the fuel consumption is greater with the new mower or the fuel capacity is not as great but I am definitely using much more fuel than previously. I keep running out of fuel somewhere in the paddock. I need an auxiliary tank to overcome this problem. I hate walking back to the shed for more fuel. I have needed to have the blades sharpened after 35 hours use. I find it difficult to hop on and off, hitting my foot on the raised foot platform on many occasion.

Toro timecutter SWX 5050 worst ever experience – Now only done 169 hours since new and sick of it. It did a drive belt after 20 hr due to missing oil seal on idler pulley also the battery was replaced after 20 he as it did not hold any charge. At 50 hr had a PTO switch replaced due to constant disengaging , all 6 spindle bearings also got replaced . Engine was and still is backfiring which… Read more

resulted in engine replacement nut as mentioned still backfires . The mower has been back with starting issues and had a brake box replaced also every time the valves need adjusting and the list goes on and on

12 months old now with 25 hours on the clock – Could not be happier with this mower. Cuts beautifully and almost halves cutting time compared to my previous John Deere. Had a 20 hour service at Bike and Brew, Maryborough, Qld just to check all ok. I mow 2 acres and enjoy the experience. No faults or problems yet. A big plus for me is the comfy seat with arm rests, much easier on my back. Peter Show details

Toro MX4275 lemon mower – I've had my new Toro MX4275 mower for a couple of weeks and with less than 1hr mowing usage, the drive belt has snapped. No excessive hard work on the mower either. Spoke to my local dealer about the issue and he told me that it was a common problem because it is not a commercial model. Just wish that he would of told me this a few weeks earlier… Read more

when he was selling me the mower, I wouldn't have purchased it. I just thought for a $7,500 investment, I would have got a little more use out of it.

This model belt is not thicker than your little finger.

Belt replaced under warranty by Toro Australia, very happy with customer service.

Great mower – I’ve had my MX 5050 for about 7 years now and I’m very happy with it. Yes it has had a couple of minor issues but it gets used constantly in the wet season and then not at all for the rest of the year and to be honest my maintenance early on should have been better, so having a few issues was to be expected. Lost an idler pulley early on in… Read more

the second season I had it, so the shop replaced them with some after market ones that had better deals on the bearings and those have lasted 5 years. I even bought spares at the time just in case and haven’t needed them yet. In year 2 the Auto Choke got stuck a few times so the engine ran rough, blew black smoke and would not rev. This was on the first couple of runs that year but after cursing and blaming the machine cooling down then taking the time to look at why, it turned out I’d just not cleaned the choke mechanism at the end of the previous wet season, so it was gummed up with with dirt. A clean and a spray with Silicon WD40 fixed that. Regular maintenance is the key. It’s a machine and it doesn’t matter what brand it is if it’s not maintained it will fail. Most of the negative reviews I see here I’d put down to poor or no maintenance.

Regardless of the brand the environment ride on mowers work in is not easy on the machine. Whatever brand or model you do buy the best thing you can do is maintain it. Don’t just mow park it, mow park it, and so on and then expect faultless operation.

If your looking at buying an MX5050 or even a similar model Toro I’d recommend it.

Great mower.

Timewaster MX5050 – Bought mx5050 from dealer, brand new. $6300. Has now 70 hours,have broken 4 drive belts. At 40 hours central spindle bearings failed. Now at 70 hours another spindle bearing has failed. Been back to dealers now 3 times. They keep it from 2 weeks to nearly a month each time they have had it. Total lemon. Show details