Why Your Toro Mower Blades Won’t Engage or Turn On

Check for electrical issues and worn deck components if the mower blades won’t start and rotate beneath the deck.

A worn or stretched mower deck belt, a belt that has come off the pulleys, a malfunctioning PTO switch, a faulty clutch, a weak battery, a faulty safety switch, or a blown fuse can all prevent the Toro lawn mower blades from engaging or turning on.

Mower deck work is quite hazardous. Before you start working on your Toro, make sure the key is out of the ignition and the wires are disconnected from the spark plugs. You must hold off until every moving piece stops.

Cutting Blades on Toro Mower Won’t Start or Operate

The Deck Belt of a Toro Mower in Use

The belt on the mower has to be inspected. The belt is what holds onto the deck pulleys, which in turn spins the mower blades. If you wear the Toro deck belt, it could slip on the pulleys and prevent the blades from spinning.

A Toro deck belt that is cracked, worn, frayed, or has a glazed look is not in good condition. Additionally, a deck belt that has seen better days may now rest excessively in the pulley grooves.

Renew a Toro belt that has seen better days. Blades may still turn, although at slower rates. The quality of the cut will suffer as a result of this.

For a clean, even cut, a high blade speed is needed to generate suction under the deck and lift the grass.

The Belt Fell Off the Toro Mower’s Deck’s Pulleys.

If you discover that the belt has come loose from the pulleys and is no longer turning the mower blades, you should inspect the belt and any potential causes of the belt’s slippage, such as a broken pulley, a worn tensioner arm, or a missing spring.

Objects that cause the Toro belt to continually popping off the mower deck are catalogued here.

Toro Mower with a Broken Idle Arm and Spring

Idle pulley alignment is maintained by a tensioner arm and spring. The bracket will likely include a pulley on one side and a spring on the other.

Due to gradual wear, these components might cause the belt to vibrate loose from the pulleys. Both bending and breaking of the spring are possible. It’s also possible for the tensioner to break due to wear on the hole in the bracket.

Toro Pulley with a Failed Bearing

The pulleys on the mower deck are where you’ll find the bearings. Wear on the pulley is possible over time. Because of this, the pulley may no longer be firmly positioned such that it is parallel to the mower deck.

The pulley can jiggle instead because of a faulty bearing. In the event of a rocking motion of the pulley, the belt can roll off.

To identify a failing pulley, one should rotate it by hand slowly while feeling for resistance or listening for a bearing noise. Pick up the pulley on both ends and examine whether there is wiggle room for it to rock back and forth.

A quality pulley will have a solid deck mount. If the bearing in a pulley assembly is worn out, you should swap it out.

The Toro Lawnmower’s Defective PTO Switch (Electric Clutch)

You may activate the clutch using the battery voltage by turning the PTO switch, which is a knob on most Toro mowers. If the switch breaks, the fan won’t spin.

Ensure the switch has continuity by testing it. Disrupt the flow of events in place of a switch.

Toro Mower Clutch Failure

When the drive belt is engaged, power from the engine is transferred to the blades via the PTO clutch. If the clutch is worn or broken and not providing enough power to the blades, it needs to be replaced.

Check out A Look at Lawn Mower Clutches if you want to learn more about clutches.

Failure of the Toro’s Clutch Cable (Manual Clutch)

Mowers from Toro that require human intervention to engage the clutch have a cable and lever for doing so.

Assure that the clutch is being engaged and that the clutch lever, cable, spring, bushings, and linkages are in good condition by conducting a thorough inspection.

Renew any components that have become damaged or worn.

Toro Lawnmower’s Weak Battery

The battery is what powers an electric clutch. The clutch solenoid cannot be activated to turn on the mower blades if the battery is too weak.

Get out your multimeter and see what the battery’s voltage is. If you check the voltage of a completely charged 12-volt battery, you should see around 12.7 volts.

If the battery level drops below this, it needs to be charged.

In order to charge a Toro battery, you will need a battery charger. Put on goggles and leather gloves to shield your hands from electrical current and shield your eyes before proceeding. In order to charge the battery of your riding mower or zero-turn, do as follows:

• To get to the battery and terminals, you’ll need to open up the case. If the battery is hidden, you may need a screwdriver to reveal it. The battery is either underneath the seat or in the engine compartment. Avoid taking the battery out of its case.
• The positive cable should be connected to the charger before the battery. The plus-sign cable, or the red cable. Connect the cable to the battery’s positive terminal.
• Join the negative end of the cable to the battery’s negative post. The negative cable, often known as the black cable.
• Never put your bare skin in contact with anything that isn’t insulated with rubber.
• Adjust the charger’s voltage and current to meet your needs. Lawn mower batteries typically have a voltage level of 12 volts. In other words, the faster the battery can be charged, the more amperage it needs. The recommended starting point is 2 amps, with a maximum of 10 amps. Ideally, the charge should be applied gradually.

If you discover the battery is not holding a charge, you will need to purchase a new one. Batteries for 12-volt lawn mowers are available at most home improvement and auto shops. Batteries can also be purchased at several lawn equipment retailers.

Don’t forget to bring the dead batteries. You’ll likely be required to pay a core fee if you don’t return your old battery. Standard charges typically cost around $20.

The Toro Mower’s Faulty Safety Switch

If the operator is not seated, the deck will not activate. Toro includes this feature as part of its safety system to protect the operator.

When you get up from the seat with the mower deck engaged, the deck will disengage and the blades will cease moving.

The operator may not be detected if the seat switch is defective. When a faulty seat switch is detected, the safety system will prohibit the blades from starting.

If you suspect a faulty seat switch, you can test it with a multimeter or temporarily disable the safety feature. Do not risk your safety by using a mower if the safety switch is not attached.

Keep all equipment’s safety switches functional at all times.

A Toro Lawn Mower’s Fuse Has Blown.

One possible cause of a clutch that won’t engage is a blown fuse. To prevent damage to the Toro’s electrical components, a fuse must be installed.

Use another fuse of the same size to replace a blown one. If the fuses keep blowing, you should have it checked out by a professional at a Toro service facility or a lawn mower repair shop.

Your Toro Lawn Mower is Still Giving You Trouble?

Owning a lawnmower that never breaks down would be fantastic, but that almost never happens. If you own a lawn mower for any length of time, you will inevitably experience some sort of issue.

I have included a list of symptoms, likely causes, and potential solutions to assist you diagnose and repair issues with your Toro mower.