# Toro 521 2 stage



## Talon1189

I just pulled my 26 year old Toro 521 out of my garage corner that has be sitting for the last 8 years not running. I bought a brand new aftermarket carburetor, new fuel line, cleaned out the gas tank, new spark plug, lubed up the transmission, and checked the belts. I pulled the rope 4 times and it fired right up  I warmed up the engine and adjusted the new carburetor. I changed the oil and it is ready to go. My question is .........I have a product called Fluid Film in an aerosol can. It is a Rust & Corrosion Preventive. It is used to prevent grass from sticking to lawnmowers, and snow from sticking to snow removal equipment among about a 1,000 more other uses. I was thinking of spraying my entire augur, bucket, and snow shoot to prevent rust as well as preventing the snow from sticking. My Toro has very little rust and I would like the machine to last another 26 years if possible. Does anyone here spray anything similar on their snow blowers here?


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## bwdbrn1

Just gotta' love those older machines. Nothing more satisfying than hearing one come back to life that hasn't run in years. Other folks have used such things as WD40 and Pledge, so that stuff you have will probably work just fine.


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## HCBPH

*Slicking them up*

Congrats on getting it up and running. I love the older ones, built like a tank compared to some of the new stuff I've seen. If you have gas and spark, it should run unlike things like electronic modules etc I see people having problems with.

Like bwdbrn1 said, anything that makes the impeller, housing and chute slicker can't hurt. Another one I've heard used is "Pam" cooking spray. Personally, I'm trying Macguires car wax on the Searsasaurus to see how that works. Spray would be alot easier, but the wife says I'm a glutten for punishment trying to apply and buff it inside the housing


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## attaboybob

I have a TORO 421 ...built in 1980.
It starts soooo easily. I love it.
I have a few pics if you view my public profile and go to my picture albums.

post some pics when you can.

I use regular car wax on mine, where I can reach.
Otherwise, I use some spray waxes as well.
The PAM gets a bit sticky. 
I spray my tire treads too.

Bob


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## Talon1189

attaboybob said:


> I have a TORO 421 ...built in 1980.
> It starts soooo easily. I love it.
> I have a few pics if you view my public profile and go to my picture albums.
> 
> post some pics when you can.
> 
> I use regular car wax on mine, where I can reach.
> Otherwise, I use some spray waxes as well.
> The PAM gets a bit sticky.
> I spray my tire treads too.
> 
> Bob


Thanks Bob.......My real name is Bob as well. I sprayed down my entire bucket including augurs and wiped down all parts after spraying with Fluid Film today .......I hope that the very minor rust will be stopped as well as the no stick factor on the snow once my Toro 521 first gets a bite of the snow. I really should of taken a few images of my Beast as he is still handsome and in perfect working order after sitting for the last 8 years  My Toro 521 is in original untouched mode outside of new aftermarket carburetor and a new fuel line, new scrapper and heavy duty skids installed 8 years ago. It was never had any repainting at all and looks great today. I can provide pictures........LOL!


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## Talon1189

Here are a few pictures of my 26 year old Toro 521. I could not figure out how to post them in the picture gallery  I am the original owner. The Toro is all original except for a new carburetor, new fuel line, newer skids, and a newer scraper. The belts are all original. The paint has never been touched up and is also original. I paid $800.75 out the door with electric starter and wheel chains that I never used back in December of 1985. I installed the optional headlight on the snow blower right after I bought it a week later. The headlight cost $83.00 out the door. It has a alternator off of the flywheel cover.


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## Talon1189

I remember thinking about fixing up my Toro 521 snow blower last November (2010) and selling it as I was desperate at that time for money. Today.....I am still desperate for money....LOL! I thought about replacing it with a single stage snow thrower as our winters have been kinda mild the last 4 years before that time. The winter of 2010 we got hammered BIGTIME for SE lower Michigan and I hurt my back a few times shoveling by hand like unlike the years before. I used to feel kinda silly running a small 5 horsepower 21 inch 2 stage blower out for only 2 inches or less of snow  I am 52 years old now and my back is not what it was a few years back  I am so happy that I kept my older machine and got it running this last November and learned to appreciate what I had. Today ........I feel confident with my older Toro 521  I have read on the internet that "they don't build them like they did" many times today! Chinese built products always scared me as I am old school........made in the USA type of guy  >>>>>>> Talon


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## HCBPH

*Toro*

Talon

You Lie - there's no way that can be that age and that condition 
All joking aside, that's a great looking machine and to be in that condition and at that age, you had to pamper that alot. I've never seen one that age and in that condition that I can remember. No missing paint, no rust, almost exactly like it came out of the factor, do the tires still have the nubs? Now if you tell me it's got the original air in the tires, I'm really going to have a hard time believing that one.


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## Shryp

I don't know about original air, but I can tell you he has never put air in those tires


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## Talon1189

HCBPH said:


> Talon
> 
> You Lie - there's no way that can be that age and that condition
> All joking aside, that's a great looking machine and to be in that condition and at that age, you had to pamper that alot. I've never seen one that age and in that condition that I can remember. No missing paint, no rust, almost exactly like it came out of the factor, do the tires still have the nubs? Now if you tell me it's got the original air in the tires, I'm really going to have a hard time believing that one.



Thanks HCBPH for the compliment buddy. The tires are the hard rubber pneumatic type that don't need air. I just put a coat of car wax on my Toro 521 after I got it and always brushed off all loose snow off the machine before putting it away in my garage. I always rested the snow blower on a 2x4 piece of wood so it never sat in water while being stored  The machine sat for the last 8 years in my garage like I mentioned. Here are 2 more images that I took the other day.....there is very light rust on the auger and impeller area :



















I am very proud of my older Toro here......but reading up on some the the machines made in the 60' and 70's that some members here own kinda makes mine look like a newbie machine


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## Talon1189

As pretty as it looks in my pictures........It ain't chit if we do not get snow? The weather here in Michigan over the next 10 days or so looks very "dry"...........Merry Christmas to all


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## HCBPH

*A Brown Christmas*



Talon1189 said:


> As pretty as it looks in my pictures........It ain't chit if we do not get snow? The weather here in Michigan over the next 10 days or so looks very "dry"...........Merry Christmas to all


Merry Christmas to you too.

No snow here either (got about as much as the powdered sugar on a donut last night) it doesn't seem right to have a Brown Christmas, and me waiting to list 3 snowblowers for sale but I don't want to do it before we have some snow to make it worth while.


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## detdrbuzzard

wow talon thats a good looking machine and guess what ?? i got my original powerlite and my 2450 ( 38419 ) from h & r hardware, too bad they went out of buisness


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## jbkidsx5

That is a beautiful machine. 

Jim


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## td5771

i just picked up the smaller sibling to the 521, bought a 421 from the original owner and got the original manual with it as well. unfortunately it was not cared for anywhere near as well as yours.

he told me he didn't like it because it was too hard to start. no surprise as the muffler was missing a bolt and the 2 intake manifold bolts were so loose you could move the carb an inch and a half up and down. 

after fixing all the basic nonsense and changing out the carb (couldn't be saved but i had a spare) it fired up and ran pretty well. now the last issue is someone partially stripped the spark plug hole. its holding but i dont expect it to hold long. going to swap out the head before i sell it. 

i wish it was in the shape yours is. but its the first toro i have had and like most old machines it is very well built and heavy for such a small machine.


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## Navyflipper

@Talon 1189..I also have a Toro 521 an got mine in Oct 1985, in Conn, and used every year. The last good Storm i used there was in 95 i think, and did the whole neighborhood, about 5 homes and 2 or 3 ft of snow. then moved to Colorado in 1996, and maybe used Twice, an all is Original, including air tires, we both have great Toro's..YA for old school.. Couldn't get mine started this year after 28 years,so instead of buying a new carburetor, i got the rebuild kit #31840, new gas line hose, and primer hose, new gas and adjusted the carburetor..it runs like a champ..about Ur chute, i watched a video, on YouTube, how to fix it from clogging, w/ice/snow.. there's a space between the blade an wall, before the chute. they suggest to install Rubber on the blade take up that space..I don't know, but sounds logical, and im going to try it..if it works, im going to spray walls w/Pam or rust inhibitor, at end of season. let me know what you think.. PS @ HCBPH, Believe it or NOT, I have those tires your talking about !!! And they don't ware and never repaired!!


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## detdrbuzzard

hello navyflipper, welcome to SBF. talon hasn't posted in awhile. thats an auger kit you are talking about, i have one but i haven't installed it yet. living in the city i'm afraid the impeller kit might make my ( new to me ) 521 through snow too far. i did install the taller chute from a newer 521. i'll see how that works then decide if the impeller kit is needed. one of my hard rubber tires is starting to fall apart so i picked up some pnumatics from an newer machine and hope its just a matter of swithcing rims. post up some pic's of your machine


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## Talon1189

detdrbuzzard said:


> hello navyflipper, welcome to SBF. talon hasn't posted in awhile. thats an auger kit you are talking about, i have one but i haven't installed it yet. living in the city i'm afraid the impeller kit might make my ( new to me ) 521 through snow too far. i did install the taller chute from a newer 521. i'll see how that works then decide if the impeller kit is needed. one of my hard rubber tires is starting to fall apart so i picked up some pnumatics from an newer machine and hope its just a matter of swithcing rims. post up some pic's of your machine



I have been watching this thread..........Good luck with your snow blower buddy....... I feel that you are "over killing" an older machine  What do you want to accomplish with your machine?? >>>>>>>> Talon


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## detdrbuzzard

hey talon, i picked up a 521


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## Talon1189

detdrbuzzard said:


> hey talon, i picked up a 521



Good for you.......I love mine and it is still in the same shape as my pictures show. I never fired it up this year because we never got any heavy snows yet  I live in Michigan so it may snow in April here.....hahahaha >>>>>> Talon


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## detdrbuzzard

Talon1189 said:


> Good for you.......I love mine and it is still in the same shape as my pictures show. I never fired it up this year because we never got any heavy snows yet  I live in Michigan so it may snow in April here.....hahahaha >>>>>> Talon


 i should have listined to you last year and got a 521 or 524 rather than the 826. i've used the 521 a couple time just to get use to it. i think its a great machine and one day i plan on having my 2450e, and the 521 as the only snowblowers in the garage


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