# First run of the season for a Rebuilt Toro 824



## frozenwrench (Oct 18, 2017)

Last month I picked up a 1992 Toro 824. I had JD TRX24 for quite a while and got tired of man-handling that thing around. To be honest the TRX was not best built machine either. Good design, I liked the controls, but the steel they used was bubblegum grade, the bearings terrible, and powdercoat fell off just by looking at it. Something was always breaking...

I was looking for a nice Gilson/Wards or Ariens but found a Toro near by. My brother has a 724 and that thing is a beast. So I brought the 824 home.

It was in nice shape, had worn auger bushing and the control linkages were pretty beat up. The original engine ran well but I had an 8hp Snow King from 2011 that had only ran about 6 times before the snow blower it was on got hit by a car. It was free from a co-worker.

So I took the old Toro apart, replaced a few bushings, welded up a few cracks and stripped and repainted the entire machine. I got a complete set of controls from a 724 and got the levers and linkages corrected. I have about $100 out of pocket in thing and its good as new. Someone even bought the old 8hp from me for a few bucks.

I honestly think I would have to spend about 8 to 10 times that much to get a new machine that is built as well as this 25 year old Toro.

We got 5 inches of heavy wet stuff last night and there is some slush on the bottom for extra fun...:sad2:

These old drum auger Toros are animals in this stuff. Machine ran like watch, no clogs, good throw distance. I love these Toros because they have a latching PTO control and no Drive Clutch. Just a safety switch on the right side.


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## russkat (Feb 25, 2015)

Nice machine you've got there !
You should update your profile to show your location, unless you're in witness protection.

There was a real nice 824 for sale locally here, original owner/manuals/receipts, but he wanted $450
A bit much for a 35yo blower. It's gone now, not sure what it actually sold for.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

Looks nice. What color paints did you use? and did you do anything to the handles?


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## frozenwrench (Oct 18, 2017)

I used the Toro labeled stuff, New Toro Red. Its decent quality paint for a spray can. It covered well. I don't who makes it for them, you can probably get the same stuff from Walmart by another name. The black was just Rustoleum.

The handle bars are original, the control levers and linkages had been beat up. This machine had a drive problem at one time in it's life. The owner was mashing the drive lever to get it to move and that beat up the controls over time. The drive shaft got so bad that the drive belt pulley actually contacted the auger pulley. The guy I got it from had fixed the drive problem. I found a complete handle bar set with the controls from a 724. They are the same for 624, 724, and 824... so I replaced all the levers and linkages.

I ended up taking the machine completely apart, pretty much to the last screw.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*MAZEL TOV on that 1.:wavetowel2:*


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

thanks Frozen. I'm starting a repaint of a backup 421. I'll do similar red and black, but I need to find some decent (not necessarily original) stickers for the escutcheon plate.


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

I have that same machine...unstoppable! Well done on the restore!


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## frozenwrench (Oct 18, 2017)

Just adding another update.

Have been getting quite a bit of use out of the 824. I have my driveway, older retired people on one side that I often do for them and a military wife with a deployed huband on the other side. Then I haul it to my parents with a 200' driveway and some nasy drifts. The 824 is a very well made machine. The biggest fault in these machines is the simple crank shoot control and lack of deflector controls. It throws snow quite a distance for an older machine, it would be nice to have deflector controls on the dash. The drive control, on the other hand, is fantastic. Instantly shuttling from forward to reverse without a drive clutch is really nice. The machine cannot overload the engine. If you run too fast it starts pushing snow in front of the auger. I put an essentially brand new Tecumseh L-head on this machine and it needs no more power than that. It moves a lot of snow in 2nd and even 3rd. EOD piles as high as the intake dont require a down shift, it pushes the pile forward a bit but it chews it up without feeling like the engine is gettibg loaded down. Ony in long runs of deep snow do I have to shift into 1st.

For a compact 24" machine these will hold thier own next to a new one. I mean that, they are that good. Just dont have the bells and whistles of the new one... or the dealer warrany either. However you will not get the throwing distance of the better new machines. If you need to really throw snow away from the area you are clearing you need a newer quality machine. I don't have much room at my house and the neighbors so distance is not an issue for me. The floating skive plate is a nice feature. It will skip over tall joints in the side walk that uses to stop my other 2 stage machines with a nasty jolt. 

I am a big fan of the old Gilsons and Airens machines, now I see these old Toros are every bit as good. If you find one in good shape don't hesitate to bring it home.


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