# 80's/90's era Toro 824- worth the asking price, and common problems?



## snowballah (Sep 8, 2020)

I'm in the market for a used two-stage snowblower. 1st time ever buying. Willing to do some work on them. This 924 one cropped up in my area. Looks to be from the 80s or 90s. Seller claims it has a new carburetor and 'works great'.

Asking price is $175 CAD.

Any guesses as to which year model I'm looking at here? And what are some common problems that I need to lookout for with this model year?


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i would say to make sure there isn't any play in the impeller bush. if it starts and runs good the price not too bad. those things are pretty nice and usually have a spring loaded scrapper bar so they clean right down to pavement. it would be a bonus if the rims where not stuck to the axles but that is usually pretty common.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

you can read through this thread, at the middle of page 1 it mentions that series as 1976 - 1987. 









TORO History Picture Page.


This is the Evolution of the Toro snowblower. I do not lay claim to any of these pics. they have pulled from the world wide web. I only claim The Brothers. so everybody feel free to post all the other models From TORO. I am not affiliated with TORO in any way . and if there are mistakes just let...




www.snowblowerforum.com





Those machines are tanks, very heavy and very well built. Some parts can be hard to get. If you need a heavy duty machine, and are handy working on engines, etc. that would be a good choice. I cannot speak to prices there.

all machines can be found: Parts | Toro. You can search by "824" but it pulls up alot, you need the actual model #, like 38xxx.

tx


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## snowballah (Sep 8, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> i would say to make sure there isn't any play in the impeller bush. if it starts and runs good the price not too bad. those things are pretty nice and usually have a spring loaded scrapper bar so they clean right down to pavement. it would be a bonus if the rims where not stuck to the axles but that is usually pretty common.


wolfie to the rescue. And when you say "if the rims were stuck to the axles" do you mean if they were seized to the axles? Or are their rims that are intentionally designed to be stuck to the axles.



paulm12 said:


> you can read through this thread, at the middle of page 1 it mentions that series as 1976 - 1987.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for this info. I do have a long driveway and live in southeast Ontario where we get at least 2-3 snowstorms a year, but not sure if that constitutes "heavy duty", though.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Those older Toros have a great reputation, and are built like tanks. 
Below is a detailed thread on a Toro, it may be a little older. Lots of great information and photos of the machine and what could be involved with bringing any older machine back to operating condition. 










1987 Toro (38150) 826


SBFers...it happened again; I told myself, my family, my friends that the snowblower herd was done expanding. However when a thread popped-up a few weeks back from a new member saying he was looking to unload a "bucket list" blower, the Old Iron noggin' gears started grinding again. (He now...




www.snowblowerforum.com


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

toros are well known for the auger bushings drying up and going bad rims rusting unto the axle taking time and using care you can get them back to good health very easily with min amount of cash involved


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

Looks like a late 70's early 80's machine with a Tecumseh 8 hp motor.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

snowballah said:


> wolfie to the rescue. And when you say "if the rims were stuck to the axles" do you mean if they were seized to the axles? Or are their rims that are intentionally designed to be stuck to the axles.


ya i mean rusted to the axle. lots of snoblowers have this problem. only time it is really an issue is when you need to replace something inside the tractor which requires removing the wheels. if the axle bushings seem tight it likely isn't an issue you would have to worry about too soon but it would be a bonus if the rims were free so they could be removed and serviced if needed. heck it might even be nice to upgrade to a newer style tire if you could get them off. those tires are usually so old that they are rock solid and don't grab the best but it will still move the machine.


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## snowballah (Sep 8, 2020)

I pulled the trigger. Now the owner of a big orange Toro 824, Model 38080. It runs. Loudly. And like a Soviet tank.










So based on what you've all told me I should look at replacing:

Auger bushings
Rims
Axle
Maybe some tire chains
I'm hunting down some local 824s for parts and hoping to turn mine upside down and really get a good look at it, so please let me know if there's anything else I should be inspecting.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

you only need new auger/impeller bushings if the old ones are wore out. also you would only need new rims if you destroy the old ones getting them off the axle but hopefully the axle would be fine. if there is no slop in the axle bushings i would leave the tires alone if they will not come off willingly. also instead of chains it may be worth getting newer style tires if you can get the rims off.


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## snowballah (Sep 8, 2020)

crazzywolfie said:


> you only need new auger/impeller bushings if the old ones are wore out. also you would only need new rims if you destroy the old ones getting them off the axle but hopefully the axle would be fine. if there is no slop in the axle bushings i would leave the tires alone if they will not come off willingly. also instead of chains it may be worth getting newer style tires if you can get the rims off.


Noted, will take a look at that.

Are the newer style tires a valid substitute for tire chains? Or do the newer style tires still need chains in order to be effective? Because I'm not sure if I have the old or new style of tires. But the ones I have on right now are cracked and would likely benefit from replacement.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

I would recommend X trac tires, no need for chains with them.



X Trac Tires



I notice the belt cover is off the machine, hope you have it, as snow will get in there and cause the belts to slip. 

Good luck with getting it back in peak operating condition. Many experts on the forum to help out with any questions you have.

Cheers


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

Here is a link to the Toro 2-stage repair manual, if you need it.Compliments of one of our moderators, thank you Shryp.



http://shryp.ashendust.com/Snowblowers/2stagdrv.pdf


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

the newer style tires perform pretty decent with no chains. the old style tires will move the machine but with the design they are more likely to spin on hills while pushing snow. the x trac tires like Ziggy mentioned are nice and grab pretty good. also i don't know if it is what tho holes on your tires are for but could always stud those tires if you feel like you need more traction. if the tires don't leak they will work to move the machine. you can see if you like them or not this winter and always replace them next summer if you don't like them. looks like the 1 may already have a tube in it. 

so have you tried pulling that pin and seeing if the tire will come off yet? it doesn't look too bad and i am guessing if someone put a tube in the tire they likely had the rim off.


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## snowballah (Sep 8, 2020)

Ziggy65 said:


> I would recommend X trac tires, no need for chains with them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link. And yes I do have the belt cover I was just trying to repair a crack in the shield plastic. My usual go-to epoxy (JB Weld) didn't work... which is a first. Any suggestions on what kind of glue works for 1970s era thermoplastics?












crazzywolfie said:


> so have you tried pulling that pin and seeing if the tire will come off yet? it doesn't look too bad and i am guessing if someone put a tube in the tire they likely had the rim off.


Tried removing the pin, but it looks like the wheel is seized to the axle. How likely is it that I can free it up with copious amounts of PB Blaster and heat torch?

And I'll likely get a set of new tires from the link provided by Ziggy. Might as well get familiar with this 824 while we still have another month or so of decent weather.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

could try plastic welding them or you would need an actual glue. jb weld is not really the same as a plastic glue. 

you can try pb blaster but i don't know if a propane torch would be enough to remove the rim but could try it. the rim should spin on the axle once you get it freed up.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

You could try a repair similar to this Donyboy73 video with tie wraps. He has some great videos on snow blower repair and maintenance.






You may want to shop locally for the X trac tires or try amazon.ca etc for the best price. The link I included was just to show the tires. I know they ship to Canada, but not sure what shipping charges will be. Unfortunately we Canadians usually get nailed with high shipping fees from US online retailers and the exchange rate doesn't help either.


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## Matthew_A (Nov 29, 2020)

snowballah said:


> removing the pin, but it looks like the wheel is seized to the axel. How likely is it that I can free it up with copious amounts of PB Blaster and heat torch?


Reviving a 3-year-old thread here . . . rather than PBBlaster, try a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid (ATF).

Where are you on this project? Did you get your blower into production?

Matthew


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## snowballah (Sep 8, 2020)

Ziggy65 said:


> I would recommend X trac tires, no need for chains with them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Decided that I'm going to replace the tires with those newer ones. Problem is that I'll likely destroy the wheels in the process since they are seized to the axle. So I'll need to purchase some replacement wheels in addition to the tires. How does sizing work for snowblower wheels? Because as you can see in this photo my tire size is 13-4.00-6. But how do I find the right wheels for my Toro?


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