# Adding electric starter to 80s Toro 724 / should I buy it?



## mradminsky

Hello all.. first post! 

I am probably going to buy an early 80s Toro 724 snow blower today, but it has only the pull start. I think I would like to add electric start in case my wife wants to use it, or just because I can. Has anyone else done this for one of these older Toros? The motor is a 7hp Tecusmseh. Can an electric start even be found this far out?

On a related note, are most parts I might commonly need available for a Toro 724 like this, would I be better off finding a newer unit?

The one I am looking at is said to be in perfect working order and the guy is asking $300... does that seem like a decent price if the machine is in "perfect working order"?

Thanks!


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## GustoGuy

mradminsky said:


> Hello all.. first post!
> 
> I am probably going to buy an early 80s Toro 724 snow blower today, but it has only the pull start. I think I would like to add electric start in case my wife wants to use it, or just because I can. Has anyone else done this for one of these older Toros? The motor is a 7hp Tecusmseh. Can an electric start even be found this far out?
> 
> On a related note, are most parts I might commonly need available for a Toro 724 like this, would I be better off finding a newer unit?
> 
> The one I am looking at is said to be in perfect working order and the guy is asking $300... does that seem like a decent price if the machine is in "perfect working order"?
> 
> Thanks!


What year is the Toro machine? Since it does not have an electric start on it all ready I would ask for a lower price than the $300 he is asking since equipping it with electric start will cost at least $100 or even more more if you need a new flywheel that has a gear ring on it. If your flywheel already has a gear ring on it then you could go out and buy the starter that was used on this machine when equipped with optional electric start. If you flywheel does not have a gear ring on it then you would need to swap it for a flywheel that has a gear ring on that is made for your engine. My 8hp Briggs flywheel is not equipped with a gear ring on the fly wheel either so if I wanted to put on a starter then I would have to find another flywheel with a gear ring that is made for my Briggs 8hp and swap it out. This plus a starter could mean $150 minimum so I will not do it since it is not worth it to me as long as it starts with the recoil


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## micah68kj

mradminsky said:


> Hello all.. first post!
> 
> I am probably going to buy an early 80s Toro 724 snow blower today, but it has only the pull start. I think I would like to add electric start in case my wife wants to use it, or just because I can. Has anyone else done this for one of these older Toros? The motor is a 7hp Tecusmseh. Can an electric start even be found this far out?
> 
> On a related note, are most parts I might commonly need available for a Toro 724 like this, would I be better off finding a newer unit?
> 
> The one I am looking at is said to be in perfect working order and the guy is asking $300... does that seem like a decent price if the machine is in "perfect working order"?
> 
> Thanks!


Toro makes a dang good product. However, that might be a little high w/o electric start. As Mark (Gusto Guy) explained, you need to check for the ring gear on the flywheel. Not a hard thjng to do. Standing in front of the machine look on the *left* side of the engine and see if there is a little metal plate screwed onto the side or maybe you can see into the flywheel and see if you can see gears on the outside of the flywheel. If so, all you need is a starter. Any other questions feel free to ask.
Welcome to the forum.


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## detdrbuzzard

hello mrradminsky, welcome to SBF. what you need off the machine is the model number. a quick look on repair clinic.com or partstree.com could answer your question. i don't think i would pay $300 for it even with an electric starter. my briggs powered 826 had the electric starter removed ( mid '70's machine ) and the starter is no longer being made. i found a used starter then had to get the flywheel cover for the starter pinion. both items took time to find so if electric start is a must have item for you pass on this machine


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## Shryp

I will add that often times finding a broken engine or blower with a starter would be cheaper than buying an electric starter. And, look at all the free pieces you get (or can resell for most of what you paid for them).


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## micah68kj

Shryp said:


> I will add that often times finding a broken engine or blower with a starter would be cheaper than buying an electric starter. And, look at all the free pieces you get (or can resell for most of what you paid for them).


Yep. I got a complete running engine *with an electric starter* for $40.00. Starter for the engine was over $100.00. Shop around a little. Go to repair shops. Craigslist, etc


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## td5771

For 300 it should be in perfect working order and be real nice cosmetically. Not that looks are that important but it tells the history of the machine. Works great and looks great it can usually mean it was well taken care of its whole life versus abused but current owner/flipper fixed everything wrong and currently works perfect but who knows what may go wrong.

In my book. $200 if the ring gear for the starter is there. Many tecumseh engine will have a sticker that says "provisions for electric start" somewhere on it and aftermarket starters are readily available. Just put one on a friend's for $60


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## micah68kj

td5771 said:


> For 300 it should be in perfect working order and be real nice cosmetically. Not that looks are that important but it tells the history of the machine. Works great and looks great it can usually mean it was well taken care of its whole life versus abused but current owner/flipper fixed everything wrong and currently works perfect but who knows what may go wrong.
> 
> In my book. $200 if the ring gear for the starter is there. Many tecumseh engine will have a sticker that says "provisions for electric start" somewhere on it and aftermarket starters are readily available. Just put one on a friend's for $60


Where'd you find a $60.00 starter? Dang good price!


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## detdrbuzzard

i would like to know too joe cause every starter i find for my 521 cost $76 or more


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

I would search eBay for starters guys. At some point in time everything shows up on eBay and usually for a decent price!


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## detdrbuzzard

Ray 1962 10ML60 said:


> I would search eBay for starters guys. At some point in time everything shows up on eBay and usually for a decent price!


 every starter i find on ebay for my 521 is $76 or more


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## micah68kj

detdrbuzzard said:


> i would like to know too joe cause every starter i find for my 521 cost $76 or more


Hey William,
I just did a _searchtempest.com_ search and found a few under $50.00. One actually was in Detroit. They're all mostly here on the east coast. Are you needing a starter?


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## td5771

sorry, I looked them up and apparently they went up since last year.

I bought the AEP one from here:

Tecumseh Starter Motors


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

detdrbuzzard said:


> every starter i find on ebay for my 521 is $76 or more


I was just searching for this guys application, 7 hp Tecumseh, a lot of used ones sold in the $50 range recently.


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## micah68kj

Good one on ebay. Good price too.


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## detdrbuzzard

micah68kj said:


> Hey William,
> I just did a _searchtempest.com_ search and found a few under $50.00. One actually was in Detroit. They're all mostly here on the east coast. Are you needing a starter?


 there is a guy ( probally he same guy ) on CL selling some starters but the pic's i see look like they go on a riding mower


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## micah68kj

William,
See the one I just posted above your comment.
Do you need a starter?


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## Colored Eggs

I just sold an electric start at auction on ebay for 5.00. Quite a deal for the new owner!


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## detdrbuzzard

Colored Eggs said:


> I just sold an electric start at auction on ebay for 5.00. Quite a deal for the new owner!


 did you post it for sale on the forum


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## Colored Eggs

detdrbuzzard said:


> did you post it for sale on the forum


There is a for sale section on this site  Gosh If I had known that I would have let you guys on the forum know I had one for sale.


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## mradminsky

Based on your advice I got it for less than the $300 and I am just going to stick with the recoil starter. The machine starts on the first pull and I checked everything out according to a video on buying a used snowblower that looked pretty complete. Runs strong and looks good. I believe it is a 1981 but I can't be sure. The first thing I am going to do to it is the cutting board skid mod so I don't scrape up my new drive. Thanks for the many responses, and I am thinking I will be lurking on this board for a while. Strange... now I WANT a snowstorm LOL!


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## Ray 1962 10ML60

That's great, glad to hear she's a good machine. I agree with you on the electric starter, other than the first day I put it on my blower I've never used. Was a waste of money to be honest. Nothing like the 1 pull start! Let it snow!


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## EddyCurr

mradminsky, I have two Tecumseh-powered machines that are both equipped
with 110 VAC starters. The machines are parked in cold storage at ambient
temperatures that drop fairly low though the season in my community. This
and perhaps the condition of the machines means they & I equally benefit
from the presence of the starters.

.


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## detdrbuzzard

congrats mradminsky! the only time i use the electric start is the first start up of the machines in the fall but i may have to use it more this winter thanks to pulled tendons in my right wrist


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## tj1

Been my experience that electric starts are nice but if your flipping it all it does is help for the sale ,It doesn't actually provide that much more in return for the sale and ends up costing more than what you can get with one installed, A used starter is about 40 and I get 25.00 more if a blower has 1???? Like I said it does, help promote a sale but at a cost, not to mention labor of installing and if your lucky the hardware comes with it or I'm scrounging around in my nuts and bolts. One last thing I might add; you do have to get the right starter for the correct horsepower engine. (ie 7hp in a class by themselves. Good Luck


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## CO Snow

This is a 9 year old thread.


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