# Toro Powershift - does it work?



## Sblg43 (Jan 18, 2014)

I recently fixed the transmission on a Toro Powershift 824. It is the first time that I ever heard about a Powershift. The complaint from the owner was that he only had 1 forward gear and 1 reverse gear.

I tipped her up to remove the belly pan and what the heck......? There is a real transmission to this thing!

Well, not one to shy away from learning something new, I removed the transmission and tore into it. What I found was rust buildup inside the tranny case. So I took it all apart, cleaned up the rusty parts, put in new low temp grease and reassembled it.

It all works pretty well now. 

But here is my original question - the owner says that it is a nice machine but he never uses the powershift function because he loses traction with the wheels in the rearward position. 

Does it work like advertised?

What say you?

I would expect to hear from powershift93! Ha!


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

That is a great question?? I was afraid to ask about the Powershift? Myself a first time Toro man all I read about is Powershift, from years ago. Why is it not on the new snow blowers??


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## Buttchet (Mar 5, 2013)

I have a powershift 6/24 and the powershift function works great. I don't lose any traction when I use it. pretty cool feature overall for the end of the driveway stuff left from the plow.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

You'll be wanting to talk with POPWERSHIFT93. He bleeds Toro red blood. Check out his "brothers of destruction" blowers. Pretty cool looking powershifts.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

He may bleed toro red, but coughs drywall dust.....Ha


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

Still waiting for how this works???? and why it was so good???? and why it is not on new blowers?? Just asking????


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

db9938 said:


> He may bleed toro red, but coughs drywall dust.....Ha


Oh man....  We gotta stop pickin' on Todd.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

Pickin'?, after all his stories about the garage, it's the truth.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

when the wheels go back it doubles the weight on the front end. it will not lose traction. it has posi traction on the wheels. why did TORO quit making them. simple the price of one of those today would about 3500-4000 thousand dollars. back in 1993 the cost of the one I have brand new was 2000.00 dollars. post a vid of it operating so I can see what is going on..


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

db9938 said:


> He may bleed toro red, but coughs drywall dust.....Ha


 to much drywall dust there BROTHER DB.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

I have a powershift 824 but haven't had a chance to use it. I really don't need it, they don't plow my street so there are no eod snow piles to deal with. it was just something I wanted and for $100 I couldn't pass it up


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

If you have any more questions let me know. lubiplate mag 1 grease is the stuff you use in that transmission.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

I figured that it had to do something with shifting the CG, but is the shifting operation manually operated, or does it use the traction of the wheels to actually pull it back?


And it's good to hear that the drywall is getting finished, there Brother Power.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

db9938 said:


> I figured that it had to do something with shifting the CG, but is the shifting operation manually operated, or does it use the traction of the wheels to actually pull it back?
> 
> 
> And it's good to hear that the drywall is getting finished, there Brother Power.


there is a bell crank on top of the trans and when the lever on the dash is put into the slot. when you press the traction lever down. that is when the magic happens. between the bellcrank and a gear in the trans is what does it. if you get my idea on that from my bad typing.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

Makes perfect sense, just never had the opportunity to get that close to one to see how it works.


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## Sblg43 (Jan 18, 2014)

I am the OP. I don't own one, I just fixed it.

I also did not get a chance to use it in heavy snow. I just asked the question because when the owner came to pick it up, I asked him how well it worked and he said it didn't have much traction when the axle was in the rear mode.

There are videos online that show the principle of the thing but nothing that I found to show it in serious action. I think it's a great concept though.

One video that I found had a guy weigh the bucket in both positions - the first position (standard duty) showed something like 23 pounds. The second position (powershift mode) showed something like 93 pounds. Quite the difference. 

Once again, I think the principle is sound, just haven't seen it in action.

Thanks powershift93 - you should share a video with us.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

I would think that shifting the weight (CG-axle) further away from the bucket, it would prevent the bucket from riding up at the cost of wheel traction. Maybe I got this wrong....


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

no it does not there BROTHER DB. I think it is just a little to much for that guy to handle.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Sblg43 said:


> I am the OP. I don't own one, I just fixed it.
> 
> I also did not get a chance to use it in heavy snow. I just asked the question because when the owner came to pick it up, I asked him how well it worked and he said it didn't have much traction when the axle was in the rear mode.
> 
> ...


 yeah if it ever really snows here in the FROZEN TUNDRA.


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## Sblg43 (Jan 18, 2014)

Yep!

Snow means money. Snow throwers don't break if ya don't use 'em!

However, this lack of snow is helping me play catch up with some other projects.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Todd
I have to lift up on the handle bars to get my power shift function to move. Going either direction (in our out). I works, but needs assistance. Any thoughts? I noticed this guy positions his machine against a wall for the video.


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## Sblg43 (Jan 18, 2014)

When I had this in my shop and got it all back together, I had to lift a bit as well to get the axle to move. I don't think it's a problem - just the nature of the beast.

When shifting the wheels to the rear, putting it against a wall doesn't matter anyway, the tires roll away from the wall!


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

dbert said:


> Todd
> I have to lift up on the handle bars to get my power shift function to move. Going either direction (in our out). I works, but needs assistance. Any thoughts? I noticed this guy positions his machine against a wall for the video.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw6mWCT7nZo


 you have the 8-24 right???? those have the smaller tires on them. you have to do that. I know it sucks. on the 8-28 and 11-32 they run the bigger tires. so it does it all by it self. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS there DBERT.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

YEAHHHHHHHHHHH I have seen that BOZO there on you tube. I don't know why he does that.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

Here's a thought... Lets say the unit weighs 200lbs (just for a number). From the previous post, if the bucket end weighs 23lbs normal, that means 177 lbs on the wheels. If you "powershift" it and the bucket end then weighs 90 lbs, that's only 110lbs on the wheels, meaning LESS TRACTION.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

nt40lanman said:


> Here's a thought... Lets say the unit weighs 200lbs (just for a number). From the previous post, if the bucket end weighs 23lbs normal, that means 177 lbs on the wheels. If you "powershift" it and the bucket end then weighs 90 lbs, that's only 110lbs on the wheels, meaning LESS TRACTION.


 WHAT is your point???


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## threeputtpar (Jan 16, 2014)

On my Powershift 824, I would also have to lift the thing to allow for the powershift to work. Then I noticed that there was quite a bit of slack in the chain on the drive axle, so I took out enough slack to get it into the tight end of tolerance and now it shifts all on its own.

dbert - you may want to check that out.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

threeputtpar said:


> On my Powershift 824, I would also have to lift the thing to allow for the powershift to work. Then I noticed that there was quite a bit of slack in the chain on the drive axle, so I took out enough slack to get it into the tight end of tolerance and now it shifts all on its own.
> 
> dbert - you may want to check that out.


 how much chain slap you have left in there.


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

My point is when it is "powershifted" it is more likely to lose traction. 

Keep that chain from getting loose. I had to replace gears in one because the chain jumped and jammed.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

the chain would only come loose if the transmission was not adjusted properly.


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## laboiserie (Jan 26, 2011)

I have an 828 Powershift that I bought new in 93 or 94. It works very well and not at all as cumbersome as the video. It has been one tough machine. The thing about the shifting of the wheels is that while the physics of the principle says that since there is more weight on the front of the machine, then there has to be less on the back wheels but, if the wheels are to the front, (light weight on front) then pushing down on the handlebar will lift the front. When the wheels are back, the front is very heavy and I can lean on the handlebars and put added weight on the wheels without the front climbing the packed snow. On the 828 it takes all of my 190 lbs on the handles to lift the front so with a little help, the traction does not suffer in fact it is greatly increased. I have become very spoiled with this weight shifting capability that when I looked for and bought a new blower three years ago the only blower that could duplicate this that I found at that time was the Honda blower with tracks which is what I bought. I still have the Toro that I use at an apartment building that I own. That Powershift if great. My guess is that they stopped making it because of the cost.


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