# Older Toro 1028 wheels won't turn but drive belt is intact



## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

I have an older Toro 1028 PowerShift. I’m guessing it’s about 15 years old. I bought it second-hand, and it served me pretty well for two and half winters. I always found it started up good and chucked the snow pretty good. However, half-way through last winter she gave up the ghost. Not a good year for it to happen though, because the snow came in October and didn’t leave until May!

The first year I bought it I found that it didn’t slide into each of the gears very well (4 gears in total). You had to be a little rough with it to get it to go into each of the gears, except first gear. By the end of the first season the problem was noticeably worse. Due to a lack of financial resources I didn’t fix the problem, and the next season I continued to operate it “as is”. Throughout the season it continued to get worse, to the point where I had to aggressively slam the gear shift lever from side-to-side to get it into the gear I wanted. I could get it into 1st and 4th, and if I manipulated it just right, I could get it into 2nd, but very rarely could I even get it in 3rd. It clearly wasn’t an ideal situation, but it worked, and I was able to clear the driveway. 

As mentioned above, halfway through last season it died on me right after a big storm with lots of heavy snow down. My driveway is on a steep hill, and I got to the bottom, turned around, and started back up the hill. I only got about ¼ of the way up the hill and I started to notice a burnt smell (like a burnt belt) and then it started coughing and jerking as though it was having a seizure and then it quit. I was able to restart it, and it would idle, but when I tried to engage the wheels, they wouldn’t move ahead, and the engine would bog down as if it was going to shut off, and the burnt smell would resume. As soon as I let go of the right lever (the drive lever), it would return to a normal idle. In order to get it back up the hill I had to shut it off, put it in neutral, and free-wheel it all the way up to the garage. I took the belt cover off, and it looked like the impeller belt and the drive belt were intact (both of which were fairly new - I had replaced the impeller the first year I had it, and the drive belt the next year.) 

Besides the two belts up front under the black plastic belt cover, is there another drive/transmission belt underneath? I thought there were only two belts, but I do recall a very distinct “burnt-belt” type of smell.

Any suggestions on what likely happened to my machine?


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Sounds like something seized in the drive system. If something locked up the belt would have been slipping on the pulley and that would be the burnt smell. Some machines used an actual gear transmission and some simply used a friction disc. The friction disc would be the cheapest and easiest to fix. You are going to have to tip the machine up on the front end and pull the bottom cover off and see what is going on down there.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

hello whitewonder, welcome to *SBF!!* I can tell you that your toro has a transmission not a friction disc


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

I'll have to tip it up and pull the bottom cover off and have a look. I'm pretty sure it has a transmission. I wonder what in the drive system may have seized. 

I'm away for the next two weekends, and they're calling for a foot of snow on Sunday. And so it begins.......


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

where is home whitewonder


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

If it is gear drive and you were having issues shifting I would say maybe the transmission had no oil in it. Could be one of the bearings seized or the gears seized on the shafts.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

post a video of the machine. I will need at least 2 minutes of vid to see what is going on. let me know.. ALOHA to the forms..


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

I'm in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick). I snapped a couple photos last night. I'll see if I can figure out how to post them. Stay tuned...


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

I'm trying to post some pictures that are on my hard drive, not on a website/URL. Are there some instructions on how to post pics from the hard drive?


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Whitewonder said:


> I'm trying to post some pictures that are on my hard drive, not on a website/URL. Are there some instructions on how to post pics from the hard drive?


 you have to add them on the paper clip thing next to the smiley face above this.


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

Thanks Powershift. I was trying to do a "Quick Reply", and I just read somewhere you have to "Reply to Thread" at the top left, not a "Quick Reply".


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

I haven't removed the bottom cover yet, but I tipped the machine up and snapped a few pics of what I could see as is. It looks there there is fluid leaking out around the seam on left side of the gear box/transmission. It's leaking onto the chain and axle, and you can see the left side of the gear box is damp with fluid. Gee, maybe the tranny is dry and that caused it to seize. I'm wondering if there is a gasket on the gear box that went bad? I'll have to see if I can find a service manual for it on the Toro website.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

have u adjusted the shift linkage. also for u to better understand me go to toro.com under home owner/ parts type in your model number. and u can download the service manual for free.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

that trans uses lubiplate mag 1 grease. you will have to take the trans out in order to inspect it.


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## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

it sounds like it may be the gearbox thats toast... or maybe the belt?? burnt smell points me to that first.. then doublecheck any adjustment possible.. including oil!


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

Hey fellas, I haven't checked anything on it since mid-winter last year. All I do know is that the belts are fairly new and still in good shape. I hope to have some time next week to have a better look. I'll have a look at the parts diagrams and service manual this weekend. Turns out it's a 1994, so it's 20 years old, not 15. Not much rust on it though as it's always stored indoors. 

Have a good weekend!


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## threeputtpar (Jan 16, 2014)

Can you provide a little more detail about how it shifts? When you go from neutral to any forward gears, does the shifter move easily across all gears or is there resistance to it moving from 1-4 and 4-1?

I recently service a transaxle in a garden tractor that had a similar setup, and it used 2 shift keys that would engage the inside edges of the drive gear for each speed. Maybe your shift keys (or whatever Toro used) are worn out and not always engaging?

I have a 824 Powershift and when changing gears the lever moves easily from gear to gear and I feel positive engagement at each gear. Does yours feel the same? Does reverse work? Does it powershift?


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

if it is a 1994 POWERSHIFT. then it would be a 8HP 28 INCH CUT.


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

threeputtpar said:


> Can you provide a little more detail about how it shifts? When you go from neutral to any forward gears, does the shifter move easily across all gears or is there resistance to it moving from 1-4 and 4-1?
> 
> I recently service a transaxle in a garden tractor that had a similar setup, and it used 2 shift keys that would engage the inside edges of the drive gear for each speed. Maybe your shift keys (or whatever Toro used) are worn out and not always engaging?
> 
> I have a 824 Powershift and when changing gears the lever moves easily from gear to gear and I feel positive engagement at each gear. Does yours feel the same? Does reverse work? Does it powershift?


No, the shifter does not move easily accross all gears. There is resistance when trying to move it from 1-4 and from 4-1. 

Reverse works, and powershift works.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

BOTTOM LINE.. it is time to suit up!!!!!!!!!!! you are about to become the proud parent of one bouncing baby transmission overhaul. more than likely the shifter fork inside the trans is all messed up.


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> BOTTOM LINE.. it is time to suit up!!!!!!!!!!! you are about to become the proud parent of one bouncing baby transmission overhaul. more than likely the shifter fork inside the trans is all messed up.


Yeah, I'll have to remove the Tranny and have a look see. It's not a big scary job though is it? The service manual says that the Pivot System and the Latch System have to be removed first. I kinda wish I could skip these steps and just remove the gearbox, but it doesn't look like I'll be lucky enough to get away with that.


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## Whitewonder (Oct 30, 2014)

The badging says it's a 1028, so that would mean that it's a 10HP with a 28" cut I believe, not 8HP.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Whitewonder said:


> The badging says it's a 1028, so that would mean that it's a 10HP with a 28" cut I believe, not 8HP.


 then it can not be a 1994. they started running those tecumsapart engines in 96 if I remember right. what is serial number code??????? the 8HP BRIGGS ran from 1988-1995.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Whitewonder said:


> Yeah, I'll have to remove the Tranny and have a look see. It's not a big scary job though is it? The service manual says that the Pivot System and the Latch System have to be removed first. I kinda wish I could skip these steps and just remove the gearbox, but it doesn't look like I'll be lucky enough to get away with that.


no it is not scary but you will have to get the wheels, axle and maybe the pivot system out. but you will have to disconnect the two cables under the control box on the dash. when you get going on it I will walk you through it. but I have to warn you my typing skills BLOW BIG TIME. I can not type I hunt and peck at this thing..


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