Toro TimeMaster 30-in Lawn Mower Review with Personal Pace (2024)

Outdoor Power Equipment ReviewsJuly 12, 2017 0

by Frank McCaulley

Homeowners and professionals alike are drawn to innovation. Selecting the best battery-powered lawnmower might work for smalleryards. For larger properties or significant time savings, however, a largergas-powered mower provides a betterexperience.From my first riding mower to my first reel mower, one question was always the same, does the innovation make good on its claim? Having already reviewed the Toro 22″ Personal Pace Recycler Lawnmower, we wanted to see what could be done with the new 30-inch model. Toro certainly seems to haveimproved in several areaswith its newest Toro 30in LawnMower. Branded as theToro TimeMaster (21199), the new modelmakes the claim that it willsave you time. I made it my goalto deliver on that claim.

Toro 30″ TimeMaster Features

The Toro TimeMaster mower is powered by a massive 223cc Briggs and Stratton overhead valve engine. Delivering 10 ft-lb of torque, this engine gives the boost needed to cut almost 50% more grass per pass than traditional push mowers.

For mowing grass over any terrain, theToro TimeMaster deliverspower to a pair of 10-inch diameter rear wheels. Theselargerwheels providewider-than-average traction, giving them greater grip and a smoother driving area.

This combination of power and secure drivetrain yields up to a 40% faster mow time.

Of course, that forward movement would be useless without the wide Dual-Force twin-blade cutting system. Toro employstwo mulching blades to span the 30-inches ofthe mowing deck.

Mulching

With the included rear discharge plug, the Toro TimeMasterlawn mower makes a very fine mulch. With the plug out and the grass bag on, the TimeMaster is a beast. Itvacuums any and all clippings and leaves that it passes over.

Toro TimeMaster 30-in Lawn Mower Review with Personal Pace (4)

Toro TimeMaster 30-in Lawn Mower Review with Personal Pace (5)

When vacuuming more, you end updumping the bag more. This is where the Blade Stop system comes in especially useful. Use it, andyou don’t need to turn off and restart the engine. To engage the blade after starting, you simplypress down the simple blade control bar lock and then pull down the blade control bar. Upon engaging the blade, the power of the engine roars to meet the need. Whenyou have afull bag, oryou needto stop the blade for anyreason whatsoever, just release the bar to disengage it.

Toro Personal Pace Self-Propel System

The Personal Pace Self-Propel system and Traction-Assist handle on the Toro TimeMaster work together to give the operator constant control over the drive of the mower. Push down a little on the handle, and the mower moves a little. Push down all the way, and you up to4.5 mph of propelled speed. The Traction-Assist handle workswell for tight corners where only one hand is available. It gives you something to squeeze the “go” handle towards when you can’t be behind it pushing.

I found theQuick Stow lever of the Toro TimeMasterlawn mower to be a definite winner. This feature allows for two different operating handle heights. More importantly, the lever enables the handle to be at a fixed 90-degree angle to the mower. This cuts the square footage needed to store it in half.

Testing theToro 30 in Lawn Mower

For my first pass with the Toro 30 in lawn mower, I used the mulch setting at the E height which is 2.25”. The 2-point height-of-cut allows for quick adjusting of deck height from a low of 1.25” at the G setting up to a high of 4.25” at the A setting (with all letters between as options).

This first pass with the Toro 30 in lawn mower wasa breeze. My small and compartmented patches of Zoysia grass that normally takes 40 minutes to mow only took 25 minutes. The mower delivered a uniform cut across the lawn with fine clippings. I found the Personal Pace Self-Propel system easy, even natural, to use. The Traction-Assist handle was an ergonomicandnaturally useful feature, but the name didn’t help me know what it did! I guess “perfectly placed fixed handle to use with the Personal Pace system” didn’t fit! Combined, they increased the ability to make tight turns without substantially slowing down.

Testing for Power

Then the Toro 30 in lawn mower showed its true colors when I dropped the deck to the F setting for a 1.75” mow height. Every season I scalp my Zoysia. After a good amount of rain and, even with bagging, a fair amount of clippings, the lawn is too thick. I took the rear discharge plug out and put the grass bag in its place.The TimeMaster took the challenge like a champ, only bogging down in the slightest when the bag was completely full. And fill the bag it did! Where other mowers would struggle to fill the bag with all of that material, the TimeMaster did not fail to collect.

I was genuinely impressed at the vacuum-like action of the mower with the grass bag attached. Even the clippings normally just kicked around on the driveway or sidewalk were sucked up with ease. Even with the “scalping”, I did all of my Zoysia lawnwith a clean and evencut. Despite the uneven terrain, the Toro 30-inch lawn TimeMaster lawn mower gave me a smooth and level finish.

The Good

The 30” wide deck coupled with a power train that can propel it as fast as you can walk is awesome! The Quick Stow lever really does make storage quick and much more efficient use of space in the garage.

The Bad

The weight. Here again, it earns the “Beast” moniker. With the engine off, you’ve got no help moving those 132 pounds around. Also, this power comes at a cost: thirst. That 223cc engine is thirsty. Toro’s own spec is a tank lasts about an hour, and my experience was a little less.

Toro TimeMaster Lawn Mower Specifications

Engine: Briggs & Stratton 1000 Series,223cc
Engine type: Carbureted
Starter: Recoil (Electric model available)
Fuel: Gas (0.3 gallon capacity)
Run-time: Up to 1 hour
Drive: Personal Pace rear-wheel
Speed: Up to 4.5 mph
Weight: 132 lbs
Cutting deck: 30 in.
Wheel height: 8 in (front), 10 in. (rear)
Deck construction: Steelw/cast-aluminum frame
Cutting height: 1.25 – 4.25in.(0.5in.increments)
Blades: 2 x15.4 in.
Price: $1199.00

Buy at Home Depot

Summary

How much is your time worth? The Toro 30 in lawn mower, the TimeMaster, really does save time (and space). It alsodoes so in an easy-to-use package. The Personal Pace Self-Propel system, 2 point height-of-cut adjustment, Quick Stow lever, and washout port add up to time-saving goodness. The features that win the day, though? The 30” wide deck, an engine that can support it, and the safety of the blade stop system make theToro 30 in lawn mowerworth it. Get more information, and locate a dealerhere.