Toro, one of the world’s leading garden machinery manufacturers, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
The company has a history of innovation and was founded this month 100 years ago at St Paul, Minneapolis to manufacture tractor engines.
In 1918 it built the first fairway roller for golf courses based on a tractor and the following year invented and manufactured the first fairway mower by mounting five mowers on the front of a farm tractor.
Since then the company has been responsible for many innovations in garden machinery and today has a reputation for producing some of the worlds best lawn mowers and garden tractors.
To give you an idea of the type of mowers they manufacture here are just three from an extensive range on our site.
The Toro 20950 Steel Deck Recycler Lawn Mower (ADS) is designed so that changing from mulching to collecting is total simplicity – just flick a lever.
Recycle easily: Toro lawn mower
Powered by the maker’s own 159 cc engine it is fitted with a special blade which will give the lawn an excellent finish.
Cutting heights are from 21 mm up to 98 mm to give a really neat, close finish and it has a 60 litre grass box.
Another great feature of this mower is that the ground speed of the mower automatically matches the speed at which you walk.
It comes with a free bottle of engine oil and is delivered within two to three working days after a pre-delivery inspection.
The recommended retail price os £459 but we have it for sale of £359. It has a two year warranty from Toro.
This next one is an example of Toro’s design and innovation.
The Toro 20975 TimeMaster Twin Cut Lawnmower is an extra-wide mower capable of handling the tight areas where a lawn tractor might find access difficult.
Twin Blades: Toro Timesmaster twin cut mower
It has a 76 cm cutting width with twin blades which not only give an excellent cut but have the effect of forcing the fine clippings in to the grass where they rot away.
Longer grass is discharged to the right so it wont fall on your shoes; and the engine is from Briggs & Stratton where the makers claim it will start in two pulls or less.
It has a variable speed drive to match the pace at which yo walk and has a traction assist feature which can be engaged where the ground is difficult and a blade brake clutch which disengages the blades when crossing gravel paths.
Cutting heights are between 32 mm and 108 mm.
It costs £849, £150 off the maker’s recommended price and has a three year warranty and a free bottle of engine oil.
We deliver it free and it has a three year maker’s warranty.
And if you’re looking for a garden tractor the Toro DH140 Rear-Collect Garden Tractor is worth a look.
This is a robust little tractor with twin cutting blades to force the clippings into the grass box and is very effective when it comes to collecting damp or wet grass.
Twin blades: Toro DH140 lawn tractor.
It has a 92 cm floating cutting deck which follows the contours of the ground to give a neat finish and has a 344 cc Briggs & Stratton engine designed to keep vibrations to a minimum.
There is an audible warning when the grass box is full and this can be emptied without leaving the seat.
This one costs £1999, £300 less than the maker’s recommended price, is delivered free within five to seven working days and has a two year warranty. A rear deflector chute can also be purchased for £229.
On delivery, it is handed over and demonstrated by a member of the team.
So you can see that from just these three products Toro has come a long way since the first gold course roller 100 years.
