The blue belt, looks like TrueBlue now supples Toro so called OEM. Aftermarket belt. Many aftermarket are OEM direct replacement.

Ken, when they came out with belt driven alternators on Cat engines on the coaches in the early ‘90s (up until then they were gear-driven on Detroit Diesel engines), we kept shredding the OEM belt. The belts were 10 rib serpentine and the alternators were 240A-24v and they were running at about 90-95% capacity. Mfg had no answer for us. I sat on the OMCA maintenance committee, and we all conversed. One member had tried an 8 rib Dayco and had good luck. I tried it thinking the worst, but they worked great. No shredding, or squealing. Everyone that looked at that set-up including field service reps thought we were crazy. We might have been crazy, but at least we slept better at night! Thanks for the video. Have a good week. Rick

Have never had one of these in for service or repairs yet and at that kind of money may never see one in this area. Well done video Ken showing what happens most of the time when Chineseium is used instead of OEM. The old saying of you get what you pay for fits most of the time.

Hi Ken. My son was given a Torro machine last year. It was a non runner but I got it to run pretty easily. Will be giving it a full going over just shortly. I will replace any parts now with OEM. My wallet hates you 😁, buy once cry once!

Fellow Timemaster Owner here… My aftermarket belts off ebay holding up great after one season. My Chinese carb is also doing great that installed in 2019. I would swap out those pullies for the timemaster ones. Made of plastic and will take out the belts. Never seen that brake shoe before…gonna have to look at mine when I get home from work.

Unbelievable. Another great lesson using OEM parts and bringing to a person that knows what the hell they are doing. "Buy Once, Cry Once."

Great video Ken a little investigation goes a long way brother

😮 3:09 Just replaced my synchronous and blade belts along with the blades. When I saw the width of that belt I actually made that face up there. The customer will never see it, I can do what I want. This is why you should at least be able to do a basic inspection of your Toro lawn mower. Saves time, money and filters out some of the scum of the universe.

Heeey OEM - the more complex a design - the bigger the need for OEM. Good one Kenny 👍👍

Good video Ken 👍

Yes, the previous repair person did use the wrong cogged belt and a cheaper brake blade arm, but I've used Gates green belts for years with no problems. In many cases with the V-belt, it's not a belt problem...it's a brake blade arm pivot problem. It wears out and the entire arm (along with the tensioner pulley) gets out of alignment... causing many of your v-belt problems. It's a poor design and should be replaced with the Turfmaster setup instead. Many times if you don't fix this underlying problem you can put on all the OEM belts you want and they will get chewed up just the same...one after another. Poor alignment is also caused by loose pulleys and bad bearings, as the OP alluded to. Don't just throw on a new belt without inspecting these things first. Also look at your new v-belt before you install it. Examine the area where the splice is made in the belt. If there is a bulge in that area, the belt will not ride smoothly through the pulley and the entire brake blade arm will vibrate wildly, which can accelerate that excess wear at the arm's pivot point. Just saying....sometimes you've got to look deeper than the "Chinesium" for the problem...not all of Toro's designs are without issues of their own. After all, these machines all had OEM items on them at first, and most of them still require repairs even with the OEM parts in place. This happens to be a mower model that requires much more maintenance than your average homeowner mower. Combine that with the fact that many commercial mowers use these as well, even though they're not made for that kind of use, and you can see why they need more repairs than average. .

When I work on one, I tell the customer to let me know ASAP if they have a problem after service/repair. If it's my screw up, no charge. If it's theirs then they get charged. Also, I give them the choice on parts. I let them know the cost on OEM and aftermarket. Nine times out of ten, they go with OEM. I think the Gates belt would have worked had it not been for the cheap out on the other parts. The loose bolts should have caused that sheave to make a lot of noise. Good work Ken.

I agree with mellow jammer. Shredded three drive belts. One was OEM. I believe the design of the mower puts stress on the brake arm under heavy load. This will rattle and shred belts. The mechanic replaced my set up with OEM belts and pulleys. It was really expensive. But I believe the design fault still exists. I use mine commercially but don't believe this mower can handle the high grass. I see the manufacturer put a bigger engine on, I believe this is to reduce problem caused by mowing long grass. Appreciate your time Ken. I have experience in the issues here.

Yeah quality matters in some things hey. Great job ken

Great video go OEM all the way Ken

Gang way let a pro at it 👍 You got the money for an expensive piece of equipment go the extra yard and get the best !

Toro parts are a goddamn rip-off though, at least here in Canada. The cog timing belt is $125, each plastic pulley is $100 . A rear wheel is $140 and set of blades is $75

Those look like great mowers. I agree, it is always better to use OEM parts if you can still get them

Ken, Great Video, thank you for posting it, what do you say about the Stens belts, are they like the OEM? Thank you

Those are some nice mowers.

OEM absolutely! There are certain things in life to skimp on but not on these Toro belts. Taryl Dactyl talks about this too on his channel. Good advice here.

The owner should demand his money back. Loose bolts and cheap parts, he probably paid oem costs. Glad he found you. Take care.

I have a 1 year old machine. Original parts all suck. $1400 POS

The sad fact is most folks don't know what to look for in a shop, or technician or even under the hood. They take it to someone who recommended someone's brother's mother's uncle. trials and errors are unfortunately how these things get resolved. Sad but true.

OEM for the win ! Wow , I had no idea that is a $2,000 mower , wow…..

I made that mistake too. Bought a cheap aftermarket pto clutch belt and it didnt last long. Stick to oem.

Ken, are those timemasters a decent machine? Im a homeowner less than half acre to mow

2k worth of mower and the owner takes it to a hack, good job you are on it now Ken.

30” mowers that’s crazy! Isn’t it amazing what some people think is acceptable!!

Hi Ken agree these parts must be OEM. There’s a place for non-OEM, but not with this stuff.😊

I have a timemaster and with factory belts the blade engagement belt lasts maybe 2 months tops is that typical? I mow about 15 yards a week

Can you show me a video? How to replace the starter on the toral time, master?

You are so right

Lol got a bit of a issue with Chinese folks I see…. I see more of a poor workmanship by using what’s close to repair but I mean what do I know. I agree always oem as well unless you know what you’re replacing it with.

Ken you are definitely old-school

Made a $1500 mistake of buying one. Everything on this thing is made to self destruct.

It’s not a timesaver. It’s a drain on my patience and sanity. I should have never purchased this mower.

Face it dude , OEM or not these Toro 30” mowers are POS no matter what, from the Toro to Exmark 30” there all belt eating pos !!!