Toro TimeCutter Z4235® (42") 22-HP Zero Turning Radius Lawn Mower

I purchased a Toro Z4235 and with it I purchased the foot operated mowing deck lift, the trailer hitch, the mulching kit, the hour meter, and the adjustable arms with the seat. I have the intention to purchase the twin bagger in the future as well.

There is a knack for operating the Z4235. The controls are sensitive enough to input yet also lack any feel for what is going on traction wise and so one wrong move can send the machine over a curb, into a tree or through a flower bed.

I'm getting better operating my new zero turn but a traditional tractor is a no-brainer to drive in comparison to the Z4235. However, driving the Z4235 is fun if not a frustrating experience for me. The frustration comes in two forms: I purchased this mower because I was fearful of a tractor tipping over on the hills in my yard. I have no flat spots in my yard and everything is on some sort of a slope.

Furthermore, I have 30 trees to mow around in my yard and quite a bit of landscaping. When mowing downhill the Z4235 drags its rear wheels while moving and tears up my yard. Going up hill is fine so long as I don't rip my way up and roost uphill. Going sideways on 10° slopes or greater is difficult since the caster front wheels offer no directional stability for the mower and the rear wheels bear the load of the entire machine which tends to cause them to slip and tear up my yard.

Moreover, when going around trees the 42" mower deck is no wider than the wheels and so the rear wheels tend to get "hung up" on the tree itself and dig in. Turning also required care because the tires tend to slide just like a slid loader and when the tires slide, they tear up my lawn. The lack of feel in the controls is the culprit for all skidding and even when looking at one wheel the other wheel may be digging a hole to China.

My conjecture is that if this mower was under-powered rather than over-powered, I would have less issues with tearing up my lawn. Moreover, though I do not believe this will ever become a real problem, it is worth noting that the junction points where the front caster wheels mount into the frame creaks under load. Everything is torqued but the frame creaks at the mounting points.

That aside, when I mow the flat park across the street the Toro Z4235 is great except turning tends to tear up the grass there as well if care is not exercised either by making three point turns or taking wider turns. Basically to avoid auguring in the inside wheel with a zero turn mower, the operator cannot zero turn. The bottom line: In my case wish I had held out for a 4 wheel drive Massey GC2600 tractor.

I purchased a Toro Z4235 and with it I purchased the foot operated mowing deck lift, the trailer hitch, the mulching kit, the hour meter, and the adjustable arms with the seat. I have the intention to purchase the twin bagger in the future as well.

There is a knack for operating the Z4235. The controls are sensitive enough to input yet also lack any feel for what is going on traction wise and so one wrong move can send the machine over a curb, into a tree or through a flower bed.

I'm... more

Have not had one issue that needed repaired after 4 years. After using riding mowers for decades this has been our best one yet. Fast, comfortable, clean cut, low on maintenance and repairs. That is here in the hot, humid, rainy south where you must mow every 5 days from March to November. We have worn lesser mowers out in 5 years. This one seems almost as new. Goes through heavy material much better than our past riding mowers. High blade tip speed makes fast work where slower blade tip speed of riding mower would bog down and require multiple passes. Kawasaki engine is sweet.

Have not had one issue that needed repaired after 4 years. After using riding mowers for decades this has been our best one yet. Fast, comfortable, clean cut, low on maintenance and repairs. That is here in the hot, humid, rainy south where you must mow every 5 days from March to November. We have worn lesser mowers out in 5 years. This one seems almost as new. Goes through heavy material much better than our past riding mowers. High blade tip speed makes fast work where slower blade tip speed... more

The mower is 3 days old and the seat adjustment nut will not turn on or off due to plastic threading, so seat can not be adjusted.

We will see how good Toro stands behind their customer service on the dealer level. Threads could have remained metal, the plastic ones saved money.

The foam element is either missing or there is none, as it's not on this mower. Owners manual says 2 filters, paper and foam, and the manual calls for two.

Okay, but on the second day of use the mower inexplicably stopped in the middle of mowing and it was difficult to restart.

??? Something must of jostled loose. At this level of investment, I wouldn't expect this to give problems so quickly. Not impressed.

I don't have to have a zero turn mower that makes my mowing enjoyable
Because I can now mow in half the time because I don't have to keep backing up to make another pass can turn on a dime.
The only thing didn't like about it is that it came with out a trailer hitch.
So I looked on line and found this site that had a hitch for it.
Thank you for the hitch now i can use the mower to do much more !!!
bob & deb pierce Winthrop new york

The foot assist is just that a real quick and easy way to raise and lower the deck.

If you have the mower deck set at say 3.0 inch cut you can press the pedal "and lift the deck" to avoid an object or to keep from scalping the lawn with out the need for anything else to be done. When object is clear of deck let the pedal back down and its at 3.0 again.

Not sure but believe the other review has the pedal setup wrong. Its easy and helps while in motion. While stopped you can use pedal to lift deck and then adjust the height adjuster then release the pedal...Nice option and worth the money!

The foot assist is just that a real quick and easy way to raise and lower the deck.

If you have the mower deck set at say 3.0 inch cut you can press the pedal "and lift the deck" to avoid an object or to keep from scalping the lawn with out the need for anything else to be done. When object is clear of deck let the pedal back down and its at 3.0 again.

Not sure but believe the other review has the pedal setup wrong. Its easy and helps while in motion. While stopped you... more

My wife did most of the mowing for years (her choice) using a self-propelled push mower. When it quit on us after about 10 years, we bought the Toro Timecutter 4235 ZTR. Guess who now does all the mowing and actually enjoys it? Me!

She hasn't cut the grass a single time since we bought it. It is a breeze to use once you get used to it and so easy to operate. What took a couple of hours now takes less than 30 minutes and that includes using it to blow the clippings off the sidewalk and driveway.

Though she actually enjoyed mowing, she is certainly not complaining about no longer doing it. It's a terrific machine and we are so glad that we bought it.

My wife did most of the mowing for years (her choice) using a self-propelled push mower. When it quit on us after about 10 years, we bought the Toro Timecutter 4235 ZTR. Guess who now does all the mowing and actually enjoys it? Me!

She hasn't cut the grass a single time since we bought it. It is a breeze to use once you get used to it and so easy to operate. What took a couple of hours now takes less than 30 minutes and that includes using it to blow the clippings off the sidewalk and... more

I had my Z4235 Toro for 2 weeks and the nut came off the gear on top of the starter. Luckily there is a a Toro dealer near my home. I took it in and the next day they called and had it fixed. Not very friendly people that work at the shop. Need a little training, in treating people better. After all its all about customer service. Love my mower. Home depot delivered it right to my home. I can see why this mower is so popular. I don't even mind mowing the grass now.

I called the local Toro dealer to get Gator blades for my new ZTR, and was told that the spindles would not support the new blade so they do not sell them.

Is this true that Toro would put a cheap spindle on the consumer model 42" and make them not support Gator blades?

Someone help me here...

I always mulch when I cut the grass. Before the Toro I used a Craftsman with a mulching kit- I have to say the Toro Recycler cuts the grass clippings a lot finer.

Best investment, I'm glad I spent the extra money.

While mowing with my 46 inch tractor mower a few weeks ago I heard a funny noise, smelled smoke, and watched pulleys scatter across the yard. It seemed like a good time to get a new ZTR.

After doing some research and price comparisons I decided my best option was a Toro Z42 with the Kawasaki engine. I could get it at a big box store online for $50 less than Mowers Direct, but would have to pay shipping and local sales tax which made it about $150 more expensive.

I ordered through Mowers Direct and had a new mower unloaded into my front lawn in five days. Their ad said direct from the factory, fast delivery with no taxes or delivery charges. They delivered on every claim.

I have learned how to use my new zero-turning-radius mower and can mow my lawn in about half the time I took before.

Thank you Mower Direct.

While mowing with my 46 inch tractor mower a few weeks ago I heard a funny noise, smelled smoke, and watched pulleys scatter across the yard. It seemed like a good time to get a new ZTR.

After doing some research and price comparisons I decided my best option was a Toro Z42 with the Kawasaki engine. I could get it at a big box store online for $50 less than Mowers Direct, but would have to pay shipping and local sales tax which made it about $150 more expensive.

I ordered through... more