Toro Mowers Availability

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GMil814
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Toro Mowers Availability

Post by GMil814 » May 20th, 2021, 11:54 am

Does anyone have any insight as to what is going on with Toro and their mowers? Both of my local dealers are completely out of stock and they're telling me that they can't get anymore. They can't get parts, Toro is telling them they can't find anyone to build the machines. It's almost like they are going out of business. Does anyone know if this is going to get better any time soon or what to expect? I mean, this is over a year later from any shut downs. You would think they would have their act together by now.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Toro Mowers Availability

Post by MorpheusPA » May 20th, 2021, 3:45 pm

Aluminum supplies are still horrible, many companies have taken the advantage to cut back workers and come to the unfortunate realization that they actually needed them, and now can't hire them back because they have new jobs and won't return to the company that dumped them. Steel supplies aren't great either as the US no longer bothers. I'd say take it up with your Senator, but you know who those are.

Toro just released a dividend of $0.26 per share on Tuesday, so they're not doing that badly. It's a relatively normal dividend for them, after a good first quarter.

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turf_toes
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Re: Toro Mowers Availability

Post by turf_toes » May 20th, 2021, 8:27 pm

My Toro dealer blames it on COVID supply chain issues. (There were hardly any new mowers in his shop. He’s really surviving on maintenance of existing mowers)

He said it was that way all last season.

Luckily, the SuperRecycler tends to be 20-year machines. So it won’t impact most people

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andy10917
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Re: Toro Mowers Availability

Post by andy10917 » May 20th, 2021, 9:52 pm

Yes, it's the entire supply chain over the entire economy - you're just experiencing it on a lawnmower, and I'm experiencing it with Lumber. It's happening in cars/trucks, lumber, mowers and computers. Any part that is critical in a finished product can't be delivered if it is missing critical parts. In other words, if a car/truck requires computer chips and they're not available, you can't deliver the product - period. With lumber, the industry guessed Covid would slow construction and they cut back production. Wrong! Lots of people started had lots of time on their hands and started professional and DIY projects. Results? Lumber is up 330%, which raises new-home construction prices by $35,000. No new homes means the price of existing homes go up. Shortages of existing home inventory cause crazy price spikes in the real estate market.

I saw a thing where a guy was saying "I have a 4 x 8' piece of 3/4" plywood and will trade for a 2020 or 2021 Corvette. No low-ball offers - I know what I have!".

Yeah, it's crazy. It will be with us for (at least) the remainder of the year. In this world of Just-In-Time manufacturing, if parts aren't available when the mower, car/truck, or house construction expect them, the manufacturing stops cold and no finished product is delivered. Game Over.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Toro Mowers Availability

Post by MorpheusPA » May 20th, 2021, 10:18 pm

Artist's white paint.

Because the world, in its infinite wisdom, thought demand for new planes would go down.

Which means titanium mining went down.

Which means there's less titanium on the marketplace, which created a shortage.

Which means less titanium dioxide being produced.

Which means no titanium dioxide for paint...which is the major base for artists' white paint (the other being zinc oxide, a much more transparent and less-tinting white not often used).

Which created a huge shortage, not least of which because many new people decided to learn to paint since they're stuck at home.

For four months, you couldn't lay hands on titanium dioxide white without doing things that you'd regret the next morning. Or, normal people would. I regret nothing. :-)

I saw it coming and went into the mess with a half a gallon of titanium white, professional grade, several brands and consistencies, enough to last even a pro at least a year. Same with the cadmium colors and a few of the other metals which I thought would run short, like cobalt and the synthesized quinacridones. A few did, a few didn't.


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oze
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Re: Toro Mowers Availability

Post by oze » May 22nd, 2021, 1:28 pm

Yep. I searched high and low for a mower, with specific requirements in mind (see the non-Chinese mower thread). Nobody, and I mean on-line vendors, big-box stores nor local mom-and-pops had any quality residential walk-behind mowers in stock. Luckily, I was able to find a local shop that had *one* model in stock that met my needs exactly: a Honda HRX217VLA (thanks for the tip, Andy!). Engine made in the USA. And $20 cheaper than any listing anywhere, not that anybody had any in stock. Donated the battery mower to the Salvation Army.

Now I just have to wait for the adapter kit from Big League Lawns so that I can install my striper!

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