To some extent, it’s normal. There’s a rocking key that catches on a washer clutch upon propelled drive engaged. When you back off the drive, the key should become disengaged with any forward movement you provide, allowing you to pull the unit backwards without dragging the wheels.

Do you have problems everytime or just when you quickly transition from pushing to pulling? Decreasing the sensitivity of the drive engagement might help if so.

 

Do you have problems everytime or just when you quickly transition from pushing to pulling? Decreasing the sensitivity of the drive engagement might help if so.

Thanks…it’s mainly when doing quick transitions. I’ve gotten used to it a little on the inside corners but still forget sometimes. Where it usually catches me is mowing under my air conditioner unit (mounted to the foundation)…it’s on a slight hill and I have to push it perpendicular right under the unit. By habit, I push the personal pace down and can trap myself sometimes. I’ll have to see if adjusting the sensitivity makes any difference.

Sounds normal. The SR 21564 I bought for this season does exactly this. I've never has the wheels drag, but if I give it a slight push forward, it will then be easier to roll backwards.

yes, that’s how mine is…just a slight push and it rolls perfect. I thought something was wrong until I tested it on a flat concrete driveway and noticed that this has to be intentional on Toro’s part.

I have my Toro super recycler 21386 for 2 years now and I also experience the same thing since day one, brand new. Personnaly I find it annoying since all my lawn is on flat. I never thought about the safety explanation you gave for people mowing on a hill, it's interesting.

Same as you, I got kind of used to release the self propel mecanism before the end of my line. It usually works.

But in reality non conscientiously I tend to not use the Personal Pace feature as much as I would like, because of this.
I would be interested in possibly disabling this feature if it's possible.

It definitely can be annoying…I’m hoping with time I get a little more used to it.

I so enjoy the personal pace system so far though…I don’t even realize how much I used to have to push until I need to give this thing that slight jolt of forward momentum to release the wheels.

 

Sounds normal. The SR 21564 I bought for this season does exactly this. I've never has the wheels drag, but if I give it a slight push forward, it will then be easier to roll backwards.

 

I have my Toro super recycler 21386 for 2 years now and I also experience the same thing since day one, brand new. Personnaly I find it annoying since all my lawn is on flat. I never thought about the safety explanation you gave for people mowing on a hill, it's interesting.

Same as you, I got kind of used to release the self propel mecanism before the end of my line. It usually works.

But in reality non conscientiously I tend to not use the Personal Pace feature as much as I would like, because of this.
I would be interested in possibly disabling this feature if it's possible.

 

I picked up a used SR this year and noticed the same thing. In fact the previous owner mentioned it while giving me a quick run through of the operation. I'm mostly used to it now, but the good thing is the mower is light enough to just lift the handle and back up with the rear wheels off the ground.

On another note, I'm very pleased with personal pace and this mower overall, especially compared to my old Snapper. I need to finish writing a comparison that I started (which turned into a novel).

 

To minimize this occurrence, you can use #2 Lithium White Grease on the Pinion Gear and Wheel Drive Gears. It does not take much (i.e. only use enough to lightly coat the gears). You would be amazed regarding how much easier the mower operates. I do this after three or four lawn cuttings. It also minimizes the friction, thereby allowing the Wheels and Pinion gears to last much longer.

 

Do you need to disassemble the little gearbox covers to access this? It would be awesome if you could post a picture or two of the area you grease. I would like to try it too

 

Mine does it too, it was really annoying at first coming from a Honda, but I’ve gotten used to it.