Talk about specialty equipment; not many of us need a vehicle known as a “bunker rake,” specifically designed to groom and/or maintain sand traps at golf courses or groom baseball infields, etc. The “2020” part of the name is the model; that isn’t the year, just for the record. This 19XX Toro Sand Pro 2020 can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Buford, Georgia, and the seller is asking $2,400. Here is the original listing, and thanks to PRA4SNW for the Toro turf tip!
Here’s another one on eBay with better photos, but it’s also $4,650!
I don’t know how you folks find these things, but I love it. This is right up my alley, as in my interest alley. But as usual with these oddball contraptions, there isn’t much information on the history of the Sand Pro out there. Toro still makes this model, or a similar one, along with a couple of others, and when you see the prices, you’ll realize that $2,400 is a steal for a working Sand Pro. The seller included a video as one of the three images, or media pieces, in this listing, but it’s disappointing not to have another handful of photos. The video shows the rear bunker-bustin’ sand trap-smoothing piece operating, so that’s good. Here’s an owner’s manual showing some of the controls and other features. My three-wheeler weighs around 300 pounds; this one is around 900 pounds!
Wide load! This is a screenshot of the video in the listing. You can buy attachments for the rear hydraulic mechanism, depending on what your needs are. Being ignorant, in general, I’m wondering why a regular three-wheeler or even a four-wheeler couldn’t be used for this same purpose? Stan, I’m guessing you’ve used one of these; maybe you can fill us in on what the dealio is on the Toro Sand Pro? The three-gallon gas tank and hydraulic fluid tank can be seen here. The seller almost couldn’t give any less information than they do; bummer. I have a million Caddyshack quotes rattling around in my head right now. Here’s another brochure showing the newest Toro Sand Pro line.
This is another video screenshot to show the controls. The unusual pedals on the right side are forward on the upper one, and stop and/or reverse on the rear pedal. The four things on the bottom of the dash are, from left to right, the fuse, ignition switch, the choke, and the throttle on the right side. The shift knob on the bottom right is to raise and lower the hydraulic implement, whatever is being used on the rear. The other handle is the parking brake.
Unfortunately, the seller didn’t show a photo of the engine, but the eBay link to the other, more expensive Sand Pro 2020 here, which is approximately the same or very similar, shows the engine. The eBay one is a 2003 model, but we don’t know what year the one for sale on Facebook Marketplace is. From what I can find, they were made from the mid-1990s until the mid-2010s, give or take. I believe this one would have had a 16-hp two-cylinder Briggs & Stratton engine, with a hydrostatic drive powering the two rear wheels. Have any of you seen a Toro Sand Pro before?
Welcome back, SG.and good to see you opened with another headscratcher “WTH?” type machine!
Thank you, sir! I’m still on the road for another week and a half (in Orlando now, then heading north). Whew.
You going to stop at Disney Scotty? They have that Amphicar attraction at Disney Springs.
That’s EXACTLY what I said when I saw this on Marketplace, of all places.
Thanks for picking this up, Scotty. We can all appreciate all of the in-depth research you do on oddballs like this.
This is cool. Toro makes some very high quality lawn and grounds equipment like this one here. If this was used at a golf course, It would be safe to say that its most likely very well maintained. This just looks like it would be fun to run around on.
Thanks for writing this up Scotty and to PRA4SNW for finding this neat Toro. I like it.
You’re probably right about it being maintained, Dave. I never thought of that. It’s the cheapest one I saw for sale; hopefully it’s a good one.
I wonder if it has the Carl Spackler seal of approval.
I don’t know about that, RoadDog, but when you die, on your deathbed (hopefully decades down the road), you’ll have total consciousness.
So I’ve got that going for me… which is nice.
Ha!
I bought one at a garage sale ($25.00!) many years ago. I had the idea of putting receiver hitches on both ends and making a trailer mover out of it. My sons used it as a 3 wheel drive go cart until a loose battery grounded through the throttle cable and welded it tight. Never got back to it. I’m retired now and hopefully will have time to play with it!
Cheap buy Turbojet 👍
SG… well I can’t shed lite on the Toro.. but drove the JD version. Our course had a deal for exclusive John Deere mowers and equipment. They all worked very well, although Toro, back then at least.. was considered the flagship maker. Someone told me other day John Deere equipment isn’t made in the USA anymore.. is that true ?Anyways… these are heavier than they look as you pointed out. They save alot of work, especially on huge fairway bunkers, round the greens id often hand rake the smaller traps just to get out and get some exercise, we carried the sand rake in a holder on the machine. Could a regular three or four wheeler be used… well our golf course mechanics could pretty much fix and figure about anything… but we used a sand pro.
Well Stan. We have a bunch of John Deere 26G mini excavators in the fleet. I believe they’re made by Hitachi. Not sure about their other equipment though. At least up until about 2022 or so I think.
And would you look at that, first hand experience with a machine like this from a BF regular – makes sense.
Thanks for sharing, Stan.
Nice! Scotty and PRA, I feel like I need it and need to have it for some reason. Maybe I am getting in touch with my inner 12 year old that grew up next to a golf course?
Thanks, Matt! Thanks to the great sleuths who find these unusual machines, I love it.
Ha, excellent comments, folks! I wasn’t sure if this super oddball one would go over or not. 427Turbojet, that’s fantastic! I hope you can get it on the road again, er… I mean, on the golf course, or baseball field, or the trail, or just get it working again.
Scotty, while in O-town, if you get the craving for some serious Ramen, check out this place: Walala Hand-Pulled Noodles House
No disappointments.
Love a good soup 🍲 🥢
I’ve got 100’s of hours on those. Was coveted job on the golf course to ride around in the mornings instead of walk-mow greens. We had ones with manual blades to push up sand after heavy rains. Also best thiing to groom bball diamonds. Drag the rake attachment or some weighted chain link fence. Buy it and be the hero of any little league.
Sold! I’m surprised that this one is gone, but I guess that price was pretty good for one of these rigs.