Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I purchased a mid 1990s Toro self propel mower from a garage sale. My son and I really prefer these mowers over newer styles. I took it in to get "fixed" and the carburetor was unsalvageable. We dug around on the internet to try to find a replacement carburetor and couldn't find an exact match. Not being a mechanic, I'm not sure how precise we need to be in replacing the carburetor? It is a Toro model 20439 and serial id of 4903128. The part number we need to replace is 77-8050.

   The carb is a basic carb.  Why does it need to be replace versus cleaned or some
simple parts like float, needle valve & etc.?