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Sunstar


blackfarms1

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Got to try out the sunstar a little this evening. I have been away from home for 30 days and the yard was not mowed. It has been really dry during this time but in places the grass is 8 to 10 inches tall. Due to the lack of rain the grass is very dry so I figure it will mow it easily. Boy was I wrong. It did the worst job of mowing that I have ever seen from a Simplicity. The 9020 or the 7016 will mow circles around it and do a lot better job. What is the deal with the little baffles under the deck. The mower streaks between the left hand blade and the center blade no matter the speed or grass height. I think maybe the throttle cable has slipped and the rpm's are not up to snuff, I will tach it and set it to specs. I also plan to take off the deck for a look see and new blades. It just does not throw the grass out like my other mowers. I guess the left hand discharge blade turns the opposite of the others. Instead of throwing the grass kind of back it throws it forward. I am not giving up yet but any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Sean.
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Make sure that the belts are on right, had a similar problem with my AC 714 and went and checked my belts again and had one reversed. Funny thing about blades they cut better on the sharp sidesm06
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You are correct about the discharge blade rotation. You will definitely get an uneven cut if the blades are not kept sharp. These decks have a lot of lift and if the grass is really high (or wet) the clippings seem to be kept above the blades inside the deck, and cause this uneven cut due to reduced lift. If this happens stop and and shut the deck off and you will see the clumps of clippings fall to the blades and be thrown out. Also it seems that if the roller bar is badly worn, allowing the deck to sit too low, the blades loose some of their lift and cut unevenly. This bar is fairly expensive so I have cut the weld and rolled them over allowing the rollers to ride on new bar. Almost forgot...Lifting your discharge chute in heavy cutting will also help. But of course I would never recommend this unsafe practice. Hope this helps some.
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Anxious to find out if you find a fix for the problem with your sunstar. I used a 4041 for years and got a great cut. Now I have got a sunstar, but I'm experiencing the same problems you are. Good luck.
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Seems from the posts that these tractors are a lot more high maintenance than the older models. No matter the shape of the blades on the older mowers 9020 or 7016 they will still outcut the other brands. Will new blades fix this problem?
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New blades, still streaks in tall grass no matter the speed. Ride is not the smoothest ,harder to go forward and backward than earlier models. Only 450 hrs. well maintained but it will cost more to bring to tiptop shape than my powermax with 2500 hrs. On the other hand the power steering is very nice and my wife can actually get it started. I will keep looking and adjusting but seriously a craftsman or mtd will do a much better job. If it will only do a good job in short grass I don't need it. I don't have the time to mow every other day. Anyone out there who owns one feel free to chime in. I almost forgot to mention that it won't stripe either. Sean
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The 60inch decks have the counter rotating blade to make the lawn look nicer, and do a better job. This is what simplicity told us. As far as I'm concerned it does a nice job in short grass but the tall stuff stay out of it!! They do make a kit to change the deck back over to 3 blades turning the same direction. (At least for the Legacy) not sure on the Sunstars. They said for better discharge the 3 blades turning in the same direction is the way to go. I have a 1920 Ultima with a 48 inch deck and a Legacy with the 60 inch deck and the one blade turning the other way. In tall grass the 1920 can mow circles around the legacy, and it looks like a carpet when you get done. As for the legacy it does exactly what your saying. I'm going to order the kit and install it on my 60 inch deck. I can't tell a difference in the way the lawn looks after mowing with the 60 inch deck in short stuff, or the 48 inch in short stuff, but in the tall grass you sure can tell!! I would ask simplicity if they make a kit for the Sunstar decks, if so I would recomend installing it on your deck. It will make a big difference! Good luck!
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I don't have one of these, but is the deck belt idler greased and spring in good shape? How about the deck belt, not old and stretched? The way the parts book shows the left blade being driven by the back side of the belt looks like it is a source of slippage. Maybe some belt dressing to temporarily see if you can keep it from slipping and skipping? My 700/900 decks get to skipping in heavy stuff in the left blade area if the deck belt and idler aren't up to snuff.
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While I have only a 48" deck on my 1920, it sure sounds like you have an RPM issue. Reason I say that is this - I started out with a Deutz Allis 1914 and a 42" deck. Was happy with the way it cut, but seemed to plug easily, especially if the grass was a bit tall or wet. I then purchased the 1920 with 48" deck on ebay. First time I mowed with it, I couldn't believe how much better the 48" deck eliminated clippings! It even started to rain while I was mowing and it continued to run just fine right up unitl I got soaked. It also seemed like the deck was running considerably faster. Anyhow, the 1914 got retired to the back of the garage - I like that power steering too! :) Last week, I bought a new battery for the 1914 and fired her back up. Made a few passes around the yard and right away noticed that the deck seems to be running slower - and the clippings were clumping. I now think that the engine isn't running up to high idle like it should. I plan to tach it to find out, but I'm betting it isn't running fast enough. Now, that 60" deck with the counter-rotating blade might be a whole different animal. But for now, I'm sticking with an RPM issue.
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quote:
Originally posted by comet66
Also it seems that if the roller bar is badly worn, allowing the deck to sit too low, the blades loose some of their lift and cut unevenly. This bar is fairly expensive so I have cut the weld and rolled them over allowing the rollers to ride on new bar. Almost forgot...Lifting your discharge chute in heavy cutting will also help. But of course I would never recommend this unsafe practice. Hope this helps some.
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Hi, One of the problems with the 60 inch deck was that in tall grass the volume of material that was going over the left side blade would cause the left blade to not cut well because the grass coming across would push the uncut grass down. The decision was made to rotate the left side blade the opposite direction (CW) This allowed the left blade to cut without having all the grass coming across it. The draw back is that the grass from all three blades has to go through the area between the left and center blades. The 60 inch decks cut and spread the grass well, but don't handle really tall grass that well. Be sure the deck is level side to side and up about 1/4 inch from the front tip of the center blade to the rear tip of the side blade. High in front. Al Eden
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