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16 hp sunstar underpowered?


snag

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So after getting the correct oil in and all maintance done. Mowing some taller grass I am noticing that the sunstar may be lacking in power. Wondering if anyone else with a 16 hp can chime in. Anyone have a large deck on a 16 hp. Originaly I was thinking of getting a 60 in deck for this but I have second thoughts to this. I am going to pull the deck gear box this weekend and look at it as it seems loud to me (nothing to compare it to though) it may be leaking a bit as well, so some hp may be getting wasted in the gear box as well.
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I can't speak from the perspective of having a Sunstar, but I will say the 18hp Kohler Magnum I recently installed in my AC 917H with 48" deck seems to be a good fit. I haven't had it in real tall grass, but it seems to have ample power for the hydro rearend and deck. I've always wondered how well the Sunstar's with a 16hp engine handled the 48" deck. Based upon your question, maybe not so well?
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I would expect it to handle a 48" deck as well as a 16 HP Sovereign with the 48" deck. There are a lot of those (7016, 7116, 716, 916) around. If the 16 HP is reasonably fresh and the RPM adjusted properly, there should be no problem. 16 is probably not enough for a 60" deck though (25% larger!).
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I'm assuming we're talking about a Kohler here ...... I used to have a cub with one of those kohlers. Someone was scrapping it. Tore the deck and pto apart a dozen times looking for the power loss. It started and ran terrific, just really weak ..... After weeks of that nonsense, I reset the carb and spark gap and the ridiculous thing ran like a champ through anything I threw at it !!!!!!! My advise, re-tune the carb, per the manual and throw in a new plug...
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Also at what speed are you trying to mow? Some people I see try to be mini NASCAR drivers while mowing if I had to mow that fast I'd just fence the area off and get a cow:D
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Check idler bearings & spindle bearings, but 16hp & 60" deck is pushing to the max. if you mow once a week, mow twice a week may let you get away with it.
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Yes it is a Kohler, and I would say that at 1/2 to 3/4 hyd lever in the taller grass it will bog down. So I may be pushing it. The po had rebuilt the kohler and its pretty fresh so it may not be broke in. When I get a weekend and a manual I will go a head and reset the carb. I guess Ill rule out the bigger deck. (and start to look for a 20 hp sunstar) What do you think about it running a snowblower?
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I extended the front end of my Big-10 about 4" and run a 40" deck on it with a 10 hp Briggs,works fine just adjust the mowing speed to the height of the grass. ( Of course we expect more from a foot draggier)^
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My son has a 1918 with the Vanguard engine and it handles the 60" deck with no problem, and I'm certain would have no problem with a blower. However, I think it would be asking a lot of a 16hp engine to handle the hydro on a tractor that heavy, and a deck as heavy as the sunstar 60, or a 42" blower.


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I agree with John. 16hp on a sixty inch deck is pushing it in anything but normal grass length. Your moving a heavy tractor and covering a large area with that engine. You would be much happier with a 42" or 48" deck.
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for what it is worth my old onan 16.5hp in the 616 pulls the 60" deck just fine and the 17hp kohler runs my 48" deck with the belt driven vacuum without a problem even on the hills
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I would think, as others have said, part of the problem may be in the sunstar being a larger tractor, 16hp works great on my 7116, but adding more weight, plus more options to power (doesn't the sunstar also have power steering), you might be asking a lot of it with a bigger deck,
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