# Which Tractor: Wheel horse 520h, Sunstar 20hp, Power king 1614



## jbrukardt (Jun 23, 2012)

So, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, im looking to get a garden tractor for both mowing my 3 acre yard, and doing some tilling. Therefore, I need something with a rear PTO that I can hook up to. I would prefer to get a tractor with a tiller, but so far have not found many. 

My options:

*Wheel horse 520H, 20hp Onan: $1500 *
looks in solid shape, tad bit of rust, comes with a 60 inch deck, 800 hours on it

*Sunstar 20hp, 20hp kohler command: $1400 or $600*

I've got two options for this one a shiny clean perfect one with dual hydraulics on it for 1400, or a clean, but used one with single hydraulics and a bad alternator and worn tires. 

The catch with both the sunstars, is im not sure how i would hook a tiller up to them. They've both got a splined rear pto shaft that turns, but its about a foot and a half into the chassis, so im not sure how a tiller would hook up

*Power King 1614: Comes with a tiller: 1500*

Only one I've found with a tiller, pretty rough shape, rusty all over but running, price seems a little high to me.

Opinions? I absolutely need a tiller as part of my buy, so for the ones that dont have tillers, i will have to drop the extra cash for both a tiller, and the additional gear needed to hook one up.


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## pond1954 (Dec 15, 2011)

All three tractors have their good points as well as bad. I like all three brands but can only speak semi-intelligently about two. The WH 520 is a good stout mower. I had one at one time but had very bad luck with the Onan engine. I know there are good ones out there but mine had problems and it just soured me on them. They are very expensive to fix and with 800 hours already, I would be a little leary. The tractor will mow a lot of grass quickly though and I would imagine it could really tear it up with a tiller.

I really can't speak too much about the Simplicity. I know people who have owned SunStars and absolutely love them. I'm not sure how easy it would be to find a tiller for them or how they hook up. Simplicity is a good name with a good product.

The Power King is definetely the slowest of the three but the size and gearing of the machine make it more versatile in my opinion. You won't mow your 3 acres as quickly as you would with the other two but you will be able to get into other jobs that you may or may noy need to do (plow snow, pull trees, etc.). I have several of these tractors and you just can't beat them for heavier work. The 14hp with the gear drive with drag either of the other two around the yard. If you want a hyrostatic drive, then the Power King is not for you. I assume you are looking at an older metal body PK of which none were hydro. They are, however, nearly indestructable. If it comes with a tiller, then it should have two transmissions unless it has a 4 speed. If it has a three point hitch, all the better for matching it to more jobs. That single cyl. kohler sips gas too. When I was mowing with my PK I mowed 4 times (1 1/2 acres is what I mow) before I needed gas. It has a 2 gallon tank.

All three are good machines. If it wasn't for the Onan, I would still have my 520. To be fair, when I bought my 520 I knew it had a problem. Thought it would be an easy fix but it turned out to be a nightmare. Don't let me scare you off of them. When they are good, they are really good. None of what you are looking at have a true rear PTO that you could use for anything else. The Power King can have a rear PTO added but it would still require certain implements.

I hope some of this rambling is helpful to you.


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## jbrukardt (Jun 23, 2012)

Im used to manually geared tractors, hydro isnt a big deal for me. It is the two speed transmission version, you're correct. 

How do you feel about the power kings mowing capacity (what size is your deck? this one has a 60). Ive heard some concerns about it bogging down really easily, and i tend to go through some thick grass quite often. 

The concept of the power king is good, I like it, however this specific one is really beat looking and I feel like the price might not be worth it for one thats been left outside in the rain, etc. If it was in good shape, id lean towards it a lot more. 

The sunstar is going to need a grand in parts before it can even take a tiller  I was disappointed about that, as i really liked the machine other than that, had a ton of power and seemd very well put together, but it requires both the rear hitch and the whole rear pto assembly to be tiller capable, and neither kit is even made anymore. 

The wheel horse, I dunno, onan engines are quite good, but hard to repair these days. I think from a power perspective, the 520h and the sunstar are about the same, and the 520h is a lot more, and im not sure its better. If it had the rear pto hookup all set to go, it would be more attractive, but the owner doesnt know if it does, and its an hour and a half drive from me, not something i can go look at on a whim. 

Only thing i saw with a true real pto (cat 1) was a cub loboy 154, which have their own set of issues (rare creeper gear required for tilling, takes 40 acres to turn around, etc) 

Your advice is much appreciated, and mirrors much of what ive seen and read.


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## pond1954 (Dec 15, 2011)

I have only had 48" decks on my PKs. My yard would not work well with a 60". Whether or not it bogs down depends almost entirely on how tall you let the grass get and what your land is like. If the land is flat and you keep at it, I could see you being happy with the 60" deck. If you have hills and tend not to mow as often as you should, then the 60" deck is not for you. Keep in mind, the old Economys from the 60s and early 70s were used to mow along highways in many places. These units were 12hp with 60" decks, standard. I think that we as a generation are spoiled by more power under the hood of a graden tractor than what is really needed. If the tractor bogs down a little, we get bent out of shape.

As to the value of the Power King, it's probably not really out of line depending on what it has. You already mentioned the dual transmissions and a tiller. Those are two really big things that add value. Three point and hydraulics would be the other two and would make the tractor worth every penny of the asking price. I look at these things from a parts perspective and it's worth more in parts than the asking price. I wish I had the serial number of that tractor so I could pin point the year. That would help. Another plus is the 14hp kohler. That's probably one of the best engines kohler made in my opinion. I have a PK with a front end loader and it has a 14hp kohler in it.

Power Kings are not for everybody. I like them because they are simple to operate and to work on. They also are larger which gives you the option to stretch out or stand up while mowing. As I say, I like all of the tractors you are looking at. I am primarily into Power King and Wheelhorse and that's only because I never had enough time to add Simplicity. Keep in mind, whatever you get will be expensive to fix. It doesn't matter what brand it is, ain't nothin cheap.

Have you considered something a little larger? My old neighbor (old dealer) has a Satoh Elk for sale with a finish mower (I think) for like $1750 or something like that. It's an 18hp gas tractor. I have a Satoh Beaver which is the smallest model of the day and the thing is a beast. Of course, the Satohs are getting harder to get parts for these days. I have two parts guys that I go to and haven't had any issues. Something to consider as they are good machines. I believe it's a category 1 three point which opens you up to all kinds of rear implements including a tiller. He's located about 30 miles north east of Pittsburgh, PA. If you want to see it, I could go up some time and take some pictures of it for you. He's only a few miles away and lives next to my dad so I'm up that way pretty often. The important thing here is, find something you are comfortable with. Remember, any old tractor you buy is a gamble unless you know its history. Good luck.


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## jbrukardt (Jun 23, 2012)

Id looked at a couple of 8n's which are in the same size range as the elk it looks like, and they seemed just a tad too big for my work. If I was purely tilling and brushhogging, theyd be right up my alley, but the biweekly finish mowing really isnt their forte due to both turn radius and size imo. 

I think i have a chance to get the 20hp kohler command sunstar for 600 bucks. Its got a bad regulator rectifier, but thats a 20 buck part. Even if in the worst case scenario it is the stator, thats still sub 100 bucks. 

Ill need to reupholster the seat, and switch out that regulator, but other than that it looks pretty golden. Always garage kept, sub 500 hours, no rust, 60 inch deck with nice sharp blades. I'm going to see it one final time this week, but even with having to drop what looks like about 300-500 in component to make it rear pto capable, ill be just a little over a 1000 for a hefty 20hp tractor ready for a tiller once i find one. Seems the best bet to me at the moment.


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## pond1954 (Dec 15, 2011)

Yeah, that sounds like a good deal. Hope it turns out being what you want. The SunStar is a good machine.

The Elk is smaller than an 8N. It's just a tad bit bigger than my 2414 Power King. The Satoh turning radius is not that bad either in my book. The Bison or Bull was more along the lines of the 8N. They are very noce 25hp tractors.


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## DSC1 (Jul 23, 2012)

I was in your shoes about a month ago. Being a wheel horse guy and after going through the 2nd rear end in my 70's 14horse I wanted something a little more. I have to say it wasn't the tractors falt but mine,just pushing it to hard. I am mowing about 2 acres and an acre of field ,pushing gravel and snow on a 275 ft. Drive.and maybe a half acre of food plots. I looked at a 520 but was told they had bad electrics and the onan has its own set of problems. I ended up with an IH 184 Lo Boy with a 60" belly mower and 3pt.for 2200. I am very happy with it, my yard has some obsticles and not the flattest but it's doing a great job and getting it done in less time,no it won't turn with my old horse but with the bigger deck I'm backing up about the same but trimming just a little more,no big deal.IH had a tiller I'm told but I'll be using a disc harrow for the food plots and if that don't work I'll get a plow.


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