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After 3 years of trying to mow I can say I finally hate my 1025R

17K views 78 replies 27 participants last post by  firemachine69 
#1 · (Edited)
Im sorry folks. I am so out of breath right now and done this evert year for 3 years and absolutely hate it. Whomever came up with the auto connect should have rethought this. I have to take off every part to put the snowblower on every year and it works ok. Then comes the spring and I have to put everything back on to mow. The frame parts all go on OK.

The comes the AUTOMATIC part. I go through this every year and get furious and usually calm down. After about 30 attempts the mower finally slams on. I don't get it. I drive over the deck and it gets 95% of the way and never locks. My old trick was to manually try to line up the connector with the deck position so that the star lines up. This year no dice. So I push the mower and mower forward and unsuccessfully try to connect for about an hour, messing with the cross and no dice.

Im sorry but I am at my wits end, this cost me a fortune and I wish I just had a deck with a drive shaft and the dealer pushed this wonderful feature on me. I had considered buying a separate mower but at this point with close to $30k in this combination machine it wouldn't be worth keeping.

Plus the fact it compacts my soil terribly with turf tires and mower very badly. I did the fix here and it improved which was pathetic that so many were wrong from the factory.

I guess what I am saying is for $30k it would be nice for this to be easy.

A big part to buying this was to save stress on my body from past surgeries. There is no way I could keep muscles this accessories and misfits in a few more years.

Anyone with valium or a welder that can permanently weld my autonightmare mower please let me know.
 
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#2 ·
Sorry to hear of the frustration. Just curious if you've ever voiced your concerns to your dealer and what they said?

I've had issues when transferring a AutoConnect deck from one tractor to another, but never removing and reinstalling on the same machine.

Those mowers and attaching parts must be aligned just right and normally once "setup" from the dealer, this isn't too much of an issue. Maybe some jiggling here and there to get it to fully align, but not the headache you're talking about.
 
#3 ·
My dealer went out of business a year after I bought it. Padula brothers is only going to recommend I bring it in at cost for them to repair it. Only thing I can think of is that it was setup wrong from the dealer initially. Coming off is never a problem, going on has never been smooth.
 
#4 ·
#7 ·
Sorry to hear of your problems, maybe once or twice I've had issues after it was setup correctly in the past 5 yrs. Guessing yours wasn't setup correctly. One thing have you checked your rear tire pressures if tire or tires are low that can cause you problems. If after checking the setup per this website and still have issues , paying the dealer the cost of setting it up correctly may be the best money spent. I will agree it is a pain to remove the lift arms every fall and installing every spring. For me I remove the lift arms, and back bracket that holds the auto connect part all connected together.

IMO 54" gives the best cut on slopes and level yards. I've had a 60" and will never buy another 60" deck.. Mows terrible on a sloped yard. One piece of advise, if it is a 60" keep the gauge wheels all but touching a hard surface then it mows fair..
 
#8 ·
Ok, so I haven't exactly fallen in love again yet, since my chest is killing me from pushing the power back and forth but I think i may have figured this out.

I checked and adjusted the bolt on the auto connect adapter but I don't think thats it.

What seems to be is actually the front deck height bolts. They were adjusted too far inward. The issue with these bolts that if they are way too far in it actually shortens the total mount of the auto connect adapter that can fit in the socket. I carefully loosened and counted the turns on each and it probably allowed another 1/4 or 1/2" of movement and this seems to allow it to work properly now.

Very strange and it sounds like I will need to go through and re-level the deck, etc per the procedure here.

I think my VT dealer was not too great which is probably why they closed.

I make a lot of videos on YT some of you may have seen my channel.

Probably a good thing I didn't record this one! :) But i suppose it could have been a great comedy video!

Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC67dKTEwpAhKv2oYDATwR8g
 
#17 ·
Ok, so I haven't exactly fallen in love again yet, since my chest is killing me from pushing the power back and forth but I think i may have figured this out.

What seems to be is actually the front deck height bolts. They were adjusted too far inward. The issue with these bolts that if they are way too far in it actually shortens the total mount of the auto connect adapter that can fit in the socket. I carefully loosened and counted the turns on each and it probably allowed another 1/4 or 1/2" of movement and this seems to allow it to work properly now.
I had to do this early on and forgot all about it. :banghead: I adjusted mine to where it is now with the deck raised all the way up. Seems to be when it's the tightest on the front. Then just raise and lower it a few times to make sure it doesn't bind or just slop around. Take the deck off and on without driving over the deck to make sure it connects right and you should be golden. :thumbup1gif:
 
#9 ·
Good to hear,, yep that will cause you trouble of not connecting, sometimes only one complete turn of the nuts,,, Don't forget to tighten both sides.
 
#10 ·
You need to take a breath and set aside some time - follow the instructions that I linked to. All of them. Start from the start and follow each step.

This will be time we’ll spent - you shouldn’t have to mess with it again. The deck should click right on with no effort. It just needs to be set up properly from the beginning.
 
#12 ·
I have the 60d mower on my 1025 with the manual connect drive shaft. It takes literally 30 seconds to attach the drive shaft. It works absolutely flawlessly and requires no adjustment or tinkering.

I have stated many times that the autoconnect feature is a poorly designed marketing gimmick piece of s--t, and this is yet another example why.

Throw it out, get a manual connect drive shaft, be happy.
 
#14 ·
I have stated many times that the autoconnect feature is a poorly designed marketing gimmick piece of s--t, and this is yet another example why...
I think the engineers had a little too much faith in the people who would be setting it up. The design is fine, it is the quality of the set-up that is the problem - and something the customer has no control over - unless they opt to do the install themselves.
 
#13 ·
I have the auto connect on my x758 and it works pretty much flawlessly but if I would have known the it needs to be put aside and the blower setup is manually connected I would have never ordered it. I still have to get down to unlock the mower to take it off and also check to see if it's locked when re-attaching. After mowing for a season and blowing for 2 if I could do it over again I would have put the money into the 3 point and stuck with the manual connect. I do like the drive over deck though.
Ron
 
#15 ·
When set up properly the auto connect is the dream. Goes on like butter and comes off like butter. When not set up properly the auto connect does not work. Remember this one thing. The auto connect pto on the tractor cannot be lower than mower deck input shaft. If you drive over the deck and stop before trying to engage. Get off and look underneath the machine. If the auto connect pto is lower than the mower deck shaft you will have huge issues.

If the auto connect pto is about 1/8 inch higher than the mower deck input shaft it will engage very easily. The reason for this is because the auto connect pto will move up but will not move down. The mower deck binds up from the weight of the deck if the auto connect pto is lower than the mower deck input shaft. This is where most people go wrong. Set up correctly works great, set up incorrectly works terribly or not at all.:usa
 
#22 ·
I'm not a huge fan of the auto connect but it works okay on mine. But here is a trick I've learned to use for mine.

Drive over the deck at stop as soon as the front tires touch the ground.

I hop off and look at the height of the PTO and the front bar between the front tires. I usually have to adjust this a little by hand.

I pull forward to the final position.

Here's my big trick. I run a ratchet strap from the back corners of the deck with it going behind the rear tires. Just a little pressure holds it into place while I flip the locking bar up to lock the deck into place.

This may not be the right way or easiest way, but it works pretty well for me.

Good luck and hope this may help someone.
 
#29 · (Edited)
I'm going to speculate your mower deck was not properly setup. Unfortunately, it seems like a common problem for many dealers. I did mine myself and it is time consuming, especially the first time through. It was about half the time on the second.

I'm gathering you adjusted the front draft arm to make it "connect". The front draft arm adjustment is intended to adjust the blade height, from the front of the blade to the back of the blade. So that is no longer correct or likely never was.

I'm thinking you or a qualified technician, if it is beyond your skill set, need to start from scratch. The link Stan (coaltrain) offered in his post is a good overview and also offers some high quality photos for clarity. I've attached the factory installation/adjustment manuals for additional reference.

You will need a mower blade height gauge, which is available from dealers and online suppliers. Green Farm Parts, a forum sponsor, offers the gauge at no with parts orders over $200 by utilizing the word "GAUGE" in the promo box. You'll also receive a 7% discount by adding the phrase "GTT" in the promo box.

A few tips:

1. Add a 3/8 fine thread nuts(2) to the adjustable lift straps that connect the mower deck rockshaft to the rear lift arm, for use as a jam nut, to lock the adjustments once set. It easy to upset these adjustments when removing the lift arm for the snow blower PTO shaft installation. These adjustments set the mower blade height, from side to side. Also, mark each adjusting fork with a permanent marker to identify them as left or right.

2. The John Deere instruction manual is a bit vague about adjusting the long threaded bolt that is secured into the lift arm carrier PTO shaft/coupler carrier bearing. It states to "level" it. More specifically:
A. Inflate all tractor tires to correct inflation.
B. Park tractor on a level surface.
C. Place a torpedo across the face of the PTO shaft/Coupler carrier bearing vertically.
D. Adjust the long threaded bolt for a plumb indication (aka: vertical level).
E. Secure jam nut and double check plumb indication.

3. The mail portion of the autoconnect coupler is secured to the mower deck gearbox input shaft with two setscrews. These are known to work loose and when they do, it will cause the coupler to become jammed together. Remove these setscrews one at a time and add blue Loctite to threads.

4. Lubricate the mower deck height adjusting mechanism with a silicone aerosol lubricant to provide smoother/easier operation. Do not use oil or a aerosol petroleum based lubricant as it will draw dirt/dust which will quickly make it difficult to operate and accelerate wear.
 

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#30 · (Edited)
Maybe not the diagnosis for your connecting problem, but I hated trying to connect my MMM. I followed the "sticky" setup guide in the forum, and it would never reliably connect. I'd have to resort to using 4x4 lumber between my barn wall and the nose of the MMM to keep it from sliding forward just a half inch of so from the connect point.

I finally posted my dilema here, and within an hour someone had diagnosed and solved my problem.

There are two Allen set screws holding a metal sleeve on the MMM gearbox input shaft. One of these had backed out just enough to keep the female connector on the tractor from being able to slide freely forward on the male gearbox shaft. Since the Allen screw was covered in grease it could not be readily seen. But it could be felt. After I removed it, put locktite on it and completely screwed it into place, the MMM connected first try. And has done so for the past year or so.

This is listed in the above post, and is a quick thing to check.
 
#32 ·
As others have said, most of the issues that I see on this forum concerning mmm attachment problems have nothing to do with the auto connect PTO shaft. It has more to do with the auto connect of the entire mmm to the tractor and this is usually realized by the rear latches not latching which results in the mmm not latching to the tractor.

The rear latches not latching will generally be caused by the front link not having sufficient clearance between the link and mounts. If this link bottoms out, then the rear latches will not latch. Bottom line, a little extra clearance here is better than not enough, especially if you are installing your mmm on uneven surfaces.

Concerning the auto connect PTO shaft. Bottom line, there is only one adjustment for the auto connect PTO shaft. This is the adjustment bolt that aligns the front mid PTO spline to the mmm spline shaft. Once this adjustment is aligned and the bolt does not come loose, this adjustment cannot change.

As long as the mmm lift linkage is all the way lowered (if you have a hydraulic lift system, you have to make sure the linkage has actually lowered all the way), there is sufficient gap in the front linkage (IMO, this is the issue that will cause most issues) and the auto connect PTO shaft alignment adjustment is correct (I installed nyloc nuts on my PTO shaft adjustment bolt to keep it from vibrating loose), the mmm will connect.

I agree with some others, there are two parts to the auto connect. One is the fact that the mmm auto connect, connects the mmm to the tractor. To this extent, all mmm's are auto connect. Then you have a second auto connect that connects the mid PTO shaft automatically. This part is optional.

Some have opinions concerning the auto connect PTO shaft and you are welcome to your opinion.

That said, it sounds like the issue the OP is having has nothing to do with the auto connect PTO shaft but the auto connect mmm which is most likely being caused by the lack of sufficient clearance at the front link.
 

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#34 ·
I find that the gap does make it easier to get the rear mower latches to lock in. But having no gap does make the front of the mower deck ride higher and closer to level with the rear of the deck. By having the front of the deck up (with no gap) prevents the scalping most are more concerned with. Both of my suggested settings are not per JD instructions. But most of their instructions are so so at best. But by having no gap it does cause issues getting the rear latches to lock in. The front “bail bar” with the threaded ends positions the front of the deck hanging position height. I find having the rear and front level works better than slightly tipped. The suggestion to have outside stops to hold the deck steady helps latch engagement but eliminates any notion ever of being “automatic”. I like the drive over part, everything else associated with deck on and off, not so much.


In all of my years of mechanical design some of the stuff on these little tractors is very good and other things sucks. But these little JD tractors are still the best offerings of any.
 
#38 ·
I could see where the draft arm height adjustment could create issues. If it is adjusted too high, it would move the front horizontal bar, of the draft arm assembly, rearward as well as upward. This may cause that horizontal bar to seat prematurely in the frame mounts slots, tending to drag the deck forward with the forward momentum of the tractor, preventing the rear latches from engaging.

Vintage advertisement
 
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#43 · (Edited)
I wish I knew more about the way my 54" mmm works...but I have nothing. They showed me how it worked at the dealer and it was a complete fail. The tech had a use a ceiling hoist:mocking: I said yeah...No. Get this thing set up right before you bring it to my house and thankfully they did.

So its definitely a setup issue. You learn a lot more about how things work, if they don't work...Mine has always worked fine. The lift needed to loosen up to drop faster(Gravity), but it has over the last years.
 
#44 ·
WOW, ........ 30k in a 1025R ? I have to admit the worst feature of my 4110 is attaching the MMM. Its a pain beyond belief. I did not do my homework when I purchased it. Removal isn't any better. The two inches it raises isn't the best either. I was thinking about updating to a new tractor with auto connect but it seems there are problems also.
 
#45 · (Edited)
Is yours the mechanical lift that runs off the lower three-point arms? If so, that's what came with my 2520. I'm decided that by the end of summer, either I'll get rid of my backhoe, or the mower deck. It's a gargantuan PITA to swap both, takes me well over an hour to go between the two.

Only way I can see myself not doing that is picking up a second machine (which may or may not lead to a divorce...) :hide:
 
#46 ·
Here's my experience...

I just removed my 59 inch snow blower and installed my 72 inch auto-connect mower deck on my 3520. Initially, I had the same difficulty you experienced. What I discovered was the front hydraulics (that lift the snow blower) were set and stowed in the high (up) position. They need to be lowered so the mower deck can engage the mid draft links. That's the two parts that you "flip" over --then when you drive the tractor onto the mower, they simply "receive and click" to hold the mower deck securely in place. Don't forget to replace the 'hair pins' to keep them in place. Doing this resulted in not having to touch or "adjust" the mower deck manually during auto-install. Worked as advertised. Hope this helps.
 
#47 ·
Im sorry folks. I am so out of breath right now and done this evert year for 3 years and absolutely hate it. Whomever came up with the auto connect should have rethought this. I have to take off every part to put the snowblower on every year and it works ok. Then comes the spring and I have to put everything back on to mow. The frame parts all go on OK.

The comes the AUTOMATIC part. I go through this every year and get furious and usually calm down. After about 30 attempts the mower finally slams on. I don't get it. I drive over the deck and it gets 95% of the way and never locks. My old trick was to manually try to line up the connector with the deck position so that the star lines up. This year no dice. So I push the mower and mower forward and unsuccessfully try to connect for about an hour, messing with the cross and no dice.

Im sorry but I am at my wits end, this cost me a fortune and I wish I just had a deck with a drive shaft and the dealer pushed this wonderful feature on me. I had considered buying a separate mower but at this point with close to $30k in this combination machine it wouldn't be worth keeping.

Plus the fact it compacts my soil terribly with turf tires and mower very badly. I did the fix here and it improved which was pathetic that so many were wrong from the factory.

I guess what I am saying is for $30k it would be nice for this to be easy.

A big part to buying this was to save stress on my body from past surgeries. There is no way I could keep muscles this accessories and misfits in a few more years.

Anyone with valium or a welder that can permanently weld my autonightmare mower please let me know.
When I saw this title, I thought "Oh boy...", but reading through it, the problems are resolved by following the set up, or at least they seem to be. I wondered about the O.P. changing the title of the thread once I saw it and read that he appears to have found a fix to the problem and likely feels differently now about "Hating" mowing with his 1025R.

The good news is when anyone sees the thread, hopefully they will read through it and see that the problems which led to this threads creation can and have been fixed and life is good once again.:good2:

I think that if we are all honest, each of us have had a moment or two where we might have expressed similar sentiments about something mechanical we have or do own. But usually, the issues can be fixed and happiness is again restored and the world keeps spinning........

At least this is inspiring that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't always the train. It might just be resolution to a frustrating problem which can lead to ending "HATE" and restoring happiness.........:bigthumb:So perhaps the thread title is best left just like it was created.:laugh:
 
#48 ·
I totally agree with the above after spending more than one hot afternoon trying to figure out what JD was trying to do with Auto Connect using the "sticky" and some mechanical sleuthing... The completely sad truth is that pi$$-poor dealer setup is usually what is causing the grief. Rush 'em into service assembly sure makes "some" JD dealers look like perfect idiots. Sure doesn't seem to hurt sales though!:laugh:
 
#50 ·
I adjust my front draft links to have about 1/8" of gap when the mower deck is FLAT on the ground with the wheels raised. I seem to have read more than once that ideally the front of your deck SHOULD be slightly lower for the best grass cut...
 
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#51 ·
True JD recommends a tilted mower deck as opposed to level. That 1/8” gap with the bail bar is contributing to the front being lower. Having front lower for best cut is not my shared opinion. Think about having the mower lower at the front..... as the blades rotate the lowest cut will be at the center forward positioned of the blade. The outboard ends of the deck will cut longer grass because the two rearward blades will be higher off the ground especially at extreme right and left sides. The lawn will be cut at different lengths.... shorter near center and longer at the ends.

I do not like the look of multi level lawn height. If you had a single short blade mower it would be less noticeable since the over all cut is narrower, less difference from end to center of cut. A three blade 60” deck set up lower at front is very noticeable unevenness lawn IMHO.
 
#52 ·
Any mower should be 1/8” to a 1/4” lower in the front, some considerably more depending on the machine and the task. This makes sure only the front of the deck is cutting as you move along. If the rear is the same height, it too is cutting and adds to the overall load on the mower. It’s considerably less efficient and effective. It can also effect your discharge pattern as the rear of the blade path is cutting as well as the front. Too low and it will effect the appearance of your cut.
 
#53 ·
Yes that has always been the “way it is”. But, again think about it, the tractor is going forward so the front of the mower sees the uncut grass first. The blades are traveling much much faster surface speed compared to the tractor ground speed so how could the blades be cutting on the back side. The grass is all ready cut when the back end of blade gets there. Now if the rear of the deck was set lower the blades would be cutting all 360 degrees rotation and the load on the tractor would increase.

I’m not trying to change anybody’s way of doing things but it’s not logical. Can’t add to the load if grass is not being cut at the rear, level or not it’s already cut. If tractor was rolling real fast and the blades slow then yes a greater load could occur. But nobody is going to mow that way.

Interesting the way each has figured out how one sets up for mowing. After playing around with the endless ways one could set up there seems to be different set ups to get satisfying results.
 
#54 ·
I respectfully disagree. If your mower is as perfectly level as possible, the back of the blades will still be touching the grass. The world isn’t perfect. Never will be. So this setup ensures the best out of your mower. You’re clearly free to setup your mower as you wish, no complaints here, but I don’t see the argument or any advantage to running it any other way. :unknown:
 
#63 ·
I challenge anyone to show an improvement in cut quality with the deck perfectly level vs having the front 1/8" to 1/4" lower. Unless your lawn is a putting green, you aren't going to see it - and if you need that level of cut quality, you are using the wrong equipment.

Do what you want (of course) but if you are doing something against the norm, you will need more than feelings and anecdotes to convince me that is actually an improvement.
 
#64 ·
I have an older medium-frame compact Japanese tractor with an aftermarket mid mower, the way it’s mounted and powered by the tractor is a total calamity, it involves a huge pulley attached to the rear pto, a super long belt and a pulley system to get power to the blades. When you look at it, you can visibly see that the front of the deck is HIGHER than the back at cutting height. And it makes a great cut! :dunno:

Point is... I think worrying too much about precise deck adjustments may not be time welll spent.
 
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