[Sethro]

So, in the lock position I'm able to achieve 4 3/4"
First notch down is 3 3/4"
Second notch down is 3 1/8"
Third notch down is 2 1/2"

Does each notch really drop that much? This is verified as notches on the height adjusting cam. For what it's worth I can't mow any higher than 3 1/8" because the gauge wheels would then be too high off the ground to do any good at limiting scalping.

 

[BWV]

Sounds odd... maybe I misunderstand.
If you are mowing that high, have the gauge wheels dropped all the way, and are still scalping, something isn't right, or, you have a really bumpy yard.

 

[Fuzzy]

You said your gauge wheels are too high. Sounds like you can still adjust them down quite a bit at that deck height. What your preferred mowing height is would be where you would set your wheels. Others on here use recommended wheel positions, like 1/4" below the deck, but I set them to touch my garage floor at my mowing height. They rotate the entire time I mow, but work perfectly to keep the cut swaths even. The day after I mow, the entire lawn is level with no sign of height variations. All signs of any scalping are gone. Before I set the wheels up this way, the deck would lean down on the outside of every turn cutting lower on that side. Not any more. To reduce excessive wear on the plastic wheels, I pulled them off their axles and liberally applied grease. They aren't showing any signs of wear and are quiet when they're turning.

 

[Sethro]

To clarify, I’m not scalping like most would use that term. The setting at 3 1/8” puts my gauge wheels about 1/2” off the garage floor, but they’re in the last hole. I’m just being overly finicky about the quality of cut trying to make it nearly as good as my X748. If I raised the height of cut, I’d no longer be using the gauge wheels to help keep the cut even, and I do have ditches and some hills that cause an issue.

My years of pursuing quality of cut perfection on greens, tees, and fairways are haunting me later in life. 😜

 

[crazydane]

Just signed the paperwork on a fresh 1025R with the 60D deck. I'll be unboxing, assembling and mounting/adjust everything myself, so I'll update this thread to include any specific changes compared to pre-2020, as I understand the mechanical lift, and maybe other things, have changed.

 

[ClydeLogan]

Just signed the paperwork on a fresh 1025R with the 60D deck. I'll be unboxing, assembling and mounting/adjust everything myself, so I'll update this thread to include any specific changes compared to pre-2020, as I understand the mechanical lift, and maybe other things, have changed.

Maybe start a brand new thread ?

This one has gotten way too long. I wish someone would edit it to eliminate all the repeated, me too stuff.

And a new thread would ensure the pre-2020 setup information is separated clearly from the 2020 and later setup information.

 

[crazydane]

Sounds good. I'll do that! I'll title it:
1025R 1023E 1 series mower setup and adjustment (2020+)
Or something along those lines.

 

[kylew]

Sounds good. I'll do that! I'll title it:
1025R 1023E 1 series mower setup and adjustment (2020+)
Or something along those lines.

Suggest not using '2020+', rather something along the lines of 'mid-2020 & after'. During the first part of 2020 the newer deck wasn't available and the factory was still shipping the prior version. In some of Deere's literature they're even calling it as 'up to mid-2020' and 'after mid-2020'.

This would most likely help someone when looking at the thread. Some with the prior version are going to see '2020+' and think this applies to their tractor because theirs is a 2020, when it actually won't.

 

[crazydane]

Good suggestion. I'll use that title when I create the thread. Thanks!

 

[chrsbabr]

I got my unit back in November and just now took the time to dial in the deck from how the dealer did it. I see no differences in steps to dial in the new style deck vs the old style as is the focus of this thread. Adjusted the lift strap for the rockshaft to get max height first, then moved to lifting straps on the lift linkage itself to get a bit more plus level it side to side. It is easy to see how things work once you get in there and mess with it a few times to see how your adjustments affect overall function. I was able to increase lift height significantly over what the dealer had done.

 

[Lazy Bones]

I know that this thread is getting really really long, BUT I had to put this in: I just received my 2021 1025R with the mid-mower. The instructions in the MMM manual for setting the height of cut are simple and straightforward, EXCEPT for one thing. They say to raise the MMM and adjust the setting wheel, and then, in a note, they say: "NOTE: Do NOT lower the lift system after adjusting the height-of-cut to the desired level". Nowhere do they say to lower the mower. I even had the unit returned to the dealer because the setting was having no effect.

 

[RWHauer]

I have spent countless hours adjusting, re-adjusting, adjusting, changing blades, adjusting etc etc etc. I have not been able to get the midpoint 54D mower deck on my 1025R to cut without leaving one side that I just seem to not be able to get adjusted so the front of deck is lower than back, and the other side leaves grass the width of the blade at a higher cut. I simply do not understand 100% of the adjustment settings as in the manual. When its adjusted as per manual, I only have cuts in the H setting that will cut at 2 1/8" height, and anything out of the H settings scalps the ground. I follow the directions as per the manual but its not working. As a starting point where should the height adjustment be set. I made height blocks that are 2" and 2 1/8" and adjust according to that. The JD height adjusting tool is IMHO unreliable as just touching the lever when you move it to read it can easily move the reading. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong.

 

[fatback]

I have spent countless hours adjusting, re-adjusting, adjusting, changing blades, adjusting etc etc etc. I have not been able to get the midpoint 54D mower deck on my 1025R to cut without leaving one side that I just seem to not be able to get adjusted so the front of deck is lower than back, and the other side leaves grass the width of the blade at a higher cut. I simply do not understand 100% of the adjustment settings as in the manual. When its adjusted as per manual, I only have cuts in the H setting that will cut at 2 1/8" height, and anything out of the H settings scalps the ground. I follow the directions as per the manual but its not working. As a starting point where should the height adjustment be set. I made height blocks that are 2" and 2 1/8" and adjust according to that. The JD height adjusting tool is IMHO unreliable as just touching the lever when you move it to read it can easily move the reading. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong.

Do you have a 1025r older than a 2020 and use your 3pt to raise and lower? If so your rockshaft strap may be out of adjustment. Instructions maybe earlier in this thread.

 

[Bcross]

I wasn't too concerned that the MMM never fully raised up until now. Grass got quite high and couldn't raise that deck all the way to get max height.
Took an afternoon but it definitely raises all the way up now. Full up and down, level side to side and tilted slightly front to back.
On mine the lift strap on the left side with the 3 bolts was fully extended. No further adjustment there. Move on to the rockshaft lift arms. Wasn't getting the full 8 and 3/4" lift so off to adjusting the Rockshaft Position Feedback arm. Only had to shorten the rod up a few turns. Almost full lift now. It's beer thirty .

 

[Flash1034]

I’ve gotta figure something out…my new 60” deck is leaving mow lines all over my yard.

 

[WCN1025]

I’ve gotta figure something out…my new 60” deck is leaving mow lines all over my yard.

Mine did too until I got the blades level and got the anti scalp wheels adjusted to 3/8” (or less) above a flat surface (Driveway)

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Mine did too until I got the blades level and got the anti scalp wheels adjusted to 3/8” (or less) above a flat surface (Driveway)

Yes this. All your ugly butchered lawn problems will be solved by these two things. Dealers rarely actually set these things up really properly as far as leveling goes.

 

[Fuzzy]

Looking for a softer ride over a flat, but bumpy lawn, I dropped tire pressures to 10 psi front and rear. Clearly it improved my ride, but I starting seeing a lot more random scalping. More posts from others recently explained that low tire pressures allowed the tractor to lean more in turns and traversing hills causing uneven cuts. Yesterday, I aired my tires up to 20 psi and spent a good two hours leveling the deck within 1/8" side to side and 1/4" lower in the front than the rear. It took a lot of back and forth adjustments since my front drag link must be bent requiring a difference in adjustment on each side of of 1/4". In a perfect world, the drag link setting would be identical on each side. My 2012 1026R rules out that perfect world. Once I got the leveling as close as I could, I set the desired mower height, then put the gage wheels 1" above the garage slab. Recommendations I've read are 1/4-1/2", but that would put my gage wheels set at the last pin on the top, so I dropped to one pin setting lower. As it is at 1", the wheels are making pretty solid contact with the ground during mowing. This is all a far cry from most recommendations, but mowing 3 acres afterward produced the best cut possible. No scalping, no gage wheels lines, nothing but a flat, smooth continuous carpet of mowed lawn. Needless to say the tires will stay at 20 psi.

The only issue now is ease of disconnecting the deck from the tractor. Hookup is flawless, but on disconnect, it looks like the drag link pulls the deck too far forward preventing the rear hookup of the deck from being all the way forward in the rear slots to allow the spring loaded lock rod from being dropped. Could the drag link be pulling the deck too far forward to get a clean release in the rear? I even thought about grinding off the front edges of the rear lock cams to give them more clearance for release, but have doubts about doing that for fear the deck could fall off in the back during mowing. I'm doing deck release and hookup in my lawn at the most level location. Gage wheels are unpinned and fully up and out of the way with the entire deck resting solidly on the ground and height adjuster in install position. I can get the rod to snap down and release by using a pry bar to get adequate clearance for the locking cams, but not without the pry bar. Thoughts anyone?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

The only issue now is ease of disconnecting the deck from the tractor. Hookup is flawless, but on disconnect, it looks like the drag link pulls the deck too far forward preventing the rear hookup of the deck from being all the way forward in the rear slots to allow the spring loaded lock rod from being dropped. Could the drag link be pulling the deck too far forward to get a clean release in the rear?

Yes that is the problem. There needs to be a very very slight gap, like a penny width will do, between the front draft arms and the front hooks when the mower deck is all the way down on the ground and you are driving forward into the auto connect. The rear draft arms need to be able to go fully forward into the hooks on the deck. If the front draft arms are hooking too soon because it's too tight, the rear draft arms will never get all the way into those hooks and you have exactly what your experiencing right now.

First thing to try is actually just give the tractor a little nudge forward and lock the brake so that it can't nudge back when you let off the forward pedal. If you're able to connect to begin with, this will probably solve the problem disconnecting. That little nudge forward is just enough to open up that little gap. If you think about it, that's exactly what's happening when you connect. You are nudging all the way forward allowing everything to engage properly.

 

[Fuzzy]

Tried the foward nudge many times with zero success. What bothers me about unscrewing the forward draft arm to get a slight gap when the deck is all the way down is the leading edge of the blade ending up a lot lower than the trailing edge. 1/4-1/2" is recommended. I'll lengthen the front draft arm, but expect the blade to be an inch or more lower than the rear. The worst part is losing a lot of cut height. But, I'll give it a try. Before I did the recent leveling, I tried backing off the front draft arm nuts with the deck down on the ground when I was having trouble disconnecting. At a certain point the rear cams snapped open, so that looked like the way to go. Will fiddle with it some more to see what happens. Foolproof connects and disconnects would be great. Thanks.