[Platinum12]

Looking to buy a 1025r with front loader and 60" deck. I am looking for advice on which 48" rear rotary cutter to get for it. Aside from Deere painting them with their green, is the Frontier one the one to go with? I like the idea of the King Kutter with flex hitch since I cut a lot of bumpy and rolling terrain. Anyone know if this cutter can also lock into place for when needed so it stays in a fixed position? It looks like the Land Pride model has some flex to it as well.

In the base setup with a rotary cutter and perhaps some front suitcase weights, what are the tipping points of the tractor? Are 1.5" spacers on each rear tire worthwhile for the additional stability?

This tractor is rated at 18HP at the PTO. Would it run the Woodland hills 3 point hitch stump grinder even though its rated for 20HP+ PTO? Mostly would be cutting dead/rotting pine stumps, not much hardwood.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Jimmy Walker]

Frontier is a good cutter. I was quoted over 2200 when I was buying so I didn't get it. Bought countyline at tsc for $1000. It's been fantastic. It has a flex hitch and it can't be locked but I like it the way it is.

 

[ClydeLogan]

Are you anywhere near South Carolina? I have a 2016 Frontier RC2048, used about a half dozen times for pasture grass, but I realized too late that I could do the pastures just fine with the 60D MMM. I paid my Deere dealer $1,450 for it new. The RC has been sitting in my barn for the past 5 years unused. Set up to use with imatch.

The down side to the RC with these little subcompact tractors is the limited 3-point lift. The Frontier RC2048 has 7 mowing height settings, the highest two being 7.5" and 9". If you want to mow closer that that the tractor cannot get the cutter tail wheel off the ground for transport, so you'll be dragging or pushing the rolling tail wherever you go.

You could probably get a bit more lift height if you flip the lift arms upside down, and omit the imatch, but seeing as how you're looking at buying new, you probably won't be ready to do tractor mods right away.

 

[KeyboardJungle]

I swapped in a shorter top link to get a little more lift at the trailing end of my implements. so far, it has made things better. i never needed to fully extend the stock top link.

 

[MattL]

Another option to help with the 1025 3pt lift height is to replace the fixed lift link with the adjustable one (two adjustable lift links, requires purchasing one extra one) and setting these to their highest setting. This will give you a few more inches of 3pt lift.

The MMM's and rear wheel spacers have limits due to interference, be sure to research those before planning on one or the other. I don't have any experience with the spacers to comment further.

 

[MTB98]

I don’t use the top link most of the time with a rotary cutter, just the lower arms. You don’t want the top link to be a rigid connection so the cutter can follow the ups and downs between the cutter and tractor.

 

[SulleyBear]

The rear 48" rotary mower, regardless of brand, is going to be one of the heaviest rear implements you carry on the back of the 1 series. The Frontier Rc2048 mower weighs 512 pounds and carries the weight further from the 3ph arms due to the length of the mowers, more than most other 3ph implements. Many use their FEL for front ballast to counter the weight of the mower. King Kutter lists their 48" "Flex Hitch" mower at 500 pounds.

The front weight bracket on the 1 series is limited to either 6 or 8 of the 42 pound weights, due to the brackets size, etc. I have the front weight bracket and suit case weights, but have never used the bracket on the tractor. Even if it is 8 of the 42 pound weights, that's 336 pounds, against the weight of the rear 3ph mower. Just keep that in mind. You don't mention buying the FEL but its hard to imagine you wouldn't have a use for one.

Tractor stability is going to be noticeable on anything you are cutting which isn't flat. Wheel spacers help if they don't interfere with the MMM anti skid wheels. I went with 3" rear wheel spacers and they were a HUGE improvement in stability,but I also don't have a MMM. I think 1.4" is the max width of wheel spacers with the MMM, but confirm that with the wheel spacer maker before ordering. Wheel spacers have a profound impact on the balance of the machine.

​

As far as the "Flex Hitch" being a King Cutter exclusive so it can allow ""The unique hitch to roll 15 Degrees up or down, on the left or right side of the machine. This feature allows the Flex Hitch Rotary Kutter to follow the contours of your field like no Rotary Kutter before.""​

​

I never noticed any issues following the contour of the field before, so I am not sure the real benefit of this for most users. The mower is limited to 4' of width. I question whether its going to make a huge difference for a lot of users. With a rough cutter the goal if usually to knock down and chop up the range of weeds, etc in the field. I could see the importance of a contour following approach on a finish mower more so than on a rough cut mower..........​

 

[12dbsinad]

One way to combat the lift height is to purchase a second adjustable lift link and swap it out as what was already posted. That's what I did on my 2025R and it made a huge difference. Something to keep in mind is to pay special attention to your turn buckles when doing this. With both links tightened all the way, the turn buckles can become tight and cause strain and/or break them when the 3pt is in the fully raised position. The work around is to loosen them considerably, but the implement will have a lot more side-to-side movement when in lowered position. I ended up not tightening my lift links all the way and it seems to be a happy medium.

On another note, have you priced out a 2025R? Same machine but slightly bigger and longer... really helps with handing of a RC, especially if it'll see a lot of use. Most people, like myself, step up to a 60" RC and run it with no issues.

 

[jermedic]

Tractor time with tim used the small baumalight stump grinder in his 1025r

these small grinders take quite a while to grind these stumps down

not sure if the wood land mills grinder . Maybe check YouTube for that on a 1025r
My wc46 wood chiller though …. Love it on my 1025

 

[Platinum12]

Appreciate all the feedback so far. Trying to get used to the terminology.... what does FEL refer to?

No, not near south Carolina. Not quite understanding the dragging/ pushing the tail wheel? The tail wheel can be adjusted, but the tail wheel alone doesn't determine cut height, right? So, the rear rotary cutter when raised all the way from the 3ph, how high would it be cutting?

Reason I'm not considering 2025r is its a heavier tractor with no power benefit and I also want to use this tractor for finish mowing. So I want it to be an all around one. Ideally I'd have like an X739 for mowing and 2038R for everything else. I have used and still use a Farmall 100 with a Woods undermount rotary 42 inch mower. It sits inward of the wheels, making it hard to get into tight areas, and being gear driven its just not ideal. Its been having issues with the overruning clutch lately, parts are hard to come by, and by the time I buy the parts, I could just buy a new rear rotary cutter.

So, the flex hitch is appealing to me, but say for instance i want to back up to mow undergrowth that sits atop a steep drop. Instead of having the cutter move down with the terrain, I'd rather it stay straight so I didn't just scalp the hell out of the curvature. Plus I can kinda see the physics benefits behind having a heavy rear rotary cutter being able to flex when mounted to a smaller tractor.

So, I guess being as how im still learning about these newer tractors compared to my 70 year old undermount mower, I just want the best 48 inch cutter (best cutting capacity and for uneven terrain) that money can buy. I'm sure at this tractor size the capability and ratings don't differ much, but if these cutters would outperform my current setup in terms of cutting capacity, I'd be good.

One last thing about the wheel spacers... this most likely would be something I'd take on and off depending on if I'm finish mowing or using implements. I wouldn't mind the dual rear wheel setup either but don't want to put excessive strain on the driveline.

 

[ejb69]

FEL front end loader

Depending on just what your mowing, Id get a flail mower instead of a rotary cutter. Rotary cutters work ok ,but make the overall length of a small tractor kinda long . A flail mower leaves a nicer cut and is a bit more compact .

I have a 1026r which is basically that same as the 1025. I have know plans of replacing my tractor,but if something would happen to it I would buy the 2025 to replace it. Just to get the larger tires. There really isn’t much difference between the two

 

[Pigpen]

I have a used woods 60in rotary cutter on my 1025r I only have 400 into it it’s a little bit big but works fine for me the flex idea is good but not really sure if it’s as useful as it sounds frontier is good but I found that I can just get a used one for less money I have to have a bucket of dirt when I’m running the rotary cutter or my front wheels can’t turn and I have problems lifting the cutter

 

[KeyboardJungle]

Appreciate all the feedback so far. Trying to get used to the terminology.... what does FEL refer to?

No, not near south Carolina. Not quite understanding the dragging/ pushing the tail wheel? The tail wheel can be adjusted, but the tail wheel alone doesn't determine cut height, right? So, the rear rotary cutter when raised all the way from the 3ph, how high would it be cutting?

Reason I'm not considering 2025r is its a heavier tractor with no power benefit and I also want to use this tractor for finish mowing. So I want it to be an all around one. Ideally I'd have like an X739 for mowing and 2038R for everything else. I have used and still use a Farmall 100 with a Woods undermount rotary 42 inch mower. It sits inward of the wheels, making it hard to get into tight areas, and being gear driven its just not ideal. Its been having issues with the overruning clutch lately, parts are hard to come by, and by the time I buy the parts, I could just buy a new rear rotary cutter.

So, the flex hitch is appealing to me, but say for instance i want to back up to mow undergrowth that sits atop a steep drop. Instead of having the cutter move down with the terrain, I'd rather it stay straight so I didn't just scalp the hell out of the curvature. Plus I can kinda see the physics benefits behind having a heavy rear rotary cutter being able to flex when mounted to a smaller tractor.

So, I guess being as how im still learning about these newer tractors compared to my 70 year old undermount mower, I just want the best 48 inch cutter (best cutting capacity and for uneven terrain) that money can buy. I'm sure at this tractor size the capability and ratings don't differ much, but if these cutters would outperform my current setup in terms of cutting capacity, I'd be good.

One last thing about the wheel spacers... this most likely would be something I'd take on and off depending on if I'm finish mowing or using implements. I wouldn't mind the dual rear wheel setup either but don't want to put excessive strain on the driveline.

a hydraulic top link controlled by a valve with a float function would be something to consider with an RC. it would let the RC act like a flex hitch and follow the terrain when the valve is in float mode. when not in float mode, it would hold the height setting on the 3 point.

 

[MTB98]

Appreciate all the feedback so far. Trying to get used to the terminology.... what does FEL refer to?

No, not near south Carolina. Not quite understanding the dragging/ pushing the tail wheel? The tail wheel can be adjusted, but the tail wheel alone doesn't determine cut height, right? So, the rear rotary cutter when raised all the way from the 3ph, how high would it be cutting?



One last thing about the wheel spacers... this most likely would be something I'd take on and off depending on if I'm finish mowing or using implements. I wouldn't mind the dual rear wheel setup either but don't want to put excessive strain on the driveline.

Your cut height is determined by your lower draft arm setting. The tail wheel is adjusted to your set cut height- you’ll want the rear of the mower level or slightly higher than the front, just like setting up a deck on a lawnmower. You want the leading edge of the blade to do the cutting so it is set at the cut height and the tail wheel keeps the blade height at the rear above the cut height. You don’t need a top link to run a rotary cutter, you can even put a length of chain in place of the top link so you can still pick the cutter up if you want but it will still have full articulation.

Wheel spacers aren’t something you take on and off. Put them on and leave them on or don’t put them on at all.

 

[MTB98]

https://www.kingkutter.com/images/uploaded/FlexHitchKutterManual.pdf

Here’s a link to the Flex Hitch KK you’re thinking about. Good source of information and
It will explain setup etc.

 

[SulleyBear]

If you see any terms or abbreviations which are not familar, place the cursor over them and there is a pop up which provides a description of the term to help keep everyone familiar with the phrases and terms used on this site.

If you are cutting grass like matter which is 18" or less in height all of the time, then you can go to the 60" mower. Problem is, while that may be the plan, you just might find yourself cutting a field which is much taller and with more dense and tougher cutting.

The real issue becomes how much material volume is under the cutter at any time and how effectively it can discharge the material after cutting it, not just knocking it down. The taller the material, the more dense the material, the more power required to cut it properly. You can adjust the tractor speed to accommodate these issues, but I have seen some who opt for a wider mower end up crawling along to get a decent cut when the cutting is on more stubborn weeds and less like grass.

When you run any properly sized and operating cutter over any material, you shouldn't be able to get much, if any material to stand up by taking your foot and rubbing it against the cutting direction of the mower after that cutting pass. If you find that much of the material in the field is just getting knocked over and not properly cut, it could be a number of things from the tractor speed too fast, the mower blade is dull, the engine RPM's aren't high enough to reach the proper PTO speed, etc.

I agree with Eric's (EJB69) comments about the flail mower verses the rear rough cutter. If I had to do it all over again, I would likely pursue a flail mower instead of the rear "brush hog" style mower (rear rough cutting mower) simply because of the ability to cut road sides a little easier. The rear mowers on these small tractors really can push the tractor around, because of their weight and the way it hangs off the rear of the tractor. You will feel it when on uneven surfaces, etc.

As far as putting the wheel spacers on and taking them off, while that may sound like something which one might consider, in reality, you won't end up doing it. It's a small project to remove and install loaded rear tires, at 150+ pounds per tire. While some do remove their rear tires to install tire chains in the winter, etc. planning to "swap" the wheel spacers on and off as needed is simply not practical. You will either find yourself leaving them on or off, depending upon the need.

Also, when you install the wheel spacers, they fasten to the axle flanges using the wheel bolts that normally secure the wheels to the hubs. The wheel spacers then have wheel studs, so lug nuts then fasten the wheels to the studs on the wheel spacers. It's much easier to mount the tractor wheels on wheel studs (on the spacers) than it is to hold up the wheel and tire and use the wheel bolts to get one started, to hold the wheel in alignment with the mounting holes on the axle flanges. You will see what I am talking about the very first time you remove the rear wheels and have to reinstall them with the wheel bolts, instead of having the axle flange studs to align and support the wheel, when installing it. In a nutshell, once you use the wheel spacers, you won't want to go back to using the wheel bolts to secure the wheels to the axle flanges.

You can make an alignment tool using a long bolt the same size as the wheel bolts and cutting the head off the bolt, then threading it into the axle flange to help support and align the wheel, but you surely won't want to be switching back and forth between mounting the wheels with wheel spacers on the machine and having the wheel studs on the wheel spacers to make the process MUCH easier, and then swapping back to removing them and having to use the bolts again. You will understand what I am talking about if you review the pictures of those who have shown the installation of the wheel spacers on their machines.

By the way, this isn't a John Deere issue, it's a common design issue with all SCUTS and CUT tractors..........Just as many European cars use wheel bolts to mount their wheels instead of lug nuts securing to axle flange bolts, the same applies to small tractors. Its the way they are designed. Bottom line, I doubt very much you will want to "switch back and forth" between using wheel spacers and not using them. Also, there is an issue where you need to keep an eye on the wheel bolt torque and swapping them back and forth only would add to the risk of a loose wheel.........

Main thing is don't over think the entire process. Just pick the machine and equipment and learn to use it safely and as productively as possible. Also, don't compromise either service or parts availability for a small savings on the purchase of any item. Make sure to confirm the parts inventory for any machine you purchase. As strange as it may sound, a close friend bought an "imported tractor" to save money over JD and he had to wait an extra week for the place that sold him the machine to order in service filters when his machine needed its first service. Also, he found out how poor the warranty coverage really is when they deny responsibility for a host of machine issues.

If you do look at flail mowers, make sure to check on the parts availability. Many flail mowers are made in either China or Italy and parts are not always easy to obtain as quickly as you may need them...........Also, there is a HUGE difference between a seller of the items and a servicing dealer of the same..............The dealer is there when you need them. The seller is likely only there when you want to buy the next item.................

 

[Platinum12]

I've seen some videos of an offset flail mower being used on a 1025r, and the cutting is definitely impressive. Only thing would be, what is the upfront cost compared to a rotary cutter, what happens if you run over a stump, and whats the cutting capacity of material?

I'd say it would be cutting a mixture of field grass but also saplings and undergrowth. For the undergrowth around the perimeter of my fields that grows like wildfire every year, I like the idea of the rotary cutter to simply back up into the material, leaving myself out of the growth and just get as deep as possible. With my current setup being a belly mounted RC, I am basically blasted with the vegetation while trying to cut it, and the tractor gets tangled up in it as well including lots of thick vines. So basically the areas I would be using the rotary cutter are not really intended to be cut to a nice finish, but more like maintenance and clearing. So I just think the rotary cutter would be cheaper, less maintenance, and possibly more durable for handling the rough stuff.

I haven't found any 2 series tractors to check out in the area yet. I would absolutely love the 2038R, but I do mow a decent amount of tight areas, and also very wet areas that I don't want to sink into and rut up a ton.

OK so it sounds like wheel spacers would be a permanent type install, and I'm sure they'd work just fine. Can anyone comment on the feasibility of putting dual rear tires on and taking them off easily as needed? Or is that basically in the same boat where its not something I'd really want to be doing all the time? Someone mentioned the tires and wheels on the rear are 150lbs each??? They are only 26" tires so do the wheels have built in weights or something?

 

[Pigpen]

I've seen some videos of an offset flail mower being used on a 1025r, and the cutting is definitely impressive. Only thing would be, what is the upfront cost compared to a rotary cutter, what happens if you run over a stump, and whats the cutting capacity of material?

I'd say it would be cutting a mixture of field grass but also saplings and undergrowth. For the undergrowth around the perimeter of my fields that grows like wildfire every year, I like the idea of the rotary cutter to simply back up into the material, leaving myself out of the growth and just get as deep as possible. With my current setup being a belly mounted RC, I am basically blasted with the vegetation while trying to cut it, and the tractor gets tangled up in it as well including lots of thick vines. So basically the areas I would be using the rotary cutter are not really intended to be cut to a nice finish, but more like maintenance and clearing. So I just think the rotary cutter would be cheaper, less maintenance, and possibly more durable for handling the rough stuff.

I haven't found any 2 series tractors to check out in the area yet. I would absolutely love the 2038R, but I do mow a decent amount of tight areas, and also very wet areas that I don't want to sink into and rut up a ton.

OK so it sounds like wheel spacers would be a permanent type install, and I'm sure they'd work just fine. Can anyone comment on the feasibility of putting dual rear tires on and taking them off easily as needed? Or is that basically in the same boat where its not something I'd really want to be doing all the time? Someone mentioned the tires and wheels on the rear are 150lbs each??? They are only 26" tires so do the wheels have built in weights or something?

That’s loaded with beat juice for added rear weight trust me you want weight there somehow with a fel also if I where buying new I whorls really consider a offset fail mower over a brush cutter as it works a lot better stump I don’t know but I think it’s slip chuth protected or shear pin but it’s so much easier to use for just a little bit more money for me it wasn’t worth buying a new one and used fail mowers are hard to find and well my bush cutter was cheap

 

[ClydeLogan]

If you see any terms or abbreviations which are not familar, place the cursor over them and there is a pop up which provides a description of the term to help keep everyone familiar with the phrases and terms used on this site.

Is this an extra charge add on GTT feature or a separate app? It doesn't seem to happen for me. It would be neat if it did.

 

[ClydeLogan]

FEL front end loader

Depending on just what your mowing, Id get a flail mower instead of a rotary cutter. Rotary cutters work ok ,but make the overall length of a small tractor kinda long . A flail mower leaves a nicer cut and is a bit more compact .

I have a 1026r which is basically that same as the 1025. I have know plans of replacing my tractor,but if something would happen to it I would buy the 2025 to replace it. Just to get the larger tires. There really isn’t much difference between the two

What flail mower do you own? Do you know whether Frontier makes a flail mower that the limited Cat 1 and horsepower of the 1025R can handle?