Adjusting The Auto Connect Deck Deere 1025R/1023E 

Another feature to help the PTO spline slide on easier is to shift the PTO lever to the rear only position so that the tractor spline can rotate to match the mower spline easier as you connect the mower.

This has helped me, had the service tech out and found out the hooks on the deck are worn, they fixed me up with all the parts needed. Now just have to install them and get back to cutting. thanks again

As a relatively new owner (about a year) of a used 1025r this is THE most useful video you've shared in a long time! Thanks Tim and family!

I've been watching your videos for a while but this one pre-dates my subscription. After struggling to get my deck off this morning I asked myself if Tim might have some videos on this subject and I found this one. It's a big help. My dealer had the front bar adjusted so tight that you couldn't get the latches undone on the rear of the deck. I also thought of some type of cap or plug for the PTO spline connector when it's off.

had to save this to my videos. appreciate the time. my little cub cadet is out of commission waiting for a belt. in the mean time, my grass is growing with all the rain we had and this video addresses some of the issues i had with my 1026R and the 54D mower.

I love my 1025r! I remove my deck at least once a month for different tasks on our property and I never have any issues with connecting and disconnecting at all. I could not be happier with this tractor!

After watching this vid I was wondering why someone hasn't designed a "cap" to put over the mid PTO female receptacle after you remove the mower deck. Covering the mid PTO would help keep dirt and debris from accumulating there while the deck is not being utilized. You would have to remember to remove the cap before re-installing your drive over mower deck. Just a thought.

Thank you so much Tim and Matt! Obviously, your timing is near perfect for many as we roll into warmer weather. This is “one of those things” that, if not dealt with early, can be a headache as time goes on. Once I get to put my 60D mower deck back on this year, I’ll take a moment to check these adjustments. Again, thank you. This is very valuable to those of us who own a 1025R with an auto-connect deck.

Very educational. A few years ago I had the auto connect and grew very frustrated with it and ended up buying a JD zero turn. I should have spent more time looking things over and adjusting. Once again, you show patience is always the best avenue. Thank you Tim and Christy!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I have been searching all over, looking to see how to adjust how my mower deck can slide on easier, you have delivered!

Another trick for keeping your deck form sliding on concrete. Take the a ratchet strap and remove the buckle. Take the free end of a ratchet strap (the end without the buckle). Hook the strap to the deck and lay the strap out on the floor where your rear wheels will roll over it. Then when you pull over the deck the weight of the tractor on the strap will keep the deck form sliding. I learned this technique on an old 2wd Ariens GT and it made the job a lot easier.

One of the biggest mistakes I made was getting an AutoConnect mid-mount mower deck for my 3033R. Though these sort of decks are excellent for basically flat lawn cutting, they are terrible at cutting the hilly uneven pastures on our farm. Connecting was always a bit of a finicky situation. Also, the side discharge created mounds of decomposing grass instead of an even decay along the swath. Within the first year I replaced the deck with a 78" flail mower with hydraulic side shift that mulches the clippings and drops them evenly across the entire width of the unit. Having 18 separate blades let me inexpensively sharpen or replace them without the need to detach the unit from my tractor. Fortunately, I was able to get a really good deal on a trade-in of my 3033R and deck for a new 4066R. I finally have enough horsepower to do my own bailing of our hay fields. Don't misunderstand, I am not knocking the use of a deck, it just didn't work for our farm.

Great video Tim! We just got a 1025R and I can’t wait to play around with the auto connect deck. It’s going to be so handy to quickly throw the snowblower on when winter approaches. And I’m not old by any means but it’s definitely going to save my back from messing around on the ground.

WELL worth the watch! Thanks Tim. I've been struggling with mine since I bought it 2 months. Finally slowed down long enough to check it out. Wouldn't you know it, the PTO coupler was pointed at the sky to offset the lift arms being too low. Amazing how much better things are now that its in adjustment per the guidance you and Matt suggested here.

On my 2022 1025R with the 54D autoconnect deck, it has a different lift link on the front of the deck. Mine is spring loaded and looks like Lift Arm, MY20, Attachment - ST993764. I recently bent a bracket on it when trying to mount it, Bracket - BRACKET, UPSTOP ADJUSTABLE FRONT DR part number TR107795. replaced the part and bolt and back in business. Thanks for all of the helpful videos Tim! great stuff as always! Love my new tractor, did lots of research with a lot of TTWT videos on what to get. ended up with 1025R with 120R loader, 53" bucket, JD Quik attach 3 point, Frontier 2048L box blade, and 54D Autoconnect deck. I also recently added a 3 point Tiller and the Heavy hitch offset hitch with H2TBD Cultivator Bedded/hiller attachement (ordered today).

I'm glad to get the info on adjusting the mid PTO. One thing that I have found that helps with connecting the mower deck PTO is to shift the PTO selector to the rear PTO to allow the mid mount PTO to freewheel and spin to align.

Tim, Thank you. I consider the another great public service announcement. Now I have to remember the 11.5 height in the front, and the 1/8” gap in the front. And lastly, do not grease the linkage or connector underneath with grease. Bill

I have a 6' rear grooming mower for my 855, informative video for those that have a self-connecting belly mower. 👍

Thank you, perfect timing! Once I adjusted the Pto height i got it on the first try! Understanding the mechanism on how it connects makes all the difference.

I wish I had found this video a week ago when I was trying to install the mower lift rig after taking it off for the winter snow blowing operation. I had to trial and error (unfortunately too much of that). So again thanks for the tips. Cheers, Tom

Great info. Thank you for taking the time to shed light on what can be a very frustrating task when out of adjustment.

Great, great video! I dread putting that mower deck on in the spring and scratch my head as to what adjustment is out of whack. Then I vow to not remove it till winter. I'll be out there tomorrow looking things over. Thank you!

Good tips Tim. Praying you and your family are staying safe

I thought it was spring too, until I woke up to 6 inches of snow this morning. 😒 Then it was time for a precautionary flu shot. 😯 Hope your day was better. Stay healthy, and God Bless.

Great video. I agree with the smooth concrete floor sometimes being a challenge, but I would also add this. I learned from experience that you don't want to remove the deck on loose gravel. If the deck scoots and settles in the gravel, you've got a mess on your hands trying to get the deck re-installed.

Tim thank you so much for this. I wonder if my 60D is out of adjustment because I've always had some issues connecting and cut quality issues too. This is the only video I've seen that addresses these issues!

I have the best fix for the belly mower! I put it out in the back of the barn and bought a towing mower, never have and trouble connecting, quick hitch and PTO setup.

Another great video Tim. Exactly what a lot of guys need, when they need it. Myself included.

Hey Tim, great timing on the video since it's almost mowing season. I've had a little trouble getting my to snap in the first time so I'll try to the lunge forward trick. Happy Mowing

That was very useful for those that might want an auto connect deck someday.

Agood way to set up the pto connection angle is to measure the height of the spline connection of the deck when flat on the ground and set the pto connection at the same height. in place of using grease i recommend a light coating of copper anti-seize. it doesnt attract as much dust and debris as grease.

Great timing on this video. Since I haven't seen my deck since November I might try and put it on upside down. All great points to look at before the jump to mowing.

I’m Honestly scared to take my Deck off. The dealer Struggled to get it on!!! I said to my self well that is never coming off!!!

Great video Tim! I needed this to take some away occasional frustration when connecting. Also, Load-N-Go has been a great back saver.

Also new owner. Could not get my mower deck off for anything. The front adjustment was too tight. Great video - thank you!

Thank you for this video Tim! I’ve been struggling to get my deck to connect ever since I got it. Dealer told me there was a problem with the silver latch below the tractor, said it was mounted on backwards. I’m going to test these tips and see if that helps. Corona lockdown will give me a chance to experiment and get my 1025R ready for spring!

Thanks for the video I was having a lot of trouble last season with my mower. I’m patiently waiting to get it out for this year. Love the channel loads of great info and ideas.

Thank you so much. The JD manual is worthless. I just ran into problems this video addresses. Lots of mystery taken away from using the auto connect, which isn't that 'auto' if you don't watch this video !

Needed to see this. After burying my tractor a few times I made all kinds of problems with the under bits.

Thanks for this video. I have been thinking about this for a week or two with summer coming quickly.

A great starting point for adjusting the front to back leveling of the deck is to loosen the 28mm nuts on the front hanger and run them out flush with the end of the threads and run them back 6 full turns and tighten the rear nuts. i set these up at work every day and i found that doing this either gets it right on the money or close enough to not notice a difference.

I love that tractor lift

Year ago I did find that “goosing it” helps the spring click in place too

Great practical video, Tim and Matt - truly appreciate it - tis the upcoming season !!

Finally a discussion regarding grease collecting dirt and grit. For example, it is commonly recommended to lube the socket connections on the three point. Seems counter productive to me. Not really that much movement when an attachment is secure side to side. However the level of dirt can be high. Why apply lube that can trap grit in the joint? I leave mine bare and flush clean during use when possible. Any further discussion? I do grease other areas that are more protected such a FEL pins. I do however find alot of dirt trapped in the bucket pins. However the joint is quite tight and excess grease helps keep the joint clear.

Great video Thank You. Just bought a 3039R with the 72 in mower.

Excellent Video! I forwarded this to my JD salesman.

I suggest a dry graphite spray for anyplace you were putting grease. It won’t attract dirt, once a month spray

Man I wish I had this video 2 days ago:-)

Hi Tim, Good Video regarding the autoconnect deck! I'm with you regarding the PTO coupling that it should have some grease. But as mentioned, the man from deere commented about it collecting debris which might cause an issue. JD should have provided a cap for the coupler when not having the deck installed.

Thanks for the vid. Had been wanting that load-n-go. Pulled the trigger and got a free hat. Woohoo

Does help to have level ground to attach the mower deck. Sometimes that is a hard thing to find. Am thinking about putting a pad in to work on the tractor. Eventually a shed will go over the pad but great tips on the deck. Thank you again for the videos. Yes we got snow yesterday over 7" in one day.

I have never had an issue with my drive over hook up , but great info . Thanks

I might try a spray on graphite as a alternative to the grease on the pto hookup and the other mounting points. Thank you for the information! I’ve been wanting to pick up one of these little tractors and you’re making it hard to say no!

Not just a watcher now, just got a 2015 1025R

LOL I can’t goose it when you’re standing there!

Fluid Film works great for the PTO connection. It does not draw dirt like grease does.

You could put a rubber cap over the coupling to stop dirt mixing with the grease take it off when you want to put the mower on

Great guide demo

Regarding the PTO level adjustment bolt, I also thought my bolt was bent, however I believe it only looks like it is bent on mine because the bolt hole is drilled at an angle. Maybe yours is made the same? Great job on all the videos, Brother. Loved your Honduras road-building video using a 1025R.

Great video and exactly what I needed! Thanks TTWT!

Hey Tim great video. You should get the new 2021 deck. It has some upgrades that make it similar to the 2 series decks. Keep up the good work

Outstanding video, several great tips~ I so appreciate the TTWT video's, very informative and helpful.

great tips for new owners

When I am using my 1025 without the cutting deck I have a rubber cap that fits over the cuppler.

PTO splines and other areas you don't want dust & dirt to adhere - lube with molybdenum spray. The carrier evaporates and leaves a dry moly coating on the surface of the metal.

Most of the problem I've had with this is the gold-colored spring latches are weakly sprung and won't latch up on their own. Even lubed up the bushings aren't very precise. So check that out on the deck by itself. More than once have manually latched by removing the latch bar then replacing when the tractor is in place. And then I realize, had they just made the latches with a simple manual option, like a half-turn cam, this would be easy. When the "auto" connect doesn't "auto" it's many times harder than a manual latch would be.

Excellent video! Thanks!

Love your videos! Help me so much!! Thank u!!

Awesome video. It made me realize some of the dumb things I’ve been doing with my mowing deck. Any videos like this coming with the 2038R?

The mid drive over deck is nothing but a headache. Totally regret not just getting a zero turn. And every John Deere dealer I've dealt with aren't the sharpest. I have a trimmer that needed a clutch. They shipped it to another store 2 months ago and it's so not fixed. I've a bad taste in my mouth and an regretting buying John Deere more with everything that I have to take apart and fix...or have at a dealer for months. But...... Thanks for your videos so I don't have to have my tractor in service until 2065. Subscribed.

Thank You for this video, I've been having trouble and the JD Dealer was no help

i know someone makes some sort of cap to put over the end of that pto under the tractor so you can leave it greased and keep it clean at the same time....maybe measure it and eBay it... may need a hose clamp to hold it on but it would work...

Very informative video, particularly about how moving the mower deck with pallet forks or a chain can cause damage. Question: for those of us who own a Deere 3 Series tractor and a mid mount mower, Load N Go is not available (at least to my knowledge). What the best/safest way to move the mower deck after it's been uninstalled from the tractor?

Thanks Tim.

Awesome video and very informative. Thank you

You never brought up the shifting to the rear PTO so the front PTO moves freely to help line up the splines.

I need to know where to get those tires please !!

Can you do a video on how to adjust the "new style" front bracket?

Tim thanks wish all brands were as open as you are most hide the short comiings as you know we are orange and must call my dealer when little things need fixing God Bless All PaK

Great information guys!

Hi Tim, any chance you can review the self sharpening blades you installed last year and let us know how they worked out? Thank goodness spring is hear. Was out yesterday mowing the grass as low as I could to get rid of the thatch and leaf litter. Regards from Peoria, Jason

This was a great video. I have had my 1025r since I bought it new in 2019. I have had it at the dealer at least once due to the mower deck not being level. This month, I reinstalled my deck for the season and mowed only to find the deck was not level. It was an inch off left to right. I removed it and reinstalled and found it was now 1/2 off left to right. I removed it again last night and attempted to adjust the lift arm turn buckles. During reinstallation we had a very difficult time re-attaching. We finally got it reinstalled. The deck is still off 1/2 inch. Not know what steps to take, I have made an appointment with the dealer to come get it and level the deck. Frustrated.

I was having problems with my deck for my 1025R and it was one of the 2 books on the back of the deck. It was bent just slightly and would not let the deck connect. For all the trouble that I have had, I would just as soon have invested that $3,500 in some other piece of equipment.

Great video. Thanks

Lol. I don’t even have one but because of all the height requirements and everything I’m guessing tire pressure is pretty important. Over inflated tires are under inflated tires could mess up all that alignment. I think another thing that might help would be to cut some wedges out of two by fours and rubberized or glue some rubber onto it, basically just make little wedges that you keep in front of where you store your deck that way it will hold the deck back and keep it from sliding and when you back up it’ll just leave them there maybe? 🤔

Try garage door spray dry lube on the quick attach pto splines . then you can just use compressed air the connection.

need to do this again with the 2038r would love to see how to set that up on it

I always switch my PTO to rear only until I connect to the MMM.

Try dry moly graphite on pto instead of grease

remember when you have your deck off check the gear oil in the gear box or change it simple maintenance

I don't have any trouble getting the mower on the tractor, but I have a devil of a time getting it off. I have no idea where it is sticking but it sticks HARD. Whats to be done about that??

Great video. Now do the 2038R

I am not against putting lube in the PTO Spine point and yes it can attract dirt and other stuff and when connected can act like sand paper. My suggestion or question is, why is there not a cap that will fit over that PTO Spline coupling hole to protect it? that way you can have some lube in it and then protect it when the deck is not attached?

Tom, Your lift is the cats meow. Speaking of cats, where are they? They usually love your camera .

Good info Tim.

Hey Tim I have a new 2025r and when i back off of the mower the loadre stand pipe catches on the mower lift arm and bends the bracket that holds it in place. Any help that you or Matt can offer would be greatly appreciated. Love the videos thanks.

With that first cross link it would help to make sure the tire pressure is correct to I would think.

Tim - early in this video you mention locking your deck lowering apparatus up when you weren’t using the deck (to keep the PTO coupling clean) - how do you do that? Thanks, and I appreciate your videos. 2025R owner.

My deck height adjuster doesn’t go all the way up on the dial. Wondering if that is what you see as well. My dial stops about 3/4+ on the way up.