I’ve had lots of questions recently about the lift options for the 1-series mid mount mowers. This is understandable, as the choices ARE confusing. So, let’s discuss the different lift options, how they work, and why you might choose one option over another.
Mechanical Mower Lift
First, let’s remove one point of confusion. The “Mechanical Mower Lift” is not, well, mechanical! When I think of mechanical, I think of the old craftsman riding mower with the big lever sticking up in the way of your knee so that it rams into your leg upon every bump.
No, the Mechanical Mower Lift is fully hydraulic and requires no ‘muscle-power’ to lift.
I wonder how many hydraulic lifts are sold simply because of this mis-understanding? If my dealer hadn’t taken the time to fully explain this, I would have almost certainly ended up with one of the other options.
The mechanical lift is controlled by the 3 point hitch mechanism. There is a mechanical connection between the 3 point hitch ‘rock-shaft’ and the mower lift mechanism. This is where the name ‘mechanical’ comes from.
This lift option is the simplest of the three approaches. There are no hydraulic lines for the operator to deal with. The lift mechanism is out of sight and out of mind.
One advantage of this mechanism with the 1025R is that the operator can accurately control the height of the lawn mower while operating. For instance, let’s say you have a ridge in your yard which typically causes the mower to scalp. With the mechanical lift, you can raise the 3 point hitch lever slightly so that the mower will mow accurately over that ridge without scalping. You can use the numbers by the 3 point hitch lever to provide a consistent guide to the mower height. Of course, for normal mowing, you should lower the deck so that the height is controlled by the mower height control knob, but it is nice to know that you can adjust accurately to unique situations in your lawn.
This option is the least expensive, and can be upgraded to either of the other options at any time if the operator decides that the mechanical lift is insufficient.
The disadvantage of the mechanical lift is that the 3 point hitch and mower lift cannot be operated independently. While mowing, the 3 pt arms will be lowered.
You CAN lock the mower in its ‘up’ position and lower the 3 point arms without lowering the mower. So the limitation only exists while the mower is lowered (in-use).
So, ask yourself if you plan to use the 3 point hitch while operating the mower. I don’t know of a good reason to do so unless it would be a bagging attachment. Otherwise, I would recommend removing the mower deck before using any 3 point attachment.
You can see a good example of the 3 point positioning during mowing in this video
To upgrade to the hydraulic lift, these parts are needed:
BLV10739 and LVB26206
To upgrade to the independent hydraulic lift, these parts are needed:
BLV10739 and BLV10688
If you have the power beyond kit, it is slightly more complicated. Refer to this document for more details.
You can get these parts at GreenPartStore, and you’ll get a free shipping if you use coupon code “TTWT” at checkout.
Hydraulic Mower Lift
The two ‘hydraulic’ lift options use the loader SCV (Selective Control Valves) to control the lift rather than the 3 point hitch mechanism.
This option uses one of the SCV ports which are typically used by the loader, snow blower, broom, or blade. If attaching to one of these other implements, you will need to disconnect this hose, before proceeding to attach the other implement.
The net result is that this option provides independence from the 3 point hitch, but introduces a conflict between the mower and any front mounted attachment.
This option provides some control of the height of the deck, but it doesn’t provide the precision which the 3 point hitch lever can provide.
It also adds approximately $350 to the cost.
Overall, in my opinion, this is the least attractive of the 3 options.
To upgrade the hydraulic lift to the independent hydraulic lift, order:
BLV10688
Independent Hydraulic Mower Lift
For control of the mower deck fully independently from 3 point hitch attachments and front mounted SCV (Selective Control Valve) connected attachments, one needs to choose the Independent Hydraulic Lift.
The lift mechanism is the same as the hydraulic lift. This option adds the necessary plumbing and valves to allow independent control of the deck and front attachments at the same time. It also adds a new ‘rocker switch’ near the operator’s left knee for raising and lowering the deck. This rocker switch does not provide the precise control of the mechanical option, nor does provide the hydraulic feel of the SCV loader control used in the hydraulic mower lift.
This option just shy of $900 (if starting from ‘mechanical lift’).
Summary
After I understood that the mechanical lift was not actually mechanical, it was obvious to me that this was the option for me. It was the most simplistic approach, the most cost effective approach, and it provided the most control of the deck.
I’d be interested in hearing your opinion in the comments section.
Tim – I didn’t understand all of this, all they explained was 2 options – SVC and Rock Shaft, and said 90% were set up on SVC. So being a total newb, and not one mechanically inclined to begin with (give me a computer and code to write!), I chose what they said was most common. I’ve found this VERY frustrating, as I can rarely get the lines switched without a lot of frustration, and I always set attachments down, rotate the joystick, etc. But somedays, I’d like to *insert-pain-mechanism-here* them for saying this was easy.
They also didn’t explain that the lock would keep the PTO up when using 3-point, as I was concerned that it would cause a problem.
I feel kind of dumb for not learning all this before, but at this point, is it worth the $$ to go back to the Rock Shaft method?
If I had the ‘hydraulic lift’ option, I would likely decide to upgraded it to the ‘independent hydraulic lift’ option.
This will remove the need for connecting/disconnecting the lift hoses each time you want to use the mower vs. loader.
The independent lift is supposed to be the ‘premium’ solution. It would be nice to mow without having the 3pt quick hitch nearly dragging the ground.
So, rather than ‘downgrading’, I would suggest you consider upgrading now that you have the hydraulic lift option.
Make sense?
I updated the article, providing links to the upgrade kit from greenfarmparts.com
Oh, and was the article clear? I found it a bit difficult to explain the differences.
Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the response – yes it was clear. In fact, and perhaps I have a frame of reference, now, but it was this article that finally gave me the info I needed. Several youtube videos show the rocker switch, but none really explained the difference and absolutely none gave approximate cost. You’re the “I’ve never done this before” answer. Thanks for the time and effort. I’ll check out the upgrade.
I’m glad I was able to help. I’m finding that explaining things that confused me when I was buying seems to be helpful to folks.
How did you find my site? Are you a youtube subscriber? Did you find me on GreenTractorTalk.com?
Just curious. If you haven’t seen our video channel, please take a look when you have some time: http://www.youtube.com/user/timmarks416
I purchased the independent lift but I have been very disappointed as you can not raise the deck and keep it raised unless you adjust the height control knob.When you release the rocker switch the deck falls back down to the set cutting height.I think John Deere could have fixed this but they refuse as they say it was never intended to hold the deck in the raised position. Bad design period. I had hoped this thread told of a fix.
Side note, I’m using chrome, but the links take me to a page that just says “your cart is empty”, not the product pages, or loading into the cart with coupon applied as it appears to attempt.
The JD descriptions when I purchased my tractor were mechanical and independent. The switch thing was added later year models. Seems the “callings” got renamed. But JD got it all bastardized. The independent cylinder lifting the deck s/b hard line fitted on the tractor and not go thru the coupling. There s/b a “T” off ahead of the black coupling with a shut off. This would eliminate coupling and un coupling the cylinder connection, just flip shut off. Joy stick deck lift and lower is the nuts. Three point lift and lower is backwards. The electric switch and it’s holding in to stay the deck up is a joke. I would never even consider mowing the lawn with a loader bucket on the tractor, too dangerous.
The JD descriptions when I purchased my tractor were mechanical and independent. The switch thing was added later year models. Seems the “callings” got renamed. But JD got it all bastardized. The independent cylinder lifting the deck s/b hard line fitted on the tractor and not go thru the coupling. There s/b a “T” off ahead of the black coupling with a shut off. This would eliminate coupling and un coupling the cylinder connection, just flip shut off. Joy stick deck lift and lower is the nuts. Three point lift and lower is backwards. The electric switch and it’s holding in to stay the deck up is a joke. I would never even consider mowing the lawn with a loader bucket on the tractor, too dangerous.
Good article. Just got my 1025r and contacted JD to see if they hAve either step by step written or vid instructions on just mower operation. Still waiting to hear.
Did you ever try tilling with the mower deck on? I don’t have a great place to reconnect the deck on my 1025R and was wondering if anyone else tried being lazy and toiling with the deck on.
I bought a 1025r tlb with a mower deck. The 3 point does not raise the deck, but there is the switch that I can use by the left knee. I find this option completely inadequate for control of deck height as I go over different areas where I mow. Can I leave the independent control option in there and still connect to the three point for better ” mechanical” control?
Love your site, it has helped me with a couple of issues. I have a comment on the height of the 3pt arms with the mower deck lowered. I mow fairly high and have found I can set the stop for the 3pt lever up to just below where the deck reaches mowing height. This keeps the 3pt arms a foot or so off the ground and with the quick hitch on acts as a bumper guard in case of backing up into objects that move into your path. You know how that can happen.
Very good info. I have the second option as far as mower deck lift. I use the loader hydraulics, but I just figured out that my 3pt is till attached to it. Is this normal?
I have the independent lift switch on my new 1025R. I’m confused as to how I remove the mower deck?
If auto-connect:
Park on a level surface
Unlock gauge wheels
Set Height of Cut control to INSTALL
Lower mower to lowest position (with your rocker button)
Tractor in 4WD
Use Lo speed
Set PTO selector to REAR
Flip locking left in front of left rear tire forward
Keep left front tire next to rail & back over deck
Some steps are more important to install than remove, but better to standardize as much as possible IMO.
THANKS! Great explanations. I use the rear bagger so this was very, very useful….especially since I converted the bagger to IMatch mounted.
I’ve been going back through all the manuals to ensure I hadn’t missed something…. and I had. Can’t use mulching blades with the PowerFlo, etc..
If I were king, I’d send JD writers to Information Mapping and Job Aids classes. They could save $$ millions on developing better documentation. Of course, if they used color photos in PDFs, then let the users print, it’d be better, too.
Cheers.
Tim,
I am a bit confused. I have a 1025R with the 54″ ride over mower with the mechanical lift. As you said, the three point arms will lower as the mower deck is lowered. I can live with this as I have not had a case where I want to use the three point hitch while mowing. I may, however, need to use the three point hitch independently of the mower. While, I can remove the mower, for a small job I may not want to. Something you said earlier has me thinking. This is from your July 7, 2016 “Mid Mount Mower Lift Options” post: “The disadvantage of the mechanical lift is that the 3 point hitch and mower lift cannot be operated independently. While mowing, the 3 pt arms will be lowered.
You CAN lock the mower in its ‘up’ position and lower the 3 point arms without lowering the mower. So the limitation only exists while the mower is lowered (in-use).” How do you lock the mower in it’s up position and can this be done to just the mower lift frame without the mower installed. The reason I am interested in this is that I will be using a three point hitch back blade along with the loader bucket for snow removal. I am concerned that if the mower lift mechanism is lowered with the blade it may become damaged in the process of removing snow.
I personally want to thank you for sharing your extensive knowledge and experience with us. I have looked at many of your YouTube videos and read the posts. We all do have something in common, and it’s green. It feels like a family helping each other.
Thank You Again,
Wishes for a Merry and Blessed Christmas to you and your family
Jim
Does anyone know of a YouTube presentation on how to install the hydraulic lift on a 1025R mid mount mower that currently has the “mechanical” lift? The instructions with the kit are not very complete.
if you adjust the cutting height to its highest setting it will keep the mower deck and/or lift arm up.
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My question is about the independent lift. I insisted they install this option It will raise the deck when I depress the switch only to let if fall when I remove my finger.I thought when I raised the deck it would stay in the up position. I know I can lock it in the raised position but I must use two hands one to hold the switch in the other to turn the nob. This is very inconvenient. Is there a simple fix?
I opted for the standard “mechanical” lift on my 1025R because I had the new (relatively new?) SCV valve installed to provide thumbswitch (on the loader joystick) control for my Add-A-Grapple. I was told that it could not be installed with the hydraulic deck lift option.
When I am mowing I have found that setting the 3-point depth stop at (about) #4 position allows the deck to lower to it’s mowing height but stops the 3-point (iMatch – in my case) at about level so that it doesn’t drag on hills and bumps. By playing with that 3-point setting you should be able to cause enough separation of controls between the two systems to operate comfortably.
I am looking into adding a Terra-King TKV-20 to my arsenal of attachments and I am hoping that this method will allow me to operate it properly with the deck.
One other problem that I had to overcome was the crappy 3-point depth stop. It would not clamp down solidly and would pop out of the slot in the plastic fender housing. My solution was to machine a “U” shaped piece to fit over the top of the raised slot and throw away the washer that JD uses. This holds the sides of the slot together when clamping the stop down.
[…] The 1025r offers two additional options which lift the mower via a separate hydraulic control. Each of these frees up the 3 point hitch to operate independently of the mower deck. I have much more detail including part numbers and prices on the different lift options here. […]
Tim, watching a lot of you videos!
I’m looking for a way to have the loader arms attached, without the bucket, and have the SCV attached to both the loader and mower without having to switch connections.
I just bought and tonight installed the “Load-N-Go” after seeing your video on that option, and want to use it to store the mower when not in use. Now I can just grab the mower, auto-connect, mow, then stow, and reattach the bucket, and want to do it all without moving hydraulic lines. Hope that makes sense…
As an aside, if I cannot find a valve or some other method to work for the above scenario, can I just plug and unplug the black connection from the loader, move it to the mower, not disconnecting the other three lines, or will that cause the hydraulic system to overheat, as there is no back flow through the black line?
I do have a TLB with power beyond. Is it possible to use that connection somehow for the mower height adjustment?
I had a slightly used 1026R with the three point hitch mower option and liked it, but my tractor was stolen after only having it for two weeks, and getting a new 1025R my salesman suggested that I go with the SCV option, never mentioning the switch option.
I’ve been push mowing for the past two years as it is a pain to get at the stowed mower, until now with the Load-N-Go. Immediately after the install, I easily cleaned the deck and changed the blades in minutes. I really like it!
Bottom line is, it would be nice if I could somehow just have and leave plugged in the loader and the mower at the same time (basically five connections) without having to switch the connectors. Oh, and I really don’t want to spend a grand if I don’t have to; as I’m old, retired and usually broke.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Steven
Tim, love your videos have watched a bunch. I purchased a 1025r a few months ago i have a hydraulic dump rear bagger so i had them install the hydraulic lift deck. They didn’t tell me there were other options. I do also have rear scv option for raising dump on bagger. But mine has been back to dealer two times for deck getting stuck, they put a flow control in line that gets plugged and doesn’t allow deck to move up or down. Deere said orfice is so deck doesn’t slam going up & down.
Thanks for informing videos
When I bought my 1025R three years ago the dealer informed me that there was a backorder situation and it would be several weeks until they would have one available. As I was about to start a project that I needed the tractor and post hole digger for I was about to cancel the order and look elsewhere when they offered to take a unit they had in stock and remove the backhoe and sell it to me. I took them up on their offer and now have the tractor with the plumbing still in place for the backhoe. Is there anyway to use the plumbing for the backhoe to control the three point hitch independent of the mower?
Tim, I have a 2015 1025R and I would like to install the lift linkage for a Auto connect D60 deck, I have bought a second hand deck and will need to go and remove the linkage off the previous owner tractor, do you have a video on installing the lower linkage. Unfortunately it’s not the full hydraulic unit.
Any help would be great
Tim,
When purchasing my 1025R tractor at the JD the dealership at the end of May, I ordered a couple of extras including the Load and Go for the 54D mower deck. After I found out that the Load and Go was “back ordered” with no proposed ship date, I happened on your video related to the 1025R 54D not being compatible. I’ve asked the dealership to confirm the ordering mistake (I’m surprised that database permitted the order) and if true, then swap out the 54D for a 60D that will take the Load and Go.
If you have the acreage and maneuverability for a 54” you can probably use the 60” and get your lawn done faster too. I purchased the Load-N-Go and will never look back or have buyers remorse. I feel the same way about my Rachet Rake. They make my life so much easier. Work smarter, not harder! And no, the Load-N-Go is not designed for the 54’.
On the 2021 models they do have Load-N-Go brackets for the 54” deck.
Which lift option is best when using the mcs/bagging system? Can I use the mcs/baggger with the mechanical lift option?
Tim, I have questions regarding mid mount drive over deck. I have a 60D with 1025r and I purchased the load N go ramps. In one of your videos, I saw your drive over deck with the silver attachment bar facing he front of the shelf. I assume you used forks to put it up there and not the load N go lift feature? Also in some of the other videos it appears auto connect deck, but there is a green instead of silver front attachment piece. The reason I ask, is I do store the 60d deck, however I wish the front bracket would fold back for storage. I get by with it, but I know storage gets to be a premium, and when on the floor, I hate to trip over them, or have them get bent. Is this a new feature, or is that on a different deck.
Thanks and appreciate your web site and discounts 🙂
You can detach the spring and fold the front connector over.
Tim, I recently watched your video where you installed the Summit Hydraulics kit. I liked it and thinking about installing a four spool system. So now I’m thinking I’d like to use the two buttons on the joystick for the front third function add-on and one to raise/lower the mid mount mower by installing the Hydraulic Lift kit.
Will this setup allow me to have the precision height adjustment that I currently have with the 3 point hitch lever? Specifically I’m asking would I press the lower button until I get the mower where I want it and then have it stay there until I press the up button?
You’re doing a great job! Keep it up.
Steve
Tim, I have the hydraulic lift, I can operate the deck but not the loader at the same time. I have a deck height adjustment knob that is mounted on the left side, (when sitting) that is mounted using the same bolts that secure the rop. I have broken the cable that allows for adjustment but can’t find a similar adjust setup anywhere on the web. Can I send a picture of what I’m talking about?
The extra mounting parts needed for the mechanical lift using 3 point hitch is getting in the way of my hydrosplus install. Looking for an option that would work better, I have the JD 3rd hydraulic function for a grapple but also have heard about an electrical lift. Sent Kevin from hydrosplus an email to see if there are lines that will fit around the 3 point mechanical lift.
Thanks for all the great information
I have a 2019 1025r jd tractor I bought new. I have a loader, a 60inch belly mower an a backhoe. I have the three positions on the left side of the tractor in which I can select to raise or lower the 3 of hitch by itself, raise or lower the belly mower and 3 of hitch together or raise or lower the belly mower by itself. Unfortunately, when I have selected to raise or lower the 3 of hitch independently the belly mower also raises or lowers. Obvious something isn’t function correctly. Any suggestions?
I don’t know of a lever to select which lifts. There is a PTO selection on the left side, allowing mid, rear, or both PTO options.
This has nothing to do with lifting the deck or 3 point.
The only thing you can do is keep the deck from going down by setting the cutting height knob to max height.
Does this help?