"... and the way to get the rear of the mower higher than the front, is to shorten the top link."
Uh California, how's the length of the top link going to affect the height of the mower, unless you have it set up wrong?
You will find that having the front lower than the rear makes mowing in heavy stuff easier, as the blade only has to cut on the front of the arc and freewheels on the backside as the mower moves forward. Also the mower will throw the clippings to 1 side causing unsightly windrows. These can be diminished by mowing in a direction that will recut the clippings.