John Deere JD2020 4.70 star(s) (3)

Old But Not Antique
Model Year: 1967

Purchased from FIL in 1989, and have used to consistently farm 42 acres in Maryland. Performance has been goo but some things are problems. One example of this is the RoosaMaster diesel return plastic fittings. Pop one of these in the middle of a field on Saturday and your out of commission for 2 days. Yes, I keep spares, but they can fail quickly at times also. There is some oops engineering, but probably no worse than any of the competitors.

Pros: Parts are always available and dealers can I.D. them.
Cons: Somewhat more pricey. Prior mention of restricted availability of fuel part.

Dependable Workhorse
Model Year: 1966

For its size, a very powerful tractor. I have used it to plant and harvest 1 acres of potatoes, spread manure, and cut hay with a 6 foot discbine. It will pull a 3 bottom plow, a 9 foot tandem disc and run a 5 foot rototiller in our sandy loam. I plan on baling 5 acres of hay this summer with a NH 420 PTO baler. When it gets into the teens in winter I will plug in the block heater and it always starts.

Pros: Economical and strong 4 cylinder German diesel.
Cons: Needs a cab---I do a lot of winter work.

2020 & AR
Model Year: 1973

Have both a 2020 and a '38 AR (Johnny Popper); the 2020 'cause my ma in AZ lost her irrigation rights hence no need for her beloved JD so she had it trucked to me here in urban Phila where I have a back yard of about 1/2 an acre. I use it and a Howse brush hog to keep weeds down at the local church & train station. Also good for snow removal. The AR is steel wheeled with lugs removed to save the macadam. It chugs around exciting many "uuhs" and "aahs". I hope to hook it to a PTO alternator which I have if we get more storms that knock out commercial power. The 2020 diesel seems reliable and steady---more powerful than the beloved old two banger. I guess JD had to modernize given the competition with diesels. Not sure of the year of the 2020 or where the serial number is. All the best. - Luke Rusell

Pros: Fun to play with.
Cons: Expensive to store.

Photo Uploads: