John Deere 4020

[deerefan]

A good friend of mine is a cattle farmer and is selling his 4020 after he replaced it with a kubota 90hp cab and air tractor. I have about 50 acres and already have 2 tractors, a 8N and a 05 5103 but no loader. The 4020 has a loader and I can get it for 8k. I spent several hours on the machine a few months ago bushhogging w/ a 15ft cutter and it ran fine and is in pretty ggod shape. What should I look for on these tractors? I think the price is good. Thoughts?

 

[jenkinsph]

If it is in good shape the price is fair. I have seen them sell for alot more than this. About the only problem I see alot is the position control for the hitch can be erratic, check it out to see how well it works. Not a deal breaker though, I had one for years and really liked it.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I had a late 60's vintage 4020 for several years. A "bull" of a tractor. Mine easily pulled a 14' disc and a 10' hog. Great old tractor.

Sounds like the price is reasonable.

Only a couple of things that I think you need to consider.
1. Physical size. These tractors are huge. Mine came from a South Louisiana rice farm, so it had the "rice & cane" flotation tires. It was so wide that it would not fit through the doors of my shop. It had a two-post canopy on it, so it was too tall to go under my hay barn.
2. Fuel consumption. Just remember, that under a load, that 6 cylinder beast will drink 2.5-3 gallons of diesel per hour. (and the gas-burners are much worse)

 

[Mace Canute]

Nebraska Tractor Test #849 has some interesting data for the 4020.

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1401&context=tractormuseumlit

 

[deerefan]

Man, they got technical. It looks like that thing can drink some fuel too. For 8k and being it is in real good shape, I will more than likely buy it.

 

[jenkinsph]

While it will consume some fuel a good woriking 4020 can get a lot done in return. I wouldn't be concerned about fuel consumption since you have smaller tractors to handle the little jobs. On fifty acres handling tillage and fel work it will certainly shrink those jobs down to size. In todays world with everyone's time being limited I think you will be very happy with what you can accomplish with this tractor in a short period of time.

There are lots of times I wish I still had mine but my smaller 4520 will handle the majority of the tasks I have now. Hope this tractor is in good shape and good luck with it.

 

[eepete]

This is a picture of what I think is a 4020 from 1969. That's my sister on it. It was on my grandfathers farm in upstate NY.

Just posting it 'cause I hear everyone likes pictures .

Pete

 

[doall]

one of the best tractors ever made I think.

 

[Mace Canute]

The *010 and *020 tractors were a huge leap ahead of JD's previous line of tractors and their competitors also. It's nice to own a little bit of history. Did I mention I have a few JD tractors? A 70, an R, a 3010, a 420 crawler with loader and a 2010 crawler with loader. All gassers except the R of course.

 

[deerefan]

I was able to run it again yesterday for a while and it runs great. It has a few things that need repair, such as a new fuel gauge and the fender lights are not working. It is going to take me a little while to get used to the synchorange and the size of the tractor. I called JD about putting a loader (quick attach) on my 5103 and the price came out to 6800 plus tax. For 500 more (8000), I can buy a sound 4020 with a loader. Everyone I have spoken to about the 4020 either knew someone with one or has experience operating one. It seems as if it is the most popular tractor JD made. Truly, it is bigger than what I need, but I am sure I will appreciate the extra power. I will post some pics when I get it later this week and get it cleaned up.

 

[JasG]

4020's I think still very well may be the most popular tractor JD made. Very durable, well made tractor. I have put thousands of hours on different ones for different farmers growing up and even today.

One note on the loader. Go easy on the tractor. Most tractors of this time, JD, IH etc, the loaders were not really thought of. The 4020's that was one of the biggest weak points was people would add a loader later and the axles would break. Some company I have seen even sells an upgraded axle. I have a friend that I help and we move round bales with his. The bales are probably 1000-1200 lbs and the heavier ones you can tell are a load on the front axle.

 

[jimjo2]

In 1965 we bought a new 4020, 17' harrow and a 5-bottom plow for around $15,000. It was the best tractor to work a 450 acre, 100 head dairy farm and another 100 head of heifers in upstate New York. It was a joy to operate but it took some getting used to plowing hilly fields with the 5-bottom. Too deep on the hills and too shallow on the valleys. I loved discing as you couldn't stop the beast, it would go anywhere. Good luck with it and I am envious!

 

[jenkinsph]

I would think if all you need to do is change the fuel sender (more likely than the guage) and repair some lighting you got a good deal. At $8000 with a loader this man is trying to be reasonable with you.

About the comments referring to the front axle, it is true that the newer designs are built stronger but as is the case with all fels and tractors adding some 3pt weight reduces the problem.

Since I like 4020's so much I would operate it for awhile, fix all the leaks and mechanicals then restore and paint it like new.

 

[deerefan]

I would think if all you need to do is change the fuel sender (more likely than the guage) and repair some lighting you got a good deal. At $8000 with a loader this man is trying to be reasonable with you.

About the comments referring to the front axle, it is true that the newer designs are built stronger but as is the case with all fels and tractors adding some 3pt weight reduces the problem.

Since I like 4020's so much I would operate it for awhile, fix all the leaks and mechanicals then restore and paint it like new.

That is actually my plan, on the nose. It has such a good foundation it won't take much to bring it back. I ran it again yesterday for 2 hours and it sure is sound. With some paint and some tlc, it would be top notch. I promise to post pics when I take it home, which should be tomorrow.

 

[jenkinsph]

I had a 4030 wide front and a 3020 tricycle in McComb MS years ago sure did like them. The clay in that area sure is tough to plow but having a larger tractor makes it easy. I put 18.4 38 tires on it which were slightly too big, causing some implements to rub the tires. If it has the 38" rims I wouldn't go larger than 16.9 tires and suspect the 15.5 tires will be the best. My preference would be 34" rims, don't know what yours has though.

 

[jjmarotz]

Just because pics are popular....

1967 JD 4010 synchro, I added the Koyker loader with 7' bucket and used it for 2 yrs primarily for snow removal. Awesome tractor, but the synchro with a lot of loader work can tax a clutch REAL FAST so keep that in mind The loader not only was mounted to the frame along the engine sides, but also I added 3" square tube all the way back to the rear axle to help relieve some of the stresses on the main frame, mainly when pushing snow, but also put the load in the bucket across the entire length of the tractor. Kinda miss the old girl.... but overkill for my uses now days.

I ran the 30 and 40 series around for yrs growing up on potato farms around here. When my dad stoped farming and, I believe, was a 3020, sold at auction for MORE than my grandad had paid for it over 40 yrs prior, even after all its use. They are a bulletproof proven old tractor for sure!!!!