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Super Member
John Deere introduced the PFWA (power front wheel assist) on the 4020 and 5020 in 1966. It was a hydrostatic front wheel drive they advertised as being able to supply 20% more traction than the base 2 wheel drive models. .
It was the same time for IH to introduce there version of a gear drive unit for the 806-1206 tractors The jd could out steer but the gear drive never stopped working when you needed it like the hydraulic drive. In our area the dealers kept turning up the hydraulics till they broke trying to keep them going in the rough. There also was a company called Elwood in Elwood Illinois that build front ends that fit both the deere and ih although it was a big job to get it on the deere it was about a four hour job on the red tractors to mount. The plus of the elwood was that it did turn tighter then the ih built units.