I hear what you're saying about the 4WD. Just hard for me to justify the $10,000.00 difference. Granted, I stuck the 1020 a couple of times by getting on a down slope and trying to pick up a bucket load of wood or rock. Never stuck so bad I couldn't dump the bucket and reverse out.
Well, I'm not selling anything - just wanted you to consider it. You asked what we would change. That's what we would change and did.
We used 2wd on the JD530 for many years....decades, now. It's a similar tractor to the 1020.
A lot of what 4wd gives you isn't what you think. Getting unstuck when the nose is down is one you know about, pushing into a pile without spinning the rears is another.
Here's another: We have lots of hills. Have you ever had a runaway downhill with a load in the bucket and unthinkingly touched the brakes? Going downhill with a load in the bucket is a LOT more controllable with 4wd because then the front wheels have brakes.
We have a creek and it needs work along the banks sometimes. With 4wd I can get the bucket right down to the water and know I can simply put it in reverse and 4wd to get back out.
And we no longer have to mount chains in the wintertime for the uphill part of the driveway. That's easier on me and on the tractor.
But any of these jobs can be done in 2wd. We did them all in 2wd for years.
The other thing I would always put on a new tractor is at least one set of remote hydraulic outlets i.e. one pressure and one return connection. One forward and one on the back would be the next step up. but just having the one pair would still work on either end with longer hoses.
rScotty
