Opinion on buying rebuilt John Deere 3020

[bedehaan]

All -

Looking at a local John Deere dealership at a 1964 John Deere 3020 gas. Spoke with dealership and tractor has spun hour meter (so over 10,000 on whole tractor), but 2000 hours ago tractor had:
- rebuilt engine (crankshaft, piston, sleeves)
- axle bearing
- hydraulic pump
- new clutch and plug wires 1 year ago.

Asking $9000 (includes JD loader). What do you think? Good deal or sound like something that will likely have problems down the road? Really torn between something like this (bigger/older/cheaper/potentially more problems) vs. a newer sub-compact JD (more expensive/less problems/less capable).

 

[sweettractors]

All -

Looking at a local John Deere dealership at a 1964 John Deere 3020 gas. Spoke with dealership and tractor has spun hour meter (so over 10,000 on whole tractor), but 2000 hours ago tractor had:
- rebuilt engine (crankshaft, piston, sleeves)
- axle bearing
- hydraulic pump
- new clutch and plug wires 1 year ago.

Asking $9000 (includes JD loader). What do you think? Good deal or sound like something that will likely have problems down the road? Really torn between something like this (bigger/older/cheaper/potentially more problems) vs. a newer sub-compact JD (more expensive/less problems/less capable).

Be sure to check for shifting difficulty and it locking in 2 gears simultaneously with the 8 speed on the right dash console. With that many hours, the shifter and all linkages could be completely shot. Ken Sweet

 

[CADplans]

12,000+ hours tractor? I would run for the woods,,,

There are so many little things that can go wrong past 4,000 hours,,
that was 3 lifetimes ago for that tractor.

Figure how many hours a year you want to use the tractor,, and how many years it should run.
Subtract that from 4,000 and look for THAT tractor.

I am scared to death my 3,400 hour 1982 year tractor will give me fits tomorrow,,,:confused2:
and I take GREAT care of it,,,

 

[ch1ch2]

I understand that the 3020 was one of the most problem prone models they built.

I bet it has a nice pretty paint job. Just a guess.

I look at 2000 hours on a tractor as 100, 000 miles on a car.

 

[bedehaan]

I bet it has a nice pretty paint job. Just a guess.

100% correct .

Y'alls comments probably affirm what I knew deep down was true, but just couldn't come to face as it sounded so good being "rebuilt" and all.

 

[bigtiller]

All -

Looking at a local John Deere dealership at a 1964 John Deere 3020 gas. Spoke with dealership and tractor has spun hour meter (so over 10,000 on whole tractor), but 2000 hours ago tractor had:
- rebuilt engine (crankshaft, piston, sleeves)
- axle bearing
- hydraulic pump
- new clutch and plug wires 1 year ago.

Asking $9000 (includes JD loader). What do you think? Good deal or sound like something that will likely have problems down the road? Really torn between something like this (bigger/older/cheaper/potentially more problems) vs. a newer sub-compact JD (more expensive/less problems/less capable).

What kind of work do you need it to do? A 3020 is too big to do a sub-compact's work and a sub-compact can't even lift the category-2 implements of a 3020.

 

[Grandad4]

Those "New Generation" Deeres of the 1960's are sought after by collectors and they're still popular at county fair tractor pulls too!. The larger 4020 is particularly prized. Occasionally you'll see one totally restored to showroom condition or better. Some of those old workhorses even continue working as chore tractors or backups, but buying a used one is subject to all the noted cautions about long hours and hard use. Unless you've got need for one on your farm or you're a collector, that's pretty big iron to be using as a mowing tractor or whatever.

 

[bedehaan]

What kind of work do you need it to do? A 3020 is too big to do a sub-compact's work and a sub-compact can't even lift the category-2 implements of a 3020.

Most of what I would be doing is snow removal, food plots, and bush hogging.. So that's really why either works in my situation and why I'm open to both old big iron and newer compact iron..

 

[Grandad4]

Well, there is a certain cool factor in delivering for Domino's with your sleeper-cab Peterbilt , which is maybe a bit more extreme overkill, but you'd need to do a lot of "snow removal, food plots, and bush hogging" to make that 3020 work hard. Have to admit that would be a lot of fun, though, as long as you didn't mind some tinkering. One of the utility-type Masseys, Fords, IH's, Oliver's, or Deere's of that same era might be a bit more practical for the chores you describe.

 

[bigtiller]

Most of what I would be doing is snow removal, food plots, and bush hogging.. So that's really why either works in my situation and why I'm open to both old big iron and newer compact iron..

I kept my cabbed 3020 around for snow removal for a few years and finally gave up with it. It was to big to get up close to buildings and it never worked hard enough or long enough to get any heat out of the heater.