4020 JD tractor repair

farmfromkansas · September 05, 2021, 10:58:00 AM

Took my tractor to a shop about 30 miles away that has good mechanics. They are a Vermeer and H&S dealer, had Agco taken from them a few years ago, and they make a living by repairing the neighborhood equipment, and buying and selling used equipment. Well, the transmission had been grinding a lot on my 4020, and my regular guy said to put off fixing it as long as possible, because he said the syncronizer is probably shot, and he said putting a new one in does not last, b/c mixing new parts in with old ones just does not work well. So these guys said they thought my problem was the detents in the transmission not holding the gears in place, so they checked and said my detents were bad, and ordered new ones. Then a neighbor who was a retired JD mechanic came in and told them they could put 40 series detents in, and it would not only save money on parts, but labor as well. So they did it, and stopped the grinding. Funny thing is that they could put newer parts in old tractor, and it works. Asked where they went in, they showed me 2 plugs in the right side of the transmission.

hedgerow · September 05, 2021, 11:43:31 AM

Glad that fixed it. I have ran and worked on that green paint for well over forty years. Have put a lot of 40 series trans and rear end parts in the 10,20 and 30 series tractors. Its not a lot of fun when you have to open them up and rebuild the shafts with the syncronizer's on them. JD made a lot of improvements on the 40 series trans and rear ends. Buddy of mine has a JD 4440 with 15,000 hours on it and it has spend most of its life as a loader tractor. Its a good thing he's the only one that runs it or the trans would be completely out of it. Its getting pretty tricky to shift it would out grinding.

farmfromkansas · September 05, 2021, 12:12:36 PM

What kind of transmission is in that 4440? Thought they only offered the quad range and power shift. Was there a syncromesh available as well? Know a guy near here who has a couple 4630's with the syncro trans, he says you can't wear them out.

mike_belben · September 05, 2021, 02:48:47 PM

Glad u got it fixed before the fixxers were obsolete.

GRANITEstateMP · September 05, 2021, 06:58:10 PM

Not a huge JD guy but I've heard a lot of really good things about those 4020 series tractors

newoodguy78 · September 05, 2021, 07:15:22 PM

Quote from: farmfromkansas on September 05, 2021, 12:12:36 PM
What kind of transmission is in that 4440? Thought they only offered the quad range and power shift. Was there a syncromesh available as well? Know a guy near here who has a couple 4630's with the syncro trans, he says you can't wear them out.

I'm curious as well, pretty sure you're correct that only two options were available for transmissions. Put a lot of time on a 4440 with the quad range, had 12,000 hours on it when the tranny was redone. That one had been turned up quite a bit, man was that a strong running dependable tractor.
I've never heard of many problems with the older synchro-range transmission themselves, but had the displeasure of running a few with worn out linkages , that's a whole other level of frustration.
The 4020s certainly were good old tractors. Doubtful too many people lost money buying one that took care of it. They sell for more now than when they were new 50 years ago.

farmfromkansas · September 05, 2021, 07:23:33 PM

My BIL bought a new 1970 with syncro new for 7500. I bought this one used in about 1975 for 8650. Guy had ordered a new 4240, they were just coming out, and he said he always could sell his old tractors for more than the dealer would give him on trade, so that is what he priced it for. Had seen some sell for up to about 11,000 at that time, so knew it was a good deal. By the time I paid off the bank it was over 10,000. Interest rates weren't so cheap back then. When I need a tractor and loader, this is my go to tractor.

newoodguy78 · September 05, 2021, 07:53:09 PM

I always like seeing the old iron taken care of and still earning its keep. No matter what your preference of make is that generation of tractors certainly produced some solid ones. Have you had to do much front end work to it? Never been around one that had a loader on it? Running the loader off the remotes?

dogone · September 05, 2021, 08:07:01 PM

JD 4010 and 4020 still sell for $10 thousand here in western Canada. Most come with a loader and have moved a lot of bales. The front ends will wear or break. There are after market fronts available and I am told a 5020 front fits right on.

newoodguy78 · September 05, 2021, 08:35:34 PM

Around here if you find one for 10-12 with no loader you've done well,most of the time at that price there's wrenching to be had.

farmfromkansas · September 06, 2021, 09:12:06 AM

Do run the loader off the remotes, there are 2. Just unplug the ones for the bucket when I hook up to my wheel rake. The front end is not real bad, have seen others put 4440 or 4430 front ends under them. Made a 3 point bale carrier with a gooseneck ball, so I can drag the gooseneck trailer around and load bales, then road them home with the tractor. I can move 10 bales at a time that way. Tires on rear are getting really worn, roads are hard on tractor tires.

hedgerow · September 07, 2021, 12:50:32 PM

Quote from: farmfromkansas on September 05, 2021, 12:12:36 PM
What kind of transmission is in that 4440? Thought they only offered the quad range and power shift. Was there a syncromesh available as well? Know a guy near here who has a couple 4630's with the syncro trans, he says you can't wear them out.

The 4440 does have a quad and your right the 4440's only had the quad and 8 speed power shift. The syncro range and the quad range are very similar on the inside. Had a 4010 diesel with a 158 loader and a 4440 front end with a cab for winter for years for a loader tractor. Then I had a 4240 power shift with a 725 loader and joy stick to run the loader for a number of years. Do most of my loader work with a skid loader and track loader any more. I did buy a new Kubota MX-6000 this summer with FEL to replace a AGCO that didn't have a loader.