Advice on buying a John Deere 2020???

[Raise]

Hows it going fellas? You guys were very helpful in my thread on the Ford 3910 I was looking at purchasing. After hearing all your opinions and the good info, I have decided to pass. As I mentioned briefly in the same thread, the landowner that just sold me the farm has a John Deere 2020 he is willing to sell me for $5500. I only have this one picture now, but he should be getting me some more today. He has no maintenance records as he has done all the maintenance himself. He also doesnt know how many hours are on it. Im not sure if the hourmeter is inop or what. He says the tractor starts and runs fine, and everything works as it should. He has used it mostly for mowing for the last 5 years or so. I live 7 hours away so I will not get a chance to put eyes on it for a couple more weeks, but from the picture below, it seems to be in decent condition. It already has duals and the ROPS with original canopy. I see a bit of rust here and there, but nothing looks too bad to me. Maybe you guys can chime in on the condition?? I asked if he has ever put anticavitation solution in the coolant and he said no. He has owned it for around 5 years, so i dont know if the previous owner did or not. I am reading that older tractors can experience cylinder wall cavitation and start forming holes, and that there is a kit i can buy to test the coolant, which I am fine with doing. Can you guys tell me a little more about this and what exactly I need to do? Also, I have not put eyes on the tractor yet and it will be a couple weeks before I do. Other than starting and operating everything to check for function, checking underneath for fluid leaks, and obviously assessing any physical damage or issues, what would you guys recommend I check for? I am not new to diesel engines but I am brand new to tractors. Thanks a bunch fellas

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Hows it going fellas? You guys were very helpful in my thread on the Ford 3910 I was looking at purchasing. After hearing all your opinions and the good info, I have decided to pass. As I mentioned briefly in the same thread, the landowner that just sold me the farm has a John Deere 2020 he is willing to sell me for $5500. I only have this one picture now, but he should be getting me some more today. He has no maintenance records as he has done all the maintenance himself. He also doesnt know how many hours are on it. Im not sure if the hourmeter is inop or what. He says the tractor starts and runs fine, and everything works as it should. He has used it mostly for mowing for the last 5 years or so. I live 7 hours away so I will not get a chance to put eyes on it for a couple more weeks, but from the picture below, it seems to be in decent condition. It already has duals and the ROPS with original canopy. I see a bit of rust here and there, but nothing looks too bad to me. Maybe you guys can chime in on the condition?? I asked if he has ever put anticavitation solution in the coolant and he said no. He has owned it for around 5 years, so i dont know if the previous owner did or not. I am reading that older tractors can experience cylinder wall cavitation and start forming holes, and that there is a kit i can buy to test the coolant, which I am fine with doing. Can you guys tell me a little more about this and what exactly I need to do? Also, I have not put eyes on the tractor yet and it will be a couple weeks before I do. Other than starting and operating everything to check for function, checking underneath for fluid leaks, and obviously assessing any physical damage or issues, what would you guys recommend I check for? I am not new to diesel engines but I am brand new to tractors. Thanks a bunch fellas

Originally a good tractor. But now only as good as how it was used and maintained. This was not well cared for.

 

[Scott 730]

Originally a good tractor. But now only as good as how it was used and maintained. This was not well cared for.

It is a 55-60 year old tractor. What are you seeing that makes you arrive at the conclusion it was not well cared for? Beyond faded paint, some wrinkles in the canopy and front of hood, and a deteriorated seat, It looks like a 60 year old tractor to me. Hard to pass judgement on something with 1 picture to look at.

 

[JIM MN]

Looks not taken care of? Looks as if sat outside all its life? Diesel, find out what year? How many hours? Three point? Ask him if he actually did service the tractor regularly? The JD 2020 is a good tractor, built for seven years, good engine and transmission. When at tractor, check two oils levels, coolant level, starting, shifting, driving, steering, brakes, three point??

 

[trackrat]

duals would worry me why, flotation or traction, utility tractors weren't built for much hard pulling mostly mowing or light grading

 

[scootergmc]

From the photo it doesn't look terrible given what it is. Some guys take issue with anything that isn't restored, some guys say it's a deal if it runs and drives. It kind of looks like it was recently pressure washed and photographed. Wheels and tires don't have dirt or anything on them. I can't see any crustiness around the pump and a tractor that old will generally have crusty oil and goo and such around the fuel pump area or down the side/bottom of the block and pan. The transmission is a little hard to make out. Given it is back east I'd expect to see more worn paint and rust so maybe that's and indicator it has been kept inside/covered. The outside rear tires are cracked so consider the cost of tires if you were going to keep it dualed up. $5500 seems like a lot to me for that, but you know your local market better.

You say you are not new to diesel engines but do you have any actual mechanic experience and trust yourself to fix problems like a clutch, PTO clutch, troubleshoot hydraulics, etc? Buying an old tractor like this, no matter what, is going to require mechanical skills and understanding. Maintenance history is only just the beginning. There will be things to fix, adjust, replace, diagnose, etc. There will be parts (maybe obsolete) to source.

What is your actual budget, and what are your actual needs? What is your HP requirement? Is transmission style a factor in your decision? Or are you just looking for a cheap tractor?

 

[Raise]

duals would worry me why, flotation or traction, utility tractors weren't built for much hard pulling mostly mowing or light grading

He added the duals to mow along hillsides

 

[trackrat]

He added the duals to mow along hillsides

that answers the question

 

[Fordy20]

I bought a 2520 which, I think, has the same or similar engine. The block leaked at one of the liners from cavitation. Not much use to check with test strips if he says he hasn't maintained the coolant. On mine, when parked on a concrete floor after using it, I would see coolant on the floor below the breather tube which got worse and also would see oil mixed with it after using it for awhile. Pretty expensive to fix!

 

[Raise]

I bought a 2520 which, I think, has the same or similar engine. The block leaked at one of the liners from cavitation. Not much use to check with test strips if he says he hasn't maintained the coolant. On mine, when parked on a concrete floor after using it, I would see coolant on the floor below the breather tube which got worse and also would see oil mixed with it after using it for awhile. Pretty expensive to fix!

Thanks man. What exactly is the fix? I mean if cylinder walls start getting holes in them, arent you talking about a whole new bottom end?

 

[Roger in Iowa]

Thanks man. What exactly is the fix? I mean if cylinder walls start getting holes in them, arent you talking about a whole new bottom end?

Sleeves and pistons if cavitation holes.

 

[Raise]

Sleeves and pistons if cavitation holes.

Ok so it would only affect the sleeves, not the actual block itself?

 

[Fordy20]

Ok so it would only affect the sleeves, not the actual block itself?

On mine, the block was cavitated, not the liner,and the choice was either another block, or the dealer said there was somebody in town that could fix the block, but then if it didn’t take, I would wind up paying for them to take it apart again. So in my case, I just bought a new engine for it.

 

[Fordy20]

Ok so it would only affect the sleeves, not the actual block itself?

Forgot to mention, the dealer was able to test it before he took it apart with air I think, so he knew exactly which one leaked before I authorized a teardown.

 

[Ray,IN]

duals would worry me why, flotation or traction, utility tractors weren't built for much hard pulling mostly mowing or light grading

Harry Ferguson tractors were sized to farm 80 acres, from mowing to plowing with 2-bottom plows. His 2020 is a 60HP tractor, the Fergusons were all less than 40.

 

[Raise]

On mine, the block was cavitated, not the liner,and the choice was either another block, or the dealer said there was somebody in town that could fix the block, but then if it didn’t take, I would wind up paying for them to take it apart again. So in my case, I just bought a new engine for it.

Just curious, what engine did you have and how much was it to replace?

 

[Jim.ME]

A Dubuque built gas 2020 would have been a 180 cu. in. engine originally and the diesel would have been a 202 cu.in. engine, both were 4 cylinders.

 

[Raise]

A Dubuque built gas 2020 would have been a 180 cu. in. engine originally and the diesel would have been a 202 cu.in. engine, both were 4 cylinders.

Thanks Jim. Wonder how much an engine replacement would cost?

 

[Jim.ME]

Depends on if you want to find a running used one or one that is all rebuilt. It could be $1000 or it could be $7500. It depends how much of the swap, or rebuild, you can do. Many variables.

 

[Mark-Ia]

You're probably not going to need to mow that pasture or hillside more than a couple of times a year.