Analysis

Analysis

            In 1916, Deere and co. (present day John Deere) purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Works in Waterloo Iowa. This is the event that brought John Deere into the production of tractors. In 1923, their former tractor, the Waterloo Boy, was replaced by the John Deere model D, the first tractor to wear the John Deere name. Many other models of tractors were introduced through the 1920’s and 30’s including the model A and B. Production of these so called lettered series tractors lasted until 1952, when the company introduced the first of the numbered series, the models 50 and 60. The models 40, 70 and 80 would soon follow. In 1956, production of the 20 series began. These were replacements of the numbered series and tractors were similar in design, although some improvements were made. The 30 series was introduced late in 1958. These replaced the 20 series tractors and were again similarly mechanically designed with slight changes in appearance. All John Deere tractors to this time had ran on two cylinder engines, most gasoline, but a few had diesel engine options. None exceeded seventy five horse power. The main opinions of farmers were that you either loved these two cylinder tractors or you hated them.  The New generation tractors were introduced in 1960, which included the models 3010 and 4010.

The John Deere model 4020 (1963-1972) is the best tractor ever made, in the history of farming. It provided advanced features and unsurpassed power that competitors had never dreamed of or began engineering of yet. Some features took competitors up to twenty years to catch. The 4020 was the best-selling tractor of the era and was the most popular tractor in history. Virtually every farmer, no matter the equipment they may use, knows about the John Deere 4020.

            An article in the green magazine, 4010 + upgrades = JD 4020, by Benjamin Hain, points out key points in explaining the significance in the John Deere 4010 and 4020 tractors. Hain first states; “John Deere’s innovative 4010 tractor was easily one of the greatest successes any tractor company had since the industry was created. The 4010 had a plethora of innovative features that the rest of the industry hadn’t even dreamed of yet or were only experimenting with” (Hain). This shows the significance of the 4010 in its competition. It was a step or two ahead of its competitors, which include Farmall and Oliver, as well as Allis Chalmers. “If that wasn’t enough to take the wind out of the competitors sails, it was introduced so suddenly and unexpectedly that even Deere’s own salespeople needed to catch their breath at its release” (Hain). The model 4010 was introduced very quickly with very little warning. This helped insure that the competitors had no way to compete with the 4010 at its release. The 4010 was a very popular tractor and sales sky rocketed, but nothing is perfect. Some of the customers who had purchased the John Deere model 4010 tractor had wrote letters to the John Deere engineers with some suggested improvements. The engineers used these suggestions to design an improved tractor. These improved tractors made up the next series of the New Generation classification; the 20 series, and includes the John Deere model 4020. “When the 4020 diesel was tested in Nebraska in the fall of 1963, the first of these improvements was on display. Giving the engine an additional .125 inches of bore resulted in 24 more cubic inches of displacement and improved the horsepower of the tractor by about seven” (Hain). Horsepower has always been a big deal in farming. Tractors need horsepower, and most importantly, they need to be able to get the horsepower to the ground. Any spinning is a loss of horsepower and any internal components that rub or touch in a machine are a loss of horsepower. The John Deere engineers incorporated this in the fact that the engine is mounted directly on the transmission, while the other manufacturers, like Farmall, had a separate gear box called a torque amplifier, between the engine and transmission on they’re farm tractors, which resulted in a loss of engine horsepower making it to the ground. “Now capable of producing more than 90 horsepower, the 4020 diesel continued to stand ahead of its competition” (Hain). The John Deere model 4020 was yet another step ahead of the competition from the competitors. It had unseen horsepower ratings, and was also introduced quickly, only three years after the 4010. One of the major improvements and advanced features of the model 4020 was the new Power Shift transmission. Up until that time, while operating a tractor, you would just have to pick the right gear and stay in it. If the soil began to make the tractor pull hard or bog down excessively, you would have to stop and change to a lower gear. Some of John Deere’s competitors had simple sorts of solutions to these problems, which were known as torque amplifiers. “Minneapolis-Moline had its ampli-torc and Magna Power systems, Ford had Select-O-Speed and Case had Case-o-Matic” (Hain). These were not like a Power Shift transmission, but a separate gear box on the transmission that would tighten up and slow the tractor down while in tough conditions. “Deere never produced this system commercially, as it believed (and sold tractors under this premise) that “Torque Amplifiers” of that kind were no more than “Torque Substitutes” and that a good tractor should be able of getting work done without resorting to such workarounds” (Hain). This statement from Hain expresses John Deere’s feelings on the production of Torque Amplifiers and the reason that the company chose to create an entirely new concept of transmission. The new Transmission was not at all a workaround. The operator could actually shift between gears while moving, and there was only one lever needed to do so. This was a huge advantage for farmers who may have hard clay soils in their fields. The Power Shift transmission is very common among the new tractors of today. You will probably not be able to find a farm tractor that is brand new with-out a Power Shift transmission. The 4020 also had a float ride and adjustable seat, which was designed with the help of chiropractors, to offer the best seating positions. These were called Personal Posture seats, and were the first to be introduced among the farming industry. These are also very common today. The 4020 was also the first to offer roll over protection and axel mounted dual rear wheels, along with Manufactured Front Wheel Drive/ Front Wheel Assist, which is known in the automotive industry as four wheel drive. The John Deere 4020 was the tractor that started the modern tractor industry. It began the many advanced features of today and was a few steps ahead of the competition. The 4020 is a classic today, but yet still has many of the modern features, making the John Deere model 4020 the best tractor ever made.