What IHC tractor compares to 71' 4020

I have a 71' 4020D John Deere and I would like to know what tractor did IHC produce to compete with this tractor of this size and year. I always read that the 4020 was the best tractor ever built, but I have seen its flaws! I still like the tractor but I would also like to have a IHC to compare it to for myself. What model do you recommend and how much should it cost for a field ready version, (no work needed) but not restored.

856

Grademan: I would have said, somewhere between a 706 and 806. Definitely more tractor than the 706, but I've never seen a 4020 that will measure up to an 806, unless it was a Fri. afternoon built 806. Most 806s exceeded their ratings by 10% to 20%

826-856 take your choice . A few years back one of the neighbors wanted to fill a Worm and all he had was 2 S/MAT's A WD45 Ally Cat and a 8 N ford Nothing to run the bagger My buddy was doing the choppen and that ment that the 1066 would be on the chopper the 706 was going to pull the wagons along with the S/MTA's . Well that left my 806 for the big bagger . Well we took it over and the guy that brought in the bagger said OH that will never run this bagger as we tryed with a 4020 and it would bring that 4020 to her knees and we had to put the 4430 on and that was just about enough . Well we have a 806 and it will have to do . oh it will never do it and if you plug then you guys will have a lot of digging to do . Well he stayed till we got the first ten loads in showing us how to make the adjustments and as we unloaded in to the bagger on the high side of the gear boxes on the wagons the old ratty looking 806 of mine was taking everything we could put out at full throttle on the unloading tractors and all the 806 did was make more smoke and fire out the stack.Never killed it and all old Fred could say was man i never thought that old 806 could do it man that tractor has some balls. So bring on your 4020's .

If TV's 806 was stronger than a 4430 it was probably turned up a little bit. Would have been fun to watch it open up and snort a little.

What'd really be fun would be to hear your tractor run with a little extra methane comin' through the air intake added to the fuel mix. Oh, well.

966 Black Stripe, 1974 Model. Easy on fuel, TA, 16 speeds, Dual fuel filters, dual oil filters, coolant filter. Should ne able to get a GOOD one for 7000.

Gordo

Steve: I was never around those 30 series Deere very much. A neighbor had a 4630 and something burned some wires when it was new. I trucked it off to the Deere dealer for him. He thinking I'd bring back a replacement, however the dealer didn't have anything that hp in stock. The dealer asked if I'd rent him my 1066 to keep his customer chopping silage. I agreed and the guy took my 1066 for a couple days until the 4630 was fixed.

When he brought it back, I asked how it worked for him. His responce, "By the hell, it makes that damn Deere look sick." I always thought 1466 and 4630 were a match, at least according to specs. My 1066 cranked out 155+ from the day it was new. I know there were several months of chewing the rag before Deere had him happy. Must have been one of those Fri. afternoon built tractors. They did make it work right in the end.

Good thing as the customer was a true John Deere man, but he was also quite hard to get along with. Very bull headed. Later in life he had heart problems, had to have a pace maker. He didn't get along well with that either. A group of farmers and the Deere dealer were having a chat. Someone suggested to the Deere dealer that Deere should start making pace makers, might solve G's problems. I must have caught him in a weaker moment when he said 1066 made the 4630 look sick. I never thought he'd say that even if it were true.

Gordon: That would be a hard find, don't think ant black stripes were built until 75. I'd still take a good 806 or 856 first.

An 856 would be my choice for that age tractor to compete with the 4020. The hydraulic system would be the only sticking point as a lot of Deere guys are not adaptable to the open center system. I spent my last four years before retirement working on the green ones so got a little aquainted with them. One thing I had heard and suspected for years and found out to be very true, them green guys will put a ton of money into their machines and suck it up, much more so than the red owners. Years ago, one of our customers had a 1206 and was looking to trade it off, a Deere dealer told him all the superior points of their tractor, this was when the 4520 was introduced. To make a long story short he traded his 12 for the Deere, used it a couple of days and took it back and demanded his 12 back and got it. He was a little on the hard headed side though.

If an 856 will run with my 806 then a 4020 will be no match for an 856. My 806 will out pull a 4020 day in and day out. I even had the local JD dealer tell me that the 4020 was not a 6 bottom tractor. I pull that with the 806. The 856 would be the time frame as they where made from 1968-1971 the 856 will be nicer to drive as the shifting is better there. The 8560and 806 will weight more than a 4020. The closed center hydraulics are where the deere have the advantage. The only one though.

IH had an ad back in those days. "826 out performs 4020, and costs less too" I think is what it said. I'm sure they were comparing it to an early 4020, but I believe it. We had an 826 and an 856. I don't know about the 26, but there is no 4020 that will out do an 856.

Dad bought a 4430 after I left home. I never drove it in the field.