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| Half Century of Progress Show played host to JD 8020 reunion |
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The 8020 has a unique story, and this workhorse was the subject of discussion at this year’s Half Century of Progress Show. The Friends of John Deere celebrated 50 years of the development of the 8010 tractor.
This wasn’t the first time the group met to mull over the history and mystery of the tractor that began its life as one model and ended up as another.
Held in the Chanute Air Force Museum, engineers who worked on these mega-tractors – Gerry Mortensen, Bob Haight and Robert Ivenson – shared their pictures and their memories, and answered questions from a crowd of 8020 owners and admirers.
Once the crowed settled in the standing-room only area, coordinator Darryl Fischer noted, “We are walking through history. We met in 1996, 2006 – and now.”
The tractor originally began as an 8010 and was later recalled by the factory and renamed 8020. The origin of the tractor makes sense – farmers were hooking tractors together and buying Wagner tractors to gain horsepower.
Deere decided to take advantage of the interest in more power, especially for those big farms out West. This was during the late 1950s, when Deere ordered 100 of these tractors built. Today, approximately 74 have survived.
The tractors did not sell well, in part due to the high price tag of $32,000. The tractors were made at the same time Deere was building the New Generation tractors, and these bulky, different machines were strange to look at after the New Generation brand.
Built with a 238 hp Detroit Diesel, most of the 8010s were JD green; however, a few were yellow, for construction. The highlight of the tractors, besides their power, was that they offered articulated steering and four-wheel drive.
The hitch appeared when Deere discovered that the 8010s had mechanical issues severe enough to require a total recall. They went back to the factory as 8010s and came out renumbered as 8020s – and that is why 8010s are virtually unheard of today. Following the 8020s, from 1968-71 John Deere sold the WA-14 and WA-17, which were built by Wagner.
The meeting earlier this year offered highlights of the tractors from the engineers’ perspectives. They shared details about the beginning of the 8020: This project got started in 1953 or so and began with tire research. Fifty years ago, tires were just built; no one had any idea how they worked. The 1826 was as big a tire as one could build, and out West the farmers needed bigger equipment.
Haight joked about the tractor and shared with the crowd that the best way to design a good tractor is to make the builders service it.
Iverson said the 8010 was his first work experience: “I started at home on an F12 Farmall and I thought ‘If that’s the best they can do, I don’t want any part of it.’”
The Half Century of Progress was a great place to see 8020s and learn about these historic machines.
Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication. |
| 11/25/2009 |
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