JD 4320 - best tractor ever?

steve terplak · Jan 29, 2012

The talk about different flops from various manufacturers makes me wonder about that age-old question of the best tractor ever...

i am a MF guy and have never been disappointed with any of my machines...my grandfather bought our 165 gasser new in 1971 and it has been the daily workhorse around here for 40 years, same w/ our 265...so for me...40 years of service with no major malfunctions or breakdowns...so i understand that each person will have a different opinion

but
from what i understand a JD 4020 is up there with the best of the best all around tractors...big production #s, plenty of power, many still in use...revered by collectors.
however
i remember reading a while ago that the 4320 was a 4020 on steroids...every part of it heavy-duty and beefed up...some turning 130 hp easy...15K hrs before overhaul...
so..
is the 4320 the most well-built tractor?

Greg K · Jan 29, 2012

Clang! Round one!

Greg K · Jan 29, 2012

Everyone to their corners and remember hands up, no punches below the belt, no biting or eye gouging. ;>

Anonymous-0 · Jan 29, 2012

I have always been an IH guy but I have never seen a JD 4320 that didn't bring a premium price on an auction. I know several people that have them and none have had any problems. Maybe it was the best.

KIP in MX · Jan 29, 2012

Don't know about the best, but what I don't understand is why the 4320 isn't being collected more than 4020's since it was only made two years and only 21000 made as opposed to 184000 4020's.

Here's my 1971.

donjr · Jan 29, 2012

Might have the beginnings of a war here---

steve terplak · Jan 29, 2012

by the way...
no intentions on starting a war...
as stated...MF guy...own nothing w/ green or IH red...its just that what i have heard about 4320s intrigues me..and makes me wonder...not necessarily most popular...just most well-built.

LarryT · Jan 29, 2012

I think you need to differentiate by application. For small jobs I don't think you can beat the longevity of the 8n series Fords and the 126 Massey. For moderate I think the H and M have held up well. I was never impressed by the Green tractors in either of these categories. We have had a 2020 and an MT. Both were very high maintenance and the other tractors would work circles around them. I prefer my 1206 to just about any other tractor in its category. I have 14,000 hrs. on it and still hasn't had the engine opened. The injector pump was overhauled and I had to change the top cover and shifter arms on top, but that is it. I like the Steiger for the really large tractor. My uncle had a Case and a Ford and a Steiger, and the Steiger seemed to me to be the tractor of choice. Change oil and filters and keep clean fuel in it and hold on because it will run all day and night and it's just like the energizer bunny. But as many as there are tractors and people here there are going to be as many opinions and for that reason most will never agree and the different manufacturers will continue to build. Some will be excellent and others junk. But as long as we love them the tractor will continue to be an icon of our freedom and innovative society.

steve terplak · Jan 29, 2012

amen to that last sentence.
like i said - for me, my 165 and 265 are the greatest tractors ever made...my NH 273 baler and 479 haybine have been working non-stop for 40 years...
can't beat that with a stick

bison · Jan 29, 2012

(quoted from post at 13:38:57 01/29/12) amen to that last sentence.
like i said - for me, my 165 and 265 are the greatest tractors ever made...[b:e8c5da4d17]my NH 273 baler and 479 haybine have been working non-stop for 40 years[/b:e8c5da4d17]...can't beat that with a stick

hat 'non-stop'is what?..'30 (if that much)..10 hr day's out of a yr?.
When you break that down in actual acres or hrs cut and bales made,it might not be that impressive no more. :wink:

i use my haybine to cut 300 acre a year,that's 60 hrs in total x 30 yrs,thats only 1200 hr...no big deal :wink:

olliekid · Jan 29, 2012

the 4020 and 4320 have quite a few differences beyond just the turbo. The 4020 is a much better tractor. Overall, the 4320 is a decent tractor but it is one of the worst in its class in fuel consumption per hour. It also is a notoriously hard starting engine. Another beef is that the 404 turbo needs to be ran high RPMS before you can even move a piece of tillage equipment. The 4430 and 4320 at work needed to be running wide open to pull the plow and the 806 and 1066 would just hum right along at much lower RPMS.

They are a good tractor and were certainly well built, I am knit-picking. I am not biased to JD or IH because I am a Oliver/White guy personally.

By the way the 165 is a great tractor. Really handy and dependable. Dad used to have a 165 but now he has a 1080.

gtractorfan · Jan 29, 2012

In the antique category guy I know has a Minney UB pulling tractor that's done a lot of pulls at 110 h.p. He told me the previous owner farmed with it at 80 h.p. for 20 years pulling a 4 bottom plow then worked the ground with an 18' field cultivator. How long would those last if kept stock?

Tony S. · Jan 29, 2012

Better check that math.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 29, 2012

Spent a lot of hours on 4320s. Dad had two of them as well as a 4020. My brother still uses all 3 on his farm. Horsepower and fuel economy is better than the Nebraska test would have you believe. If you read the full test I believe it was discovered the turbo was damaged on tear down after the test. Very good tractors, no problems or excessive wear that you wouldnt expect on a tractor that was worked hard for many hours, although the clutch is marginal for the power of the engine. I would prefer a 4320 over a 1066 anyday.

jwal10 · Jan 29, 2012

I think the 706 Farmall was very over built. Same engine as the 656 but a heavier transmission/ rear end....James

LarryT · Jan 29, 2012

Not when your growing wheat, beets and sorghum over 28 sections.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 29, 2012

nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!

showcrop · Jan 29, 2012

my neighbors had two 4320s. I didn't think that they shifted very well. They never had many problems, but they rarely started them in the winter. Or in the summer either come to think of it. But if you are going to have a contest to choose a winner you need to have criteria. One criteria that is often used is how well did they sell. By that criteria no one can dispute that Ford 8N is the best tractor of all time.

NY 986 · Jan 29, 2012

The best tractor is the one your dad had when you were sixteen and used it to sneak off with your (virtuous) girlfriend down to the back hayfield on a warm July evening.

LarryT · Jan 29, 2012

17,928 acres Does that compute?

LarryT · Jan 29, 2012

counting the house and farm area

scotc · Jan 30, 2012

I grew up on red tractors, and now work for a guy who has green. The 4020 isn't a bad tractor. It turns about the same RPM as the 756, less than the 786 and the 66's. The 786, 966, and 1066 will flat out outrun it on the road though. And the 4430, 4450, and 4840 as well. Add in the torque amplifier, and for my money, it's red any day.

scotc · Jan 30, 2012

Sorry, I forgot to mention the shift pattern. That's why we had red tractors. Grandpa had a 4020 on order, saw the 756 being pulled out of the shop after being traded at another Deere dealer, drove it a half mile, and cancelled the order on the 4020. He couldn't shift the 4020.

The Dukester · Jan 30, 2012

Over a lengthy span of time (10-12 years) I think the Farmall M's work in the fields and around the farmsteads paid for more farms than any other model of any make...before or since. Lots of others were good...but for many, many years the M was the standard by which the others were judged.

ps...I've got John Deere G's now for toys. (darned turncoat, ain't I?)

bison · Jan 30, 2012

(quoted from post at 15:20:08 01/29/12) Better check that math.

K,make that 1800 hrs then,still no record. :wink:

Rick Kr · Jan 30, 2012

Two out of your three... big productions numbers and plenty still in use.

That would be the Ford N series.

Not so big on power today. But not too shabby when they first came out.

Now I don't own an N, don't think I have ever sat/drove one. They were a game changer with the 3 point, even if they didn't invent it. They are a good tractor.

I know some will dis-agree, even some believe if you drive an N series within 50 feet of a tree it will roll over on its operator. Some even claim to have seen it happen.

rick

JD 4320 - best tractor ever?

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