JD 4020 powershift moves in neutral

FarmerCline

New User
I have a 1971 JD 4020 powershift that I bought without looking it over first that has turned out to be a money pit. When in neutral the tractor will keep moving as if it is in gear but will stop if I press the brakes. It does this in both forward and reverse depending on which direction a was moving before putting it in neutral. What will it take to fix this? JD dealer said it is likely a transmission problem and will require splitting the tractor.

I have already spent way too much money on this tractor but at this point I have done so much already I might as well finish fixing the rest of the issues.
 
(quoted from post at 13:11:28 12/28/15) I have a 1971 JD 4020 powershift that I bought without looking it over first that has turned out to be a money pit. When in neutral the tractor will keep moving as if it is in gear but will stop if I press the brakes. It does this in both forward and reverse depending on which direction a was moving before putting it in neutral. What will it take to fix this? JD dealer said it is likely a transmission problem and will require splitting the tractor.

I have already spent way too much money on this tractor but at this point I have done so much already I might as well finish fixing the rest of the issues.

A little drag in the tranny is normal but It should not go over a 2x4.
 
Some crawl is normal especially when oil is cold.
You could also have a little disc warpage if drag is excessive.
 
I also have a 3020 powershift and it does not move in neutral at all but it has way less hours and wear than the 4020. I do not care for the creeping of this 4020 and would like to fix it....don't really want to call it a creep because it moves more than just a creep. I kind of doubt a 2x4 would stop it on flat ground. It was doing this when the oil was hot as well as cold.
 
hello, get a pressure gauge and hookup at CLUTCH port on the clutch pedal housing, with pedal up read about 150
psi. check to be sure pressure drops to '0' .. with pedal down. C2 clutch is involved in forward 3--8 speeds
and 3-4 reverse. if the pressure dropped in the test, probably the C2 clutch pack has been slipped & warped
causing clutch drag in the listed speeds. be sure oil & filter are clean, check sump screen also, if trans. system
pressure is low, you need to fix that problem along with splitting & replacing WARPED clutch disks.
 
When its in nuetral, creeping and the brakes are applied does the engine labour? If it doesn't all is normal
 
(quoted from post at 17:33:58 12/28/15) hello, get a pressure gauge and hookup at CLUTCH port on the clutch pedal housing, with pedal up read about 150
psi. check to be sure pressure drops to '0' .. with pedal down. C2 clutch is involved in forward 3--8 speeds
and 3-4 reverse. if the pressure dropped in the test, probably the C2 clutch pack has been slipped & warped
causing clutch drag in the listed speeds. be sure oil & filter are clean, check sump screen also, if trans. system
pressure is low, you need to fix that problem along with splitting & replacing WARPED clutch disks.
I will give it a try. Brand new oil and filters and sump srceen has been cleaned. When I changed the hydraulic oil filters right after I got the tractor they were collapsed.
 
(quoted from post at 18:47:55 12/28/15) When its in nuetral, creeping and the brakes are applied does the engine labour? If it doesn't all is normal
The engine does not lug when brakes are applied, it just stops. It really is more than just a creep, it moves along pretty good. For those that are saying that this is normal for a powershift why doesn't my 3020 powershift do this?
 
(quoted from post at 21:52:40 12/28/15) For those that are saying that this is normal for a powershift why doesn't my 3020 powershift do this?

You should consider checking trans pressures on your 3020 as grwrench suggested for you do on your 4020. You may find clutch pressure or other trans function lower than spec's
 
If I remember right[50 years ago] our brand new power shift 4020 tractor would creep some.If the PTO starts and stops correctly and it shifts in all the gears and the brakes stop it just put it in park when sitting.I know of a couple cases where the repair bill was more than tractor was worth.I had a neighbor that thought my original low houred 4020 was too high so bought a perfectly painted one with new tires and gauges and had me look at it and I told him it was beautiful.After fixing all the internal problems he told me mine would have been free and had some money left over.Mechanical problems cost about 4X more than refurbishing.
 
I think if you look in your tech manual it calls those
positions of your shifter neutral forward and neutral
reverse and there might be pressure readings for
those positions. It should stop in the neutral neutral
position. Some drag is normal like others have said.
The main shift valve might be worn sending too
much oil pressure to the forward clutch pack making
it move.
 
(quoted from post at 06:28:50 12/29/15) If I remember right[50 years ago] our brand new power shift 4020 tractor would creep some.If the PTO starts and stops correctly and it shifts in all the gears and the brakes stop it just put it in park when sitting.I know of a couple cases where the repair bill was more than tractor was worth.I had a neighbor that thought my original low houred 4020 was too high so bought a perfectly painted one with new tires and gauges and had me look at it and I told him it was beautiful.After fixing all the internal problems he told me mine would have been free and had some money left over.Mechanical problems cost about 4X more than refurbishing.
Yeah, repair bills can really add up.....I have already spent way more than the tractor is worth. The smart thing to do would have been to cut my losses from the start and resold it for what I could have but I didn't realize at the time how much it was going to cost to get it back into good mechanical condition.
 
Out of curiosity I got my 3020 out of the barn today.....I was wrong it does have a slight creep in neutral when on flat ground. It is a slow creep and I guess that is why I never noticed it before when I wasn't specifically looking for it. I probably thought it was just rolling due to the ground. The 4020 on the other hand takes off like it is in a gear that is about half the speed of 1st. Is this amount of creeping normal? The brakes do stop it without lugging the engine and it doesn't move in park. I will pressure test when I get a chance. This 4020 also has a lot of slop in the shifter.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top