3020 gas hard starting problem

I keep reading over and over again in different forums of how the gas version of 3020 has problems with starting and wouldn't start easy, or after it started, it wouldn't run or idle smoothly, or after it warmed up, it would die, etc, etc and etc. I also read where people would spend hundreds of dollars and take to a Deere dealer and still it won't run right.

I have been looking for a 3020 gas, but the more I read, this it kinds of scares me that maybe this is not a tractor I want.

My question here is, did the 3020 gas have some sort of real inherent problem with the ignition system or the carburation that just made it impossible to run correctly, or is it just the fault of people who don't know how to tune it correctly and adjust it correctly?

I know the aluminum carbs were problems, but I read that even after people invest in a zenith carb , still they have problems.

Also another question I have is.... What is a balancer , and how do you know if it is bad? I read this is a inherent problem in these tractors.

I believe most of the issues are because of a carburetor and cold intake manifold.

A balancer is a shaft with offset weights that rotates to try and counter balance the inherent vibrations in the engine.

Most of the problems can be traced back to Bubba tinkering with a 46+ year old wiring harness and connections .

Dad has a 4020 gas since around 1992 ? use it very little and even less now. Went over it with a fine tooth comb tuning it up when I got it. Been an A-1 + reliable unit ever since. We have a loader and rear blade on it and I used to use it for all our snow removal. It sat in an unheated pole building in north central Ohio and always popped right off in the coldest of weather !
Still have it. It has been even used less each year. It now does get spoiled as it is in a heated building ! Every so often Dad takes it for a spin and sometimes when we need to move something big and heavy it gets used. I don't know why so many people have so much trouble with them ? But I bet it has a lot to do with the fact a lot of people can't get any of the 2 cyls. to run right either until they brought them to me to fix. I have seen a lot of screwed up stuff over the years.

Check the rod from the carb. to the governer . The gov. pivot will stick so the carb wont close the throttle and/or hold it open .Work some good penetrant in there . They are fussey as to carb settings .set the hand throttle at about 1000 rpm and full choke until they fire up and then abt. half choke from there . Manifold needs to be set to hot in cold weather . Unless you are plowing in 85* weather it wont necessary need to be changed to hot .If you can find one get a starter for a 4020 LP . Its tight but it will fit. Then find the biggest amp battery you can .

How can you tell if it going bad or is bad? If it is bad, is this something noticeable when you start up the tractor ?

I don't know what other forums you've been on but I know on this forum you've been told several times that a gas 3020 is the biggest boat anchor you can buy. My dad bought a brand new one and it was a miserable starter when it was warm, forget starting it in winter. His 4010 diesel would start much better in winter than that thing. There was 4 other gas 3020's bought at the same time in this area. All of them were junk and the owners let JD repossess them. My dad was stuck with his because he paid for his out right. My uncles JD 2510 gas would run circles around my dads 3020. That's why I have 2 2510's now and no 3020's.

I might be wrong but I think it might have been jdseller that did a little reading on the gas new generation tractors. Seems like he posted that when you are adjusting the carburetor it is backwards of most other carbs. You are adjusting the air not the fuel.

My neighbor has a 3010 gas. It was a hard starter when he got it. I built a battery box right below the starter and put a group 31 battery in it. Then put a electronic.ignition plus coil on it. It is 5 here and it will start if throttle is almost closed. Choke is pulled and you wiggle the steering wheel as you crank it.

There's so many people with so many different experiences that you really won't know until you try a particular tractor yourself. My uncle's 3020 gas has always been a great winter starter even below 0. There's people like me who have had good experiences with a 3020 gas and there's those who have had terrible experiences. Bottom line is EVERY tractor (and engine especially) is different. So if you come across one you might buy look it over carefully, test drive it, and ask a lot of questions because you have to know what THAT particular tractor is gonna be like.

Just because one is good or bad doesn't mean they're all good or bad.

Good luck with your hunt.

David G answered your question regarding the balancer. To maybe expand on it though, Deere built a dynamic balancer device that is bolted from one side to the other across the bottom of the block AFTER the crankshaft is installed. The balancer assembly has two counter rotating shafts that are timed to each other and to the crankshaft which drives it directly. This balancer assembly counters the natural VERTICAL vibration that is part of all in line 4 cylinder engines.

What follows is NOT a slam and is not meant to be negative to or about any other brand! If you ever leave a loose hitch pin in the drawbar (either the frame or the swinging drawbar, doesn't matter) of a 4 cylinder in line engine powered tractor (such as a Farmall M, or a Minnie), that hitch pin will rattle & vibrate until the engine stops! This is very simply the nature of the 4 cylinder engine and it does not matter who made it! Deere designed & used this "balancer assembly" to counter those natural vibrations. The result is, the loose hitch pin hanging in the drawbar of a 3010 or 3020 doesn't rattle like that. Neither do a lot of other things like the sheet metal, the muffler, the head lamps or you as you hang onto the steering wheel. Again I insist this is not a slam it is simply the nature of the in line 4 engine no matter who builds it! If the Deere balancer assembly looses a bearing & ruins a shaft, they're often just removed. The natural in line 4 cylinder vibration then becomes noticeable in the 3010 and 3020.

Some automobiles have similar "balancer shafts" in their 4 cylinder engines just to counter that same natural "in line 4 cylinder" vibration.

As to the other issues, I too have a 3020 GAS with the dreaded Marvel USX carb. One of the reasons the previous owner was glad to be rid of it was it was hard to start & very cantankerous to run! His dealer did not resolve his problems. He switched dealerships and bought a new JD diesel with a hydrostatic transmission. Being a glutton for punishment I bought the 3020 and found it a miracle that it would start & run as well as it did! Though clean as a new dinner plate inside this carburetor's float was so bound up (simply maladjusted) that it would not swing on the pivot shaft when turned upside down. Fuel levels were not at all constant. The bad fuel pump was not much help either. One valve in it was never properly installed at the factory. Carb parts (one spring & two ball check valves) were simply missing! The accelerator pump is a vacuum operated diaphragm pump and this one's diaphragm was about as soft & pliable as the lid of a Campbell's soup can! Like Buick & Deere said, a lot of these "bad credits" can justly belong to previous "repairers". I also found a nice 12 volt (no external resistor needed) coil on mine! But the 3020 used a coil that DOES need the external resistor and this tractor has that resistor in it! With the proper coil on it and some new carb parts and a lot of adjusting he went from a troublesome start at 60? to a no problem start in the single digits! I've not tried in sub zero.

Don't get me wrong. I acknowledge the USX is a picky & sensitive carb. Yes the idle mix adjuster is an AIR screw and it's easy to turn it the wrong way to give it more or less gas which will not help!

All that said, If the previous owner is one of those who could "break the horn on a anvil" then you may have trouble with his old 3010 or 3020! Same as if it was a Minnie U, a Farmall M or a Cockshutt 50.

Hope that helps some.

PS..... A bad starter solenoid can function properly as far as the starter is concerned yet fail to short the ignition resistor while cranking and cause these tractors to be chronic hard starts!

Bubba shoudnt be allowed to have a tractor or a computer to post
about the tractor he knows nothing about. That would solve most
of the problems with a particular tractor right there

I bought my gas 3020 for a net cost of $1800, after selling the loader off it. Reason I got it so cheap? It was not wanting to start, and guy was going to have to have it worked on before he could sell it. Well, I spent too much on it because I repainted it and everything, but I got on it the other day at about 10 degrees and it fired up on what seemed like half a revolution of the engine! What I did to help it was a pertronix ignition and coil, alternator instead of generator, relay ahead of the starter solenoid, and a new poly gas tank to get rid of the rust! I think it runs better in winter than in summer. Sometimes in summer it wants to load up while idling and start puffing black smoke. They can be made to work, but bottom line is I would still give $2000 plus the gasser for a comparable 3020 diesel if I had the chance. Kind of like the difference between the girl who has been going out with you versus the one that keeps turning you down.

Your going to have to give more than $2,000 over a gas to get a diesel more than likely. It was always at least $ 3,000 or so in the past.
If you are wanting a 4020 gas like I did years ago they actually are hard to find.

The first tractor I learned to drive was a 3010 gasoline powered tractor, which my grandfather purchased new. My dad talked about it being a big of a "dog" until they replaced the Marvel Schebler carburetor with a Zenith. At one time, we had the 3010, along with a 3020 and a 4020 (both gasoline powered) on the farm together for a few years. The 3020 and 4020 both had the Marvel Schebler carburetors, and both were pretty gutsy tractors compared to the neighbors and friends who had 3020 and 4020 gasoline tractors with Zenith carburetors. The common comment from them was "doggy" and "gas hogs." The 4020 was thirsty, but gutsy. The 3020 was gutsy, but could be stingy on fuel, particularly on lighter loads like planting, cultivating, etc. After having the 3020 for nearly 40 years, the Marvel Schebler carburetor could not be repaired any more as the cast aluminum had warped, so we installed a new Zenith from "Robert's" from Spencer, Iowa. It starts great (even below 0)! It runs great! It does not foul plugs! Not quite as "gusty/powerful." IT DRINKS A LOT OF GASOLINE NOW! As I had posted in a prior submission, I never thought it was possible for a 3020 gasoline powered tractor to drink 7 gallons of gasoline per hour. I don't recall it ever doing that before. It has a thirst for gasoline under light load conditions, too. Fortunately, it does not get used heavily anymore and its primary role is yard/loader tractor, minimal mowing, and road ditch spraying. If I want to use it more, I might pursue the electronic fuel injection I have read about, but for the few hours put on it now, I will stick with what we have. I suspect those who have read my "ranting posts" on this topic are getting sick of reading my story, but I want to at least share our experiences with these carburetor issues with those who are looking for information.

I believe the harmonic engine balancer in the 3010/3020 is quite different as compared to the 2510/2520. The 3010/3020 has those 2 spinning gears (one is counter weighted) turning in the crankshaft balancer assembly, and driven from the crankshaft. I believe the rest of the Deere 4 cylinder engines (even the current 4 cylinder diesel engines) have two counter weighted balancer shafts running at 2x the speed of the crankshaft to counter the vibration of a 4 cylinder engine. To my recollection, the 3020 had the balancer assembly rebuilt when the engine was overhauled back in the 1970's or early 1980's. It wasn't giving any problems then, but decided to tend to that matter at that point. I recall my father telling me about having to have some work done to the balancer assembly on the 3010 in the late 1960's. These are the only two times I recall the issue being brought up. I tried to copy and paste a photo of a balancer assembly, but I am not the best at this computer stuff. I found pictures of them when I did a search. As and example, All States Ag comes up showing a picture of a rebuilt unit.