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You might want to scan previous posts to this newsgroup...some months back someone claimed they were on the third engine overhaul before the power shift tranny went (some 17,000 plus hours supposedly). Hard to say if this is what one should come to expect, especially since one never knows how the tractors are used/abused. There has been some good advice in other posts concerning the powershift. When JD tested this transmission, I had heard (do not know if this is true) that they would shift from 8th gear forward directly into 4th reverse with engine at full power. I have a '64 4020D with powershift. Unknown number of hours. Transmission pressure gauge doesn't ride up as high as it should so I suspect I will be in for a rebuild sometime in the future. Keeping the transmission/hydraulic fluid clean is important to keep the transmission working a long time. Test drive the tractor before you buy. Make sure the transmission pressure gauge goes past the line (when you see the gauge you should know what I mean) when engine is at 2200 RPM. Shift on the go up and down. Pressure should not drop below the line. My dad had a '68 4020D powershift that had just been rebuilt and the pressure gauge hardly moved when shifting and stayed above the line even below 2200 RPMs. Mine doesn't. In fact it hardly gets above the line. Downshifting causes it to drop and not recover as well or sometimes not at all. Tractor still moves and seems to have the power to pull my small tillage equipment (12' and 13') with ease in 4th gear. One last observation...if you are going to do a lot of PTO work going backwards (such as a 3 point mount snowblower), powershift is better than synchro...has much slower reverse.
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