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Indydirtfarmer
09-28-2003 03:58:38
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Re: 4320 vs. 1066 in reply to John, 09-26-2003 19:30:37
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I tried to stay out of this one, but the GREEN vs. RED thing got the best of me! These two tractors weren't built to be hooked back to back, and pulled. They were built to be a "primary tractor" on big farms of the 60's and early 70's. There is a good bit of "baggage" that goes along with that. It seems that some people want them to be "retro-activley modern" That is, still able to be compared with the needs of today. They just won't make the grade. When the 4020 was introduced in 1963 (as a 1964 model) it was the state of the art, best tractor on the market, for big farms of the day. It propelled John Deere into the lead, as far as "market share" in the farm machinery industry goes. There were more 1966 4020's built, than any other year. In late 1970, the 4320 was introduced. It became a hot seller. The 4520 was a "good" tractor, but as Deere's first attemt as a "turbo tractor" it had a few design problems. The 4320 was a much better design. The 4520 was actually "upgraded" to the 4620. They were a giant in their day. The 4320 was still just a refined, and re-developed 4020. It wasn't untill the 1973 models came out, and the 4430 was introduced that the technology caught up with the demand for power in the 125 HP range. The 1066 was IH's tractor in the same power range. They were a little heavier, and had 10 cu. inches bigger engine. But much the same story. In those days, one company would make a step, then the other would make their move a year or two later. Back and forth they went. Both tractors got left in the dust, as the horsepower war raged on. Both were VERY GOOD tractors. When someone bought a tractor back then (Same thing applies nowdays too) they bought more than just the physical tractor. You buy the support of the company, the dealers ability to get you parts, and the long-term investment of your money. As I mentioned earlier, Deere took it's place as "market share" leader in the 60's. They have never looked back. IH began to "stumble" about that time. (Their problems can be traced back to financial decisions made in the late 1930's) It wasn't the fault of great tractors like the 1066, but they became "victims" of IH's demise. When Case bought the IH line, they saved the name, and some would argue that they even made a better tractor. Maybe. But things were never the same again. Resale values on IH tractors began to faulter. Dealers that had been in business for decades, shut their doors. New ones opened, but the "confidence" in IH was rattled to it's core. Were am I going with this? Like I said, you buy "THE BIG PICTURE" when you buy a tractor. In the grand scheme of things, John Deere took the tractors of the 60's and 70's, and bolted into the lead. IH took their product line of the same time, and back-slid into a distant second place. I'll take the 4320 any day! Granted, you might chain the two together, and one might drag the other backwards, you might dig four holes, or the chain might break. But take them out in the cornfield, and one led their respective company to the top, while the other just faded away.
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