JD 3010 diesel pros cons

chas036

Member
I am going to look at a 3010 diesel syncro transmission that will be in an auction soon and I was wondering what I should look for as major problems that would keep me from bidding on it. I have no experience with new generation tractors or diesels. All my experience has been with two cylinder gas models.

From the pictures it looks like it was well taken care of, but I know from past experiences that when a tractor is in a consignment auction, many times it is there because it has some sort of major problem that the owner does not want to deal with, or be responsible for if he sold it himself. So any help on what to look for, or what to test out would be helpful.
 
I'm not going to write a book about all the things that went wrong with mine,I know there are lemons and tractors that just weren't taken care of,but the one I had was the second worst tractor I ever owned, and that's a lot of tractors. It was a close second to a Farmall 706. I think most folks who've ever had a 3010 and a 3020 will tell you that a 3010 is no replacement for a good 3020.
 
In other words, you are saying that they were an inherently bad designed tractor and I should stay away from them, and it is not worth the risk. Were the gas version bad also?
 
Uncle bought one 35 plus years ago, overhauled 20 years ago. His is bullet proof. Was a planter, cultivating, and grinder tractor. And his son can destroy an anvil with a rubber mallet. Neighbors and family always wanted to have companies send equipment to him for testing. He would find the faults!!!!!!!!!!!! Still used today on feeder wagon duty.
 
Personally I do not like the way those 4 cylinders run and sound. I would much rather have a 4020 !
The 10 series could have issues with the bolt on PTO shaft staying tight. Also inside there is a pin that can break that has to do with the 540 to 1000 speed change over. Very hard to get at to replace I hear.
Those 4 cyl. engines can also have issues with the balancer boxes. Engine for those are hard to find replacements as they were not used in anything else.
It would have to go cheap to take the risk of a consignment machine where you can't really test it out first.
 
No one they weren?t a bad design but the 20 series was in improvement. The 10 series was still better than anything else at that time
 

Randy
All JD 3010's certainly weren't as bad as the one you've referred to for yrs or JD wouldn't still be in business selling tractors unlike some other defunct tractor companies that are out of business.

JD 3010/3020 do have orphan engines that only those tractor models utilize.
Jim
 
My neighbor has one that has everything on his farm since new engine overhauled once since new . The guys that complain are you usually the case and other generic brand guys because the John Deere was twice the tractor the other hunks of junk were at that time Oliver and ih and case with their whopping 7 gpm hydraulic systems crappy brakes and crappier controls
 
No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying two things, I had a bad one, and whatever problems they had as a first attempt after the 2 cylinders, those issues were worked out in the 3020s. It's like they say, never buy the first ones of anything new.
 
I started farming with a very high hour 3010 diesel. We spent a fair amount of money on it but not because of bad design just high hours. Did the brakes,steering box and rewired it to 12 volt. When we went to overhaul it we changed to a 3020 head to get pencil injectors and the bigger valves for a little more power. About 12 years ago I bought a very low hour 3020 gas and transplanted the 3010 engine into it. It has fed cattle every day for the last 12 years and is also my sprayer tractor. Wife likes to unload silage wagons with it as it has a nice add on step. A 3020 does have some improvements mostly in the pto.The odd ball engine comes up often but how many replacement engines does the average farm tractor get? Most engine changes are replacing a gas with a diesel. If the 3010 is nice I would not be scared of it but if just average spent a little more for a 3020. Tom
 
Jim, Chas has been shopping for Olivers too and has been asking on the Oliver forum about them. He wants a 4 digit. The 1600 and 1800 are the same vintage as the 3010 and 4010 and like the Deeres, they were Olivers first attempt in the higher horsepower four digits. I've given him the same advice and opinion about those. While there's nothing really inherently wrong with a 1600 or 1800, since he's buying right from scratch and not asking about the merits of fixing and keeping something he already has, I've been consistent in advising him to hold out for a 1650 or 1850. They had improvements and were just a better tractor with the bugs worked out, whatever they might have been.
 
Anything 55 years old could problems and anything wore whether out and abused is going to be a pos whether it?s 6 months old or 60 years old
 
Agreed. The biggest thing a 55 year old tractor has going for it or against it is the care it received or did not receive. Yes, you can buy a 3020 that has some of the kinks worked out in the design but then you pay more, also. I would buy a good 3010. IMO most of the PTO issues are from running implements that have dry or rusted slip sleeves or the shaft is bent. The only time the PTO failed on my 4010 was when I was in too big a hurry to properly tighten the bolts plus bend the lock tabs on when going from 1000 RPM to run a planter air pump to 540 to cut hay. Operator issue. The 4010 ran a two row chopper, wire baler, and flail-type manure spreader so it did some serious chores over the years.
 
(quoted from post at 08:22:21 05/15/20)
Randy
All JD 3010's certainly weren't as bad as the one you've referred to for yrs or JD wouldn't still be in business selling tractors unlike some other defunct tractor companies that are out of business.

JD 3010/3020 do have orphan engines that only those tractor models utilize.
Jim

John Deere did not always had the better products. Look at their line of middle HP tractors right now. They are just selling a name at a high price.

John Deere has consistently be good as coming up with the right technology at the right time, so they could make a good use of it.

Exemples: Powershift, Rubbercushioned cabs, electro hydraulics controls on tractor or combine, electrically operated PST : They did not have it first by far, but when they had it, their version became the norm.

4010/3010 were successfull design for sure. For a long time, I tought that everything else released few years later was a copy of it. But I have to admit a change like this was drawn for sure by the fashions of the late 50's. For instance Oliver 1800 are very nice as well and are not copies because released at the same time than the 4010. Same goes for IH806.

3010 4010 nice platform with controls on the dash is in fact just a trend of the time. Cars also had gear shift on the dash in that area. Deere was successfull of introducing it on time.

Ford was first with the 6000 with a nice open platform. Less desirable as far as engine, reliability and hydraulics.

Massey was a little behing with the 1100 but IMHO pass everyone as far as comfort goes (side console, better hydraulics controls than anyone, and hydraulic seat in 1964). They were waiting the 2nd gen 4020 to have something to run against.

The area were Deere did a huge step above the competition with the 3010/4010 is the hydraulic system. Today as a core tractors, this cost more fuel because most at 10K hours are leaking, but back then it was great.

Note that first to undoubtly pass JD on Hydraulics was Allis with the 7000 series that had fpc pumps. If the Allis Acoustacab was not that ugly, they would have hold well against the 30 series. Much better than the retarded 66 series that would have been good competitors for Deere 4510.
 
We have a 3010 gas. This was my Dads "big" tractor for years. Pulled a 3 - 16 plow, ran a mounted picker and was worked pretty hard. It was been overhauled once that I know of? We also had the synchronizers worked on many years ago. Doesn't get much work anymore. Now we run an auger with it, and still use it and a 4 row planter for sweetcorn. It has been a good tractor for us. It does have some gas engine issues that Deere struggled with in the New Gen. tractors. We have electronic ignition on it and that has helped. I wouldn't be afraid of a 3010.
 

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