1020 questions

I bought a 1020 last year and this is my first tractor. It has a 146 loader and bucket on it. First question is: What front tire (design and size) should i be
running? It currently has pavement type tires and on wet ground they sink like a rock even without anything in the bucket. They are only rim width and don't look
like they are a very heavy ply. The previous owner basically used it to back blade snow on pavement and put these tires on new.

Second question. I want a set of pallet forks that will just go on the loader arms and cylinders, not the add ons for the bucket. I will be moving logs onto my
sawmill and just want the forks with a provision for my Northern Tool double log hook if needed.

Thanks in advance for any help.

You need the widest three or four rib tires you can mount on your rims. There are some custom fabrication guys out there who build some really heavy-duty forks for loaders. Check the internet.

(quoted from post at 18:39:54 03/25/23) I bought a 1020 last year and this is my first tractor. It has a 146 loader and bucket on it. First question is: What front tire (design and size) should i be
running? It currently has pavement type tires and on wet ground they sink like a rock even without anything in the bucket. They are only rim width and don't look
like they are a very heavy ply. The previous owner basically used it to back blade snow on pavement and put these tires on new.

Second question. I want a set of pallet forks that will just go on the loader arms and cylinders, not the add ons for the bucket. I will be moving logs onto my
sawmill and just want the forks with a provision for my Northern Tool double log hook if needed.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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Welcome to the forums. The 1020 model used a number of different front tires. Most would have been triple ribs. When you say pavement type tires, do you mean car tires? What size is on it now? Next is the rim width at the bead, not the lip.

There may be some forks out there that will pin on to a 146, but you will be lucky to find a set. Has your loader been converted to a type of quick attach? If not one option is to buy a set of forks with back rest and fabricate and add ears for pin mounting to the loader arms and bucket cylinders, as I expect your bucket is likely mounted on a 146. Another option is to buy an adapter to convert your loader to a type of quick attach and a matching set of forks, then you will likely want a quick attach bucket as well. This option could easily cost you $1000 plus. Worksaver is one company that makes these items, there are others.

It sounds like you are talking about a double log tong when you say double log hook. There are attachments that slide over forks to provide an attachment point (often a hook or eye). You should get one that slides over both forks to lessen the risk of bending a fork.

Check the owner's manual for what factory tire options were offered. 7.50-16 6 or 8 ply should work well. If you need extra floatation, bigger outside diameter helps just as much as extra width. Lowe air pressure helps too.

You may need to have pallet forks custom made to fit a 50 plus year old loader.

If you do not have an Operator's manual you can download one for free from the John Deere Ag Bookstore. Here is a link to the store: https://techpubs.deere.com/

Click on the equipment publications button. Enter 1020 in the model search box and find the entry in the drop-down list of 1020s that best matches your tractor. Clicking the download icon will get you a copy you can save to your device, or you can purchase a hard copy of the Operator's Manual from that site if you want. The service and parts manuals are also available there for purchase. The loader is separate manuals from the tractor.

thanks for the help! it will get me started in the right direction. I will probably get a fork set and have my son in law weld some channels on the back with the same dimensions that are on the back of my bucket. I will also look into some different tires.

I have a loader on my 1020 and the steering and flotation is less then desirable. I put BKT 6x16 tri-rib tires on mine and it helped out but it is nothing like my little kutoba with 4x4 when carrying a load. Before mine smaller tri-rib tires that were shot.

The loader on mine is a 37 so a bit worse then what you have. I cannot find a set of forks. I ended up picking up a set of forks of an old forklift from an auction and having a friend weld up bracket to go on the loader arms. I don't think you will easily find a set of original forks.