JD 3020 vs Oliver 1655

JWalker · Jul 22, 2012

I am not trying to start a color war, but which is the better tractor. I am looking at using it for a heavy tillage/haying tractor with the possibility of restoration/collecting. I currently have good dealer support for both at this time. I know some are partial to each color so please be objective and honest on your answers. I beleive they are about the sames HP.

Thanks

OLWHDA · Jul 22, 2012

Gas or Diesel?

TLZ · Jul 22, 2012

1655 for sure if it has over,under and direct + cheap on fuel..imo
Todd

rrlund · Jul 22, 2012

I've got a feeling the Deere guys are just flat going to outnumber the Oliver guys. Gotta be honest,I've only had a 3010 and the 50 series Olivers,not the 55 series,but the 1655 was pretty much a redecaled 1650. I HATED that 3010. Hard shifting,ALWAYS breaking something,hard to work on. Had to split it every time something went wrong.

BIG HOWEVER,from everything I've seen,they pretty much got the bugs out in the 20 series.

Hard to beat the Oliver for operator comfort and convienience,probably has the 3 speed over/under for 18 forward speeds and 6 reverses,tilt telescope steering,easy access controls. Super easy to work on yourself,never has to be split to do any work on it,proven engine and all other components.

I guess it's just coming down to price and condition.

rufus80 · Jul 22, 2012

Had a 3020 gas once, biggest POS ever made. Get the Oliver, my father in law had a new 1650 back in the day has nothing but good things to say about it.

JDseller · Jul 22, 2012

The Oliver 1655 is a better tractor. I have owned both and like the Oliver 1655 much better. I still own the last one I found in 1988. I use it a lot working with hay. It rakes 90% of my hay. I really like how it handles.

I don't like AGCO on parts. They are getting crazy on the cost. Guys I buy a lot of JD parts they are now where near as bad as AGCO is. I just replaced the brakes on mine. AGCO was over $600 for the disk and seals. I got them through A&I for less than half that.

The JD 3020 really had the worst engine of the twenty series tractors. The balancer in the oil pan was just a poor design. The drive gear in the middle of the crankshaft was just a joke. A JD 3020 gas I would not even think about owning. They just don't run right on the new gas unless you want to buy airplane fuel.

I have installed four JD 329 engines out of 2840 in them. I had to make new frame rails and lengthen the hood but it made real nice tractors out of junk gas ones.

JD 3020 would be easier to get parts for. The JD parts network is much better than the AGCO one. This would be to only advantage to the JD 3020 over an Oliver 1655

rrlund · Jul 22, 2012

Just an FYI since the Oliver is doing so well so far. The 1655 is the same tractor as the White 2-70,so if you haven't found one yet,the 2-70 would be the newer option. Only difference is the sheet metal and color.

oldtanker · Jul 22, 2012

Long time ago a friend who had a IH 560 and 656, both in diesel got a 3020 diesel. He ask me which tractor he should get rid of. I told him the 3020. 3 years later I was sent back to Ft Riley and the first night there drove out to this guys farm. The very 1st thing he said to me was "you were right". I had no idea what he was talking about until he told me he didn't like the 3020 very much. Guess he had all kinds of problems with the 3 point. Don't get me wrong, JD has made some very good tractors. I just don't think the 3000 series were very good.

Rick

JMS/.MN · Jul 22, 2012

Curious which carbs the gas ones had- always heard the Zenith was better than the Marvel Schebler.

randy hall · Jul 22, 2012

no contest. the 1655 wins.

Josh in Pa · Jul 22, 2012

I've never run a 3020, but have a 1655D and it has been exceptional. Economical, very reliable, comfortable, and it is a lot of tractor for only 70 hp.
Josh

Harold H · Jul 22, 2012

I would say the Oliver 1655 is a better tractor than the JD 3020. However, in many if not most areas, Oliver parts are hard to get whereas JD has an excellent parts supply. Therefore, the JD 3020 would be the most practicle of the two to use on a regular working basis.

Harold H

rrlund · Jul 22, 2012

I wouldn't be 100% sure of getting parts for a 20 series Deere being any easier than for an Oliver. I needed some parts for a 1020 recently and got told by the dealer they were no longer available from Deere. Said they could get them for me through A&I if I wanted them to. Seems they're discontinuing parts for those 10 and 20 series tractors and going to A&I for them since Deere owns the majority of A&I. You can get anything you want for the Oliver from the same place if you don't want to go through Agco.
Like it or not,Deere is making a real good attempt at suicide.

old · Jul 22, 2012

Well then what about the JD 1010 and the 2010 those where by far worse then the 3020

jeremy in NE · Jul 22, 2012

I know nothing about the Oliver, but out 3020 has been very good to us. I think we have put about 6000 hours on it, we bought it with 4000, and the only thing we have done is put a clutch in it. I think that was due to the fact that the last 4000 hours it was on loader duty.

JDseller · Jul 22, 2012

Well old on a scale of i to 10 the JD 3020 would be a 5. The JD 1010 about a 4. The JD 2010 a solid 1.

The JD 3020 is not a terrible tractor but the Oliver 1655 tractor is a better one. Real difference in doing field work the Oliver rides and handles better. I have owned both. I still have the Oliver 1655.

old · Jul 22, 2012

Well I do agree with the Oliver I own 2 of the older ones and they are by far the tractor I have to do the least amount of work to, to be able to use them. I have not done so much as a tune up to either one in over 10 years and both start up 99% of the time so fast it will scare most people

Bill in Colo · Jul 22, 2012

Can't say anything about the Olivers as there on only two dealers within 150 miles one at a 100 and another at 150. Since its introduction the 3020 has been one of the most popular tractors in the hi mountain west.a lot of the early ones had farmhand F 11d loaders for stacking and feeding loose hay.
A reasonably clean 3020 with a 148 loader will bring $9000 or more if it has a power shift.
I have a western special no 3p that I use to pull a JD 700 twin rake, has less than 4000 hours.

BANDITFARMER · Jul 23, 2012

After you run any of the Olivers in the 00,50 and 55 series the controls are in the same place, Convenent! I never liked the 10 and 20 series Deeres with all the controls on the dash panel were you had to leen forward to do anything. A 3020 will pull 4 14s in most ground and the 1655 will pull 4 16s and 5 16s in some ground. The 3020 is straite gears, The 1655 no mater what gear your in you have the 3 speed hy-dro power to change you speed on the move. One other thing to think about the Oliver will out weigh the 3020. Hands down the 1655 is a better tractor for everyday use. We have 2 1550 Olivers 1 gas 1 diesel and would not replace eather one with a 3020. Parts for the Olivers have never been a problem to get for me. Bandit

NY 986 · Jul 23, 2012

The 1655 is one fine tractor. The issue I see with that or the 2-70 is the supply is not that great. The RIGHT 3020 is a pretty good tractor even though I give the 1655 the edge. I know a fellow who is not really a JD fan who loves his 3020 diesel. It had to be good for him to praise a John Deere. When I say "right" tractor I am saying to avoid the gasoline version unless you are only running it for a few hours a year in a job where needing it to perform to full power is not necessary. I have no problem with the dash hydraulic controls (and I plowed many many hours on a 4010 with that and a F145H semi-mount) but the 3020 from 1969 to 1972 was offered with the side console just like the 4020. The 3020 SC's don't seem to bring the outrageous money the 4020 SC's do. I will go along with the guys that think the 2520 is more tractor than a 3020 but the price is substantially more, too. Living in an area where John Deere is very strong and the now-AGCO lines draw little interest would make me think about the 3020 unless the plan was to keep the 1655 for a very long time. It might take a while here to find a guy to get excited about about buying a 1655. Again, I really like the 1655 but am trying to be somewhat a realist.

mkirsch · Jul 23, 2012

Any reason it has to be green?

What about an IH 706? Parts support has been called into question on both the Oliver and the JD. There is no question about parts support on the 706. You can get literally everything for a 706, most of it new from the dealer if you so desire.

The Oliver is still the most advanced tractor of the three, and probably the nicest one to use, still. If you've got the two sitting in front of you, and a 706 isn't an option, I'd take the Oliver.

massey333 · Jul 23, 2012

There were 2 different engines used in the 3020s,the later ones were almost bullet proof. The first ones were M&W ed 3010 engines and some didn't hold up,but we had a lot of late 3020s with turbos running 110-120 HP and never had any troubles with them.Whether the side console was the break I'am not sure.As far as parts,even the former dealers that still farm are changing to CIH or Deere because of AGCO parts problems.Equal cond.to same a late 3020 will bring $10,000-$12,000 whereas a 1650-55 will bring $3,000-$6000 so the Oliver could be a better buy.

olliekid · Jul 24, 2012

A lot of good stuff on here. I am slightly surprised but definitely happy that the oliver has received so much praise.

I have driven a 3020 at a big farm I worked on, and I liked it for most stuff but it really just seems gutless. I could not imagine trying to pull a 4 bottom plow with one. They seem to light. Even tho the HP is the same I feel like the Oliver is much heavier and I think for tillage it makes it the no-brainer. I will also say that the comfort of the operator on the Oliver is much better. The 3 speed, hydraulics, brakes, clutch, throttle are all handy and solid. I have been on 3-4 1655's and liked them so much I bought one myself. They are a great size tractors. Big enough to do tillage and small and economical enough to do haying and other easier jobs.

If you get the Oliver, I would be willing to bet it would be your favorite tractor to operate pretty quickly.

A few advantages for the Deere would be the foot throttle, and depending on where you live it might be easier to get parts for.

johndeerefan · Jul 24, 2012

I am utterly shocked at the responses for the Oliver. My father in law had an 1855 and it was a tank! But, it also rode and drove like it too. At the end of the day you felt like you had been in a bar brawl. Plus, it took 5 acres to turn it around. He sold it and bought a JD 4000. It was definitely a major step up in comfort and turning radius. The 1855 still had more power and used less fuel though.

I say forget the 3020 option and spend a couple $$ more and step up to a 4020 or 4000 side console model. Much better tractor for just a few dollars more. Plus the resell value is only increasing everyday for them. You can use it 10 years and sell it for more than you gave for it.

Don-Wi · Jul 24, 2012

We've got an 1855 and a 1600. There isn't much to compare between the two. Both are great tractors, and the 16 being a direct relative of the 1650/55, I can say its a handy tractor. Parts haven't been a problem and I just replaced the hydraulic pump.

The 18 is a power house. Ours dynoed at 105 on the pto. I think the turning radius is just fine on it. Your FIL must gave had a mfwd or something if it didn't turn very short.

Donovan from Wisconsin

olliekid · Jul 24, 2012

I think you had a bug. Ive driven a 4020 and an 1855 and I would
say the turning radius of them both was very similar. The 1855 was
definitely a bigger more powerful tractor but the 4020 was sooo
much more handy. It seemed like a lot smaller tractor. Similarly
dad's 1080 MF drives much bigger than a JD 4020.

JWalker · Jul 24, 2012

Thanks for all of the replies. I am suprissed the Oliver seems to be favored. I have operated smaller John Deeres for years. I will admitt I am probably partial to the JD"s, but when I have everything together I will strongly consider the Oliver and if I can "try it out" I will probably buy an Oliver.

JD 3020 vs Oliver 1655

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