Big-name 4WD tractor advancements

By the late 1950s the success that short-line companies Steiger and Wagner had with four-wheel-drive tractors was not lost on the big boys of the tractor world.

John Deere was the first to strike with the introduction of the 8010. That model lasted only a year because of design problems. It was replaced in 1961 with the 8020, which was basically an 8010 with upgrades.

Neither tractor sold well for Deere, which needed time to develop a four-wheel-drive machine worthy of its name. So in 1968 Deere dealers were offered Wagner-built tractors painted Deere green.

In 1971 the company introduced its 146-hp Model 7020 that had a 404-cubic-inch Deere-built diesel, featuring an intercooler. The 7020 also offered the greatest selection of gears available among the 4WD class at the time, with a 16-speed transmission.

The ensuing years saw a flurry of Deere 4WD introductions. In 1972 came the Model 7520, which boasted a hefty 175-hp engine. This was quickly followed by the 178-hp 8430 and the 225-hp 8630. Both models were topped off with Deere’s innovative Sound-Gard cab. The era of the partial power shift transmission in large Deere tractors arrived in 1979. This feature was added to Deere’s 179-hp 8440 and 228-hp 8640 tractors.

IHC’s 4WDs

Not to be left out of the rapidly expanding muscle tractor market, International Harvester had commissioned the creation of a 4WD prototype by a subsidiary, Frank G. Hough Company, of Illinois. Hough built an experimental tractor in 1959 tabbed the 4WD-1. What emerged from further work by IHC engineers was the prototype 4WD-3. This 300-hp rigid-frame tractor employed all-wheel steering. The prototype led to the 1961 introduction of the 203-hp Model 4300, the first International tractor to utilize a turbocharger.

Only 44 of the Model 4300s were produced during its production run, from 1961 to 1965. But that meager start laid the basis for IHC’s 4WD line.

In the ensuing years, IHC continued with rigid-frame, all-wheel-steer tractors. First came the 116-hp Model 4100 diesel, in 1965. It was replaced by the 125-hp Model 4169 diesel, in 1969, and the 150-hp 4166, in 1972. The next year marked IHC’s foray into articulated 4WDs when it introduced the Model 4366, built for IHC by Steiger.

The remainder of the 1970s would be marked with more powerful single models until International decided to create a 4WD series in 1977. That year saw the introduction of three 86 series (the 4186, 4386, and 4586), ranging from 150 to 235 hp. The 4586 was unique due to its 798-cubic-inch International V-8 engine. The 265-hp Model 4786 would come out in 1979, the same year IHC (known for its engineering innovation) brought out its unique 2+2 four-wheel-drive offerings, Models 3388 and 3588.

Case enters the fray

With more of its tractor development focused on high-horsepower tractors, J.I. Case entered the 4WD market in 1964 with its 1200 Traction King. This rigid-frame tractor offered “coordinated steering” in which either the front or rear axles could be steered separately.

The 1200 turned out 119 hp from a Lanova 451-cubic-inch turbocharged diesel. Case realized this positioned the 1200 at the bottom of the horsepower market. So in 1969 it brought out the 1470 Traction King, which boasted a 144-hp, six-cylinder Case-built engine. The 1470 was replaced by a series of upgrades that included:

• The Model 2470, a rigid-frame unit that turned out 174 hp. Case enticed buyers with a transmission that offered partial power shifting within a gear range.
• The Model 2670 in 1974, a 219-hp tractor featuring an intercooler.
• The Model 2670 (193 hp) in 1975, Case’s first articulated 4WD.
• The Model 2870 (252 hp), introduced in 1977.

Case closed out the 1970s with a major push, introducing the 4490, 4690, and 4890. Those rigid-frame machines featured front and rear axles that could be steered individually or in coordination with each other. This provided for “crab” steering (axles turning opposite of each other) or sideway steering (axles turning in the same direction).

Minnie-Mo, Oliver, and White

The future of 4WD horsepower, not only for Minneapolis-Moline but also subsequently for Oliver and White Farm Equipment, traces to a homemade tractor fashioned in 1960 by Prairie Implement, a Stuttgart, Arkansas, dealership. In 1969 Minneapolis-Moline management asked to borrow the machine to study its design. This led to the development of the A4T-1400, a 143-hp tractor featuring sleek styling and a rugged 10-speed transmission.

That model was replaced in 1970 with the A4T-1600, which hosted diesel and LP gas engines. A then-unique feature of the A4T-1600 and A4T-1400 (which was still in production) was an articulated joint that could bend at 44° angles and oscillate 15° in either direction.

The A4T-1600 was simultaneously sold by Oliver Corporation as the 2655. In addition, the A4T-1600 was sold with the Plainsman name by White Farm Equipment.

Allis-Chalmers

To get its foot in the 4WD door, Allis-Chalmers went to Steiger, asking the company to build tractors for Big Orange. From that arrangement came the 1972 introduction of the Model 440 diesel. Only 1,033 of those tractors sold, which was short of AC’s expectations. This set the company out to craft its own large tractors.

From those engineering efforts came the 186-hp Model 7580, powered by a turbocharged 426-cubic-inch, six-cylinder Allis engine. Beyond its striking styling, the 7580 was feature-rich, with a 20-speed partial power shift transmission, 23 gpm hydraulic flow, and a state-of-the-art cab.

To further 4WD sales, Allis would introduce the impressive 8550 in 1978. This was the company’s first orange tractor to break the 300 (engine) hp mark. The $85,753 tractor ran with an Allis-built 731-cubic-inch diesel, employing dual turbochargers and a partial-power-shift transmission.

Massey’s entry

One of the earliest innovators in 4WD tractors, with its Massey-Harris GP 15/22 introduced in 1930, Massey Ferguson finally entered the modern era of four-wheel drives in 1971 by debuting the 1500 diesel.

Featuring a Caterpillar V-8 diesel paired with a 12-speed transmission, the 153-hp Model 1500 was quickly joined by the Model 1800 diesel, which offered 178 hp running with a larger 636-cubic-inch Cat V-8.

In 1975 those models were replaced with the Model 1505 (185 hp) and Model 1805 (210 hp). A lithe machine, tabbed the Model 1200 (110 hp), came out in 1976. The 1970s closed out with Massey expanding its 4WD line, introducing the 4800, 4840, 4880, and 4900 models, which ranged from 225 to 375 hp.