The John Deere 2010 Tractor

On August 30, 1959, in Dallas, Texas, with great fanfare the John Deere Company introduced a New Generation of four and six-cylinder tractors to replace the two-cylinder tractors which had brought the company fame and fortune for decades.The new line consisted of Models 1010, 2010, 3010 and 4010. Models 1010 and 2010 were built in Dubuque, Iowa; Models 3010 and 4010 were made in Waterloo, Iowa. The Model 1010 was basically a new engine in the Model 430 tractor. The Model 2010 consisted mostly of new parts and represented a new and larger size of tractor for the Dubuque factory. Models 3010 and 4010 were completely new designs.

The second smallest of the new line--the Model 2010--was produced from 1960 to 1965. It roughly replaced the Model 630. The engine of the Model 2010, as well as that of the Model 1010, was based on a sleeve and deck design which provided efficient heat dissipation. Engineers in the Dubuque factory had considerable experience with vertical, water-cooled engines and this was evident in these engines. The styling of the Model 2010, however, was more like that of the tractors manufactured in the Waterloo factory--Models 3010 and 4010.

Model 2010 tractors were available with three different engines--gasoline, diesel, or LP gas. Models 1010 and 2010 had four-cylinder engines; Models 3010 and 4010 had six-cylinders. The upper three models had Syncro-Range transmissions, which provided eight forward and three reverse gears. These transmissions incorporated synchronizers (small clutches) which allowed operators to change speeds on the move in each of four ranges and to shuttle-shift between forward and reverse. A closed-center hydraulic system provided up to three independent "live" hydraulic circuits to serve a rear rockshaft and one or two remote cylinders. A high ratio of horsepower-to-weight allowed greater equipment loads at higher speeds than in previous tractors, reduced the lugging of the engine, and provided greater efficiency.

A common ailment of farmers was "tractor back," caused by days, months and years of being jolted on hard pan seats. The Model 2010, as well Models 3010 and 4010, had a greatly-improved operator's station designed by Henry Dreyfuss and Associates, including seat cushions designed by Dr. Janet Travell, an orthopedic physican and back specialist who later served as White-House physican for President John F. Kennedy. The economy-version Special Row Crop Utility had the traditional pan seat.

The Model 2010 was not without problems. It was rushed into production without the extensive design and testing provided the other three models. The power-train was not as durable as it should have been and the diesel engine was notoriously hard to start in cold weather. Significant improvements were made in 1963, including the redesign and strengthening of transmission parts, the addition of glow plugs to the diesel engine, a lower range of transmission speeds, easier rear-wheel adjustment, easier servicing, faster power-steering, and a new front rockshaft with down-pressure.

Production of the agricultural crawler version of the Model 2010 was teminated in 1964, when the production of industrial tractors was consolidated within a separate division of the John Deere Company

The Model 2010 was replaced by the Model 2510 in 1966.