My 4020 Story: Gramps 4020
For the Althaus family, collecting antique tractors with green and yellow paint has been a part of the family farm and history for a long time now. Ranging from the Model D, A, G, H, R. To the 730s to the 60s and even a Waterloo Boy. The family might as well start a museum as they have collected tractors from each decade since John Deere first started manufacturing tractors. But there is always that one special tractor that brings the family together. It has led the family in all shows, parades, tractor rides, tractor pulls, and attended to fieldwork back in the day. It has been the go-to all-purpose tractor and is usually in the front of the shed when you walk in. This tractor is no other than the John Deere 4020, but we call it “Gramps 4020.”
Our story began in 1966 when Gib Cardot purchased the John Deere 4020 brand new. Gib ran it for the first 100 hours, and then Grandpa Lester Althaus traded a John Deere 80 and a John Deere GM on the 4020 in 1967 from Reeser Farm Equipment. The tractor has been in the Althaus family ever since. Lester was proud of that tractor, and he even crafted a yellow bow tie, out of metal, to put in the front of the tractor to “dress it up.” The 4020 was the first bow tie the family decorated, and the family has been decorating tractors ever since with bow ties. During its younger years, Lester used it for fieldwork around the farm. Once his four grandsons got old enough, they learned how to drive the tractor too and were taught how to plow on 5-14 plows, creating a legacy of future farmers out of the four boys.
Above, Bill Althaus pulling the 4020 at the Lee Co. Fair.
The four grandsons were raised on that tractor as the boys wore the paint out of the tractor through the years as they weren’t afraid to drive it or use it for anything. The tractor has even survived the grandson’s tractor pulling shenanigans at the local county fairs in the 80s and ’90s. Everyone told the Althaus brothers that it was an “agitating tractor to pull against during its tractor pulling days.” The 4020 was a great agitator, not a dominator.
Many years have passed, and the tractor has slowly started to show age over time. In 2012, one of the four grandsons, Steve Althaus, decided to restore the 4020 to its former state when Lester first brought it back in 1967. Since then, the tractor has been featured in parades, toy shows, and tractor rides and is occasionally brought out of retirement to be an auger tractor on the family farm. For the Althaus family, the John Deere 4020 has always been the old reliable tractor that has seen all of the hardships and enjoyment of our family history. It molded four young boys into men who developed a livelihood and passion for farming while creating a long-lasting legacy for generations hopefully to come.
Above, Bob Althaus (Lester's son) driving the John Deere 4020 through the parade at the Mendota Sweet Corn Festival with Grandkids and Waterloo Boy in tow.
Story written by Ashley Althaus. Have a 4020 story to share with Prairie State Tractor? We're collecting John Deere 4020 tractor stories to help promote our new 4020 special inspection program. Plus, our favorite entry will get their 4020 inspected for free. Click here for all the details on how to submit your own story. To schedule a 4020 special inspection for only $195, click here and complete the form.