Bidding was intense on the ground and via the internet Oct. 2 for a rare four-wheel drive John Deere 8020 tractor.
In the end, an anonymous buyer bought the tractor for $90,000.
The tractor is one of 74 out of only 100 manufactured. This particular tractor has serial number 14 and created a stir in the agricultural world because until now, it was not known what had become of it.
Initially, auctioneer Norm Mack questioned whether he would handle the sale when he went to inspect the farm machinery of Edmund Pranke.
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“His equipment was nothing special, but he took great pride in what he had,” says Mack.
Then he saw the 8020 and knew it was something different.
“We knew we had found a diamond in the rough. This was a special tractor,” he says.
On a warm harvest day Oct. 2 the sale attracted almost 300 bidders and as many spectators, many travelling from the U.S.
“The night before, when we pulled in, there were cars already there. Every Midwest state that farms was already there,” said Mack.
“Going over this tractor, they were almost in awe that this tractor would be in Saskatchewan. A lot of people travelled hours, even days just to see this tractor with no intention of buying or even bidding, but just to come and see.”
John Deere’s 8020 was built between 1961 and 1963 with a price tag of $32,000.
“It was a tremendous amount of money in the early ’60s. Therefore demand was low,” said Mack.
It was the first four-wheel drive articulated tractor produced by a major manufacturer. Mack says all future four-wheel drive tractors were based on the 8020, even the new ones today.
“It was ahead of its time,” he said. The 8020 also boasted a Detroit diesel engine commonly called a Screaming Jimmy. “You could hear them coming a mile away,” said Mack.
