Product Description
The John Deere 4020 was one of the most widely sold row-crop tractors in North American history, produced in Waterloo, Iowa from 1963 through 1972. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, the 4020’s internal wet brake bands and its dry clutch friction discs allegedly contained chrysotile asbestos fiber bonded into a phenolic-resin matrix. The brake bands operated inside the final-drive housing and were routinely resurfaced or replaced during farm-shop overhauls. Clutch discs were changed as a wear item across the tractor’s typical multi-decade service life.
Workers Exposed
Farmers who owned and personally serviced 4020 tractors were allegedly exposed when they split the tractor to replace a clutch disc, or when they pulled the final-drive housing to service brakes. Farm-equipment mechanics at John Deere dealer service departments, agricultural cooperative shops, and independent tractor repair shops handled clutch and brake work as a routine job. Sanding, filing, and compressed-air cleaning of friction surfaces allegedly released respirable chrysotile fiber into the shop air.