Roy and Dave Tallon with their new Deere's

One of the more popular, big, two-wheel drive tractors from the 1970’s was the John Deere 6030.  The 6030 holds a particularly special place in my collection, because my grandpa bought one the same year I was born, around the same time I received my John Deere pedal tractor.  Unfortunately, replicas of the 6030 have not yet been mass-produced, and have only been available as custom or limited edition models.  Because of this, collectors that absolutely have to have a 6030 should expect to pay premium. If you possess only a small amount of customizing skill however, you can build a reasonably accurate 6030 model from tractors that are commonly available. 

Building 6030’s from 5020’s is not anything new to those familiar with customizing tractors.  It is probably one of the most common conversions in the hobby.  Although the tractors are not identical, they are similar enough that a simple decal change could satisfy most collectors.  In the steps that follow, I will walk you through a few others subtle changes that will give your 6030 a little more accuracy than just decals can offer. 

Ertl 5020 with a Custom 6030

Ertl has offered the 5020/5010 in 1/64 scale for several years now.  More recently, Wal-mart has started selling a generic 5000 series tractor that lacks any model designation.  Any of these will work equally well for this conversion.

The first thing I recommend doing is removing the rear axle from the tractor.  Although not overly complicated, this can be a physically strenuous task.  You will likely want it removed in order to paint the tractor or add custom tires when you are all done, and if you do it after making modifications, you might damage those modifications in the process.  To remove the axle you can use the method described on Toy Tractor Show.com.  If you don't have a pair of snap ring pliers, you can remove the rear tires and pull on the rims, with pliers if necessary. This can be a challenge, but with enough pulling and twisting they will come off.  Just be careful because the tractor has a tendency to go flying when the wheel finally does come off.  For this reason, I usually try to perform this task while standing over a chair or other padded piece of furniture. 

The first step in converting your tractor is relocating the position of the air cleaner.  The 50X0 has this located near the front of the hood, but the 6030 has it located directly behind the exhaust.  Try to cut it off as close the hood as you can without cutting into the hood.  If you do accidentally cut into the hood, it can be fixed with a little body filler. Try to preserve at least part of the lower portion of the air cleaner where it necks down to about 1/16 of an inch.  You will need this to reattach it to the hood.  To reattach it, drill a 1/16” hole slightly more than 1/8” behind the exhaust stack.  Push the air cleaner into that hole.  If it is too large, you can “woller” out the hole slightly, or grind down the air cleaner base to fit.  Once you get it to fit, apply a little glue to hold it in place. 

In addition to “pre-cleaner” that stick up next to the exhaust, the 6030 also has an air cleaner that is visible on the hood just in front of the steering wheel.  To replicate this, you will need a small “cap” that is about ¼” diameter.  There are many objects that can work for this piece.  The head of a pin or nail are just a couple that I have seen used.  Before you affix your air cleaner however, make sure it is positioned in a way to allow room for a cab if you are planning on adding one. 

With the pre-cleaner and air cleaner positioned, the only other hood modifications required are removing the original model designation, if present, and removing the John Deere stripe.  The model number can be removed with a little nail polish remover.  Because the stripe is slightly elevated, you will want to carefully grind it down to match the rest of the hood side. 

Because my grandpa’s 6030 had a cab, that is the image I associate with 6030’s and how I prefer to build them.  However, the 6030 was also offered without a cab and if you do not wish to add a one to yours, you can leave on the 50X0 rear fenders.  A cab that works well for 6030’s is the cab off of the 4620 or 4320 from the Ertl 4000 Series set.  To remove the cab from either of those tractors, you must first remove the rear axle.  This is done similar to the way you removed the axle on your 50X0.  With the axle removed, the only thing holding the cab on is the plastic cab top.  Gently pry it off, and then you should be able to slide the halves of the cab off of the ends of the axle housing. 

In order to put a cab on your 6030, you must first take the 50X0 fenders off.  With the rear axle removed, they can be removed by pulling them rearward off of the tractor.  To make your cab fit your 6030, you will need to add it to the floor of the 50X0 fender assembly.  Remove the screw holding the seat on the fenders, and set it and the seat aside.  You will then need to cut the fenders and the operator compartment sheet metal away from the operator station floor.  Make your cut with the tool parallel to the floor, so that you leave the hoops beneath the floor that the axle goes through.  You will also need to do some cutting on the cab.  Cut off the squares that went over the 4X20 axle housing.  Place the 4X20 Cab on the 50X0 operator station floor.  Do any additional trimming or grinding to get a reasonably good fit of the cab on the floor, and your new cab assembly on the tractor body.  Trim a small piece of metal to fill in the gap in the back between the cab and the floor.  Glue or solder the cab together with it off the tractor body, and fill in any remaining gaps with some body filler.  Sand smooth when dry. 

With all of the modifications made, you should be ready for paint.  If you haven’t done so already, remove the front wheels.  They should just pull off with adequate force.  You can leave the steering wheel on, just mask it off.  Paint the cab and tractor body separate, so you can add your seat when you are done.  When the paint is dry, add your seat and cab top, and then assemble your cab to the tractor.  Add your tires and any painted details you wish.  Decals are fairly straightforward to make, just “6030” and “JOHN DEERE” on a yellow stripe.  For mine I used the font “Swis721 Blk BT” in bold.  6030 decals are also commonly available at toy shows or from sources in Toy Farmer.

The proceeding steps don't address all of the differences between the 6030 and 50X0, but do hit those that are most noticeable.  By following them you should end up with a very good replica that will look great on your shelf or display. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading and using my custom tips as much as I have writing them.  I look forward to bringing you more tips and ideas in 2004.  I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dave Tallon