2wd 5020 suitable for needs? Opinion?

5020's were manufactured somewhere around 1965'-1971' maybe into 1972 I cant remember exactly. I dont know a whole lot about the 5020 but I'll give ya my opinion.

I believe the only option for the transmission was the synchro shift, which is kinda a pita. If the hours are correct it shouldn't be too bad yet. Seems like the machines with high hours have the linkages worn and it's hard to find the gears. I myself would prefer a 4620 with power shift, but that's just me.

I remember reading a article a few years back about the bigger 10 or 20 series deere's having problems with starting a fire. I remember it being something with the intake and/or exhaust stacks. I think deere redesigned it and fixed them all way back then.

As far as only being 2wd i dont think you'll have any problems. It's a big heavy workhorse that is extremely capable of working hard.

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From what I know of that particular A/C model, it should do fine for what your wanting to do.
Just remember several things.
1 - The loader is a scoop, not a digging tool. The most complaints I have seen about the main arms breaking/bending or otherwise becoming an issue was because someone was trying to dig a basement with the thing. They will "shave" soil, maybe several inches at a time, but that's about maximum if you want your investment to last.
2 - The clutch burns out because people are trying to force the bucket of the loader to dig and the clutch starts slipping, over heating and then bang. You have to crack the tractor apart to change out clutch parts. Not cheap.
3 - Do not be foolish and drive around the place with the loader up high in the air to clear fence posts or to see better. That drastically changes the balance of the machine and even the smallest bump can lay you over on the side and hopefully, your not under it.
4 - When doing loader work, do not forget some sort of counter balance on the rear. Attach a tiller, weight box, something.
5 - 4-wheel drive would probably make working in the mud as you mentioned a tad faster, but once you get the hang of operating a 2wd in something slick, you will get the hang of it.

they can be hard to find parts for, I have a 5020 4x4 with loader. i leave my john deere 80 6 way blade on the back for weight, have filled tires. it will shave a bit of soil with the bucket, but i would use a back blade or box blade for grading, to protect the loader arms. Mine were bent and repaired at some point by a previous owner. 2400 is a lot of hours and i would not want to pay too much for it. mine has about 500 on it. they are workhorses and weight quite a bit more than a modern tractor in the 25 hp range. for plowing snow i use my back blade with some pvc pipe skids on the bottom of each side. works well enough to keep the gravel in place. diff lock is handy in the snow. I have only needed the 4x4 a couple times. I have moved quite a lot of mulch, compost, topsoil and picked up heavy things to move them around with the loader. very handy.