The Man Who Defeated John Deere — The Jon Kinzenbaw Story

[Sedalia Dave]

 

 

 

I worked for a distant cousin that repowered a 5020 with one of Jon Kinzenbaw's kits. Gene went on a pheasant hunt one fall and came back with a trailer load of parts. Cannibalized the engine from a wrecked OTR tractor. The John Deere dealer where my Grandpa worked assembled it. The heads of that 8V71 Detroit were wider than the hood. With the dual exhaust off the donor standing vertically on each side along side the radiator, it was super quiet and could pull a 21 ft gang disk at idle in 6th gear without breaking a sweat.   

 

Gene also beta tested a 7 bottom DMI Hydra Wide behind that repowered 5020. Used it 2 years then they came and collected it. The following year they brought Gene a brand new one. IIRC it was adjustable from 14 to 21 or 22 inches.

 

I remember seeing Kinze folding corn planters and high flotation grain carts in the big corn fields along the Missouri River.

Edited December 7, 2025 by Sedalia Dave

[Sedalia Dave]

 

 

 

[No Horse Hair, SASS #77464]

Five miles from where I'm sitting  there's a J Deere with a Detroit which was installed about 4 years ago by a local farmer. He's in his 70's now, but he built one in the 60's to farm with. He also has another started and is close to being finished. He does his work in a small shop on the farm, probably same shop he used in the 60's. No fancy mills or lathes, just drill press and welder.  His fab work and painting is very impressive. He knows the Kinze operation , as that's how he got started in the 60's project. They needed the power to farm with at that time. The ones he's building now are hobby tractors. This part of the country (southern Il and  west southern Indiana) are oil field country and Detroits were a common engine in the oil fields.  They were mostly stationary engines and also used in road trucks and heavy machinery.  They are what's called a 2 stroke diesel, they scream and leak!