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5020 Repowered With 600-HP Tugboat Engine
“I was like a kid looking at the last puppy nobody chose when I saw a beat-up old Deere 5020 at an auction,” says Dave Will. “I knew if I didn’t buy it and give it new life, it was headed for the salvage yard.”
Will says he bought the rusty old beast because he had previous experience swapping a 12V71 Detroit Di
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5020 Repowered With 600-HP Tugboat Engine
“I was like a kid looking at the last puppy nobody chose when I saw a beat-up old Deere 5020 at an auction,” says Dave Will. “I knew if I didn’t buy it and give it new life, it was headed for the salvage yard.”
Will says he bought the rusty old beast because he had previous experience swapping a 12V71 Detroit Diesel into a different 5020. He says it was so much fun he just had to try it again.
“I figured the second time around would be easier because I’d learned by trial and error on that first one.”
It turns out that wasn’t exactly the case.
Rather than swapping out a different 5020 engine that would’ve fit without modifications, Will decided to go big.
“I came across a junked-out 16V71 Detroit diesel from an old tugboat and knew that would make the 5020 a real monster pulling tractor,” Will says.
He rebuilt the 1,136-cu. in. engine and then contemplated the major changes needed to fit it into the tractor body.
“The 600-hp engine was much larger than the OEM on the 5020, so I had to extend the frame 3 ft. to start with,” Will says.
He hired a local machine shop to work its magic on the frame. That business also built an adapter plate and clutch plate to mate with the tractor’s drive system. Next, he visited a local salvage yard and bought a fuel tank and hood from a junked Deere 4640.
“Neither of those fit,” Will says, “but where there’s a ‘Will’ there’s a way. I made a few cuts, spliced the original hood with the salvage one, and it turned out decent.”
Will says the 16-cyl. monster really roars with its chrome straight pipes. Adding chrome air intake systems on both sides of the engine and custom dual wheels is another measure of exotic design that always impresses viewers.
“I’ve taken it to area pulling events, and it causes quite a stir when I fire it up and take it down the track. Everybody cheers for me,” says Will. I call it the ‘JohnZilla,’ which has a nice sound to it, just like that big engine.”
At a recent show, he outpulled the second-place finisher in his event by more than 18 ft.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Will, 10920 Diamond Island Rd., Wadesville, Ind. 47638 (ph 812-204-4587).
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