Rare Kinzenbaw Repowers Resold

Rare Kinzenbaw Repowers Resold Two rare Kinzenbaw repowers have changed hands for only the second time. John Kahrhoff and his son Chris posted a for-sale ad in Heritage Iron earlier this year for a 1966 4020 and a 1966 5020. It didn’t take long before both were snatched up by the same buyer. “We each had at least 10 calls, and they were sold within a couple of days of the issue hitting the mailboxes,” says Chris. “We didn’t post a price, but we had ideas from talking to others about what they might be worth.” Conversions done by Jon Kinzenbaw are part of Midwest ag history. The conversions and conversion kits sold by Kinzenbaw helped lead to Kinze Manufacturing and its many innovations in farm equipment. FARM SHOW has published a dozen articles about the company, starting with Vol. 1, No. 1. John saw an ad for the tractors in AgriNews in 2005. The ad stated that they’d been repowered with Detroit diesels but didn’t specify by whom. “I called the seller up, and he told me they were Kinzenbaw repowers,” recalls John. “They belonged to his dad, who was a good friend of Kinzenbaw. Kinzenbaw had done both repowers, putting a 6V71 Detroit in the 4020 and an 8V71 Detroit in the 5020.” Kahrhoff purchased both tractors, interested in the Detroit conversions and their link to Kinzenbaw. In 2010, he displayed the tractors at the Half Century of Progress show in Rantoul, Ill. Kinzenbaw had a booth there, and Kahrhoff stopped by to visit with him. “Jon told me to park my tractors by his tent, and we visited,” says Kahrhoff. “He remembered doing both the repowers. He told me the 5020 was one of about 150 he had done in his shop, but the 4020 was one of only 23.” Over the years, the tractors saw some use, including at shows and for plowing demonstrations. At one show, the 5020 pulled 8-18s at a depth of 8 in. “It buzzed along with no problem,” says Kahrhoff. “The first year I brought them to Rantoul, people went crazy over them.” The decision to sell wasn’t an easy one, but they didn’t quite fit into Kahrhoff’s collection of over 40 John Deere 2-cylinders. “I have a big shed, but they were in the way. Neither my son nor son-in-law was interested in them, so I put them up for sale.” Kahrhoff says the new owner is having them completely restored and plans to display them as part of his collection of large four-wheel drives. Perhaps when he does, the Kinzenbaw repowers will be back in FARM SHOW for another Kinzenbaw story. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Kahrhoff, 17217 Dierkes Rd., Carlyle, Ill. 62231 (ph 618-363-1398; deere@tincans.net).

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