An Iowa welder pulled the engines out of brand new John Deere 5020s, and by 1974 he had built a 600-horsepower tractor with two Detroit Diesel V8s. Five days before the Farm Progress Show, John Deere men stopped by his shop and laughed because it wasn't finished.

This is the true story of Jon Kinzenbaw and Kinze Big Blue, the homemade twin-engine tractor that came out of a small welding shop in Ladora, Iowa.

The John Deere 5020 tested at about 141 horsepower. Jon swapped in a Detroit Diesel V8 rated at 318, more than double, and it fit without changing the hood or the frame. Then he asked a bigger question: what if one tractor carried two of those engines?

On the Thursday night before the 1974 show, Big Blue had no hood, no fuel tanks and no paint. Its 12-bottom plow wasn't painted either. One of the visiting John Deere men said it would be a real show-stealer, and that it was too bad it wasn't done. Jon didn't argue. He went back to work.

What happened over the next five days, and what the crowd saw when Big Blue rolled into that field, is something farmers still talk about.

If you remember the days when a farmer with a welder could out-build the factories, you'll enjoy this one. Watch it to the end. The last part of the story is about where Big Blue is today, and you can still go see it.

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💬 Tell us in the comments: did you ever see Big Blue, or a Kinze plow, working in the field?

Sources and further reading:

Kinze, "Big Blue: The Tractor That Stole the Show" (Jon Kinzenbaw in his own words):

https://www.kinze.com/big-blue-the-tractor-that-stole-the-show/

Gas Engine Magazine, Big Blue at the 2011 Half Century of Progress Show:

https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/community/farm-shows/2011-half-century-of-progress-show/

Kinze Manufacturing history (Wikipedia):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinze_Manufacturing,_Inc.

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