About a month ago, I got to check one off my bucket list. The Successful Farming crew invited me to spend two days talkin’ tractors with Jon Kinzenbaw, one on one. He took me through his entire collection, answered all of my ridiculous questions, told me stories, and walked me through the machines he’s selling at auction this fall.
Hang on. Jon Kinzenbaw is having an auction?
Yep, you read that right. (More info here.)
Now, before anybody loses their mind…it’s not the whole collection. The Kinzenbaw auction is more of a “paring back” deal. I mean, when you’ve got 600+ tractors in an indoor collection, space gets tight, y’know?
Anyway, there were a few tractors on the auction that caught my eye for one reason or another, including this wild 4020. So, let’s take a quick look at it, shall we?
Built for business fun…
One of the first things I learned about Jon is that he’s still got a mischievous streak a mile wide. His inner 7-year-old never left the chat. And every so often, that kid pipes up with questions like, “What if a 4020 ate a monster truck?”
And when you’ve got a spare 4020, some big ol’ tires, and a fresh sixer of Diet Mountain Dew in the shop fridge…well, I reckon you know where this is headed.
The base tractor started life as a 1971 4020 HFWD Wheatland — side console, synchro, no 3-point, just a couple of remotes, PTO, and a wide-swing drawbar. Jon knew he had it but didn’t really have a plan for it…until he spotted a set of old combine tires in the shop one day. That’s when the light bulb came on.
Other than the big tires, though, it’s still just a plain ol’ 4020. Everything’s reversible, nothing hacked or chopped, as far as I’m aware. The only reason it sits that wide in the front is because those tires barely clear the hydraulic hub. Still, Jon made it work, and honestly, it looks fantastic.
All in all, it’s a super clean tractor. The sheet metal’s straight, the paint shines, and aside from a couple of small dings on the fenders, it’s about as nice as they come. Mechanically, it’s solid, too — runs like a sewing machine. Drop in a battery and it’d be ready to roll.
The only real question is…what do you do with it?
So what do you do with a monster truck 4020?
Let’s be honest—does this tractor really need to do anything? Jon’s already got all the tractors he could ever use for farming and mowing. He didn’t build this one out of necessity. He built it because it’s fun. Because it makes him smile when he walks past it.
Now sure, the HFWD axle makes it a little different from your garden-variety 4020. But let’s face it—nobody’s falling for this thing because it’s an uncommon variant. They’re falling for it because it’s a monster truck in a tractor-shaped object!
My guess? Whoever wins it at the auction will love it for the same reason Jon did. It’ll make them (and likely their kids or grandkids) smile!
And these days, that’s a pretty good reason to own anything, don’t you think?
Wrapping up
I could sit here and write for hours about my trip to Jon Kinzenbaw’s place. The man’s collection is massive, and chock-full of some of the most important tractors ever built. But honestly, writing about it wouldn’t do it justice. You’ve got to see this stuff to believe it.
And here’s the best part—you’re going to! When I went out there, I didn’t go alone. Successful Farming’s team came out there with me, and we captured it all.
Those videos are coming soon to both of our social channels—and trust me, you won’t want to miss them.
In the meantime, though, here’s the link to the Tractor Zoom listing for the monster 4020!
