| | | "Pound for pound, John Deere engines deliver more horsepower than other brands we've looked at. That's an important requirement in our industrial tractors. John Deere's worldwide service network was also a major factor in our decision to go with John Deere." So says Jim Fritz, owner of Big John Manufacturing Co., regarding the decision to switch to John Deere industrial diesel engines shortly after he acquired the company in 1980. Big John's extensive product line includes a wide variety of spraying equipment ranging from a small back-pack outfit to large, self-propelled agricultural models that can apply crop treatments in swaths up to 30 meters (100 ft.) wide. The company also manufactures detasseling machines for the seed-corn industry. Big John offers a 630 Series of 6-, 8- and 12-row detasselers and a 650D Pro Line of self-propelled sprayers that includes combination models that can detassel as well as spray. All are powered by a John Deere PowerTech 4045T engine. Reliable. Fritz says the switch to John Deere engines has proven to be a good move. "The engines have performed pretty much flawlessly," he says. "You always have some routine mainenance and minor repairs with anything mechanical, but I'm not aware of any major problem with any of the John Deere engines we've put in our products. We've been | | |
| | | extremely happy with them, and so have our customers." The assurance that parts and service will be readily available wherever Big John machines are used has also been a strong selling point, Fritz adds. From its factory in Osmond, Nebraska, a town of less than 800 near the northeastern corner of the state, the company ships its detasselers and sprayers to Hawaii, Mexico, South America, Australia and other places where seed corn is produced. "Our products are being used literally all over the world," Fritz says. "There's a lot of peace of mind that comes from John Deere's reputation for reliability, and from knowing that if something does go wrong, we have quick access to parts and someone who can fix the problem." He adds that Big John's John Deere engine distributor, Industrial-Irrigation Services in Hastings, Nebraska, has been another plus for using John Deere engines. "They've been real good about getting engines to us when we needed them and helping us size them to fit the various configurations of our machines," Fritz says. "And they've been especially helpful in working through the hurdles of the new emissions standards." Engine: John Deere Tier 2/Stage II PowerTech 4045T — a 94-kW (125 hp), 4-cylinder, 4.5L, turbocharged diesel engine. Distributor: Industrial-Irrigation Services, Hastings, Nebraska, (402) 463-1377, www.industrial-irrigation.com | | |