When is a tractor more than “just” a tractor?

There’s a million different answers to this question for sure, but for Quentin Connealy, it starts with a 1967 John Deere 5020.

This isn’t any ordinary big-frame New Generation tractor, though. This one’s pretty rare – there aren’t a lot of 5020s with a 903 Cummins in ’em. There’s more to it than the rarity, though. Lots more. I stopped in Tekamah, Nebraska a few weeks ago to finally see this tractor in person, and sit down with Quentin to hear him tell the story.

The Wakeboarding Farmer…

If you follow ag social media at all, you may have heard of Quentin (he goes by Q Connealy on most platforms). He and his family have raised corn and soybeans on the eastern banks of the Missouri river for five generations. He’s very active on social and has a HUGE following. He made one of the first ag-related videos I remember ever going really viral. Back in the spring of 2017 when there was widespread flooding in Nebraska, he went wakeboarding in one of his fields behind a side by side, and it was a great big hit. I still see it pop up in my feed once in a while, and it’s always good for a laugh!

Since then, he continues to influence the world of ag social media with his own brand of positive, upbeat humor. I got to know him about four years ago, and we’ve been good friends ever since. He knows what I do here at Tractor Zoom, and he knows I have a thing for old muscle tractors like he does.

So, when he reached out one afternoon back in 2021 saying that he and his dad were looking for a 5020 to add to their collection, I wasn’t surprised. But there was a catch…

They were looking for one of the rarest 5020s on the planet – an Ed Mead tractor.

Hunting for rare 5020s…

“I guess we always had a thing for New Gens and big-frames too,” Quentin told me over lunch in Tekamah, NE a few weeks ago. “I mean, my brother’s got a nice 6030 in the collection, but there’s just something about 5020s that appealed to both me and Dad. Here’s the thing, though. I’ve got a factory 5020, but we wanted a re-power. Back in the day, there were a bunch of Kinze re-powers running around out here doing tillage work as well as feedlot duty. We wanted something a little more unique than that.”

I don’t know if Denny or Q saw one online somewhere or in a Green Magazine article or what, but they were aware that there were some 5020s with Cummins 903s stuffed up under the hood. A family friend was a pretty good Cummins mechanic who was very fond of the 903, so they figured, “Why not look for one of those?”

Well, as it turned out, I was quasi-familiar with these 903-powered 5020s too. We’d just seen one sell at a consignment auction in southwest Wisconsin and I thought it was pretty neat. I did a little research on them, and found that most all of them came from one man – Ed Mead.

Ed Mead

So, for those of you who haven’t heard of Ed, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version.  He was an Illinois farmer, but with a big family, he also had a full-time job as well. The city job didn’t leave him with a lot of time for farming, so he had to be efficient when it came to stuff like field work. To do that, he needed more power out of the machines he already owned. When cranking the pump screw wide open didn’t get the results he wanted, he took a page out of the hot-rodder’s playbook. He started re-powering tractors with bigger engines.

To make a long story short, it didn’t take long before the re-powering idea turned itself into a side hustle for Ed. Initially, he’d relied on Detroit Diesel for power, sourcing engines from Vern Hicklin, a GM dealer right here in Des Moines! However, in the late 60s, he made the switch to Cummins power. For the big tractors, a naturally-aspirated 903 Cummins became the powerplant of choice. From what I understand, Ed re-powered somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 tractors, and the lion’s share of them were 5020s. They say that none of ’em were completely identical, because Ed was always working to improve the performance of those machines.

Okay, back to Quentin and his dad’s quest to find one of these tractors…

Missed it by that much…

I remember telling Quentin that I’d keep my eyes open for one. Lo and behold, a few months later, I stumbled on that same cabbed 5020 with Dyno Don on the side shields – and it was on an end of the year auction in Mondovi, Wisconsin! So, I called him with the information and texted him the link so he and Denny could get to bidding.

Well, when it was all said and done, they were the runner-up. They were bummed, but I told Quentin I’d keep my eyes and ears open and let him know if I found something else…and about five months later, I did! Ed Mead’s son, Tom, was consigning a pair of tractors that his dad re-powered at an auction in Illinois hosted by Sean Janssen and Brent Schmidgall, and they were both listed on Tractor Zoom. When I sent Quentin the link, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas!

The Janssen Ag auction – June 17th, 2022

When auction day came, I knew Denny was bidding on the 5020, but I wasn’t sure if he’d ended up winning the bid or not. I remember listening to the auction in the office, but didn’t hear where it went.

Then I got this text later that night.

It absolutely made my day! I played a role in finding them a tractor that they’d been searching for! That’s really satisfying!

A few weeks later, Quentin sent me a photo the day they took delivery.

Quentin’s dad, Denny, was super-excited to finally get take delivery of that 5020. It wasn’t on the property but for 24 hours before he drove it seven miles to a friend’s place to show it off. Quentin wasn’t sure how his dad got into the seat, as he wasn’t quite as spry as he once was. Still, it made his heart happy to see Dad’s big smile as he revved the engine and let the big ol’ dinosaur bark a little!

Best-laid plans…

I’ve been really hesitant to tell this story, because here’s where it takes a sad turn. On October 18, 2022, while bringing in his 52nd harvest, Denny Connealy had a massive heart attack and passed away. It came as a shock, and it was devastating to the family.

When the news hit, the ag social media community rallied around the family as best as we could. It’s hard to watch your friends when you’re hurting, knowing that there’s little you can do to take the pain away. It’s hard to know how to help them, y’know? I remember driving home from an Interesting Iron road trip to South Dakota a week after the funeral, feeling like I needed to take the Decatur exit on I-29 to see Quentin and give him a great big hug. I even had my turn signal on, but chickened out at the last minute. I’ve never forgiven myself for letting my fear of not knowing what to say stop me from being there for my friend.

Picking up the pieces…

The Connealy Farms partnership had been successful because it blended a father’s wisdom and his son’s youth. Dennis was a good teacher, and Quentin was a good student. Along the way, though, Quentin grew to be very good with the ever-changing technology, and he taught his dad and uncle. They were proof that you can be very successful blending technology with tradition on the farm.

But what do you, as a son, do when the wisdom half of the partnership isn’t there anymore? In Quentin’s words, “One day, you’re out here farming with your hero; the next day, it’s just you trying to remember everything he taught you…”

I’m sure it wasn’t easy to finish harvest that year, but it needed to be done and Quentin threw himself into it. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be buried in work.

As for whether or not Quentin learned the lessons that he learned from his hero…he was a good student. I’m sure he questions himself, but the farm continues to do well today – despite some challenges. The flood waters got to within 20′ of Mom & Dad’s home earlier this summer, and when we took a drive to look at the crops that afternoon, I could see some acres that couldn’t be replanted. He’s still smiling, though!

The takeaways…

I really enjoyed the few hours I got to spend with Quentin. However, I’m not sure we answered the question at the beginning of this week’s column. Still, I know that tractor will forever hold a special place in the Connealy collection; it was the last tractor Dad ever bought. What it did for me, though, was illustrate a few points we should all remember.

• The first one – and maybe the most important one – is this. If you can, hug your dad today. You never know when you might not have that chance again.
• Do the stuff you love to do with the people you love. I don’t care if it’s tractor rides, farming, playing golf, whatever. I know that Quentin would give just about anything to go on one more tractor ride with his dad so he could see the ear-to-ear grin on his face when that big 903 Cummins started singing a tune…even if the tractor wasn’t fully restored. Take the time to enjoy that stuff with your family, y’know? As far as I know, Denny only got to enjoy that tractor the one time. (For those of you who are wondering, I think the plan to restore the 5020 is back on track. It’ll likely go to the mechanic to have the motor inspected and tuned up so it’s in tip-top shape. Hopefully a set of loud pipes go on it, too!)
• Never underestimate the healing power of a little tractor therapy and a good sunset. Try it and tell me I’m wrong…
• Lastly, be there for your friends when they need it. If they’re going through some things, be there. Even if you don’t know how to help them. They’ll understand your intent and they’ll be grateful. Don’t be a moron like me and chicken out because you don’t know what to say. Sometimes the best move is to show up and shut up. Just be there. They’ll get it.

Now, that said, this is still a gearhead-y column; I know you’re anxious to see a video of that 5020. Here ya go!

Make it a great week, folks!

Shop John Deere 5020s…