Wallaces Farmer

Company celebrates 50 years of dual auger grain carts by bringing back a market winner.

Willie Vogt

October 15, 2021

4 Min Read
New Kinze Harvest Commander 1121
RETURN OF A CLASSIC: The new Kinze Harvest Commander 1121 is an upgrade of the company’s popular 1050 dual auger cart. It has some new features that bring convenience to this popular 1,100-bushel size.Photos by Willie Vogt

Susie Veatch has put in some quality tractor seat time pulling a grain cart. It was time well spent since Veatch’s father — Jon Kinzenbaw — invented the high-flotation dual auger grain cart 50 years ago. But when Veatch first took the wheel of the tractor, the cart she pulled was a Kinze 1050.

“It was our most popular cart,” says Veatch, who is now president and chief marketing officer at Kinze. “And it was the first one I ever used and learned how to drive.”

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1050 CAME FIRST: Susie Veatch, president and chief marketing officer at Kinze, got her start driving the grain cart with the predecessor to the 1121. Her father, Jon Kinzenbaw, introduced the first dual auger cart to the market 50 years ago.

While the 1050 became a popular machine, that model left the line a few years ago. In 2021, the redesigned version of that dual auger cart — the Harvest Commander 1121 — joined the stable of carts from Kinze for introduction next season.

“This cart holds a special place for me since it is like the one I first learned to operate,” Veatch says.

But why bring back the 1,110-bushel cart? These days, grain carts keep getting bigger, with some competitors racking up impressive capacity numbers.

“The 1050 was so popular because of its simplicity to operate, and it provides the right capacity for many farmers,” Veatch explains. “It matches the capacity of a semitrailer, and on most farms, that works for moving grain from combine to market.”

Pulling a new 1121 to take soybeans off the combine, Veatch talks about meeting market needs and how 2020 and 2021 have challenged this family-owned short-line company.

“We’re working to keep up, but we’re also being transparent to the customer,” she says. “We have advised dealers to not take a machine in trade until we know we can deliver a new machine.”

There are horror stories in the field this season of farmers trading machines and not having the replacement machine in time for the season. Veatch says she and her team are working to avoid that for the product line.

Improving on a classic

Lining up to take soybeans off the combine, Veatch reminiscences about learning to drive that early 1050 cart. “My dad’s advice was to hit a constant speed and let the combine operator adjust as needed,” she says, as a family friend driving another tractor cart nearby was still learning that “steady speed trick.”

As for the new 1121 cart? Bringing back an 1,100-bushel cart meant more than pulling out the old plans and hitting the factory floor. Veatch points out the improved capacity, thanks to high and low back boards.

“The cart also has auger cleanout,” Veatch says. “Simply open a door and you can clean that horizontal auger more quickly.” That makes crop changeover easier.

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BETTER CLEANOUT: This door under the horizontal auger provides easier cleanout. Just open the doors, clear that lower auger and take on a new crop.

The machine also features:

  • centralized grease bank

  • hydraulic tip spout for better directional control when unloading

  • LED lighting for greater visibility

  • change in tracks

“We were building our own tracks, but we’ve switched over to working with Camso for tracks,” Veatch says. “They offer innovations, and we can rely on their expertise.” And the axle is designed to enable an easy upgrade from flotation tires to tracks.

The 1,100-bushel-capacity machine has a high-speed unload auger so it can empty in just over two minutes pumping 550 bushels per minute.

Beginning in 2022, all Kinze single and dual auger grain carts will feature the Harvest Commander name, which is also a throwback to the 1050 model, and all current dual auger models will receive enhancements.

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NOT JON KINZENBAW: This drawing of Mr. Kinze is not meant to be an image of the company founder. Susie Veatch explains that a family friend drew the picture as a potential icon for the company to use. But for many, the image represents the farmer-inventor who still keeps tabs on the company’s operation.

The dual auger grain cart came from the mind of Kinzenbaw 50 years ago. Bringing back the classic model adds to the celebration. Learn more at kinze.com.

About the Author(s)

Willie Vogt

Willie Vogt has been covering agricultural technology for more than 40 years, with most of that time as editorial director for Farm Progress. He is passionate about helping farmers better understand how technology can help them succeed, when appropriately applied.

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