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Kunz Engineering Inc.
2100 Welland Rd.
Mendota, IL 61342
Telephone:
815-539-6954
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Website:
www.kunzeng.com
Year Started:
1992
# American Employees:
5
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Kunz Engineering was founded in 1992 by current president Gary Kunz. To fully understand how Kunz Engineering was founded, we need to
go back a few years. It all began when Gary Kunz volunteered to mow the 4-1/2 acre Mendota Bible Church lawn. This turned out to be a
bigger job than expected but Gary was up to the challenge.
In the winter of 1986/1987, Gary designed his first 48" pull behind mower. With his engineering background, Gary was quite accustomed
to developing new products so this was a natural for him. To the amazement of Gary, his new 48" pull behind mower was very easy to pull
and maneuver around objects. In fact it worked so well, he decided to make his first 60" pull behind mower the following winter. In
the fall of 1991 Gary designed another 60" pull behind mower improving on the last design and including certain safety features.
In the spring of 1992 Gary was laid off from his engineering job. Having three kids in high school and not desiring to move Gary
decided to turn his hobby into a business. During the spring of 1992, Gary developed his fourth pull behind mower design. This new
design incorporated all new parts with manufacturing and marketing in mind. After a great deal of testing and demonstrating the product
concept to potential customers, Gary felt it was time to produce and sell this product. In 1993 the AcrEase (pronounced acre ease)
brand of wing mowers was born. To this day the majority of these original mowers are still running and a number of them have more than
3000 hours of use.
In 1994 Gary developed his first 60" commercial grade pull behind mower. Up until the late 1990’s the majority of AcrEase mowers were
pulled off to the side of riding mowers to reduce mowing time. In the late 1990’s, there was a growing trend to use ATV’s for mowing.
During this time period, Kunz Engineering saw a drastic shift in sales towards the ATV market and adjusted their marketing strategies
accordingly.
In the spring of 1999 Gary’s son Matt graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and joined Kunz Engineering full time. Matt had
worked with the company from the very beginning but would now play a much bigger role in new product development. In 2001, the Model
MR55T pull behind rough cut mower went to full production status and was a hit. Customers were amazed with its ability to handle the
seemingly impossible tasks. In 2002, the model MR55K (20 HP Kohler Command engine) was born. Also in 2002, the Model MR55T with the 17
HP Tecumseh engine was replaced with a 17 HP Briggs & Stratton engine and was renamed the Model MR55B. In 2004, the Model C60H (13 HP
Honda engine) commercial finish cut mower and Model MR55H (18 HP Honda engine) rough cut mower were released.
After considerable research and development, Kunz Engineering released a new line of equipment in 2005 for tow behind tilling called the
Till-Ease line. The Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator . In 2005, Kunz Engineering also released the Model MR55KE (20 HP Kohler
Command engine) pull behind rough cut mower. This particular model used an electric clutch for blade engagement.
In 2006, the Model Pro60K (18 HP Kohler Command engine) was released and the Model MR55B rough cut mower was upgraded to a new 22 HP
Briggs & Stratton engine. Also in 2006, a new Model H60B (13 HP Briggs & Stratton engine) finish cut mower was created. Responding to
market demand, Kunz Engineering released a pull behind cultipacker for creating deer food plots called the Till-Ease Model 2148
Cultipacker.
Since the company first began, Kunz Engineering has strived to be the leader in innovation with any piece of equipment they have
developed. Kunz Engineering has made its mark as creating some of the highest quality pull behind equipment for lawn and property maintenance.
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Thoughts on America:
Great idea. There are more and more Americans that are getting fed up with foreign made products and are looking for American made alternatives. If we don't get things turned around soon it is going to be too late. Americans have lost focus on how important it is to support fellow American companies that are producing products in America. |
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