Our Story

In approximately 1880 Levi Davis started a business in Big Rock, Illinois. The location of Levi’s business was across from the bandstand or what today we all know as the gazebo by the big rock. The store was somewhat similar to a General Store. Items such as coffee, sugar and tea were brought in from locations like Saint Louis via horse covered wagon. Items that were sold were kept in a small daily ledger book by Levi. Livestock was also taken in as trade for merchandise.

The business changed hands in the early 1900’s and then became Merritt Whilden Implement and Hardware. Over the course of the time Merritt owned the business, the location remained the same. Then in 1935 he sold the business.

In 1935 Carl Thurow purchased the business from Merritt Whilden and the store then became Carl Thurow Implement. Half of the building was used as a machine shop and the other half was used as a General Store. The implement store had the tall gravity style pumps out front and sold gasoline. In 1946 Carl hired Merle Thorsen and then in 1948 he hired Robert Hardekopf. Merle was primarily involved with the repairs and service work while Robert’s main functions were bookkeeping, parts and hardware. Both gentlemen had just recently returned home from the service in the US Army in World War II and would be instrumental in insuring that the company would continue to flourish and survive.

One day Carl Thurow asked Robert Hardekopf to go up into the attic and clean out many of the numerous papers and items that had been collecting there from previous owners of the company. At first he started throwing out items but then came upon a small journal and he began to read it. The journal contained a list starting from the first day items were sold and purchased at the store in 1880. Robert thought the journal and some of the other papers were too valuable to throw out so he brought them to Carl Thurow’s attention. Carl Thurow decided he only wanted to keep the journal and not the remainder of the items. Carl took the journal home. When Carl Thurow passed away attempts were made to locate the journal but to no avail. The only record of what was in the journal is the memory Robert Hardekopf has of the day that he found it in the attic and started to read it. Thanks to Robert Hardekopf we know a little bit how Levi Davis ran his business back in 1880 and through the turn of the century. The journal has never been seen since.

Robert Hardekopf and Merle Thorsen purchased the company from Carl Thurow in 1954 and the company was renamed Big Rock Implement Co. In 1956 the decision was made to break ground just east of the current location and pour a large concrete slab for a much larger building. At the time the thought was this building would be for storage. Robert Hardekopf and Merle Thorsen did not know it yet but this big storage building would eventually become part of the new larger location for the business. Big Rock Implement eventually outgrew their location and so in 1966 they moved the entire operation to the current location at 47W619 Route 30.

Along the way new employees were added. James Shrader was a junior in high school in 1959 when he began his Part Time employment at Big Rock Implement Co. James worked in the Parts Department. Upon his high school graduation he became a Full Time employee with the company and remained in the Parts Department.

In 1972 another one of these employees was a high school junior named Russell Ruh. Merle Thorson hired Russell after Robert Hardekopf went to Russell Ruh’s father and asked permission to have him come to work at the store. They did not want to take him away from the chores on the family farm. Russell’s father gave permission for the partners to hire his son, so Russell then began his employment in the Service Department at Big Rock Implement. One day after a few months of employment Russell was pressing bearings out of a gear case and literally got the “break” of his life. The gear case slipped out of the press and landed on his foot, putting him in crutches for two weeks. Rather than just sitting home Robert Hardekopf suggested he come up to the Parts Department and sit in a chair between parts bins and take inventory. After working behind the counter for a while Robert saw how well Russell handled himself which led him to the decision to have Russell stay behind the counter permanently.

In 1973 a new corporation was formed from the merger of Big Rock Implement and Hinckley Equipment Company. The stock holders were Merle Thorson, Robert Hardekopf, Donald Jelm and Clyde Wutzke. Along with the new corporation came a new name for the business, DeKane Equipment Corporation. The name was the derived of the one company residing in DeKalb County and the other residing in Kane County. Robert Hardekopf was responsible for the naming of the new corporation. The business remained at 47W619 Route 30 in Big Rock, Illinois.

Over the years DeKane Equipment Corporation repurchased all of the shares from Merle Thorson, Clyde Wutzke and Donald Jelm. In 1976 James Shrader became a stockholder in the company and then in 1983 Russell Ruh also became a stockholder in the company. With the stock purchases complete, the owners of DeKane Equipment Corporation were Robert Hardekopf, James Shrader and Russell Ruh. James Shrader has since retired from the company and Robert Hardekopf passed away in 2014.

To help ensure that DeKane Equipment Corporation will be available to service future generations the decision was made to add additional partners to the existing corporation. The new partners are Mike Johnstone and Peter Kaus. The new partners have a total of 36 years of experience working at DeKane Equipment Corporation.

Today DeKane Equipment offers a robust array of products and services ranging from tractor, utility vehicles, implements and mowers to lawn and garden tools. Our Repair Shop is available and pick-up and delivery service is available for all types of equipment. The Parts Department carries a wide variety of in stock parts.

Our great product lines include Kubota, Woods, Cub Cadet, Grasshopper, Scag, Versatile, Gehl Skid Steers and Landoll Tillage equipment. We also proudly offer Stihl Lawn and Garden products, mowers and Troy-Bilt tillers. DeKane Equipment Corporation also carries a wide range of used equipment.

Although DeKane Equipment does not sell coffee, sugar or tea any longer or deliver in covered wagons the service portion of the business has not changed all that much, our premise remains the same. We want to provide our customers with a friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff while combining high quality products and excellent services at competitive prices to provide the best value for our customers. You can’t be in business this long if you don’t service your customers. We at DeKane Equipment Corporation would like nothing better than to see the tradition continue for another 144 years.