MEET THE DRIVERS- Comments/Driver Stories

I'm a 1947 Farmall M purchased to replace a Farmall F-14, which was being used along with a 1939 Farmall F-20 to farm 200 acres southwest of /Streator, Illinois in Livingston County. The farm raised primarily corn and soybeans with some oats. My owner also had a few beef cattle until the early 1960's. About the time I was purchased, my owner rented 80 acres to go along with the owned land. More power-more land!

I was the primary tractor on the farm for 11 years doing all the tillage work, cultivating, and harvesting. I pulled a 3- 14 #8 IHC plow, a 10 foot IHC #9 tandem disc, a 10 foot IHC field cultivator, and a 12 foot John Deere spring tooth harrow. I was mounted with a 4 row M-448 cultivator to cultivate corn and soybeans. The Farmall F-20 was used to pull a 52R combine, which was later replaced with an IHC #76 PTO driven combine. I was used on the #76 combine until a Farmall 460 took over as the primary tractor, Corn pickers included a 2-row IHC #24 followed by a 2-row 2MH. That 2MH was a heavy load.

The arrival of the Farmall 460 in 1959 relegated me to lighter duty including hauling grain wagons, roadside mowing and pulling a 4-row corn planter. Ah! An easier life!

Several newer and more powerful tractors were used on the farm in the late 60's, 70's and 80's, but my owner always kept me around, When the time came to auction my owner's things after his death in 1997, his son didn't have the heart to part with me, thus my restoration. Lucky me!

My owner kept track of every hour I worked and the tasks I did. All my maintenance, repairs and overhauls are noted in seed corn notebooks. According to my owner's records, I have approximately 12,000 hours on me. Do you think I look it?

I was the first tractor my owner's son drove. His first "solo" occurred in July of 1954. My owner and his son were harvesting oats and using me to haul the grain wagons. A rain shower was coming and my owner needed to get the combine with its full grain tank and two wagons full of oats under cover. I remember the son being an excited nine-year-old that day as he drove me, pulling two wagons through the pasture, across the creek on the narrow bridge, and into the shelter of the corncrib! (Actually I was a bit nervous!)

I got to ride in the Heritage Tractor Adventure last June. I traveled approximately 120 miles in three days along the Illinois and Michigan Canal from Joliet to Streator. There were over 300 other old tractors on the trip with me. I was also in the 50 mile McHenry County Tractor Trek in July. It's great to hang out with the other old tractors!

Paul Tombaugh

This is the 3rd Bradley Tractor I've had. The 1st one in 1943, they were a quiet 6 cylinder so I put a car radio on it. The one I have now I paid $55 for it at a cold farm sale, in the 1960's. It ran good. My son overhauled it in college in 1982. In the Pumpkin Parade at St. Anne's my sign on the tractor read. "I'M GLAD TO BE A CUB FAN".

Roland and Ruthie Tanner

My tractor is an International Harvester "M" which I bought non- running in 1978 overhauling the engine myself having a speed shop regrind and balancing the crank, port, and polishes the head, and regrinding the cam.

The tractor was repainted in 1979 and won first place at the Racine county fair tractor pull that year. I continued using this tractor at the local tractor pulls through 2001. I also used in on the silage blower until I sold my dairy cows in 1993. The 2003 Heritage tractor adventure was its first tractor ride so I added an air ride seat. I enjoyed the Heritage tractor ride.
Brian Bayley

This year the tractor drive was a special one for the Tadie family. All 5 brothers and 3 brother-in-laws participated in the tractor Adventure. Andrew from Seattle and Jimmy from Baton Rouge came the furthest. The other brothers Tony, Mark and John came from Wataga, Alexis and Princeton in Illinois. The brothers traded off driving 2 John Deere tractors- a 1956 John Deere Model 70 and a 1956 John Deere Model 520.

The brother -in-laws Joe Slez, Michael Hall and Phil Bucholz drove a 1950 Allis Chalmers WD owned by Joe Slez.

They all had lots of interesting stories to share and can't wait until the next tractor drive!

P.S. Strong possibility- all girls drive next year!

The Tadies