December 2018 FMOM Special Edition....Brad

Name:
“Brad” (User ID)
Bradley (Name)

Join date:
December 28, 2006
(Wow, that’s a long time ago! Little did I know how many changes would take place over the years since joining.)

Member number:
#4571

What city, and state, do you live in?
We live in Ladd, IL (Home of the best fried chicken in the world courtesy of Rip’s Tavern Home - Rip's Tavern )

Are you married?
Yes. Since November 15, 1975.



If so, your wife's name and how many years you've been married?
Linda is my wife’s name, and it’s been 43 years now.



Do you have any children?
3 children

If so, please give their names, and respective ages:
Cory is 39, (pushing 40 real hard) and from Milwaukee WI. Mechanical engineer with a firm in that area.
Neil is 38, PhD in Mathematics professor at North Central College in Naperville, IL
Annie, 34, from Green Bay, WI area. Health and Wellness manager currently on a hiatus from the business world to raise her family.

Do you have any grandchildren?
We do!

If so, how many?

6 total:
Cory and his wife have 3, Boy-Girl-Girl




Neil and his wife have 1, Boy



Annie and her husband have 2, Boy-Boy



What do you do to earn a living?
I am an operations supervisor at a nationwide LTL trucking company in our local area. Been there 10 years now, but have done this since 1977.
Started out at McLean Trucking Company

After that, I went to Associated Truck Lines

Then, Yellow Freight System

Now, I’m with FedEx Freight


How old are you?
I am 63 years old, close to 64!

Military service?
No, afraid not. Looking back I should have, but when I got out of high school the draft had ended, I thought I’d go to college, and was helping at home financially.

How did you come to join MTF?
I was mowing some lawns and was searching information on repairing Lawn Boy mowers. I had been to Lawnsite and GardenWeb, but MTF really grabbed my attention with the friendliness of people in the Walkbehind section (really all of the forums, but that is where I spent my time). It was really active back then with topics that I felt helped me learn a lot! Different lubricants (synthetic or dino), parts sources, repair hints, etc. It is just as active today with great staff and members, great topics, good quality discussions, etc.

What are your favorite MTF forums and why?
All the forums have a family atmosphere, but I’d say, after the social forums, it’d be the Walkbehind section as that was where I started out. Then, on to Small Engine and Repair, Cooking, Pets, etc… You name it. I can find a draw in just about any forum that has a good discussion going on. (Sometimes, duty calls and I get pulled into a forum with a BAD discussion going on….. but those are few and far between these days.)

What do you like most about MTF?
Has to be the friendly atmosphere. Many times over the years I have gotten together with individuals and groups for breakfasts, dinners, social events, etc. Great bunch of people to be associated with. Was even fortunate enough, a few years back while in New Hampshire, to meet Simple John for breakfast, along with my wife Linda and mother-in-law. Great time.




On that trip also met member BillB for the best seafood dinner I’ve ever had!


Some other folks at a breakfast meet, including Peoria Murph, Ken N TX, and others.




Please list your tractors and/or equipment:
Right now, we have 1 JD X310 rider. 2 Lawnboy DuraForces, and some miscellaneous trimmers, blowers, generators, tillers, etc. nothing big and exciting.

What is your favorite tractor or piece of equipment and why?
I had a 318 for a while. Nice unit but prefer the hydro on the pedal rather than dash. Have to say the best one I had was our LT190. Cut a lot of grass with that. It was Linda’s rider. Also had an STX38, first rider I had. Came with the notorious “starter click”.

Is there a tractor or piece of equipment you'd love to own someday?
I’d like to have a GT with a tiller and other ground engaging equipment after I go into semi-retirement. Would like to do tilling, mowing, snow removal, etc., to make some spending money.

Tell us some of the tasks you use your tractors and/or equipment for?
Right now, we only use it for cutting grass.

Could you describe your property for us?
Current property is a town lot. Prior home was about 1 ½ acres. Did a lot of yard work out there, keeping it up and in good shape.

Is there something you'd love to build or restore someday?
Few years back I had a sprayer that I build a cart for. Would like to build another one someday using what I learned from that build. It worked well for spraying weeds in the lawn and around the house.

Most memorable tractor moment?

I will answer this as: Most memorable Mytractorforum Moment:
Several, I think. When I was asked to become a moderator here on MTF, then a Super Moderator, and finally an Administrator. As I looked back at the beginning of my membership here little did I ever envision becoming part of the staff. After becoming an admin on here, VerticalScope started a few more forums, including https://www.mylawnmowerforum.com/ . I was asked to put together a team of staff to build the forum from the ground up. I think I was member #2 over there, back in June of 2010. Quite an honor. I have stepped down from that role and it is an active forum being run by a fantastic group of staff who have made it a great reflection of MTF.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the great staff here at MTF. A few were on board when I became a moderator, but a lot have been brought up since. I always enjoy that time when the discussion comes up about adding a moderator or 2. It’s an opportunity to reflect back on memorable interactions with members, who are continuously helpful, bringing positive reflection to the forum, etc. The others involved in this process do the same thing, and when we’re all sitting around the “kitchen table” in our discussion group I like to hear the great stories behind the nominations and why they’d be a “good fit” in keeping MTF the friendly place it is. So far we’ve been pretty successful and I think that the forum will be left in good hands in the future years.
One other event that actually thrilled me to no end was the “Starter Assist” that I put together. Didn’t actually invent it, as it’s out there, but figured out how to adapt it for use in lawn and garden tractors and posted it up here on MTF for folks to tackle their own “Starter Click” problems. When I made and installed it on my STX38 and went to turn the key my heart was pounding. Was it going to start? Was it going to make the tractor go up in a ball of flame? Well, it started first and every turn after that. Success!! Have to have helped several hundred folks get rid of that annoying issue up to this time. Still get requests for the schematic and article.


Earliest tractor memories?
I was probably 3 or 4 years old and visiting a playmate on his farm. His dad had what was probably a Ford 8N with a bucket on the front. We sat in the bucket and his dad raised us up, probably 6-8 feet at the most and I was scared to death! (You asked about the earliest memory, not the best memory!!)

Do you have any other hobbies or interests that you'd like to share with us?
I am an amateur radio operator, KA9WRZ. I enjoy working public service events such as marathons, bicycle races, storm spotting, etc. I have worked the Chicago Marathon for 9 years now, if I recall correctly. We keep the medical teams in contact with the central command post, relaying health and welfare messages, requesting ambulances, updating race officials of any issues taking place on the course that need immediate attention, etc. Our son, Neil, is a third generation licensed amateur as well, KC9VIG, and he goes one step beyond. He is a very accomplished marathon runner, 50 miler, and 100 mile runner, as well as a running coach. His first year running the Chicago Marathon is what got me interested in volunteering my services. He’s been licensed and worked the race from a communications standpoint for about 5 years now.



What do the other people in your life think of your "tractor" hobby?
Well, my wife used to think it was kind of dumb that I was involved on MTF, but everything that I have learned over the years and have put to use has replaced “dumb” with “Silly”, so I’m moving up in the world. She is a member, much to her dismay I am sure, to help me with administrative duties on here (Linda L). My brother, who is an author and photographer of trains, old cars, trucks, and machinery of all sorts, is a member, though pretty much dormant at the present. He first signed up to get some information on Linux computer systems and he, too, met some very nice folks with whom he corresponded on occasion. Our son Neil, daughter Annie, and son-in-law Andy are all members as well, though not active. Guess they just didn’t get bitten by the bug as hard as I did!