By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

WINAMAC, Ind. — “It is our goal to have a record number of Bradley tractors at this year’s show,” shared James Fred, an avid Bradley and Graham Bradley collector. This young man has his own tractors and also helps his grandfather, Lavon Fred who has been a mainstay at the Winamac Power From the Past show.  This year will be the 32nd year for the show and the Freds are bringing Bradley and Graham Bradley collectors from all over the US to come to this big antique tractor show in the heart of Indiana. 

This year the show will be bittersweet for collectors because they recently lost Jess Enns of Kearny, Neb. Enns was the editor of the Lesser Known Classics newsletter a publication for those that collect rare and little known tractors. Enns was a known expert on the Bradley and Graham Bradley Tractors and the group hopes to bring in several tractors in his honor. “We only know of around 15 of these tractors,” shared Lavon Fred.

Bradley tractors are part of the group of tractors that were sold through the Sears catalog. This group includes David Bradley, Graham Bradley, Bradley, Sears Economy and a few others.
The Parrett tractor was the predecessor to the Bradley tractor. Built by  Harry and Dent Parrett eventually Dent Parrett went to work as an engineer for the Ross Carrier Company. The company made lumber and industrial straddle carriers. The Ross Carrier Company owned the Bradley Tractor Co. and it appears that the Bradley tractor was built onsite in Benton Harbor, Michigan at the Ross Carrier Co.

According to collector Mark Dozier, the special feature on the Bradley tractor was an adjustable rear wheel tread that allowed the tractor to accommodate row crops with various row spacings. Each rear wheel was independently adjustable. Bradley tractors were built in 1928, 1929, and 1930 and possibly 1931 and as previously mentioned were later sold to Sears Roebuck & Co.

Dozier added the following information about the Bradley tractors. “The tractor was painted a Kelly green with red wheels,” Mark said. “The wheels were made by the F & H Wheel Co. and had L shaped lugs.”

“The tractor was tested at the Nebraska Tractor tests and attained 15. 89 drawbar horsepower and 22.9 on the belt while burning 2.7 gallons of gas per hour,” Mark shared. “It also set a new record at the time by pulling over 99 percent of its weight.”

There are many other facts about this tractor that makes it rather unique and worth a trip to the Winamac show to see them in person. Lavon Fred said, “We welcome collectors and visitors to come to our show.” 

Saturday night the group will host a banquet for those Bradley, Graham Bradley, David Bradley and other Sears sold tractor collectors.

The Winamac Power From the Past will be held July 16-19 at the Winamac Town Park in Winamac, Ind. The show features a flea market and daily events that include corn shredding, threshing, saw mill steam engines and more. Click on the homepage at http://www.winamacpowershow.com/ for more details about the tractor show.