Name? “Barnyard†Bill Weisbrodt
Age? 57
State/Province of residence? Harrison, Ohio
Marital Status? Married
-- How many years? 32
-- Wife's name? Rosanne
Children? Melissa
-- Age? 24
Do you have any pets? Yes, two dogs
-- Names, breeds, etc. They are sisters, Bandit and Flash. Border Collies from a litter of nine. Their mother died giving birth and all nine were bottle fed. Don’t let Flash’s pretty blue eyes fool you. She can protect when need be.
Line of work? Building Management Specialist
TRACTOR RELATED QUESTIONS
Tractors and models owned? I am currently boarding 30 tractors in two barns. Twenty four of these are Cubs, but I also have two Farmall 404s, a Ferguson TO-20, and a Kubota. I also have a Ferguson TO-20 and TO-35 that were my step Dad’s. Those two Fergusons were in his barn when it burned to the ground and aren’t much more than parts tractors now.
-- Any other type of farm equipment? Several 193 plows, one 194 plow, one 189 two way plow, various mower decks, and four Cub 22 sickle mowers clutter up the barnyard. These were all implements that came with some of the Cubs I have bought.
Are your tractors used for show or working? I’ll show my tractors to anybody that wants to see them, but they aren’t much to look at. J. In reality I work some of the Cubs and the others are in need of some type of repair. Somewhere down the road a few of them will become donors where needed but, I have avoided that scenario so far.
How much Land do you work? We live on 5 ½ acres but really only plant a garden that is about 6,000 square feet. We planted some apple, peach and cherry trees a few years back and are hoping they take off and start producing soon. With having two barns undergoing a slow rejuvenation that is enough to keep us busy when we feel bored.
What was your first tractor experience? My Dad died when I was five years old, but I remember riding with him on one of his tractors all the time. He hardly ever left the house without me. We had 180 acres on the family farm owned by my grandmother that Dad and two of my uncles farmed. Dad also planted and harvested for other farmers in the area and had up to a dozen guys working for him at one time or another through out the growing season. There weren’t too many high school students out our way who didn’t work for Dad at one time or another during a summer vacation.
My one uncle, who was Dad’s brother, was the IH dealer in town and talked Dad into buying a combine. Mom said Dad really got busy then. Other farmers started calling him when they needed help and Dad had their crops harvested in no time. I always went along to the grain elevators and to this day I love the smell of grain as it is harvested. Whenever Rosanne and I go into a feed store she knows I will linger long enough to get a good whiff of days gone bye.
It’s funny how far back a person can recall but those fifty some years seem like yesterday. Most all of my aunt’s and uncles had farms on both Mom and Dad’s side. After Dad died we had plenty of farms to visit and a chance to drive a tractor always came up.
What is your Cub's primary work? Susie Q is my Sickle mower, Harpo gets to cultivate the garden, and Waldo is used to pull loads. Marti gets to pull double duty for now. She mows in the summer and plows snow in the winter. Eventually she will strictly be my grader Cub. Chanel will be a mower as is Rocky. The other Cubs will find work or play as time goes by.
What is the favorite Cub of all which you have owned and why? I have no favorites. I like ‘em all just the way they are, for better or for worse.
What first sparked your interest in owning a Cub? I don’t know what it was, but I always liked the looks of a Cub. It may have been because my Uncle Lou would let all the kids jump on his little tractor at his place and drive around.
What task/use of your Cub provides the most enjoyable seat time? Just about any seat time is enjoyable. Since I have several Cubs I don’t have to spend time swapping implements. This makes it so much easier to get on and go so one task doesn’t seem much different than another
Describe your most satisfying or frustrating experience working on your own or someone else's Cub? My most satisfying experience is probably getting Susie Q running with help from a bunch of forum members at the first Barnyard Bash. She was found after sitting under a tree for five or six years. The previous owner had inherited her from her friend and had no use for it. I picked her up with a bunch of implements and parked her in the barnyard. The motor turned freely so I was confident she would be a decent Cub.
Ralph looked out at the Cubs in the yard and said we needed something in the shop. I said we can pull her in if nobody else had anything. Everybody wanted a challenge so they said to get her in there. It took about an hour and a half of work to get her going. Once she fired we dumped a can of sea foam in her and let her work it out of her system by sickle mowing for about a month. When I took her to Big Dog’s Cub Tug two month’s later and out pulled all the rest I knew I had a good Cub.
I never have a frustrating experience. When I get frustrated with something else I head to the shop to work on a Cub. That usually eases the frustration.
Do you host or participate in CubFests, Cubarama, Mini-CubFests? How so? I have hosted two Cubfests since joining FarmallCub.com. I just recently wrapped up hosting the second annual “Barnyard Bashâ€. We had about 50 participants including about 10 wives. From all indications it went very well and we eagerly anticipate next year’s event.
I have also attended Cubfests in Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia and, of course, several in Ohio. I have always found these events to be a great learning experience and I wholeheartedly encourage others to attend a Cubfest if they have not yet done so. The information learned, as well as the friendships made, is second to none.
I have also found that dressing as a clown at a Cubfest is always optional.
OTHER ENJOYABLE ACTIVITIES
What other hobbies do you enjoy? I enjoy building things from wood. The bigger the better. I am not into smaller wood projects but prefer porch swings and picnic tables. The rejuvenation of my two barns have kept me quite busy as well.
Until the Cubs came along I was very active in off road riding. I am still somewhat active in Jeep rides but my days spent rebuilding Jeeps has fallen by the wayside. With the Cubs and barns taking up so much time I had to give up something.
Do you have a favorite Sports team? I reckon I will always be a Reds fan although I doubt we will ever see a team as great as the Big Red Machine from the mid seventies. Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, George Foster and the rest were tough in those days.
Favorite Book? Who in the Cub world can’t count “Handy Andy†as one of their favorite books?
Favorite outdoor activity? Anything with a Cub, working on the barns, and messing in the garden is a fun activity for me as long as I don’t make it feel like work.
Do you maintain a garden? Yes, we have a large veggie garden as well as a few flower gardens
-- How large? The veggie garden is about 6,000 square feet. If I had let the folks at the last Barnyard Bash have their way it would be about 5 acres by now. They were having a lot of fun with those plows.
-- What vegetables to you grow? Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, beans, broccoli, corn, watermelon, onions, did I mention corn.
Do you maintain a personal orchard? We have a two apple, two peach and two cherry trees we are trying to establish.
What is your favorite Quote or saying? I have my own favorite saying, “What Rosanne doesn’t know won’t hurt me!â€
Do you have any immediate goals in your life? Get another Cub or two, finish the barns and retire, but not necessarily in that order.
Never quite get over that. 
Chris 
