1956 David Bradley

[skent]

Wondered how many of you would like to see one. In the 1950's, my Uncle was sent to buy a corn planter and came home with a David Bradley. Everyone made fun of it, said it was a piece of junk, would never last, and he wasted his money. She's still going strong and does all my truck patch work every year. Third pull on the rope is a charm - every time.

He bought (sold by Sears) it with the working bar & cultivators, sickle bar mower, harrow, and a two row corn planter (sits on the working bar).

This sweetie weighs in at somewhere around 1400 lbs, liquid and weights in fronts and rear, when the working bar is loaded with 8 heart shovels and a ninth in the back, she never slows down. Power is from a Wisconsin 6HP engine, other than oil changes and new mufflers and spark plugs, has never (in 45 years) had any work done to it (not even breaker points). She was rolled (no one injured) in 59' (steering wheel slightly bent) while cultivating strawberry patch.

Transmission of power is thru a dry clutch and a variable pitch pulley to the forward/reverse gearbox. PTO pulley (for sickle bar) is housed under the offset seen directly under the BRADLEY (in photo). The tractor articulates in the center (in front of the seat) sort of like all wheel steering, and a small crank (by the steering wheel) will allow you to offset the rear wheel to the right or left to accomondate row spacing. The front tread can also be changed in less than 2 minutes to any spacing between 48" and 72".

I acquired her 10 years ago when the clutch started slipping (Sears no longer stocks parts) my Uncle wanted my help taking her to the scrapyard. I had a machine shop custom make the clutch disk and install new sleve bearings and seals. Some minor adjustments and off we went. Two fronts are orig. tires, rear (7:00 X 16) bar tread was replaced two years ago.

After this growing season I can dis-assemble - clean - and repaint her.

Hope to get a group shot of all the tractors out on a sunny day!

 

[Harv]

Holy Cow, Steve! I never saw anything like that in my life! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

If anything would be worth restoring, it would be that puppy. A classic, fer sure! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thanks for sharing.

 

[skent]

And it's truly AMAZING how much traction I get from only one drive wheel.

It's great for Row Crop work. The cultivators are right under your nose. (The muscle powered lift is prone to fatigue, but the seals don't leak!) Same for the planter. In the photo the shovels are set to hill up potato rows.


Big problem though is it tips over very easy if you are pulling a wagon with any kind of a load and go into a turn. I keep the front end set to 72" and stay on level ground.

 

[markcg2000]

That thing looks seriously cool! I've never seen anything like it, either.

<font color=blue>Power is from a Wisconsin 6HP engine </font color=blue>
I swear they used to measure HP differently /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif. I have a late 50's Gravely Model L (2 wheel walk behind) "tractor" with what they claim is a 6.6 HP motor - if I hooked that up to my 12 HP riding mower, the Gravely would pull it backwards /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. And unless you think it's gearing, these babies have two speeds - medium and fast!


mark

 

[GlueGuy]

Steve,

That is one fantastic looking old lady! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif!!!

You've got a real treasure there! I look forward to seeing her all gussied up!

Notice a little more of that neat trailer behind your other new toy too. Please fill us in on it when you can!


The GlueGuy

 

[Bird]

I know two guys who have David Brown tractors, but never heard of the David Bradley before that I can remember. Quite an interesting machine; should be well worth restoring.

Bird

 

[JimReichard]

A frind of mine is restoreing a David Bradley that is simular but its more like a Gravely it has the 2 drive wheels and a sulky . He has a twin set of drive wheels kinda like a dually that he's going to add with a snow blade. it 's powered by a 5 horse engine. Your tractor is a beauty and you should be proud to have such a nice peice .

JIM

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Skent,

I like your Uncle and his tractor. The guy knew how to shop. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
I have a David Bradley "Surburban" (4 wheeler). Its about half the size, 8 HP cast Briggs engine, dry clutch, varible pitch pulley speed control. I have used it for the last 10 years pulling a rear mower, huffs and puffs and keeps on ticking.

It has a front sickle bar and front blade, the sickle bar works great but the blade is a joke.

Parts are a problem. I had to invent a replacement thrust bearing for the clutch. Hard to fine bearings with 13/16" inner dia./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

I may have a clutch disc that might fit your tractor. I pulled it from the transmission of a larger Bradley. I thought it might fit mine but was to large in diameter. It's the half with the fiber, about 10" Dia.

Thanks for posting the picture. Maybe Muhammad will add David Bradley section/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[JimReichard]

Hey Twinkle toes try this phone number its to a bearing warehouse I use when I can't find it anyware their friendly and reasonable priced 703-719-6803 be prepaired to give them any numbers and all diamensions of the bearings I hope this helps .
JIM

 

[s1120]

Oh! That is SOOOO cool! I NEED one of those.

 

[s1120]

<font color=red>I swear they used to measure HP differently </font color=red>

I think you are right. The kholer 14hp in my Ingersoll is a lot stronger then some of the motors they put in the new garden tractors. Nowadays with the hp race, I think the manufactures are rating the hp a deferent way to make them look better. I think any one who has used one of the old “k” model kholer singles will agree with me.

 

[geneP]

Paul, speaking of the "K" model Kholers...I have a Gravely with a 8 HP K181s that I bought in 1977. I've used it for about everything around the place, and had it overhauled (bored, crank turned, etc) about 8 years ago. Last summer it started using oil quite suddenly. I check around, and the opinion I got was that Kholer was going to stop making the K model. The cost to overhaul it again was quoted at about $600, and I'd still have the 24 yr old carb, governor, alternator, etc. I orderd and picked up yesterday a brand new engine complete with all the accessories. Cost was $1080 including tax. I was afraid I would get caught a few years from now with a junk motor and no way to get a new one.

I looked all winter for a replacement for the Gravely to mow grass with, and couldn't convince myself that anything short of one of those $5500 zero turn radius front mower zoomies would do what the gravey does in my yard. Not that it is so fast, but it is so versatile. I don't have to follow up with a weed-eater because it cuts up under bushes and fence rows.

 

[Thomas]

For yesterday iron she in darn good shape.
I believe Allis Chalmer,Case also had tractor setup like the D.B. but a little larger.

I bet she would bring home some ribbions if you enter her antique tractor show. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif


Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[TraderMark]

That thing is just TOOOOO cool!
/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[fxrupr]

Are you sure Harley Davidson didn't have something to do with the design?
That is some Hog!! And I'll bet it's paid for itself many times over.

 

[2manyrocks]

I think David Bradley was well known in farm implements maybe in the 50's and early 60's. I still have one of their walk behinds. I sold the plow attachment, but used to turn our garden with it. They had a basic model with no hood and then a fancy model that had a hood over the engine. The higher end models had a reverse on them and a variable pulley to change drive speeds plus a locking differential. I agree with the OP that David Bradleys were well made--I'm sure my walk behind would still work if I decided to use it.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

The David Bradley allowed you to plow your crop when it was too small to plow with a larger tractor. I think an Allis Chalmers model G is a jewel also. My Grandad truck patched a forty with a David Bradley. He had converted an old mule planter to fit the walk behind. He had a tractor that he broke and disced with, but he used the David Bradley until things were big enough to plow with the larger tractor, letting the crop get a head start on the grass. I have two riding DB's, and one walk behind with the reverse. There are maybe a dozen of them parked in and around grandpa's barn. He had a three wheeled one like that one but it was all apart. I never knew what that thing was until now. An indispensible tool for the truck patcher.

 

[rreidnauer]

If anyone is interested, I saw a guy has a restored one of these for sale on Craigslist just outside of Philadelphia.

1954 David Bradley tri trac

 

[MtHam]

My father bought a David Bradley 2 wheel walk behind tractor with a 5hp B&S engine in the early 50's when I was about 6 years old. I used the heck out of it over the next five years, and burned up the engine due to asking it to do more than it could, coupled with my negligence in letting the oil get too low. He was very stoic, and simply said I was going to rebuild it, and I did. It was a great lesson, a very educational experience, and one of my fondest memories of him.