New to me David Bradley walk behind with Sickle bar mower

[rangerfredbob]

I paid too much at auction, but it was a complete tractor with reverse, only missing one reverse friction shoe thing... The stock knobby tires are even in good shape which was one of the main reason I paid real money...

It had an old rope start briggs on it, don't feel like fiddling with one right now, and conveniently had a Predator 79cc engine on hand ($32 parking lot sale find) which was the right shaft size for the stock pulley. I had to pull the engine plate and drill some holes but I managed to fit the engine under the stock sheet metal, it will need some more massaging to fit better since it catches on the air cleaner housing now... While I had things apart I found two of the bolts holding the bearing in the wobble box of the sickle mower were broken, so I fixed that and greased most of the zerks...

On the reverse shoe I took a HDPE cutting board and cut a shoe out of that with my band saw using another as a template, took the lazy way out and used the band saw to cut a V for the spring, in the 100' it's driven so far it's worked but I haven't used reverse since I haven't gotten a new belt for it yet, they didn't have one when I got the new belts today (took 3 tries on the drive belt, second try on the cutter belt)

Of course now I'm realizing it goes too fast to cut the reed canary grass in it's current state, went to the point of stalling the engine in about 2 feet. With the ground clearance of this thing it will work better much earlier in the season when the grass is under a foot tall, might be under water then but I think this will work...

Pretty neat machine, wish the handles were higher... will raise them at some point. It needs some welding here and there but isn't bad, I'll see about getting pictures tomorrow, might rotate the pull starter so I can reach it without the hood open too...

 

[DJ54]

Awsome little tractors. I have like 25 of them. Yeah, so may I lost count. Some I use, some are for parts. I use mine in tha garden to cultivate, and have 4 different ones I use with different cultivators for various plant sizes. Easier to go get another tractor, then switch implements, LOL..

Sounds like you used the original pulley. What I've seen, ground speed should be matched for the mower, so maybe the sickle needs sharpened..?? They actually weren't the best, but better than nothing I guess. Dad bought his first new one in 1954,and I pretty much grew up with them. Been using them in the garden since '54.

But back to the mower, there are several DB groups on FaceBook, and there are a lot of parts out there for sale. There are variable speed pulley sets ups to make them run slower ground speed that were on the newer tractores. Not sure if they will fit the older one's though. If you're a fan of FaceBook, that's the place to join for info, and there's always parts for sale there. Some within reason, and some not.

I have a couple with the OEM Wards Riverside knobbies, and more with the Allstate Chevron treads. Amazing how the real gum rubber tires have held up for 70 years.

Handle height was the bad thing on the one piece handle for the front mount implements. My 5hp Special has a 2 piece frame & handles, where they are adjustable for height. Rear implements aren't so bad, because you can adjust handle height adjusting the saddle, where the rollers run.

Hang on to that OEM Briggs engine. The one's I have, that had decent care over the years, that were bought as non-runners, were brought back to life with a little tinkering. Normally cleaning up the magnetson the flywheel, new points & condenser, and a good carb. cleaning, and the fire right up. Most start on no later than the second pull on the rope. If I use them often, fire up on the first pull.

Here's the last one I bought with the OEM Briggs engine. It had good spark, just need the carb cleaned. 2 pulls on the rope, and the video shows the firast trime it has ran since the early 70's. MAH00371 - YouTube

 

[rangerfredbob]

No pictures yet, but I played with it some more tonight... I haven't had any luck finding a 28" long 3/8" wide green mower belt for reverse locally but haven't looked that hard...

I rotated the pull start so it pulls forward from the bottom so I can start it with the hood down, and pried the bottom fin on that side up a little so I can get my finger in easier to choke the engine. Also took tin snips to the sheet metal a little just behind the hood catch so it doesn't get caught on the air cleaner anymore, trouble free opening of the hood now!

I think I do need to take the sickle bar out to clean it up and sharpen it some, and adjust the upper guides more. The thrust bushing for the wobble box keeps migrating out so when the sickle gets loaded it doesn't try as hard. It mows some now but skips a lot of grass.

The hubs need to be taken apart and cleaned, it only turns one direction so one ratchet is stuck...

 

[DJ54]

If you look on the inside of the hubs, there should be a little tab you move to unlock the hubs from the reverse position. Be careful, because if they are rusty, they can break off. Go ahead and clean if you must, or lube those tabs so they move easy. If you want to keep the reverse feature, you can alwaysmow, or whatever in a pattern to turn the one direction, or, unlock the hub with that tab,when you need to back up. I don't use reverse on mine, and unlock them so as to be able to turn either direction.

Did a quick online search for belts. Found this place with cheap belts, they even have Kevlar one's, even with $3.99 less expensive than most brick & mortar places I looked.You searched for 3/8 x 28 vbelt - Off Road Belts LLC