Opinions of a Bradley mower?

[OldRugger81]

I have found what I believe to be a very good price on a new Bradley Commercial mower 48". I can't find any information on this product, other than what the seller gives. Can I get some feed back from some of you Pro's?

[Travis Followell]

They are made in China so the quality would not be near as good as an american made mower and they would be a lot harder to get parts for. I'd spend the extra money and get a good name brand american made mower.

[CCWKen]

Kohler is made in China? That's news to me. But of course, I guess it could be too. The engine is the most expensive part of any machine. The rest is fabricated and parts sourced from all over the world. There are NO 100% American machines. Not even the car you drive. I just did a Google and got over 11,000 hits for "Bradley Commercial mower" and there were plenty of parts supliers.

I wouldn't write it off unless you do some homework. Look for "Service Centers" in your area or shops that work on them. If you don't do repairs or maintenance yourself, having to deliver it to a shop 200 miles away could be a problem.

[Mower Man]

USA sourced parts are:
Engines,
Transmission,
Some belts.
Most other metal parts are made in China.

Takes longer to get it out of the metal crate that set it up.

[Jerry and Sons]

I have a dealer around me, he tried to sell me a bradley. Stated that it was designed by engineers that had left from bob cat and exmark and toro. I was very leary to purchase. With out a quality piece of equipment i can not service my accounts, so I went with a toro 48" wb. Seemed like a good machine, but i was not willing to take the chance.

[Travis Followell]

Kohler is made in China? That's news to me. But of course, I guess it could be too. The engine is the most expensive part of any machine. The rest is fabricated and parts sourced from all over the world. There are NO 100% American machines. Not even the car you drive. I just did a Google and got over 11,000 hits for "Bradley Commercial mower" and there were plenty of parts supliers.

I wouldn't write it off unless you do some homework. Look for "Service Centers" in your area or shops that work on them. If you don't do repairs or maintenance yourself, having to deliver it to a shop 200 miles away could be a problem.
I was talking about the mower itself. The Engines and Transmissions are American and the Kohlers are made in Wisconsin. China uses lower quality materials than other countries. It may look just as good as a name brand mower but its made from much lower quality materials.

[OldRugger81]

This is the advertised comparison...

Bradley, Scag and Exmark all have a Kohler motors, Peerless transmission, Duel wide drive belts, 7 gauge steel and a 1 year warranty.

...plus both the Scag and the Exmark are approx. $6500, while the Bradley is $2000.

My Dad is a retired maintenance manager of a large corporation, so he is very handy in the mechanical breakdown department. Plus we already have a Scag Turf Tiger.

[CCWKen]

"...but its made from much lower quality materials."

What information do you have to support this statement? China has been getting it's steel from the same foundries that the US does. I don't know of any US manufacturer that has it's own foundry. One thing for sure, the US makers are using the same "much lower quality materials". We (US) just don't pay our workers $1 a day to form/fab the frames.

What you pay for in the US is the investor's new Cadilac. Personally, I don't like paying $3000 for a paint job and stickers. But hey, that's just me.

[Smalltimer1]

"...but its made from much lower quality materials."

What information do you have to support this statement? China has been getting it's steel from the same foundries that the US does. I don't know of any US manufacturer that has it's own foundry. One thing for sure, the US makers are using the same "much lower quality materials". We (US) just don't pay our workers $1 a day to form/fab the frames.

That's why the price of scrap metal is so high, its being shipped to China for all their construction projects.

[stumper1620]

"...but its made from much lower quality materials."

What information do you have to support this statement? China has been getting it's steel from the same foundries that the US does. I don't know of any US manufacturer that has it's own foundry. One thing for sure, the US makers are using the same "much lower quality materials". We (US) just don't pay our workers $1 a day to form/fab the frames.

What you pay for in the US is the investor's new Cadilac. Personally, I don't like paying $3000 for a paint job and stickers. But hey, that's just me.
Then just buy the china equipment, eventually it will bit you in the a$$!
I like low prices too, but if everybody takes your view & keep supporting china, who ya gonna mow for when noboddy has a job!
I try very hard to avoid as much as possible anything that is not assembled or made here in the states. Its nice to know even when China is testing The US at every chance people still want to send them money, go ahead help them with building their missles. :dizzy:

[stumper1620]

"...but its made from much lower quality materials."

What information do you have to support this statement? China has been getting it's steel from the same foundries that the US does. I don't know of any US manufacturer that has it's own foundry. One thing for sure, the US makers are using the same "much lower quality materials". We (US) just don't pay our workers $1 a day to form/fab the frames.
What you pay for in the US is the investor's new Cadilac. Personally, I don't like paying $3000 for a paint job and stickers. But hey, that's just me.
And for every assembly line that goes over there for the 1.00, The line at the unemployment office grows longer.

[Travis Followell]

have any of you ever used any hand tools made in china. I know I have. I was using a 1-1/8" wrench the other day trying to break a nut loose tapped it with a hammer and broke it in half. LOW QUALITY MATERIALS. A china made screw driver bit that looks as good as a US made bit but isn't. The bit will strip off before the screw head will and I know that for a fact and that could only be one thing and thats LOW QUALITY MATERIALS.

[strothers7055]

Last year I purchased a used Bradley from a local dealer. It was a rental unit, didn't have a ton of hours on it, and came with a one year warranty. In short, the unit is more old Americana than cheap Chinese knock-off; more like 70's Chevy Truck than 90s Cadillac. The cons. The control levers are alternately too stiff (the brake levers), or too loose (the gear shift). Strong hands and forearms are required to operate the brake levers comfortably. I'm a small man, and a light-weight to boot, but I adjusted quickly. Others did not. The gear shift sometimes requires an extra jiggle to seat properly, and the mower pulls to one side. The shift lever and the pulling may be correctable, but I was to busy hustling to fidget much during the cutting season. The pros. This is a commercial duty unit. I beat it hard, and used it often. I cut small ball-fields, open lots and steep hillsides. It was a favorite for taking down tall grass quicky. I tilted the unit back and "fan-mowed" more than a few times. The Briggs engine was hard to pull-start, but reliable. Overall the unit is solid. I experienced nothing more than a couple of flat tires and a bent grass deflector (a direct hit on a fence post), which I pounded back into form easily. If you can afford more finesse,--go for it. You'll be more comfortable with a Toro. A Hydro? Even better. But I haven't found anything near the price of the Bradley that can take a beating like the big boys and keep performing day after day. It's clumsy, --but simple, solid and reliable. I'm considering a 48" this year. Also, The Bradly line is a product of Havener Enterprises Inc. I downloaded a manual for the units last year. I believe that I got it from the Havener web site. As for parts, other than the belts, I find it hard to imagine that the some-odd bolts, springs and drive components would be hard to spec and source. It's like a military surplus piece. Lastly, The Bradley line is being re-badged and sold by a number of re-tailers under names such as Red-Hawk, Grass Viper, Sarlo and others.