# Bradley mowers



## CenlaLowell

I have questions about these mowers, hopefully someone has some experience with them. My first question is are they good mowers for homeowners? Even though they state their mowers are commercial grade you never see any lawn and landscape guys with them. My next question would be whats the cut quality like? They have a 36 stander that I would be interested in buying as soon as it's released(spring 2019) so that's why I'm asking.


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## x Wild Bill x

I know this is my first post, but I feel like this is the first post I can actually contribute to with some first hand knowledge. There are so many people sharing great information that by the time I get on here the topics are always covered and I end up learning something new.

Anyways, about Bradley mowers. I purchased their 52" "Compact Stander" at the end of last fall and have loved it so far. I have just under 19,000sqft of lawn and wanted to reduce my mowing time but could also fit in my limited shed space. After researching at length all of the big players I took a leap and went with Bradley. The mower now has about 20hours of run time on it and I have zero complaints. The story I have read is the frame and parts are made in China and the mower is assembled here using quality parts. The 52" stander is basically a direct copy of a BobCat stander which is not a bad thing. I would certainly say it is commercial grade, it weighs over 900lbs and has thick stamped steel all over. I am an engineer and would have been disappointed if the mower was not build like they described. I have had zero issues with the mower.

The cut quality in my opinion is excellent. My neighbor who I am good friends with has an Exmark Lazer ztr and he is jealous of my mower. I would say the cut quality is equal on the mowers but mine has a faster ground speed and quite a bit more HP.

Also, their pricing is amazing for what you get for a machine and their customer service has always been quick to respond when I have questions even well after the sale. They also have most of their parts available for purchase directly from the website. The mower came with a user manual and parts manual so setup was easy and if I need parts I can get them quickly.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will try to answer them. Do you have a link to the new 36" model? I looked quick and didn't see it on their website.


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## x Wild Bill x

Here are a few pictures of the mower, my northern no-mix lawn which was in okay shape but not the best and a picture of the lights I added to it for night mowing. Please ignore the "landscaping and shrubs/bushes" those are on my to improve list after the lawn haha.


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## CenlaLowell

x Wild Bill x said:


> I know this is my first post, but I feel like this is the first post I can actually contribute to with some first hand knowledge. There are so many people sharing great information that by the time I get on here the topics are always covered and I end up learning something new.
> 
> Anyways, about Bradley mowers. I purchased their 52" "Compact Stander" at the end of last fall and have loved it so far. I have just under 19,000sqft of lawn and wanted to reduce my mowing time but could also fit in my limited shed space. After researching at length all of the big players I took a leap and went with Bradley. The mower now has about 20hours of run time on it and I have zero complaints. The story I have read is the frame and parts are made in China and the mower is assembled here using quality parts. The 52" stander is basically a direct copy of a BobCat stander which is not a bad thing. I would certainly say it is commercial grade, it weighs over 900lbs and has thick stamped steel all over. I am an engineer and would have been disappointed if the mower was not build like they described. I have had zero issues with the mower.
> 
> The cut quality in my opinion is excellent. My neighbor who I am good friends with has an Exmark Lazer ztr and he is jealous of my mower. I would say the cut quality is equal on the mowers but mine has a faster ground speed and quite a bit more HP.
> 
> Also, their pricing is amazing for what you get for a machine and their customer service has always been quick to respond when I have questions even well after the sale. They also have most of their parts available for purchase directly from the website. The mower came with a user manual and parts manual so setup was easy and if I need parts I can get them quickly.
> 
> Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will try to answer them. Do you have a link to the new 36" model? I looked quick and didn't see it on their website.


Thanks man,. The 36 Stander was at the GIE and Bradley said it would be available in the spring. It has yet to be posted on the website. Tony lawn Care on YouTube did a interview with Bradley and showed off the 36.


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## CenlaLowell

x Wild Bill x said:


> Here are a few pictures of the mower, my northern no-mix lawn which was in okay shape but not the best and a picture of the lights I added to it for night mowing. Please ignore the "landscaping and shrubs/bushes" those are on my to improve list after the lawn haha.


Nice pictures. You just made my mind up I'm definitely buying the 36 Stander as soon as it's available. 900lbs the machine never left ruts in your yard?

@x Wild Bill x


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## CenlaLowell

CenlaLowell said:


> x Wild Bill x said:
> 
> 
> 
> I know this is my first post, but I feel like this is the first post I can actually contribute to with some first hand knowledge. There are so many people sharing great information that by the time I get on here the topics are always covered and I end up learning something new.
> 
> Anyways, about Bradley mowers. I purchased their 52" "Compact Stander" at the end of last fall and have loved it so far. I have just under 19,000sqft of lawn and wanted to reduce my mowing time but could also fit in my limited shed space. After researching at length all of the big players I took a leap and went with Bradley. The mower now has about 20hours of run time on it and I have zero complaints. The story I have read is the frame and parts are made in China and the mower is assembled here using quality parts. The 52" stander is basically a direct copy of a BobCat stander which is not a bad thing. I would certainly say it is commercial grade, it weighs over 900lbs and has thick stamped steel all over. I am an engineer and would have been disappointed if the mower was not build like they described. I have had zero issues with the mower.
> 
> The cut quality in my opinion is excellent. My neighbor who I am good friends with has an Exmark Lazer ztr and he is jealous of my mower. I would say the cut quality is equal on the mowers but mine has a faster ground speed and quite a bit more HP.
> 
> Also, their pricing is amazing for what you get for a machine and their customer service has always been quick to respond when I have questions even well after the sale. They also have most of their parts available for purchase directly from the website. The mower came with a user manual and parts manual so setup was easy and if I need parts I can get them quickly.
> 
> Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will try to answer them. Do you have a link to the new 36" model? I looked quick and didn't see it on their website.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks man,. The 36 Stander was at the GIE and Bradley said it would be available in the spring. It has yet to be posted on the website. Tony lawn Care on YouTube did a interview with Bradley and showed off the 36.
Click to expand...

@x Wild Bill x


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## x Wild Bill x

@CenlaLowell Never had any troubles with rutting. If you look at the weight of most commercial ztr's they are even heavier yet use the size tires. I also make sure to vary my mowing pattern, including trying to offset my perimeter passes. I am sure if you mowed the same way every time you would get some rutting. Sometimes I will even use my push mower around the edges to save some wear on the lawn as our lawn has a rock border almost all the way around.

When you order the unit, be sure to call Bradley directly and ask them if there are any "discounts" or deals. When I called they knocked a few hundred off the website price and shipping was less than their website even though it was lift gate service. Ohh and speaking of delivery, if the 36" is shipped the same way make sure you have a sawzall and some ingenuity ready! My mower came in/on a steel frame/crate. Bradley didn't have any great recommendations on how to get it out without a forklift so I got creative. I unbolted the machine from the crate, used some ratchet straps to lift it up using the shipping crate and cut off a few supports holding the casters in place. I was then able to roll the mower off. Fortunately I have a friend who took the metal crate, otherwise it would be tough to dispose of a big steel frame. Also, make sure to add oil to the engine. They test run them and drain the oil for shipment.

Sorry for the novel, but one last thing. If you want any accessories ask about them when ordering, they are priced well and they will ship them with the mower for free. I purchased the block off plate for mulching and 3 gator style blades for $60, well worth the price IMO.

Glad I could be of help. It will be interesting to see their new unit,


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## Ecks from Tex

@CenlaLowell cautious with the hydrostatic mowers under 42 inches. Most of the criticisms of sub-42 inch mowers are aimed at the 32 inch zero turns, but the noted issues still apply in some cases. Most people note a poorer cut quality, although with your grass type and a double pass even if this is true for the Bradly 36 stander you could probably work around it. Others claim the smaller mowers create ruts.


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## CenlaLowell

Ecks from Tex said:


> @CenlaLowell cautious with the hydrostatic mowers under 42 inches. Most of the criticisms of sub-42 inch mowers are aimed at the 32 inch zero turns, but the noted issues still apply in some cases. Most people note a poorer cut quality, although with your grass type and a double pass even if this is true for the Bradly 36 stander you could probably work around it. Others claim the smaller mowers create ruts.


I really wonder how true this is because wright has been making a 32&36 Stander for a long time and you never hear people complain about them. Usually the biggger the deck the worst the cut quality is what I thought. My example would be my 42 John Deere tractor I hate the cut quality on that machine, so now I don't even use it.


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## x Wild Bill x

If I remember correctly, when I was doing my research some of the early small ztr's had rutting issues. This was mainly due to tire size choices. I think the manufacturers we taking a walk behind and making a rider with the same small footprint tires which cause compaction issues. Ditto for the decks, I think the smaller deck units were fixed decks that did not follow the contour of a lawn as well. I could be wrong, but it makes sense. Search Lawnsite for reviews of the smaller standers/ztr's. There is some good info on there, but some of the users are clearly biased.


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## cglarsen

Just pray you never have problems with the machine. Your customer service issue will be dealt with owner Mr. Havener himself and it won't be favorable. FYI, those reviews on the website are only the glowingly good ones. My factually negative review never got through their screening.


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## CenlaLowell

cglarsen said:


> Just pray you never have problems with the machine. Your customer service issue will be dealt with owner Mr. Havener himself and it won't be favorable. FYI, those reviews on the website are only the glowingly good ones. My factually negative review never got through their screening.


What's weird is all the reviews on YouTube are glowing. I really hope those guys are not getting paid by Bradley to do that.


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## cglarsen

Yep, that's what sold me was the reviews and youtube videos. I wouldn't doubt they got really good pricing on their machines. They've kept the 48" on sale for 3899 for a long, long time too which I was told wouldn't last long.


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## CenlaLowell

The mower was supposed to be delivered today but FedEx was not able to make it. So I went over there to speak with them. Delivery should be tomorrow


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## CenlaLowell

I have two questions for you or anyone else can chime in as well @x Wild Bill x 
What blades are you using on your Bradley? 
I'm looking to mulch so I have the gator blades and the plate. I have not put on the gator blades yet and I'm wondering how the cut would be with the factory blades.

Second, how do you get your blades off?
I don't have a lift yet, so I thought I could do it from the ground like I do with my Deere, but the bolts are awful tight.

Appreciate the help


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## x Wild Bill x

CenlaLowell said:


> I have two questions for you or anyone else can chime in as well @x Wild Bill x
> What blades are you using on your Bradley?
> I'm looking to mulch so I have the gator blades and the plate. I have not put on the gator blades yet and I'm wondering how the cut would be with the factory blades.
> 
> Second, how do you get your blades off?
> I don't have a lift yet, so I thought I could do it from the ground like I do with my Deere, but the bolts are awful tight.
> 
> Appreciate the help


@CenlaLowell

I have used three different sets of blades so far. I used the stock high lift blades, the mulching blades from Bradley and Oregon G6 blades. The 52" mower uses 3 blades Oregon PN: 396-726, 18" long, 5/8" center hole 3" wide 1/4" thick. I did not notice a difference in cut quality between the blades. The high lifts certainly move a lot of air and lift the grass well. However, they do not work great with the side mulch plate and when side discharging they will throw clippings 2 to 3 rows over. This is good for dispersing cut grass but makes mowing in tight spaces tougher without getting grass everywhere.

The Bradley mulch blades look just like G5 Gator blades and work well with the block off plate. If you are taking a lot of grass off you may get some windrows of clippings from the block off plate. I only have this happen with the spring growth where I may be cutting a little past the 1/3 rule. The G6 blades are my favorite as they are thicker and have a sintered edge so they keep a sharp edge for a long time. However, they are more expensive an the Bradley blades seems to last also. So, that's my long winded way of saying all three types work for their intended purpose and I like having multiple sets so I can have a sharp set ready to go.

FYI, the at least on the 48" and 52" models, they are nearly a direct copy of the Bob Cat Quickcat stander from what I can see and have read. I am very tempted to order the full mulch baffle kit for a Bob Cat and see if I can get it to work. The Bob Cat uses blades with a raised center and the Bradley uses flat blades with a spacer. I have a hunch that if you were in a bind you could run the raised center blades with the spacer underneath the blade and be okay. My favorite setup is the G6 Blades while side discharging and putting the block off plate on when near the road or house. Even while side discharging the mulching blades do a great job of mulching up the grass so it falls into the canopy and cannot be noticed. If the mulch baffle kit fits I would run that with G6's 90% of the time, and if it does not work out I will probably get an OCDC. Eventually I will probably buy the grass catcher too for the rare times I want to bag.

To get the blades off I usually drive up on my car ramps to get the deck off the ground a little bit. Have you taken the side and middle belt covers off the deck yet? There are flats on the spindles where you can fit a thin wrench to lock them. I then use my 1/2" drive breaker bar to loosen the bolts.The flats on the spindles take a The bolts were super tight from the factory and I do not put as much torque on them when I replace the blades. I forget the torque value in the manual, but I go with "wonder women" tight vs "super man" tight haha. I have changed the blades on the ground and while it's not as easy it is doable and not impossible.

I did find what I feel is a reasonably priced mower lift on sale Black Friday and purchased it, but I have not had a chance to try it yet. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/cub-cadet-550-lb-heavy-duty-lawn-mower-lift?cm_vc=-10005 This same lift is sold under several names at several location such as HomeDepot etc, so shop around. On Black Friday is was $129 or so I believe.

@cglarsen That is the first truly negative response I have heard about Bradley. Whenever I have emailed them since purchase with general info questions they have been very quick to respond. I also looked everywhere online for negative reviews and couldn't find much. I looked all over Lawnsite and most people don't recommend them because they don't have local dealers with parts to get you back to mowing ASAP. Which I get when you're running a company, but for a homeowner I can handle waiting for parts. I found one user on Lawnsite that said he ran some Bradley equipment so I PM'd him and he had nothing bad to say about them. In the end, I figured the engine is from B&S and the hydro drives are used by many other companies and the only proprietary parts are the frame, deck etc. that looks solid. I am not trying to downplay your poor experience or opinion. What problems did you run into? I can give you the email of the sales lady who has been helpful for me.

Two other things I feel worth mentioning. I recommend getting a cheap hour meter/tachometer off Ebay. They are sub $20 and very easy to install. It will allow you track hours for maintenance and make sure the engine is turning the desired RPM which should be 3,500-3,600 with the blades turning. 
Second, make sure to have the deck lowered to cutting height prior to engaging the blades. I read where Bob Cat owners would throw the deck belt if they engage the PTO with the deck at the transport height.

Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I like to be thorough when trying to help people and not leave them wondering what I am talking about.


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## CenlaLowell

Thanks for the reply.

Since you did not notice a difference between the blades I will cut with the standard, Bradley gator which comes from stens, and a stens high lift. I will post about any difference I notice throughout the season. I will always use the mulching plates because I do not want to throw any grass in my flower beds.



That is the label my Bradley gator blade came with⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆



The high lifts I want to try⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆

Next, I will try some ramps to see if that will help me. I never tried removing the belt plates mainly because I've always used a wood block against the blades to allow me to break the bolts. I just noticed the bolts were so tight, like you, I'm not putting them back on like that.

So far I love the machine. Everything works as advertised. I have to wait until the growing season for a cut quality review.

About the meter. I had one installed on my machine from Bradley it was only 15$. I just don't know if its a tachometer as well. I will look into that tomorrow.

@x Wild Bill x


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## x Wild Bill x

@CenlaLowell Good to know you got the machine and everything is working well! I didn't even think of asking them to install an hour meter for me when I bought mine. I just mounted it using a piece of aluminum angle and an existing bolt.

Those blades look just like mine, only a little shorter for your deck size. When you get down to it, blades are just angled pieces of metal spinning very fast. I think the angle and quality of edge on a blade makes the biggest difference in cut/finish quality when the blade design is similar. After that you have durability and longevity which being a homeowner I am not was worried. But you are also cutting St.A and weeds(Bermuda)-sorry I had to haha and I have cool season grass.

One last thing I just thought of, when I went from my riding mower to zero turn, I found I was tearing up my grass a bit with the front casters. I had no problem keeping the rear tires in motion and preventing burn out marks. However it took me a little practice to keep the front casters from rotating in place and spinning up the grass. Again with a shorter southern grass you may not have this problem. Maybe practice on a neighbors lawn first? Haha


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## cglarsen

@x Wild Bill x 
@CenlaLowell

I don't want to rain on Cenla's parade but I already gave him the cliff notes but here they are for you Bill:

- delivery was terrible, Fedex contractor nearly dumped machine off lift. 
- machine came damaged with nicks and scratches
- out of box cut quality was horrendous, anything that could be adusted needed to be adjusted.
- parking brake assembly fell apart at 10 hours
- two blade changes and deck leveling attempts before cut was ok - those blade nuts are cranked on. I had to buy an impact wrench and lift.
- had to purchase tachometer to diagnose engine speed and adjust throttle cable
- Bradley sales people are generally good but have no authority
- Local shops did not want to perform warranty work on Bradley machines
- Bradley owner would not reimburse any costs under warranty and told me, and I quote, "these mowers are designed for commercial users and we expect purchasers to know how and be able to perform maintenance and repairs." Alright...

So after about $200 out of pocket and many hours of frustration, I finally have it working ok. It's a tank for sure. But I wish I had just bought the damn Exmark or Scag ZTR locally for dealership support. I thought I could save some money and have a better mower but it has not been the case for me.

Alas, we are all in this boat together. The high lift blades do a good job mulching the grass pretty fine and the low lifts that I have on do not at all - they send out long leaf trimmings. Just purchased the Yellow Hornet blade sharpening jig to put a good edge on my blades this year. Vanguard engine is solid with good power. I have an hour meter on mine too.


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## x Wild Bill x

@cglarsen 
Bummer to hear of your problems with getting your mower setup. I deal with several different shipping companies at work and it's amazing how poorly they can handle goods. Receiving a dinged up machine would certainly put a sour taste in my mouth. Also, good to know about the warranty and getting them to pay for it. I had a feeling I would be on my own when buying this, but considering the nearest equivalent mower was $2k more I was willing to take the leap. Around here Exmark thinks their mowers are made from gold and charge for it. My buddy has one and I saw a gallon of Exmark hydro fluid in his garage, it was $69 for the gallon!

What did you end up setting your deck pitch at? Most of last year I ran mine 1/8"-1/4" down in the front. This cut well but I had a bit of blowout with the mulch plate installed. This fall I flipped it and went 1/8"-1/4" high in the front and it made a big difference in how small it mulched leaves and a lot less blowout. The cut quality still seemed good, but it was hard to tell as I was doing mostly fall cleanup. I am going to try the reverse pitch in the spring and see how it looks. I just cut some 4x4 blocks so changing the pitch is pretty quick.


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## cglarsen

@x Wild Bill x

I have it setup 1/8" higher in front currently. Haven't noticed a much difference from level. Maybe I will try the reverse next time for comparison.


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## CenlaLowell

x Wild Bill x said:


> @cglarsen
> Bummer to hear of your problems with getting your mower setup. I deal with several different shipping companies at work and it's amazing how poorly they can handle goods. Receiving a dinged up machine would certainly put a sour taste in my mouth. Also, good to know about the warranty and getting them to pay for it. I had a feeling I would be on my own when buying this, but considering the nearest equivalent mower was $2k more I was willing to take the leap. Around here Exmark thinks their mowers are made from gold and charge for it. My buddy has one and I saw a gallon of Exmark hydro fluid in his garage, it was $69 for the gallon!
> 
> What did you end up setting your deck pitch at? Most of last year I ran mine 1/8"-1/4" down in the front. This cut well but I had a bit of blowout with the mulch plate installed. This fall I flipped it and went 1/8"-1/4" high in the front and it made a big difference in how small it mulched leaves and a lot less blowout. The cut quality still seemed good, but it was hard to tell as I was doing mostly fall cleanup. I am going to try the reverse pitch in the spring and see how it looks. I just cut some 4x4 blocks so changing the pitch is pretty quick.


From the factory the pitch seems pretty leveled. I measured from each corner at most the front was 1/16 higher than the back. Yes the deck leveling seems pretty easy and the bolts were not super tight either. I've never had a mower that needed deck leveling so this is definitely new to me. What's weird about my setup is the bolts are not at the exact same height. Look at the pictures 




This is the left side of the mower. On the right side both bolts are all the way up. There's no Gap in the other bolts at all. So I measured and measured, but everything seems within specs. The way it looks the mower deck should be leaning to one side more than the other but from all the measurements I took this is not the case. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

This is why this forum is great everyone can learn from one another.


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## CenlaLowell

Upon further inspection I noticed the blades were off one side was at 2 1/2 and the other at 2 3/8 so I went ahead and level those bolts to match at 2 1/2. Learn something new everyday


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## x Wild Bill x

When I did mine I assumed the deck was square/level and rotated the blades so the tips were at the front to take my HOC reference. Once I had it set, all of the bolts were very close to being the same height.

From memory:

1/8"-1/4" pitched forward provides the most HP for cutting
Level deck provides the best cut quality
1/8"-1/4" pitched rearward provides the best striping

This is not unique to Bradley, but is stated in the manual.

All this mower talk has me itching to mow some grass.


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## CenlaLowell

Update on this mower. I absolutely love this machine. Cut quality is great, machine has alot of speed, and is definitely heavy duty. I have about 20 hours on it, did my break in oil change (at 5 hours) everything went smooth. So far the only thing I recommend is to change the grease fittings. The ones the came with the mower kept breaking so I pulled all of them off and changed them out. I will update any changes in the middle of the season


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## CenlaLowell

Have you all tried running these blades on your stander pros and cons if any? I'm mulching 100% of the time


@cglarsen @x Wild Bill x

I thought I was about to change the blades now this doesn't make no damn sense. Why I the hell these blades have to be this tight and deck awkward enough that you can get a block of wood in to bite against the blade. Can you recommend a good mower lift for this stander.


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## cglarsen

CenlaLowell po2728 said:


> Have you all tried running these blades on your stander pros and cons if any? I'm mulching 100% of the time
> 
> @cglarsen @x Wild Bill x
> 
> I thought I was about to change the blades now this doesn't make no damn sense. Why I the hell these blades have to be this tight and deck awkward enough that you can get a block of wood in to bite against the blade. Can you recommend a good mower lift for this stander.


Tell me about changing blades.....its pretty much impossible to do it the old fashioned way without a lot of B.S. I invested in a Ridgid impact wrench and that's so much faster and easier to spin off and on. I also bought this mower stand from Harbor Freight and it's not the best but it gets the job done. https://www.harborfreight.com/300-lbs-atvlawn-mower-lift-61523.html

I haven't run those blades yet but do have some G3 gator blades much like those on order. I think they will be an improvment for better mulching.

Also I have about 30 hours on mine right now and it's doing fine. The biggest issue I have is dirt/mud and cuttings clogging up the deck since I have a lot of bare areas that I killed off over the winter. I have to clean it out pretty much every mow.


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## CenlaLowell

Ok so I thought I would try a different way to change the blades. So I used a c clamp with some blocks in between to save my paint job. Still did not work. I'm stumped at way this blade will not break. I did notice something even though the blades we're not moving this was


and after reading the manual looks like your supposed to have a wrench there holding back up. Have you experience this or does the impact have enough torque to spin it off without backup.

@cglarsen

I'm getting that stand next weekend for SURE


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## cglarsen

@CenlaLowell

Yes you can use that notch with a large, long wrench to both hold the spindle and remove the nut but it's not worth messing with all of that crap. A good electric or corded wrench will take the nuts off no problem. They were put on with an impact at the factory according to Bradley. Now you are realizing some of the frustration I went through!


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## CenlaLowell

cglarsen said:


> @CenlaLowell
> 
> Yes you can use that notch with a large, long wrench to both hold the spindle and remove the nut but it's not worth messing with all of that crap. A good electric or corded wrench will take the nuts off no problem. They were put on with an impact at the factory according to Bradley. Now you are realizing some of the frustration I went through!


What's so different about it. I had the blade block off so It could not move. But that piece with the notch still moved when I was turning the bolt. Every other mower I've ever owned you could stop the blade from moving then break the bolt. This is crazy


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## cglarsen

CenlaLowell said:


> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> 
> @CenlaLowell
> 
> Yes you can use that notch with a large, long wrench to both hold the spindle and remove the nut but it's not worth messing with all of that crap. A good electric or corded wrench will take the nuts off no problem. They were put on with an impact at the factory according to Bradley. Now you are realizing some of the frustration I went through!
> 
> 
> 
> What's so different about it. I had the blade block off so It could not move. But that piece with the notch still moved when I was turning the bolt. Every other mower I've ever owned you could stop the blade from moving then break the bolt. This is crazy
Click to expand...

I know, it's strange but I think the spindle is rotating when you are cranking on it with the blade blocked. You have to block it and get a wrench on the spindle to remove it per the manual. But screw doing that 3 times just to change blades. With the stand and impact I can do it in less than 5 minutes from start to finish.


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## CenlaLowell

cglarsen said:


> CenlaLowell said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> 
> @CenlaLowell
> 
> Yes you can use that notch with a large, long wrench to both hold the spindle and remove the nut but it's not worth messing with all of that crap. A good electric or corded wrench will take the nuts off no problem. They were put on with an impact at the factory according to Bradley. Now you are realizing some of the frustration I went through!
> 
> 
> 
> What's so different about it. I had the blade block off so It could not move. But that piece with the notch still moved when I was turning the bolt. Every other mower I've ever owned you could stop the blade from moving then break the bolt. This is crazy
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I know, it's strange but I think the spindle is rotating when you are cranking on it with the blade blocked. You have to block it and get a wrench on the spindle to remove it per the manual. But screw doing that 3 times just to change blades. With the stand and impact I can do it in less than 5 minutes from start to finish.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm going to do. I will be purchasing the stand sometime next week. My blades are starting to get dull so I need to get on this asap.


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## Liledgy

I have a jungle Jim jack. Very simple, light and easy to use.


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## TN Hawkeye

CenlaLowell said:


> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> 
> @CenlaLowell
> 
> Yes you can use that notch with a large, long wrench to both hold the spindle and remove the nut but it's not worth messing with all of that crap. A good electric or corded wrench will take the nuts off no problem. They were put on with an impact at the factory according to Bradley. Now you are realizing some of the frustration I went through!
> 
> 
> 
> What's so different about it. I had the blade block off so It could not move. But that piece with the notch still moved when I was turning the bolt. Every other mower I've ever owned you could stop the blade from moving then break the bolt. This is crazy
Click to expand...

So the bolt and spindle turn but the blades don't? What makes the blades spin if there is space between the three?


----------



## CenlaLowell

TN Hawkeye said:


> CenlaLowell said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> 
> @CenlaLowell
> 
> Yes you can use that notch with a large, long wrench to both hold the spindle and remove the nut but it's not worth messing with all of that crap. A good electric or corded wrench will take the nuts off no problem. They were put on with an impact at the factory according to Bradley. Now you are realizing some of the frustration I went through!
> 
> 
> 
> What's so different about it. I had the blade block off so It could not move. But that piece with the notch still moved when I was turning the bolt. Every other mower I've ever owned you could stop the blade from moving then break the bolt. This is crazy
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> So the bolt and spindle turn but the blades don't? What makes the blades spin if there is space between the three?
Click to expand...

I truly have no idea, but I blocked the blades so it would not turn. Put the wrench on the nut at the bottom and when I turned it I wasn't accomplishing anything. 


See that notch that's where you should have a wrench at. You don't have to even block the the blade off at all. After looking at the instructions then looking at the mower



You can see the guy has the wrench under the spindle and under the blade only. Of course the deck is off in the picture and to remove the middle blade you would need to remove the deck if you wanted to do it this way. This is definitely a setup I've never ran across before but I have a air impact and I will buy that stand and try to remove them that way.


----------



## CenlaLowell

I brought the mower lift yesterday and put it together this morning. It looks pretty neat, but it came with the worst instructions ibe ever seen in my life


Will put it to the test after breakfast


----------



## x Wild Bill x

Sorry for the late reply. But yes I have ran / run both the Bradley Brand serrated blades and some Gator G6 blades. Both work great and are definitely an improvement in clipping size when mulching.

To change the blades, I take the three deck covers off, drop the deck to the lowest setting, put one wrench on the spindle flat and a breaker bar on the blade bolt. The first time I removed the blades they were on pretty tight. When I re-installed them I didn't torque them down quite as much and they are much easier to change now. I do not need to remove the deck in order to use an open end wrench on the spindle flats for the middle blade.

I have a mower lift similar to the one linked and it works well for servicing the mower.

My biggest complaint on maintenance is doing the oil change. I have to use an automotive ramp and back up the right rear wheel onto it to get the mower tipped on an angle in order to get the oil out of the engine. It is a messy process and I don't see an easier way of doing it due to the oil drain tube location.

Just about to hit 30 hours and the mower is running and cutting well, still very satisfied with it.


----------



## CenlaLowell

x Wild Bill x said:


> Sorry for the late reply. But yes I have ran / run both the Bradley Brand serrated blades and some Gator G6 blades. Both work great and are definitely an improvement in clipping size when mulching.
> 
> To change the blades, I take the three deck covers off, drop the deck to the lowest setting, put one wrench on the spindle flat and a breaker bar on the blade bolt. The first time I removed the blades they were on pretty tight. When I re-installed them I didn't torque them down quite as much and they are much easier to change now. I do not need to remove the deck in order to use an open end wrench on the spindle flats for the middle blade.
> 
> I have a mower lift similar to the one linked and it works well for servicing the mower.
> 
> My biggest complaint on maintenance is doing the oil change. I have to use an automotive ramp and back up the right rear wheel onto it to get the mower tipped on an angle in order to get the oil out of the engine. It is a messy process and I don't see an easier way of doing it due to the oil drain tube location.
> 
> Just about to hit 30 hours and the mower is running and cutting well, still very satisfied with it.


I finally got the blades off!!! Hey They were put on tight without any grease on the bolts. Man it told a breaker bar with a cheater pipe and me using my foot to break to bolts. Don't make any damn sense. I followed the specs and torque them to 70 ft lbs, never sieze them so next time I will not have this problem.


----------



## cglarsen

Also FYI the Bradley manual is straight plagiarized from Bobcat as it's a knock off Quickcat I've found. Many similar parts and design if you ever need to cross reference something. Surprised Havener hasn't been sued.


----------



## CenlaLowell

cglarsen said:


> Also FYI the Bradley manual is straight plagiarized from Bobcat as it's a knock off Quickcat I've found. Many similar parts and design if you ever need to cross reference something. Surprised Havener hasn't been sued.


Paul prime cuts has a quikcat and yes the Bradley looks identical. I didn't realize about the manual. That's really a good thing for Bradley owners hopefully you can find parts quicker because of it.


----------



## CenlaLowell

Question I guess for any zero turn owner. I run a blocking plate on my mower so there's that. My question is when cut do you all have grass blowing up from underneath your deck??? I've noticed this on my Bradley and my John Deere La115 it's worst on the Bradley though. How can I fix this for next season??

My FIL has the same problem on his Cub cadet utlimate as well.

Thanks


----------



## cglarsen

@CenlaLowell It's coming up from around the outside of the deck? I'd probably try different blades first - like put the standard blades back on if you have Gators on it - or try Hi-lifts. Just a guess though - I always discharge.


----------



## CenlaLowell

cglarsen said:


> @CenlaLowell It's coming up from around the outside of the deck? I'd probably try different blades first - like put the standard blades back on if you have Gators on it - or try Hi-lifts. Just a guess though - I always discharge.


Yes the front corner. I will buy the gator high lifts for next season to see if that changes anything.

Thanks


----------



## CenlaLowell

Now this is unbelievable. Went into my shed the other day and notice a puddle of oil underneath my mower. Disgusted, I went checked everything out and finally found that it's coming for the zt3400 pump. This machine only has 55 hours on it and the pump decides to spring a leak. Unbelievable, so after talking to Bradley they found me a local dealer that would work on this under warranty.

This is so fustrating


----------



## cglarsen

CenlaLowell said:


> Now this is unbelievable. Went into my shed the other day and notice a puddle of oil underneath my mower. Disgusted, I went checked everything out and finally found that it's coming for the zt3400 pump. This machine only has 55 hours on it and the pump decides to spring a leak. Unbelievable, so after talking to Bradley they found me a local dealer that would work on this under warranty.
> 
> This is so fustrating


Did they get it fixed for you?


----------



## CenlaLowell

cglarsen said:


> CenlaLowell said:
> 
> 
> 
> Now this is unbelievable. Went into my shed the other day and notice a puddle of oil underneath my mower. Disgusted, I went checked everything out and finally found that it's coming for the zt3400 pump. This machine only has 55 hours on it and the pump decides to spring a leak. Unbelievable, so after talking to Bradley they found me a local dealer that would work on this under warranty.
> 
> This is so fustrating
> 
> 
> 
> Did they get it fixed for you?
Click to expand...

It's in the shop now. A seal went out on he hydro pump. Hydro gear is covering everything because it's a two year warranty on the pumps. Briggs ND Stratton has three years on the motor and Bradley has three years on everything else. It's just frustrating something so new would fail.


----------



## KBG1776

x Wild Bill x said:


> CenlaLowell said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have two questions for you or anyone else can chime in as well @x Wild Bill x
> What blades are you using on your Bradley?
> I'm looking to mulch so I have the gator blades and the plate. I have not put on the gator blades yet and I'm wondering how the cut would be with the factory blades.
> 
> Second, how do you get your blades off?
> I don't have a lift yet, so I thought I could do it from the ground like I do with my Deere, but the bolts are awful tight.
> 
> Appreciate the help
> 
> 
> 
> @CenlaLowell
> 
> I have used three different sets of blades so far. I used the stock high lift blades, the mulching blades from Bradley and Oregon G6 blades. The 52" mower uses 3 blades Oregon PN: 396-726, 18" long, 5/8" center hole 3" wide 1/4" thick. I did not notice a difference in cut quality between the blades. The high lifts certainly move a lot of air and lift the grass well. However, they do not work great with the side mulch plate and when side discharging they will throw clippings 2 to 3 rows over. This is good for dispersing cut grass but makes mowing in tight spaces tougher without getting grass everywhere.
> 
> The Bradley mulch blades look just like G5 Gator blades and work well with the block off plate. If you are taking a lot of grass off you may get some windrows of clippings from the block off plate. I only have this happen with the spring growth where I may be cutting a little past the 1/3 rule. The G6 blades are my favorite as they are thicker and have a sintered edge so they keep a sharp edge for a long time. However, they are more expensive an the Bradley blades seems to last also. So, that's my long winded way of saying all three types work for their intended purpose and I like having multiple sets so I can have a sharp set ready to go.
> 
> FYI, the at least on the 48" and 52" models, they are nearly a direct copy of the Bob Cat Quickcat stander from what I can see and have read. I am very tempted to order the full mulch baffle kit for a Bob Cat and see if I can get it to work. The Bob Cat uses blades with a raised center and the Bradley uses flat blades with a spacer. I have a hunch that if you were in a bind you could run the raised center blades with the spacer underneath the blade and be okay. My favorite setup is the G6 Blades while side discharging and putting the block off plate on when near the road or house. Even while side discharging the mulching blades do a great job of mulching up the grass so it falls into the canopy and cannot be noticed. If the mulch baffle kit fits I would run that with G6's 90% of the time, and if it does not work out I will probably get an OCDC. Eventually I will probably buy the grass catcher too for the rare times I want to bag.
> 
> To get the blades off I usually drive up on my car ramps to get the deck off the ground a little bit. Have you taken the side and middle belt covers off the deck yet? There are flats on the spindles where you can fit a thin wrench to lock them. I then use my 1/2" drive breaker bar to loosen the bolts.The flats on the spindles take a The bolts were super tight from the factory and I do not put as much torque on them when I replace the blades. I forget the torque value in the manual, but I go with "wonder women" tight vs "super man" tight haha. I have changed the blades on the ground and while it's not as easy it is doable and not impossible.
> 
> I did find what I feel is a reasonably priced mower lift on sale Black Friday and purchased it, but I have not had a chance to try it yet. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/cub-cadet-550-lb-heavy-duty-lawn-mower-lift?cm_vc=-10005 This same lift is sold under several names at several location such as HomeDepot etc, so shop around. On Black Friday is was $129 or so I believe.
> 
> @cglarsen That is the first truly negative response I have heard about Bradley. Whenever I have emailed them since purchase with general info questions they have been very quick to respond. I also looked everywhere online for negative reviews and couldn't find much. I looked all over Lawnsite and most people don't recommend them because they don't have local dealers with parts to get you back to mowing ASAP. Which I get when you're running a company, but for a homeowner I can handle waiting for parts. I found one user on Lawnsite that said he ran some Bradley equipment so I PM'd him and he had nothing bad to say about them. In the end, I figured the engine is from B&S and the hydro drives are used by many other companies and the only proprietary parts are the frame, deck etc. that looks solid. I am not trying to downplay your poor experience or opinion. What problems did you run into? I can give you the email of the sales lady who has been helpful for me.
> 
> Two other things I feel worth mentioning. I recommend getting a cheap hour meter/tachometer off Ebay. They are sub $20 and very easy to install. It will allow you track hours for maintenance and make sure the engine is turning the desired RPM which should be 3,500-3,600 with the blades turning.
> Second, make sure to have the deck lowered to cutting height prior to engaging the blades. I read where Bob Cat owners would throw the deck belt if they engage the PTO with the deck at the transport height.
> 
> Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I like to be thorough when trying to help people and not leave them wondering what I am talking about.
Click to expand...

Bill, have you found a OCDC that fits the bradleys? I have a 48 stander and am still looking for one.


----------



## x Wild Bill x

@KBG1776 I just commented in the other thread, I have not found one that manufacturers will list as compatible so I've been hesitant to buy. Also, with Bradley coming out with their own I'm okay waiting for them, so long as their price isn't out of line. If it is, not sure what I will do. I don't mind running the block-off plate, but an OCDC would be ideal.


----------



## CenlaLowell

Man I have some bad luck. Same pump different area another oil leak. Dealer coming to pick the mower up tomorrow


----------



## x Wild Bill x

I have to agree with you having bad luck, I'm at 55 hours on my mower and it hasn't skipped a beat. I am quite surprised you are having issues with the hydro's as they are used on almost every major brand of mower and looking at the specs they should be up to the task on our standers.


----------



## CenlaLowell

x Wild Bill x said:


> I have to agree with you having bad luck, I'm at 55 hours on my mower and it hasn't skipped a beat. I am quite surprised you are having issues with the hydro's as they are used on almost every major brand of mower and looking at the specs they should be up to the task on our standers.


I know it's definitely fustrating to see oil on the ground underneath it. Man I'm so pissed off


----------



## KBG1776

Has anyone found a OCDC that fits on the 48 bradley stander? Bradley made one, but you have to disconnect it to attach the bagger.


----------



## CenlaLowell

KBG1776 said:


> Has anyone found a OCDC that fits on the 48 bradley stander? Bradley made one, but you have to disconnect it to attach the bagger.


No, that's the only one that's made for it. It's on their website, but yes it seems you definitely have to disconnect the bagger to attach it.


----------



## Laidink

KBG1776 said:


> Has anyone found a OCDC that fits on the 48 bradley stander? Bradley made one, but you have to disconnect it to attach the bagger.


Give ballard-inc a call, there's an aussie on youtube with a 48 I believe. It's a bradley just rebranded with an aussie name. He has an ocdc and the catch pro on his at the same time in his review video. 



 In the video he says everything came from ballard except for the catch pro possibly since he's the original designer.

I just got a 36" this past weekend when I went to visit the in-laws. Finally got to do the first cut yesterday since it has rained non stop since I got home. Cut quality is amazing but I've definitely got some leveling to do. Went from 3 hours for mow, trim and edge to 1.5 hrs! Scalped a lot even at 3" but I expected that since my 21" honda used to.


----------



## CenlaLowell

Okay I finally bit the bullet and ordered the odoc for it. Install took about 2-3 hours and the instructions were pretty good.

@x Wild Bill x


----------



## x Wild Bill x

Nice, looks good. It is definitely a stout piece and worth the cost I feel.


----------



## GeneV

Hi, I registered on this forum because of this thread, and this is my first post. 

X Wild Bill x and cglarsen, both you guys have been really helpful with the info, thank you! Cg, I think I'm waiting on the same mower you got, which should be delivered in a few weeks. 48SC-BS24.

Guys, all the youtube vids of the Bradleys I saw, they're all hailing high lift blades with those. Are the stock blades that bad? That's more of a question for the future anyways...I've ordered the mulch kit, I imagine most the rest of the mowing this year will be with that.


----------



## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> Hi, I registered on this forum because of this thread, and this is my first post.
> 
> X Wild Bill x and cglarsen, both you guys have been really helpful with the info, thank you! Cg, I think I'm waiting on the same mower you got, which should be delivered in a few weeks. 48SC-BS24.
> 
> Guys, all the youtube vids of the Bradleys I saw, they're all hailing high lift blades with those. Are the stock blades that bad? That's more of a question for the future anyways...I've ordered the mulch kit, I imagine most the rest of the mowing this year will be with that.


I roll with the Oregon high lifts and I love them


----------



## GeneV

CenlaLowell said:


> I roll with the Oregon high lifts and I love them


Hi, yes seems that's the trend.

Bradley mower scheduled for delivery today, woot!


----------



## x Wild Bill x

@cglarsen

Glad to help, I have several sets of blades for mine, depending on season. The stock high lift blades work good if you're wanting to run a high lift blade. I also run the Bradley mulching blades which are like G5 Gator blades, real G6 Gator Blades as well as some wavy mulching blades. They all give a nice cut, sometimes I feel the G6's and the high lift blades generate a little too much airflow which can cause blowout. Although the suction can really help stand up wet grass for a good cut in the spring. I would say I mostly run the G5 mulching blades. The wavy blades are good for fall cleanup to really dice up the leaves. We get a lot of leaves and sometimes the other blades are trying to do too much cutting / chopping at once and can bog down unless you go slow / half pass. Which is surprising with the 26hp.


----------



## GeneV

It arrived!





Guys, I don't know how SLE Equipment sells these at such a markdown, but alls I'll say is that this was a bargain! And this is the new model with the standup muffler and the clear gas tank. And hr meter. I'm quite happy, and haven't even fired up this bad boy yet.

Looks like it needs oil. Does it ship with any? Hardly any on the dipstick, and there doesn't seem to be any oil in the hydraulic expansion tank at all. When I first spotted that expansion tank, I thought it was for coolant overflow, and went searching for the radiator lol.

How do I get this sucker off that shipping frame? That's gonna be fun. Instructions say to remove the top and side frame parts, remove the 2 bolts from the 2 posts underneath holding the mower, hack those off, and then "remove the mower" from the base rack. Hmm ok, I'll just "remove" it, then lol. You guys got any tips on this?


----------



## GeneV

x Wild Bill x said:


> @cglarsen
> 
> Glad to help, I have several sets of blades for mine, depending on season. The stock high lift blades work good if you're wanting to run a high lift blade. I also run the Bradley mulching blades which are like G5 Gator blades, real G6 Gator Blades as well as some wavy mulching blades. They all give a nice cut, sometimes I feel the G6's and the high lift blades generate a little too much airflow which can cause blowout. Although the suction can really help stand up wet grass for a good cut in the spring. I would say I mostly run the G5 mulching blades. The wavy blades are good for fall cleanup to really dice up the leaves. We get a lot of leaves and sometimes the other blades are trying to do too much cutting / chopping at once and can bog down unless you go slow / half pass. Which is surprising with the 26hp.


This is great info, thank you.. Yes, I did buy the mulch kit, will be using that. I'm happy to hear the stock blades work good enough. Mark At Bradley said they're "mid" lift blades.


----------



## cglarsen

GeneV said:


> Hi, I registered on this forum because of this thread, and this is my first post.
> 
> X Wild Bill x and cglarsen, both you guys have been really helpful with the info, thank you! Cg, I think I'm waiting on the same mower you got, which should be delivered in a few weeks. 48SC-BS24.
> 
> Guys, all the youtube vids of the Bradleys I saw, they're all hailing high lift blades with those. Are the stock blades that bad? That's more of a question for the future anyways...I've ordered the mulch kit, I imagine most the rest of the mowing this year will be with that.


Glad I could help you - once you get everything dialed in it is a good machine. Blades depend on what grass you are cutting but I'd say a good sharpened mulching blade will do just fine for you. Start with your OEM blades and go from there.


----------



## GeneV

OMG, this thing was crazy to uncrate!

Do you guys engage the PTO at full throttle, or at something like half and then rev it up when the deck gets running? Manual doesn't instruct either way.

Also, I heard people having problems with the belt popping of the spindle, and remember somebody mentioning something avoid that, but can't recall if they said start the deck going in up position and then lower it, or lower first and then start it up.


----------



## Laidink

GeneV said:


> OMG, this thing was crazy to uncrate!
> 
> Do you guys engage the PTO at full throttle, or at something like half and then rev it up when the deck gets running? Manual doesn't instruct either way.
> 
> Also, I heard people having problems with the belt popping of the spindle, and remember somebody mentioning something avoid that, but can't recall if they said start the deck going in up position and then lower it, or lower first and then start it up.


I start blades at around 2400 rpm then run it up to full throttle. If I'm running Ballard's xblades I start at 2700 or it'll lug to far and die. I put a tach/hour meter on my 36 since it didn't come with an hour meter from the dealer.

I haven't had any issues with the belt coming off and usually start the blade at mowing height but I have started at raised height many times.


----------



## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> OMG, this thing was crazy to uncrate!
> 
> Do you guys engage the PTO at full throttle, or at something like half and then rev it up when the deck gets running? Manual doesn't instruct either way.
> 
> Also, I heard people having problems with the belt popping of the spindle, and remember somebody mentioning something avoid that, but can't recall if they said start the deck going in up position and then lower it, or lower first and then start it up.


Yes, yes it is

I engage mine at half throttle and increase from there. Never had a problem with belts coming off.


----------



## GeneV

Liledgy said:


> I have a jungle Jim jack. Very simple, light and easy to use.


How did you get the Jungle Jim to work with the Bradley? I bought this jack specifically for Brad here, whoops problem, that front deck pivot bar is in the way. I could get the jack's lift hook under the deck, but the back of it presses right against that bar.



The only way I see it could work is to remove that front scalp wheel, stick a sacrificial screw in it's place and lift it by that, but I'm worried about putting so much pressure there. Or am I worried about that for no reason? Another option is to weld some sort of bracket jutting out right next to that wheel, but I'd hate to start welding stuff on a brand new tractor. But then again, hate that I spent $$ on that jack, and now can't use it or return it since it's already assembled.

So coz of the jack problem, I couldn't change the blades to mulchers for the leaves, so just tried doing it with the stock blades and the shoot block bracket. It did kinda ok with the stock blades, not great.


----------



## GeneV

Guys do you mow at full throttle? I always heard hst transmissions need full throttle to properly cool it, but the manual only says full throttle provides the best cut. No mention about it being required. I tried mowing at 3/4 throttle a little bit, it did great...I definitely like how more quiet it was.


----------



## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> Liledgy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have a jungle Jim jack. Very simple, light and easy to use.
> 
> 
> 
> How did you get the Jungle Jim to work with the Bradley? I bought this jack specifically for Brad here, whoops problem, that front deck pivot bar is in the way. I could get the jack's lift hook under the deck, but the back of it presses right against that bar.
> 
> 
> 
> The only way I see it could work is to remove that front scalp wheel, stick a sacrificial screw in it's place and lift it by that, but I'm worried about putting so much pressure there. Or am I worried about that for no reason? Another option is to weld some sort of bracket jutting out right next to that wheel, but I'd hate to start welding stuff on a brand new tractor. But then again, hate that I spent $$ on that jack, and now can't use it or return it since it's already assembled.
> 
> So coz of the jack problem, I couldn't change the blades to mulchers for the leaves, so just tried doing it with the stock blades and the shoot block bracket. It did kinda ok with the stock blades, not great.
Click to expand...

Yeah that seems impossible to work for a stander maybe a sit down zero turn. I use the one from harbor freight that goes under each wheel.


----------



## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> Guys do you mow at full throttle? I always heard hst transmissions need full throttle to properly cool it, but the manual only says full throttle provides the best cut. No mention about it being required. I tried mowing at 3/4 throttle a little bit, it did great...I definitely like how more quiet it was.


3/4 here. It feels better for me.


----------



## GeneV

CenlaLowell, thanks.


----------



## x Wild Bill x

Yeah, getting it out of the crate wasn't exactly quick or easy, but at least they pack them well.

Like others mentioned, I engage the blades around half throttle and throttle up once the blades are spinning. I remember reading that BobCat recommends that in their QuickCat manual and the Bradley Standers are very very similar to those.

I have ready in multiple locations, from multiple mower manufacturers to only run the mower at full throttle while mowing otherwise it can overhead the hydro drive system.

My overflow tank has very little fluid in it when cold, but with thermal expansion it's about 2/3 full once warmed up. I'm assuming they still take motor oil 10w-40? or similar and not actual hydraulic fluid. I have a jug on hand but have never needed to add any.

Finally, I believe the belt dropping issue as mentioned was mainly from starting the blades with the deck at "transport" height and then lowering the deck. I believe the BobCat mowers could also have this problem. But as others have mentioned it doesn't seem to be much of a problem.


----------



## GeneV

x Wild Bill x said:


> Yeah, getting it out of the crate wasn't exactly quick or easy, but at least they pack them well.
> 
> Like others mentioned, I engage the blades around half throttle and throttle up once the blades are spinning. I remember reading that BobCat recommends that in their QuickCat manual and the Bradley Standers are very very similar to those.
> 
> *I have ready in multiple locations, from multiple mower manufacturers to only run the mower at full throttle while mowing otherwise it can overhead the hydro drive system.*
> 
> My overflow tank has very little fluid in it when cold, but with thermal expansion it's about 2/3 full once warmed up. I'm assuming they still take motor oil 10w-40? or similar and not actual hydraulic fluid. I have a jug on hand but have never needed to add any.
> 
> Finally, I believe the belt dropping issue as mentioned was mainly from starting the blades with the deck at "transport" height and then lowering the deck. I believe the BobCat mowers could also have this problem. But as others have mentioned it doesn't seem to be much of a problem.


Yeh, I thought a bit on that. Full throttle has been the recommendation on some of my equipment also, like a Craftsman garden tractor. But I suppose it's a question of what rpm is reached when moving the lever all the way up, right? On my Massey scut, which has a tachometer...full throttle on that would have me redlining the engine.

On the Bradley here, by ear, 3/4" throttle or a little bit higher has the engine sounding pretty good to me, and I could see the hst fans down there running nice and fast, cooling the hydros. I think it's fine.


----------



## x Wild Bill x

GeneV said:


> Yeh, I thought a bit on that. Full throttle has been the recommendation on some of my equipment also, like a Craftsman garden tractor. But I suppose it's a question of what rpm is reached when moving the lever all the way up, right? On my Massey scut, which has a tachometer...full throttle on that would have me redlining the engine.
> 
> On the Bradley here, by ear, 3/4" throttle or a little bit higher has the engine sounding pretty good to me, and I could see the hst fans down there running nice and fast, cooling the hydros. I think it's fine.


@GeneV

I hear you, and you're probably right as having the engine turning say 3,200rpm vs the full 3,600rpm probably doesn't affect cooling very much. I installed a tachometer on mine and WOT with no load the engine is right at 3,600rpm. With blades spinning and full speed the rpm drops to 3,400. I actually want to increase my max rpm's a bit to maybe 3,800 so the engine will run 3,600rpm under full load. One thing to remember is that most outdoor power equipment motors are design to run at 3,600rpm under load at full throttle, whether it's a 30hp v-twin to a 5hp single cylinder.

On another note, my OEM Interstate Battery on my mower died last night. Almost 4 years of service seems to be about average in my experience for power equipment batteries.


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## GeneV

Oh, well if you got a tach, yeh you're the man to ask, Wild Bill. I have heard about the 3600 rpm thing too, that being the optimum speed under load for proper engine this and that. But this Vanguard bad boy sounds like it's racing so fast at WOT, I figured it was over that.

I tried calling Bradley last couple days to see what they had to say about all that, nobody home over there. Hmm.

Guys, changing the blades though, what the hell?!!! I swapped them out for mulching blades, oh my god was that a hassle! 
Those wrench flats at the top of the spindle are so thin, could hardly take a bite with any of my wrenches. That center spindle was the worst.


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## x Wild Bill x

After a few blade changes you'll get the hang of it and be a lot quicker. Also, I bought a dedicated wrench 18mm I believe for the spindle flats and ground it thinner where it fits the spindle so no more fighting.

To change the blades, I drive it up on some car ramps and lower the deck fully, take off the two black belt guards on the left and right sides of the deck. Then, I spin whichever blade I'm working on by hand until the spindle flat is in a convenient spot. Slip on the customized top wrench and loosen the blade bolt with my 1/2" breaker bar. Once loose, I spin the blade and it backs out the bolt. Reverse and onto the next blade. For the middle blade I come in from the discharge side of the deck with my body positioned between the front caster wheels. I can get the blades changed in under 10 minutes this way. Also, don't need to torque them crazy tight, I just go by feel, but I believe spec is 70ft/lbs which isn't hard to hit with the 1/2" drive breaker bar.


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## GeneV

To get the tractor up, I hauled up the front of it with my loader. As for messing with those wrench flats, I hope to never have to do that again! I mounted the mulch blades with my air impact gun, so should be able to remove them with it.

Other dudes with bradley mowers on youtube, the landscaper guys, I never see them messing with the flats on the spindles. So I think it's one and done with those wrench flats so long as you don't crank down the nuts by using the flats, when reattaching the blades.


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## Liledgy

GeneV said:


> Liledgy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have a jungle Jim jack. Very simple, light and easy to use.
> 
> 
> 
> How did you get the Jungle Jim to work with the Bradley? I bought this jack specifically for Brad here, whoops problem, that front deck pivot bar is in the way. I could get the jack's lift hook under the deck, but the back of it presses right against that bar.
> 
> 
> 
> The only way I see it could work is to remove that front scalp wheel, stick a sacrificial screw in it's place and lift it by that, but I'm worried about putting so much pressure there. Or am I worried about that for no reason? Another option is to weld some sort of bracket jutting out right next to that wheel, but I'd hate to start welding stuff on a brand new tractor. But then again, hate that I spent $$ on that jack, and now can't use it or return it since it's already assembled.
> 
> So coz of the jack problem, I couldn't change the blades to mulchers for the leaves, so just tried doing it with the stock blades and the shoot block bracket. It did kinda ok with the stock blades, not great.
Click to expand...

I have a Wright stander x, not a bradley (I talked my buddy into a bradley). But, I also have a guide wheel in the front, I just moved the jack over an inch or 2 and it works great. Love the jungle Jim jack. Good luck with the machine. Nice tgey out a see thru fuel tank, my buddies is black, plus it's on the small size, around 5 or so gallons.


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## GeneV

Gotcha, Liledgy. Yes that Jungle Jim seems a great design, but it won't work with bradley's 48" stander, I was able to return it thankfully. I think it might work with Bradley's bigger decks, because the deck pivot bar on those is farther back and out of the way.

I did some leaf mulching yesterday. Overall, the mower did great. Some does spill out from under the deck, even with it set to 1.5" height. That's most likely attributed to the 1/8" forward pitch on the deck. I ain't messing with changing the pitch though, I'm fine with the minor spillout and having to come back and hit it again. No biggie.

I'll second Wild Bill's (I think it was you) assertion that these mulching blades are great year round. I took off the chute blocker to side discharge around my pond (no leaves there, just thick grass), really liked the cut and the shredded state of the grass clippings being discharged!


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## cglarsen

Blade changes are a breeze with a cordless impact gun - best $100 you will spend. Try the Rigid brand at HD.

Also, the Briggs & Stratton tech told me to always mow at full throttle. Your blade speed is suffering if mowing at 3/4 throttle.


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## MasterMech

cglarsen said:


> Also, the Briggs & Stratton tech told me to always mow at full throttle. Your blade speed is suffering if mowing at 3/4 throttle.


He's spot on.

The important thing to remember about mower engines is that the actual throttle opening is not directly controlled like it is with a vehicle. When you set the "throttle", you are only setting the engine speed. The actual throttle opening is governed with a centrifugal governor mechanism.

On air cooled engines, the engine cooling is best at higher rpms. You will cool the engine more efficiently running it at full speed rather than idling down after running it under heavy load. Counter-intuitive given we are so conditioned to water-cooled engines in automobiles and larger equipment.

Oiling is another concern. Many of these engines rely on splash lubrication to the piston wrist-pin, camshaft lobes, and engine valvetrain. Reducing engine rpm will somewhat reduce oil to these components.

The same is true for hydrostatic transmissions on lawn equipment. The fans running at full speed with no to light load is much better for cooling them down, and when asked to run at heavy load levels, having full input speed is both better for cooling and reduces the mechanical loads in the transmission.

On rotary mowers specifically, blade speed is your friend. Better cut quality, clipping discharge, and often best mulching performance is obtained when the blades are running at the design speed. Reducing blade speed and not ground speed also forces more grass to be cut further inboard on the blade's cutting edges where the velocity is lower.

Just remember that by running at full rated engine speed, you are not hurting the engine or reducing it's life, quite the opposite actually.


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## GeneV

MasterMech, that's what I was reading too when researching this more. Thanks, these are great points.


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## GeneV

Guys, I'll say the one thing that kinda sucks on this Bradley of mine is how they now have the muffler sitting vertical. The vert muffler is obviously a big improvement in many ways, but the way they have it, it blocks taking out the air filter for inspection/changing. I'm talking about their Donaldson filter with the duel elements. I could take it out, but I have to bend it quite a bit off to the side inside the filter housing, and it still scrapes against the muffler as it's coming out. It's like they decided on the vertical muffler as an afterthought w/o figuring on it blocking the air filter.

Forget messing with the air filter when the muffler is hot...would definitely get burned. Not a huge deal, but they should have designed that better. I'm either gonna have to unscrew the bracket that holds the air filter housing whenever I check the filter, or change that bracket altogether to something I could quickly unclip.


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## GeneV

Already got a problem here. Last mowing, I kicked up a bunch of dirt while mulching, and it looks like all that dust from it went right into the engine. This fancy air filter is useless because the engine is getting its air from somewhere else, directly!

I found that out with the break-in oil change...oil is black, air filter is clean. Evaluating it, me blocking off air at the intake has no effect on the engine, doesn't even sputter. Looks like with 6 hours on it, this thing is already needing repairs. Bradley is telling me to take it to a Briggs & Stratton service place.


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## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> Already got a problem here. Last mowing, I kicked up a bunch of dirt while mulching, and it looks like all that dust from it went right into the engine. This fancy air filter is useless because the engine is getting its air from somewhere else, directly!
> 
> I found that out with the break-in oil change...oil is black, air filter is clean. Evaluating it, me blocking off air at the intake has no effect on the engine, doesn't even sputter. Looks like with 6 hours on it, this thing is already needing repairs. Bradley is telling me to take it to a Briggs & Stratton service place.


I had a problem with my hydro leaking but that's all. Got it fixed under warranty in a couple of weeks. So you should not have a problem getting it fixed. I've never tried blocking off the air, to see if I would have that problem.


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## GeneV

Well so far by appearance, this isn't a Bradley issue so much as a B&S engine issue, that's why Bradley sent me there for repair. I did want to diagnose it myself a little with some input from them, but the dude at the repair place told me better not, else I might void the warranty. So in it went.


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## x Wild Bill x

Interesting observation, I agree it is more a B&S issue than Bradley as they simply mount the motor to the mower. Can I ask how you blocked off the air intake? Did you remove the little stove top hat so there is a flat opening and you can then block it with your hand? Just curious.

Also, again just posting this for common knowledge, but modern synthetic oil can turn dark after just one use depending on the brand and formulation. This does not mean it is dirty or contaminated, so if you're using synthetic oil you can't always go by the color of the oil for cleanliness. Also, if this was the first oil change on the mower there could still have been engine assembly lube that is now in the oil causing it to turn black.

Sorry you're having these problems on a brand new mower, let us know how it works out.


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## GeneV

Wild Bill, I never experienced that with synthetic oils actually, at least not for gas engines. In any case, no I just poured in conventional 10w30 when I first got the Bradley, since it was to be changed after 5ish hours anyways. I did pour in Vanguard synthetic for this last oil change though, hopefully that's what the service place will use if they have to drain the oil.

Regarding the air intake, yes at first I only took off the vent cap. But then to confirm it's not leaking via the air filter housing, I took all of it off:



So what I noticed was, there was some suction from the air intake, but blocking it off did not alter the sound of the engine at all, indicating it was getting plenty of air from elsewhere. Maybe breather tube, pcv valve, some gasket, I dunno. The dude at B&S told me not to mess with it any more, just bring it in.


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## GeneV

Unrelated to my woes, but related to our Bradleys, guys I could totally recommend looking at SLE Equipment for Bradley stuff. Again, I dunno how they're making any money, but the pricing is so much cheaper, it's crazy.

I just ordered a grass catcher, p/n GC2400. $454 on Bradley's website. $263 on SLE!

I already told you the deal I got for the mower from SLE, and btw they did since raise the price by $1,500 (still cheaper than from Bradley direct). So if you're looking for a grass catcher for Bradley, I'd hit SLE Equipment now if I was you.


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## x Wild Bill x

Thanks for the picture, that certainly should have starved the engine. Will be interesting to see where the leak is.


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## GeneV

Sooo, update! Got the mower back. Diagnosis was that nothing's wrong with it lol! The dark oil was explained to me being that B&S pours in a special blend of oil during assembly, which draws out manufacturing/assembly contaminants with the break-in oil change. Bradley really should know this.

As for the air thing, I could not get an answer from the shop why the engine wouldn't suffocate with me blocking the air intake, but they were not concerned about it, and flat out refused to look into the issue. They did a compression test, it all checked out in that regard, they said here you go, bye, and sent me on my way.

I mowed with it yesterday, hit the same spot with the dirt, raised a bunch of dust, checked the oil afterwards and it was clear, so I guess they're right. For now.


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## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> Sooo, update! Got the mower back. Diagnosis was that nothing's wrong with it lol! The dark oil was explained to me being that B&S pours in a special blend of oil during assembly, which draws out manufacturing/assembly contaminants with the break-in oil change. Bradley really should know this.
> 
> As for the air thing, I could not get an answer from the shop why the engine wouldn't suffocate with me blocking the air intake, but they were not concerned about it, and flat out refused to look into the issue. They did a compression test, it all checked out in that regard, they said here you go, bye, and sent me on my way.
> 
> I mowed with it yesterday, hit the same spot with the dirt, raised a bunch of dust, checked the oil afterwards and it was clear, so I guess they're right. For now.


They should be right there certified to work on those engines at least their supposed to be, lol.


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## GeneV

CenlaLowell said:


> They should be right there certified to work on those engines at least their supposed to be, lol.


Yup, it's like I said on a youtube video, they're the authorized service center for these engines, literally work on them all day. Whereas I get all my knowledge from youtube lol! So who am I to argue?


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## x Wild Bill x

That's really interesting that they couldn't explain why blocking the intake didn't stall out the engine. Lets hope their right and you get lots of hours out of it.


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## GeneV

x Wild Bill x said:


> That's really interesting that they couldn't explain why blocking the intake didn't stall out the engine. Lets hope their right and you get lots of hours out of it.


Yeh man, I'm not crazy about them being dismissive about it. To me, it also sounds like the engine is surging a little bit, like maybe some dirt got into one of the carb jets. Or maybe it's just my imagination, I dunno.


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## GeneV

Whoops, NOT just my imagination:

https://youtu.be/XXRC_f-feTE


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## x Wild Bill x

Dang, that's a bummer. It shouldn't hunt like that... You shouldn't be having these issues. The B&S Vanguard engines are top of the line and when I did my research had very little complaints. Are there any other B&S repair shops near you that can check it out, sounds like the first place wasn't the best.


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## GeneV

x Wild Bill x said:


> Dang, that's a bummer. It shouldn't hunt like that... You shouldn't be having these issues. The B&S Vanguard engines are top of the line and when I did my research had very little complaints. Are there any other B&S repair shops near you that can check it out, sounds like the first place wasn't the best.


Bradley themselves are coming for it, actually. They're pretty sure they know what's up with it, same thing that they saw with some of the B&S commercial turf engines, loose crankcase breather tube, which yes did suck in dirty air into the carb, at least hopefully that's all there is. And yes, it is a B&S warranty repair.

The place I took it to initially is utter dreck, I got A LOT to say about them, smug/condescending idiots. I absolutely knew this air intake thing was a problem, but yet they absolutely refused to look into it. With this surging thing, I went back there, showed them the vid, and this prick at the service desk was STILL arguing with me, telling me to take it somewhere else if I'm not happy with their diagnostic....told me it was now a dirty fuel issue.


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## GeneV

On another note, running gator blades for mulching, w/o blocking off the chute...works just fine.


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## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> x Wild Bill x said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dang, that's a bummer. It shouldn't hunt like that... You shouldn't be having these issues. The B&S Vanguard engines are top of the line and when I did my research had very little complaints. Are there any other B&S repair shops near you that can check it out, sounds like the first place wasn't the best.
> 
> 
> 
> Bradley themselves are coming for it, actually. They're pretty sure they know what's up with it, same thing that they saw with some of the B&S commercial turf engines, loose crankcase breather tube, which yes did suck in dirty air into the carb, at least hopefully that's all there is. And yes, it is a B&S warranty repair.
> 
> The place I took it to initially is utter dreck, I got A LOT to say about them, smug/condescending idiots. I absolutely knew this air intake thing was a problem, but yet they absolutely refused to look into it. With this surging thing, I went back there, showed them the vid, and this prick at the service desk was STILL arguing with me, telling me to take it somewhere else if I'm not happy with their diagnostic....told me it was now a dirty fuel issue.
Click to expand...

Damn that service is terrible


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## MasterMech

GeneV said:


> x Wild Bill x said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dang, that's a bummer. It shouldn't hunt like that... You shouldn't be having these issues. The B&S Vanguard engines are top of the line and when I did my research had very little complaints. Are there any other B&S repair shops near you that can check it out, sounds like the first place wasn't the best.
> 
> 
> 
> ....
> 
> The place I took it to initially is utter dreck, I got A LOT to say about them, smug/condescending idiots. .... prick at the service desk .....
Click to expand...

It's not at all uncommon for for some in the business to think they've got it all figured out and nobody can tell them anything, especially about a mower.

Damn near every shop that sells a mower of any size is a Briggs authorized dealer. Figure out who runs a good service business in your area and give them a call.


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## x Wild Bill x

@GeneV

That is absolutely terrible service from that shop, I would make sure to let as many people as possible know about them and not to go there.

Sounds like Bradley is stepping up and helping you out which is positive to see.


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## GeneV

Oh yeh, I'm gonna nail that shop with a yelp review soon enough, but only after all the facts are in with the actual repair.

Warranty, that's the only reason I'm hauling this machine to anybody anyways. Bradley told me that messing with it myself might void the warranty, else I would have had this issue wrapped up long ago.

I'm no mechanic, but I'm perfectly capable stripping off some plastic cowling, narrowing down where it's sucking in air, screwing with that breather tube, and cleaning out the carb.

These small engine repair cowboys act like they're rocket scientists lol. It's a friggin mower, relax! Anyways, Bradley is picking it up in a few days, they'll sort it out, and that should be the end of it.


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## GeneV

Ok guys, got word from Bradley that my mower is fixed. As they suspected, it was a loose crankcase breather tube, so yes unfiltered air was getting sucked in downstream of the air filter, into the carb. They had to rebuild the carb, clean out the whole air intake, and I dunno what else but they did something in the crankcase housing...need to check the repair ticket when I get the mower back. In any case, it's all B&S warranty repair.

So there ya go, if you know something ain't right, it ain't right. I'm gonna go into that stupidass place I initially had the Bradley at, slam that repair ticket on the counter, be like gimme me that $80 diagnostic fee back, smart guy.


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## GeneV

What's up guys, wow this thread doesn't move much. Glad to report, the mower has been a beast ever since Bradley repaired it, and yup I got my dx fee back from that idiot shop.

I think some of you guys have the 48" Bradley. Any one of you running hi-lift (not gators) blades, and if yes, what's the p/n?


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## CenlaLowell

GeneV said:


> What's up guys, wow this thread doesn't move much. Glad to report, the mower has been a beast ever since Bradley repaired it, and yup I got my dx fee back from that idiot shop.
> 
> I think some of you guys have the 48" Bradley. Any one of you running hi-lift (not gators) blades, and if yes, what's the p/n?


Nah it doesn't move much because very few of us have this machine. This is what I'm running right now


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## GeneV

Thanks.


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