Looking like something out of a horror movie, and I’m sure this machine has been associated with more than its share of emergency room visits, this cool and scary 1950s David Bradley Brush Cutter can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Manawa, Wisconsin. The seller is asking $175. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
Born in 1811, David Bradley was a farmer and manufacturer whose family sold the company to Sears in 1910. The David Bradley Company became the world’s largest maker of riding garden tractors by 1958. I ran across this incredible but small catalog, and I couldn’t find much at all on this scary and unique tree saw, or brush saw. They both look exactly the same to me, and both apparently used a 20″ saw blade.
I can’t help but chuckle at how dangerous old machinery was back in “the good ol’ days,” when men were men and all that fun stuff. You know, those men with six total fingers, only one foot, one eye, etc. The David Bradley Company offered a 20″ mobile brush saw and a 20″ mobile tree saw, or power saw. A lot of info on these comes from forums, which unfortunately have a lot of “If I recall correctly…” entries, so it’s hard to nail down any specific information on this old equipment.
Most of us have seen the David Bradley walk-behind tractor, which also has an exposed spinning death blade attachment. The company offered dozens of different power tools and this one was supposedly used for cutting small trees and brush. We have a walk-behind wheeled string trimmer, which is sort of the same concept for tall grass, weeds, brush, etc., but it wouldn’t work for cutting down trees. This one would, and it’s a great idea. I’d want some sort of guard, though.
Here’s a somewhat similar machine on YouTube, although it isn’t running. It’s fun to listen to the gentleman explaining it, though. I saw a couple of them as being shown on TikTok, but I don’t do TikTok, so I didn’t include a link. It’s an easy search to find one that’s operating. We don’t know much about the engine other than it’s apparently a Briggs & Stratton, and it isn’t currently in running condition. Have any of you seen a crazy exposed blade saw like this David Bradley Mobile Saw?
Good Grief!!! What were they thinking back then? I half would want to reatore this and get it running. Half of me would not because I’d be too afraid it would become an accessory to a murder case lol 😆 😅 😂
But still, its great that theres still a lot of vintage equipment still out there. I know a good portion of David Bradley and Sears equipment used Tecumseh engines, like the Sears tractor Scotty just wrote up. Finding a Briggs on something from them is a bit a of a rarity I would think. I am thinking this is a rope pull starter too. Just one more danger to add to the mix.
Thanks Scotty and Lothar too for the cool find and write up.
Good grief is right!! I’ve been handling Manufacturers Product Liability insurance for nearly 50 years and in all my time, I have NEVER seen anything that scares the bejeesus out of me like this would.
But, a totally OSSUM chunk of machinery!!
I gues I could buy it & put in with the Lawn Darts,Flexi Flyer,
& Honda ATC 90 3 wheeler.
I laughed at this, but then had the thought that my father would not have hesitated to tell my brother and me to take that machine and go cut brush when we were about 11 years old or so. He thought childhood was highly overrated (that’s funnier if you know the sad situation he grew up in), but he would have of course told us to watch out for that blade.
What could go wrong?