Follow along with the restoration process as one Texas man takes a David Bradley No. 8 corn cob crusher and feed grinder from rusted to revamped. Watch it run on a restored McCormick Deering 6 HP Type ‘M’ in the videos below!
In 1884, David Bradley purchased a plow company from his brother-in-law and soon partnered with Conrad Furst to create Furst and Bradley. Furst and Bradley eventually grew to occupy an entire city block at Fulton and Des Plaines streets in Chicago. Bradley and his sons purchased Furst’s share of the business and the company was renamed David Bradley Plow Works. The company was relocated to North Kankakee (about 50 miles south of Chicago) in 1895. The town was later renamed Bradley, Illinois, in honor of the man and the company.
In 1910, the Bradley family sold the factory to Sears, Roebuck and Co., at which time it was renamed the David Bradley Manufacturing Works. The name was subsequently changed to David Bradley Manufacturing Co. and, in 1958, the company introduced the Garden Riding Tractor, and David Bradley became the largest manufacturer of garden riding tractors in the world. Sears also sold gasoline engines manufactured by Briggs & Stratton under the David Bradley brand, replacing the previously used Economy name. In 1962, David Bradley Manufacturing Co. and the Newark Ohio Co. were merged into a single unit under the name Newark Ohio Co. The new company manufactured power lawn mowers, among other products.
In 1964, another merger took place and the Newark Ohio Co. was merged into the Geo. D. Roper Corp. with the plant in Newark, Ohio, continuing to manufacture outdoor power equipment, including riding and single power lawn mowers.
At the 2021 Texas Early Day Tractor and Engine Association show in Temple, Texas, I bought (very cheaply, I might add) what turned out to be a Bradley No. 8 Corn and Cob Crusher and Feed Grinder. It was pretty rusty and did not have a hopper. Unfortunately no one in our group thought to take a photo of it in “as found” condition.
When we unloaded the machine back at the ranch, we did take a couple of photos of the business end while we tried to figure out how it went together. I located the only piece of reference material available on eBay, at a rather steep price. Turned out to be a scan, printed in color and spiral bound in a cover. Regardless, it was invaluable. I did find a couple of photos on the internet and one or two brief videos.
Restoring the Feed Grinder Step by Step
We started taking the machine apart and began the rust removal process. Most of the parts were in good shape, just rusty. No matter what we tried, we were unable to get the drive pulley and flywheel off the main shaft. It turned freely so a decision was made to proceed anyway.
We used a combination of sandblasting, EvapoRust soak, Scotchbrite pads, and wire brushes to clean up the parts.
While pretty expensive, the EvapoRust worked well. I placed all the bolts, nuts, and other small hardware in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with EvapoRust, and it did a great job.
The cleaned up parts were sprayed with Rustoleum red primer and given a finish coat of Rustoleum Dark Hunter Green.
Sheet metal skills and equipment are not at the top of my skill set. So, I decided to make the hopper out of 1/2-inch plywood. Using my CNC router, I cut out the compound angles and engraved the “David Bradley No. 8.” The pieces were glued and nailed together, and I bent and attached several strips of sheet metal for the corners.
The feed gates were cut and bent from sheet metal as well. The only guide I had to make them was a low resolution YouTube video I found. By running the video back and forth, I was able to figure out how parts regulate the flow of material to the grinding burrs. I did fabricate the output spout from sheet metal.
I was finally able to get the machine outside in my new machinery shed and hook it up to a 1-1/2hp Hercules engine with a 4-inch flat belt. The instruction sheet recommends a 4- to 5hp engine, so the little Hercules was severely underpowered. I did manage to grind a small amount of deer corn to prove the operation.
Once I finished the restoration of my 6hp McCormick-Deering M, I used it to power the No. 8 and give the chickens a treat!
David Bradley No. 8 Powered by 6hp McCormick Type M
McCormick Deering 6 HP Type ‘M’ Engine Restoration
Jay Miller has 40 years’ experience writing for hobby magazines in model and prototype railroading and amateur radio. He authored two books on Collins Radio equipment and edited the Santa Fe Modeler magazine for 10 years. He is a professional photographer, radio engineer and accomplished machinist. Jay resides on a ranch near Crawford, Texas, and is semi-retired. Contact him at jay@kk5im.com or visit his YouTube channel @Radiotexas.
Originally published in the April/May 2023 issue of Gas Engine Magazine.
