The Graham-Bradley
I was watching a little Youtube, tractors of course, and came across a young collector who specialized in Graham Bradley tractors They certainly were an interesting tractor.
The Graham brothers,(Joseph, Robert, and Ray), were raised on an Indiana farm. They seemed to have a knack for business adventures. They developed a kit to change a Model T Ford into a truck and even made an unsuccessful attempt at a tractor. In 1927, they got into the automobile business. The Graham Paige automobiles were ahead of their time and considered very well made!
In 1936, Sears & Roebuck made a deal with Graham Paige to produce tractor for them. When Sears got together with Graham-Paige the tractor was called Graham-Bradley.
The tractors were released for sale in 1937 and sold through Sears & Roebuck and the Graham Paige automobile dealerships. Several were produced in 1938 and 1939 was the last year of production. There aren’t many Graham Bradley tractors left. No more than 2300 were actually built and somewhere between 350 to 500 are still known to exist. Considering the tractor was only built for a short period of time, I guess there’s no wonder. The Graham history is a fascinating story to learn.
I donʼt know if it was the lingering depression, the outbreak of WW II, or a reported dispute with Sears, but the Graham-Bradley tractor met an early demise. Although full of advanced features for its time it simply was one of the many tractor companies to fall by the wayside. I wonder what it would be like today to order your farm tractor from the Sears & Roebuck catalog?!!?
How about a little tractor trivia!
1. T or F The six cylinder engine of the Graham-Bradley tractor was basically the same as the one used in Graham Paige cars.
2. From 1937-1939 how many Graham-Bradley tractors were produced? A) 5,000 B) 2243 C) 2975 D) 465
3. T or F To use the belt pulley on a Graham-Bradley tractor a lever had to be used to disengage the transmission as it was used in turning the belt pulley.
4. T or F Did Graham-Bradley produce a standard tread tractor?
5. What was the color scheme of the Graham-Bradley tractor.
A) green and yellow B) orange and black C) Red and SIlver D) Blue and White
answers: 1. T 2. B. 2243 3. T 4. T 5. C.RedandSilver
Eric Mickelson
Green Magazine
RIchard's Publishing
Oklee, MN 56742
218-791-9157