As most Bradley collectors know, the Graham Bradley tractor is one of the most rare, and arguably the most valuable, of all Bradley collectibles. During the brief existence of this tractor, three different models were available. Two of these were tri-cycle gear types (503.93 and 503.103), the third model was the very rare 503.104 wide front.

The Graham Bradley appeared in the catalog for just two years, 1939 and 1940. During this period just a few thousand are thought to have been made, and the wide front model may account for less than 100 of these units.

With figures like these, it may surprise many collectors to learn that thousands of boys received brand new Graham Bradley tractors for Christmas in the years before and after the war. In fact these lucky kids also got a complete line of David Bradley implements to go with their tractor. How can this be you ask? Well to find out lets go back the Christmas of 1946.

The featured farm set for that year included a toy model of the Graham Bradley tractor and a line of attachments 'modeled after Sears famous David Bradley implements'. The catalog description calls them 'Fine pre-war quality toys', and in fact they were first offered before the war.

Toy collectors know these items well, as they were made by the 'Auburn Rubber Company'. Auburn had made toys since the early part of this century, and was particularly well known for their line of toy soldiers. Auburn's toys were unique in that they are made of hard pressed rubber. Apparently even in the 1920's and 30's there were concerns about the potential toxicity of lead, which was commonly used in toys of that type.

Over the years, Auburn made thousands of different toys out of rubber, including farm animals, cars, motorcycles, and tractors. Apparently Auburn sold quite a few of their toys through Sears. Not only did they make the David Bradley toys, but Auburn's most common farm tractor model has 'Allstate' molded right into the tires.

Unlike the implements, which appear to be common Auburn models with the addition of the David Bradley name, the Graham Bradley tractor is styled very close to the original. You can plainly see the distinctive cast iron grille, and the attractive side panels. Unfortunately, the tires do not have the correct tread style, nor do they say 'Allstate'. One additional concession was made to size. If the words Graham Bradley were sized to fit on the side panels as they do on the real tractor, they would not have been readable, so the name takes up most of the space on the side of the model.

Initially, the line of implements appears to have limited to a two bottom plow, and a manure spreader. Later, a culti-packer, mower, hay wagon, scraper, and hay loader were added. The addition of pieces would suggest that the relationship between Sears and Auburn continued after the war, and that these items did not represent unsold stock from before the war.

All versions of the Auburn Graham Bradley appear to be of the tri-cycle type, however there is at least one color variation. Nearly all of the toy GB's I've seen are painted red, with the farmers face and clothes hand painted in a variety of colors. One GB in my collection is painted green, apparently by the factory. This is the only green GB I've ever seen, and I would speculate that the green ones are rare.

By the early 50's the availability of new plastics, most notably ABS, lead to much more detailed toys, that had nearly all of the positive attributes of rubber. About the same time, Sears began selling Marx farm sets made specially for Sears with the 'Happi-Time' trade mark lithographed onto the metal barn. Sometime around 1952 or 53, the Graham Bradley, along with it's line of implements disappeared into history. The Marx farm sets would continue well into the 1960's, however they never made any connection to the David Bradley line or trade name.

For those looking to get their own Graham Bradley, here are a few things I've learned in collecting mine. Auburn toys are common, and can be found at antique stores, flea markets, etc. For a tractor in good shape, you should expect to pay about $35. Make sure the hitch is intact, as contrary to the advertising copy, the rubber toys are not nearly indestructible, and the hitch is usually broken. Implements run $20 -$30 and are usually in good shape. If you collect a tractor and one of the implements, do not attempt to connect them together, as you will very likely break the hitch on the tractor (and no, you can't get parts from Sears).

As a Bradley collector, I've always felt a bit jealous of the IH and John Deere guys, with their pedal tractors, die cast models, and other toys. It was great fun to discover that we too have a toy collectable connected to our hobby.

The seeder, or planter, attachment was one of the earliest attachments available for the post war walking tractor. Unlike the bulk of the attachments offered for these tractors, the seeder was not designed or built by Bradley as indicated by the 597 source number. In fact, versions of this implement nearly identical to the DB product were offered for the Graham-Paige Rototiller, and Simplicity garden tractors. There may have been others as well.

Sears sold the seeder in several different versions. With the garden tractor hitch it was an attachment for the walkbehind tractor. A different version was available with wooden handles and a front wheel to replace the tractor hitch. This configuration was designed to be a push type planter. Finally, in later years, the seeder was offered with a 'category zero' three point hitch to be used with Sears line of riding tractors.

Over the long life of the attachment several different color schemes were used. Early seeders were painted DB green. This is the most common color found today. Later, the seeder was painted light blue to match the Golden Anniversary color scheme used on DB equipment in the late fifties. In the 1960's, seeders were painted the 'off white' or cream color common on Sears lawn and garden equipment of the time. Late model production, equipped with the three point hitch, were painted black.

Two options were available for the seeder. These were the row marker attachment, and the fertilizer attachment 597.400. The design of the row marker attachment changed several times over the years, although it's capabilities remained the same. The fertilizer attachment changed little or not at all during this time.

As standard, 7 twelve pocket, and 1 two pocket disks were supplied. These were stamped A-G12 and G2 respectively. In addition to these eight disks, three additional two pocket disks were available for separate sale. These were E2, F2, and J2. By changing disks, and rotating the drive sprockets on the seeder, a wide variety of seed could be planted. This included sweet corn to lettuce!

Although not one of the most common attachments, the seeder is not especially difficult to find today. There are many common problems with surviving seeders. The most common is missing or worn seed disks. Occasionally, the seed hopper cover is missing, and if the unit was out doors, the hopper may be badly rusted inside. There is almost always a seed disk that was left in the hopper, and if the hopper was allowed to rust, the seed disk in it is likely to be rusted through from the pocket to the edge of the disk. Some seeders had the drill sowing chart printed on a sheet of paper glued underneath the hopper cover. Unless the seeder was well cared for, the this chart will probably not have stood the ravages of time. For those who own planters with the chart missing, included in this article is a full size reproduction of the original sowing chart.

Often, seeders are found with the fertilizer option installed. As one might expect, the fertilizer hopper is often 'eaten out' by the corrosive effect of fertilizer left in the hopper after use. Good fertilizer hoppers with a working fertilizer adjustment and free agitator are sometimes hard to find. While little could happen to damage the row marker option, it has been my experience that, perhaps due to it's simplicity, not many of there were sold. Or if they were, they commonly became separated from the seeder. I have seen at least a dozen of the seeders sold at auction, only one included a row marker.

The seeder is both an interesting and useful DB attachment. With the right kind of seed, and some attention to detail on the part of the operator, these old seeders will perform an admirable job of planting a medium to large garden.