Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi all,
     Well my machine was ready early!  Went to the dealer  and saw my machine parked outside. I go and check it out and whats this??? A 12.5HP briggs instead of the 10.5HP!!! NICE! Then Tom the salesman showed me how it works again. This is  the first time I have really spent any time behind such a machine  Wow, this ain't your 21" push machine!!!  Stong power that will rip out of your hands if you are not careful!  I cruised the parking lot doing 180's and such...all is good. Next, Tom drove it up the ramps into my pickup bed.  When I got home, unloading was a snap...just used the levers while it was in gear as breaks and the engine not running.  Next I grabbed my gas edger and did my property. Next I filled it up the Bradley  with gas (Had a small amount in there already) and set the choke, made sure it was in nutral and the blades were off. One pull and the 12.5 HP Briggs was to life  I started the blades nice and slow and put it in gear and I was off!  I will say it again...Wow, this ain't your 21" push machine!!! Went to the end and grabbed a lever and a super fast 180 and back I came! This machine in 2nd gear is already faster than my 21...I am gonna like this!  Back and forth I went learning how to hold a perfect line (seems you can muscle it a bit to hold the line better than using the levers) and looking at just how nice this thing cuts grass!!! Then I see my neighbor/buddy stop with his truck and get out. He is in awe at my new purchase. He checks it over real close and see's how rugged it is built. I show him how it works and how smooth this big engine is. With that he says "You win" LOL!   He will be next to buy one of these!  When I was done mowing, I decided that it should be a bit lower so I pulled the front pin and moved a washer to the top...very easy to do. Next I did my lawn AGAIN!!! And more practice is a good thing! I think this will take a couple of mows before I really get comfortable with this machine.  When I was done I looked at my watch...I was able to do my full lawn with the old machine in about 4 hours (This includes blowing out the edges with the leaf blower)...this machine,  way less 2 hours and I mowed TWICE!!!  The suction was soooo strong that it pulled the dirt/clippings off the sidewalk! No need to get the blower! Next I stepped back and looked at my lawn...it was perfectly even (just like when the guys come with all the big $$ Scags) and my lines were pretty straight (This will get better with practice. I seem to over shoot the 180 turn a bit). The I got down on my hands and knees and looked closley at the grass where it had been cut...nice and clean! PERFECT!!I am VERY HAPPY so far with this machine!!! With a big old smile on my face, I grabbed my compressed air and blow off the body and whiped the rest down with a towel and put it away. This was a good purchase!

Pluses:
Wow, this ain't your 21" push machine!!!
Seems very well built!
You can see in my pictures why I like this machine over the Xmark of the same size. The Xmark drive belts are very small. The Bradley was as large as the Xmarks big machines!
Very fast tranny. Went in 3rd gear and it was about as fast as I would want to walk in a straight line.
Excellent cut!
Plenty of  power...but lets see what happens when the grass is a little wet.

Negatives:
Wow, this ain't your 21" push machine!!!
Reverse is not real strong. You have to help it a bit. Wasn't like this in the dealers parking lot. Most likely because the belts were perfectly clean.
Thats it!!!

As for pictures, click below or cut and paste.
http://www.pbase.com/cleanmaxx_brian/mower

Nice pics and nice WB! I like it!

I do not think a Sulky will work on my property. It is too small. I do a lot of 180's.  It sure would be fun though!!!
I have a gas question....do you guys run premium in your OPE's?

If you want any special pictures let me know. I think my pictures show the reason why I went Bradley over Xmark pretty well...
I will also keep you posted if I have any problems or find any surprises ...and I will do a real review once I get some real time under my belt.
I have made 2 big purchases since I have been on this board (2 months)...the Ariens Snow Blower and now this....you guys are rubbing off!!! LOL I also picked up a small battery powered Black and Decker hedge hog trimmer to replace my electric one. Again to make the job faster. (No need to get the extension cord out and it is a 22" model instead of 17")
However, I think I am set now ....my wife can now take a breath!!!

Brian,

I run premium gas in my engines but most people don't and do just fine. In the things I ride, I have two Kohlers, both run better with the 93 octane gas. Since I use it those, I go ahead and just use it everything, 2 strokes as well.

Why couldn't you use one of those polymer plates the pro's use to stand on?  It goes over the lawn very smoothly, but am not sure of the name and I can't even find a picture of one. 

I do not think I have ever seen a polymer plate???

Can't back up though.

If you do a lot of quick back and forth, you might want to think about it a while.

Do you have a desire to use a velkie type attachment to limit walking?

Well I played around with my Bradley some more today.  Besides giving a coat of Klasse All In One and a coat of Klasse Sealer Glaze waxes, I learned that the dealer did NOT set this unit up PERFECTLY!  After looking at the machine and how it works, I made some simple adjustments that allow me to drive this thing like a threading a needle on the first shot! First let me explain that I am a mountain/recumbent biker...which  means I have very strong hands! I can grab TONS of brakes without a problem. (A good thing being I am a big guy!) Well back to the mower, yesterday I found that I was very jerky trying to steer and making corners I would either overshoot or not turn enough and then over correct . SO what I did was make the drive/break handle closer (less of a reach) and then adjust the brakes so that they would grab much harder.  Small tweeks but oh did it make a difference!!! I really liked this machine yesterday...today I love it!

As for accessories, does anyone know if they make a striper for my machine? It does do stripes on its own but I have seen pictures that almost look like they were painted! That would make my yard look GREAT! Below is a picture of  about 1/3 of my yard. This is a plain easy section...the rest have walk ways and swing sets and what not...



This shot was before I cut the grass...Aint she pretty???

Rob, you sure look nice when you mow.

After he is done mowing, he is ready to go out to dinner!!!

My yard is too small for anything like that....but it is pretty cool.

You read my mind. I was about to post some of the pictures of your mower.

You can get a little more pronounced striping effect by adjusting the level of your mower (front to back). Most recommend lower in the front (just a little bit).

You can also add a rubber "wiper" to the back of the deck. Make sure you use ESNA nuts so the fasteners don't come loose and get hit by the blade and shoot out. And make sure the rubber is not so long as to fold under and hit the blades when backing up.

Also depending on the type of grass you have, the length you cut it can make the striping effect more pronounced.

I think a "commercial mower" is, according to some regulation, allowed to spin the blades faster (so they can go faster) and really does make the lawn look nice. Sharp blades are key. Many commercial guys replace daily or every other day (depending on workload).