Bray digger based on a Super major

Mathias · Post by **Mathias** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:27 am

I just bought a Bray digger. It is based on a Super major.

The farmer had sold it to the scrapyard as metal scrap. Fortonaly i could save it

.

Does somebody have any information about this machine?

Some pics

flick

The egine runs god and everything works.

js · Post by js » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:04 pm

You should try http://www.fordson.se, if you didn't already do that

Mathias · Post by **Mathias** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:13 pm

Of course i did http://www.fordson.se/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4854

I thought that maybe this forum could help me whit some more information.

Grani · Post by **Grani** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 12:38 pm

js · Post by js » Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:47 pm

But of course, how could I even doubt that ...

Post by **Brian** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:37 pm

The Fordson bit is no problem,the Bray bit might take a little time. Bray were an engineering company that was also involved in a variety of digger/loaders and loading shovels. They also did a convertion of Nuffield tractors to a four wheel drive system similar to the County one. These were the Bray10/60, Bray4/65/4 and a few for British Leyland.

David in Wales · Post by **David in Wales** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:36 pm

How interesting - a Fordson with a SELF BURYING DEVICE

David

Kiwi Kev · Post by **Kiwi Kev** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:13 pm

It's not a self burying device,

it's a device for burying those OTHER makes of tractors

you know the ones, the other makes that we all seem to have hidden away out of public view

Kiwi Kev

Mathias · Post by **Mathias** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:28 am

okej.

so it is an other tractor burying device. At the moment i dont have any planes to bury my other tractors.

So Is there any info about the Bray company? website maybe?

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:48 pm

Mathias
Very interesting. I did not know that Bray made a backhoe.
I wonder if it was their own hoe or another manufacturer's grafted on. Weatherill fitted Sherman hoes on some of their models in the late 50s early 60s. Your machine looks a whole lot more modern than those. The cab is remarkably modern in shape. Is it fitted with a standard Major transmission and what type of brakes are used?

Stuart Gibbard writes that Bray started as an engineering company in 1911. Bray built hydraulically operated dozers in the 30s and started work on a hydraulic loading shovel in '46 releasing a loader in 1949 with a trip bucket with parallel linkage based on an E27N.
Bray was ahead of the competition in hydraulic loaders Chaseside 1955, Weatherill 1952, Matbro 1953, and Muir Hill 1954.
I think JC Bamford also built a hydraulic machine in the early 1950s.
Bray became part of the Matbro organisation during the early 70s, (Matthew Brothers) and this folded in the late 1990s.

Good luck Peter

ps this may be obvious but be careful with those old hydraulic pipes.

Mathias · Post by **Mathias** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:12 pm

The hoe is sherman.
It is fitted with standard major transmission and hase the dry disc brakes.

Post by **Brian** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:51 am

Bray were also involved in the developement of a 4WD tractor for an Essex famer, John Suckling. This had a Ford 6 cylinder engine and hydraulic arms at either end so that a plough could be mounted at either end. It was driven across the field with the front plough in the air and the rear plough in work and, on reaching the other side of the field, the plough on the rear was raised and the one on the front dropped into work and the tractor then reversed back to the other side. A Bi-directional tractor!

The tractor started developement in 1956 and became the Bray Centaur. The original tractor was sold recently after John Sucklings death.

Bray went on to convert Nuffields to equal wheeled 4WD similar to County and Roadless. Their main products were 4WD loading shovels and buldozer equipment that was fitted to all types of tractor. They were bought out by Matbro in the 1970's.

JC · Post by JC » Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:55 pm

Mathias,
Its amazing to me the someone would sell something, like that, in decent running condition for scrap. People get into some kind of a frenzy when they sell scrap, and only think about how many tons they can sell. I saw a running Cat D-7 get sold for scrap for $1500 a few months ago. I bought one like it 10 years ago for $2500. They probably could have sold that one to a collector or someone that just wanted to use it for $3000-4500, but they thought they were making lots of money by scrapping it.
OK. I'm done venting. I feel better now.

I'm glad you were able to save that one. It looks like a good restoration project, or a useful piece of equipment.

I noticed that you're not sure what the English name for it is. In England, I think they would call it a loading shovel. Over here (USA) we would call it a front-end loader, or since it has a hoe on it, we would just call the whole thing a backhoe.

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:27 pm

In the UK we might call it a wheeled 180 digger

Mathias · Post by **Mathias** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:33 am

Jc I agree whit you it is remarkabel what people sell as scrap. I think the owner to the bray got something like 4000sek for it (approx 400 euros).

my planes for the Bray is not to do a complette restoration, instedd i plane to use it for digging ditchens, removing trees and so on.

I have so many other projects that needs my attention right now

Mathias · Post by **Mathias** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:42 pm

Need some help identyfing the master brake cylinder for the Bray.
It is completly stuck and i have to get my hands on a new one.