Joe bradley equipment
Algona, Iowa
Years of Operation: 1941 - 1971
Years of Operation: 1941 - 1971
A line up of Oliver Fleetline tractors in front of Bradley Bros. implement dealership in the 1950's.
Matthias Joseph Bradley, a native of Humboldt, Iowa, entered the implement business in Algona on January 3, 1940 after purchasing the implement business from S.J. Klassie. Joe had graduated from law school, but chose the implement business. Klassie and Bradley garage were dealers for Oliver, Allis Chalmers, New Idea, Pontiac cars, and GMC trucks. A year later, Joe's brother Walter joined and they began a partnership establishing Bradley Bros. Implement in August 1941. In 1946, Joe was elected as president for Iowa Retail Farm Equipment Association. The business nearly closed in August 1959 when it was put up for sale. The proposed sale was not due to a lack of business, but due to the health of both Joe and Walter. Joe had been hospitalized for three weeks. No sale was made, but changes were soon to come to the operation.
On July 1, 1960, Walter sold his share of the business to Joe and the name was changed to Joe Bradley Equipment. In September, Joe started in a building expansion as the dealership needed more space. In addition to Oliver, Bradley was a dealer for GMC trucks and Firestone tires along with implement lines for New Idea, Gehl, Massey-Ferguson, and Allis Chalmers. Butler bins, Stan-Hoist equipment, and Meyer elevators were additional products available at the dealership. In June 1970, the dealership obtained a distributorship for White Construction products and Oliver-White president Jim Wormley visited the dealership to make the announcement. 
As of November 1971, Joe Bradley was still advertising the Oliver line. But in early 1972, the local Minneapolis Moline dealer, Buscher Bros. Implement, became the dealer for Oliver. Bradley had been an Oliver dealer since 1955 and was winning sales awards in 1970. Why his dealership lost the Oliver line and it subsequently awarded to the local Minneapolis Moline dealer is probably lost to time, but one can wonder if some of the MM vs. Oliver politics happening with White Farm Equipment at the corporate level played a hand in it. Regardless, Bradley's dealership pushed on and moved even more into truck sales. In 1973, Bradley received a shipment of the now very rare White branded skidloaders (shown below) while continuing with GMC, Gehl, Stan-Hoist, and Bobcat.
In 1977, Joe was still operating the GMC dealership and Firestone tire business but had pretty much exited the implement business. July 1989 was the final chapter for Joe Bradley as the GMC dealership was sold to Kenma Auto eighteen years after the last Oliver tractor had been sold by the former dealer. Joe passed away in 1994.
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One of the first ads for Joe Bradley in the implement business from 1940.
The final ad featuring Oliver for the dealership from November 1971.
Sales award received in 1970.
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DEALER ADS OVER THE YEARS
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The GMC truck line was equally important at Joe Bradley Equipment and continued long after the Oliver line was no longer sold there.
This ad promoted two great product lines for the dealership - Oliver tractors and Firestone tires. Bradley sold all types of Firestone tires for tractors, trucks, and cars.
DEALERSHIP BUILDING
The implement dealership building shown in the 1960's at 116 S. Thorington Street.
Former Joe Bradley Equipment building still stands in 2021. Image courtesy Google Maps.
An old painted billboard can still faintly be seen on the side of the former dealership building as of 2021.