Ford 8N tractor

[RUT]

>>the closest I ever came was a Jubilee<<

I remember when the Golden Jubilee came out in 1953, and it was a big deal, what with the reconfigured hood and all. I can still hear the sound of the starters on Fords of this era.

 

[Steve in Vermont]

"Thank You" to all who posted pics of this tractor, it brought back many memories. I was in my early teens in the 50's and went to work on a farm. My first experience driving any vehicle was that tractor.

 

[model70hunter]

We have two of them....well, one is a 9N and was made in '39 the other is an 8N and made in '52. They are super handy and easy to work on. We restored both of ours a few years ago and I expect them to last better than a new Mahindra.

I had a 49 8N, I sold it after I restored it. The proceeds were used as a down payment on a Mahindra 55 HP with a front bucket. There is no comparison. I now wish I'd bought one in 4 WD. It sips diesel and will work the old 8N into the ground. For those that do not know, Mahindra passed John Deere as the #1 in tractor sales several years ago.

But, my old John Deere 3020 will out work my Mahindra.....

I drove the Mahindra today to our 2 deer stands on our 160 acres to slick up our deer blinds.

I carried my S&W 27-2 3.5" with me.

 

[skrazo]

Thanks for all the Great Posts Everyone

I remember one summer we "had" to get a field plowed with my GrandDad's 8N. It had a partially blown head gasket, using coolant like crazy........GrandDad put buckets of water at one end of the field........About every 5 rounds, I had to stop and add about 1 gallon of water to the tractor. We got it done.......replaced the gasket shortly thereafter. Whew!

 

[Goodtime Charlie]

It's amazing that I found this thread. I haven't been on this forum for a long time, but finally had to come here for some help with researching a ccw accident. Now I'm glad I came back.

My father passed away in 2010, leaving his N tractor to my mother. The tractor has been sitting out in the weather for decades, and really needs repairs and restoration. I would love to be able to farm with it again, like I did as a boy. I have kids of my own now, and would like to pass on the tractor to them. My question is, how much does it cost to restore these old tractors, and is it worth it, or cheaper to just go buy another one?

 

[RUT]

I restored a '55 Thunderbird once and it turned into a big money pit. If I were you I'd look for one that someone else had lost their shirt restoring!

 

[Marshwheeling]

It's amazing that I found this thread. I haven't been on this forum for a long time, but finally had to come here for some help with researching a ccw accident. Now I'm glad I came back.

My father passed away in 2010, leaving his N tractor to my mother. The tractor has been sitting out in the weather for decades, and really needs repairs and restoration. I would love to be able to farm with it again, like I did as a boy. I have kids of my own now, and would like to pass on the tractor to them. My question is, how much does it cost to restore these old tractors, and is it worth it, or cheaper to just go buy another one?

It is going to depend on how far you have to get into it. Disassembly for painting is going to take some time, but you can do it yourself. It does not have to be expensive to get them running. Mechanical parts were readily available when I had my Jubilee. A local Ford implement dealer had an extensive stock in parts, plus stuff like original manuals. An original wiring harness was about $20. That place has since gone, but there are other stocks of NOS parts around the country. Parts are more expensive now, so the costs will mount up fast if you need a crank or pistons, but the tractors are easy to work on.

My Jubilee had been sitting for many years, and was beginning to look more like yard art than machinery, but I spent less than $100 to get it running with a couple of days of fiddling, mostly amounting to fresh gas and a battery. Once running, it did a lot of work for me over the next several years.

 

[beaverislander]

It's amazing that I found this thread. I haven't been on this forum for a long time, but finally had to come here for some help with researching a ccw accident. Now I'm glad I came back.

My father passed away in 2010, leaving his N tractor to my mother. The tractor has been sitting out in the weather for decades, and really needs repairs and restoration. I would love to be able to farm with it again, like I did as a boy. I have kids of my own now, and would like to pass on the tractor to them. My question is, how much does it cost to restore these old tractors, and is it worth it, or cheaper to just go buy another one?

Charlie,
Parts are readily available and inexpensive, it just takes time. If you had to pay shop rates for the repairs I don't think it would be worth it, but that's up to the individual. Between on-line forums and You Tube Videos there is information on most all aspects of restoration, you just need to do a little digging. I will tell you that as a guy that never even changed his own oil to completely tear down, inspect and repair the parts of a hydraulic system and when finished pull the lever back and watch the 3 point lift smooth and stay there with a load on is a pretty neat feeling. They claim that ole Henry made these tractors so that the average farmer could do most of the repair work in the fields, all I can say is that I have a new respect for the average farmer.
I would say if you have a little time and just tackle one thing at a time it would be a good family project. I was turned out to pasture in May and going a little stir crazy. I have been puttering around on it since July and I look forward to each step. (My wife calls it my mistress cause I spend so much time with her.)
Here is a link to a forum that is on my favorites list:
Ford 9N, 2N & 8N Discussion Board
and:
How-To's - Library of Tutorials Written by Our Visitors
I paid $2,000 for the tractor and have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 on parts. It will never be able to do some of things that a new Kubota will do but they are available for a fraction of the cost and I liken it to having a 27-2 as compared to a slicked up AR-15. There's a time and place for both of them.
One last thing - as someone mentioned you can just buy one that someone else has already restored for around $3,000 to $3,500 so your not going to save a ton of money doing it yourself, but then again, "THIS ONE" is your Dads so I'd imagine your mom would give you a pretty good deal on it

AND BEFORE YOU GET STARTED, BUY A CAN OF "GOJO."

 

[Furdog]

I have a 641 a 1958 model, just a slightly updated 8N. It plows, mows, lifts, drags and scrapes everything on our hunting property. My grandfather had an 8N and I remember him every time in climb on my 641.

 

[Goodtime Charlie]

Charlie,
Parts are readily available and inexpensive, it just takes time. If you had to pay shop rates for the repairs I don't think it would be worth it, but that's up to the individual. Between on-line forums and You Tube Videos there is information on most all aspects of restoration, you just need to do a little digging. I will tell you that as a guy that never even changed his own oil to completely tear down, inspect and repair the parts of a hydraulic system and when finished pull the lever back and watch the 3 point lift smooth and stay there with a load on is a pretty neat feeling. They claim that ole Henry made these tractors so that the average farmer could do most of the repair work in the fields, all I can say is that I have a new respect for the average farmer.
I would say if you have a little time and just tackle one thing at a time it would be a good family project. I was turned out to pasture in May and going a little stir crazy. I have been puttering around on it since July and I look forward to each step. (My wife calls it my mistress cause I spend so much time with her.)
Here is a link to a forum that is on my favorites list:
Ford 9N, 2N & 8N Discussion Board
and:
How-To's - Library of Tutorials Written by Our Visitors
I paid $2,000 for the tractor and have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 on parts. It will never be able to do some of things that a new Kubota will do but they are available for a fraction of the cost and I liken it to having a 27-2 as compared to a slicked up AR-15. There's a time and place for both of them.
One last thing - as someone mentioned you can just buy one that someone else has already restored for around $3,000 to $3,500 so your not going to save a ton of money doing it yourself, but then again, "THIS ONE" is your Dads so I'd imagine your mom would give you a pretty good deal on it

AND BEFORE YOU GET STARTED, BUY A CAN OF "GOJO."

Thanks for the info. Links saved to favorites! Yep, I have a can of GOJO, been sold on that product since about 1977!

 

[SweetMK]

I like the loader tractors, been that way since I bought my first tractor.

Here is my second (and current) tractor.

I am too old to shovel!!

Here is one of my videos, showing some loader ideas;

DIY Backhoe and Loader Customer Pictures - YouTube

 

[Faulkner]

I really like the look of the new New Holland 8N.

 

[RUT]

Yeah, it's like an old one on steroids!

 

[Muley Gil]

Hey Charlie,

If all the parts are there and the engine isn't frozen, it can probably run again with not too much money invested.

 

[Goodtime Charlie]

Hey Charlie,

If all the parts are there and the engine isn't frozen, it can probably run again with not too much money invested.

When it was parked, the engine still ran. The clutch needs worked on, as when you stood on the clutch, it took awhile for the tranny to disengage, and the brakes need worked on, too. Since then a part or two has been stolen off of it by trespasser-thieves, but I don't think anything difficult to replace. The upright muffler and exhaust pipe have rusted away, and that has me concerned that water may have gotten funneled into the engine and rusted it up. In addition, probably all the tires will have to be replaced, and based on what I paid for light truck tires recently, that's going to cost quite a bit! On the positive side, my dad had purchased some new parts that never got installed, so hopefully replacements for the stolen parts are sitting in our shop already.

 

[Muley Gil]

The original muffler was under the right running board. That's where mine is. The intake uses an updraft carb, simiar to a Model A Ford, so maybe not too much H2O got into the engine.

Get a handcrank and pull the plugs. If the engine will turn, it isn't froze up. Tires are expensive, for the rears, but the 8N uses a common size. Might be able to get by on used tires too.

The first tractor I ever drove was a '49 Case, with the wide front end. It was tall, but was steady on flat ground. When my pappy bought some property in the Shenandoah Valley in the early '70s, he bought an 8N and fixed it up. It did alright on that steep land, but he eventually sold it and got a 4WD Kubota.

My place is just as steep as his, in places, but the old 8N handles 90-95% of what I need it to do. I have neighbors with bigger, 4WD tractors if I can't tackle a chore with Henry Ford's little red bellied wonder.