49 8N rebuild advice

[Bruce Covey]

Acquired my 1 owner machine in 2006, cleaned it up, and have used it for working a large garden and some mowing. While it starts fine on 6v and still pulls a 1 bottom plow, It is a bit weak w/ the bush hog. Likely due to the 75lb compression in all of my cylinders. I"ve toyed w/ getting a newer machine, but the N has better ground clearance and meets my needs ( the aftermarket live hydraulics was an excellent addition ). I don"t want to attempt an engine rebuild myself. Does anyone know a reputable and experienced person in the southeast that I could take the motor to?
 

[ericlb]

i dont know anyone in the southeast but you know N tractors are " made to be operated, understood, and repaired in the field by farmers used to farming with horses" Henry Fords own words, there really not that hard to overhaul and parts are readily available right on this site, me, id buy the manuals , again right here in the upper left corner, and dig into it, baring any big issues with the crank, ect its a few weekends fun time to put sleeves and pistons ect into the old girl and whatever else it needs, you have some fun, its about as simple as an engine gets and you know a lot more about your tractor to, if you get in trouble, there are plenty of friendly folks right on this page that can talk you through anything you encounter
 

[Bruce (VA)]

" in the southeast"

That covers a lot of territory.

Where do you live & how far are you willing to drive to a shop?

Hobo is in NC. You could pull the engine & take it to him.

I'm in VA w/ two places local that I've used.

Or, you could follow the theory of 'no guts, no glory' and try it yourself as eric suggested.
75 Tips

 

[oldtanker]

You should be asking this in your local area. Most independent repair shops should be able to do it but some work only on cars.

You can get a reman engine for it too. Don't know a source in your area but you should able to find a source.

Rick
 

[kylemorley]

Many machine shops will do rebuilds if you pull the engine and bring it in. Or they will dismantle it, hot tank everything clean, then mike everything and send it back to you as a kit with all the properly sized new parts.

This lets you do some of the low paying and/or fun work, but have a pro do the stuff that matters.

Oh, try giving it a good ring soak with ATF or MMO first just to be sure the rings aren't just stuck. My first experience with sticky rings was with a bush hog - I bought one and was disappointed to found my tractor couldn't pull it. Sold the bush hog precipitously, only to find out shortly after that power was way down from sticky rings. After dumping some MMO in the cylinders and in the oil it was climbing hills in 3rd that it had been having trouble with in 1st before the treatment.
 

[Bulldozer]

Also rebuilding a 49N engine.

Finding it difficult to find a machine shop any more. Got a recommendation from my neighbor that is an editor of a hot rod magazine.

The younger folks do no seem to be into this sort of thing any more.

When I go to the hot rod swap meets no one under 50.
 

[schultz47]

I also have a "49 8N. Have repaired plenty of things but never overhauled an engine. Bought the repair video from this site and did it. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. Tractor now runs great and has lots of power.
 

[William Fissell]

I did mine. It was fun and the 9N runs circles around my Jubilee now. I bet if you let folks know where you are, you'll get more detailed help.

It wasn't hard.
 

[russb wa]

I have a friend without mechanical knowlege who rebuilt an engine in his uncle's PU truck. His uncle had the knowledge but was crippled with age and arthritis. My friend was fit enough and got a good learning experience.

There are older people around who have more knowledge than what they can put to use. Just have to ask the right people. You made a good start asking here.