800 Series Ford Update

[ROADMAN]

Got a chance to look at the serial no. on the 800 Series I posted about last Friday. Good eye Jim.UT for saying it was a 1955 model. The serial no. is 6251 which, according to John Smith, is a 1954 model. It is also an 860 which means it has a live PTO. It appears that the front brackets that holds the front end to the engine will have to be exchanged from my non-running 850 to the "new" 860 in order to install the loader. Shouldn't be too big a job but I think I will need a helper other than the Misses. The rear brackets will have to be exchanged but they just unbolt from the finder brackets. Gonna have a little time off from work and I think with the help of my son, I'll be able to get the loader on in one day. What is the difference between a non-live PTO on the 850 and the live PTO on the 860?

 

[souNdguy]

*6* will have a 2 stage clutch.. menaing.. lets say you are mowing.. and you come to a hill and want to downshift to get a slower speed.

you press clutch half way down till tractor stops moving, nad hten shift gears... during this time.. the pto stays powered...

if you pressed all the way down.. pto and drivetrain would be clutched

 

[old]

Replace the bolts that hold the loader on the axle when your at it and you will be better off. Use grade 8 bolts also. Learned the hard way the using used bolts can cause things that are not good to happen and if you have a bolt break it can/will mess up a lot of things that can cost big $$$$

 

[ROADMAN]

Thanks OLD I'll pick up the grade 8 bolts before I start on the installation. I wouldn't have thought about that but I alway get good advice from this forum. And thanks Soundguy. I never had a tractor with a 2 stage clutch. I noticed that on the 860 the clutch engages about two inches from the top. Do I need to adjust it or is that normal for a two stage clutch. Also, will the engine on the 860 bolt right up to the 850?

 

[old]

The engine on all the 800 series are the same as well as the 801 series all are 172s. That said things like the flywheel and or clutch maybe different due to the 2 stage clutch but the 860 is the preferred set up and much better then the 850 is due to the live PTO

 

[ROADMAN]

Yep OLD. I like the idea of the live PTO. I'm was just thinking for the future. I plan on doing a complete rebuild of the engine in the 850 and using the 860 for my working tractor. When I get the engine finished, I would like to swap the 860 engine for the freshly rebuilded engine. I can see now how ya'll get so many tractors. I've got where I'm always looking for one on the side of the road or in an old barn. I've been fooling with these old tractors for 3 years now and have an 8N, 850,860 and a 1963 Fordson Dexta that I will probably wind up parting out or saleing for scrap. The problem is only the 860 is running. I'm in the process of building a shop where I can work on these tractors in confort and get them brought back to life. Love these old fords.

Thanks for all the help

Clay

 

[old]

Well I have lived where I do for 32 years now and then a few months. As for the tractors I have when I was forced to retire I looked at what the economy was doing and figured I could not go wrong with buying dead tractors and then bringing them back to life. I have around 30 on the place now and I will NEVER scrap one. Before I scrap one it will become part of one of my fences. I even have one tractor that I have had 5 generations of my family on and it is for sale but few have the $100,000 it takes to buy it LOL

 

[ROADMAN]

I"ve just turned 65 years young and still working full time. I'm a Professional Engineer and enjoy working and have no intention of retireing anytime soon. The Misses and I downsized our house about 3 years ago and built to a smaller house on 20 Acres in the Central Louisiana area. I bought the 850 with the loader as a working tractor and got the fever. LOL. In the process now of building a shop so I can continue learning about these old fords and hopefully bring some back to life. With the economy the way it is it may take a while to complete but I'm pressing forward. I read this forum everyday and have learned so much from you guys. I can't say enough how much we novice appreciate the experts on this forum's advice and patience.

Thanks:

Clay

 

[old]

Ya your older then I am but then I had a doctor tell me I had to retire and once that happens a person has to or can get in trouble if they do try to work a full time job. My shop was built form all salvage stuff and cost me less then $300 to build but has more like $10,000 worth of tools. Over the years I have worked so many jobs that I learned many things. Was a Navy E.T for 6 years and then did TV/Radio/computer repair, then was a maintenance electricsion (sp) for a few years at a big factory (Tracker Marine) Also been a welder and when I retired I was a truck driver. I could go on but will not at this time