8N Experienced

[NW-FLORIDA]

A lot of heavy hitters in this forum on 8N’s and deeply appreciated. Please share a quick reply with how you got started? Farmer, Tractor mechanic, self taught, inherited 8N… The replies have helpes me tremendously. I was raised on my dads 850, still have and bought my 1952/8N out of GA 4 years ago. I am second owner. Its almost back together with your help. Love to read the threads! Thanks everyone!

 

[Del Huebner]

My 49 Ford 8N came with the hobby farm when we purchased the farm. Now I am thinning the herd but thats the one tractor I cannot part with. I have had it for almost 40 years now. This was my first "N" Ford.

 

[Dan]

I found my 1948 8N (Delilah) when I bought 42 acres. It was all I could afford. I came from the city and had no experience with tractors or mechanics. I named my place 8N Acres after this tractor.

The story is way to long for here, but I wrote an entire story about this called "The Disease" when I had my 8nacres.com website.

There is nothing I cannot do or repair on my tractor now.

 

[bob p mn]

My Dad bought my 8N when I was 7 or 8 years old, I'm the oldest of 5 boys so I was the first to run it any amount and did most of the maintenance on it. A couple of the bores were loose and it got so it was dropping sleeves fairly often Dad had a local mechanic overhaul it once, still dropped sleeves so when I was in VoTech I majored it had the block bored for the thick sleeves and it hasn't been apart since. We only use it for raking hay anymore but it was our go to tractor for years. my folks threw it in the deal when my Wife and I bought the Farm from them, it's sitting in the shed now and my Grandsons rake hay with it once in awhile. I was a Heavy Equipment mechanic for years and work on my tractors to keep busy in Retirement.

 

[NW-FLORIDA]

I found my 1948 8N (Delilah) when I bought 42 acres. It was all I could afford. I came from the city and had no experience with tractors or mechanics. I named my place 8N Acres after this tractor.

The story is way to long for here, but I wrote an entire story about this called "The Disease" when I had my 8nacres.com website.

There is nothing I cannot do or repair on my tractor now.

Classic Dan! Thanks for the share!

 

[Btzj02]

I grew up on a 1964 Ford 4000 with SOS transmission. I few years back when I was getting ready to retire my wife was worried that I would drive her crazy if I didn't have a project. Together we bought my 8N51 that we thought was a great deal. After getting it home we realized we paid way to much and there were oil leaks everywhere. My first decision was to repair every oil leak. As I repaired leaks I would expose other issues and mission creep set in. I did not work on the clutch or transmission but in the end every thing else was opened up cleaned, rebuilt as needed and painted. I did do a valve job on the engine but decided not to go further into the engine. The tractor is still the original 6 volts and has never failed to start and work as designed. I still tinker a lot with the timing, carburetor and such but that is the fun of the old machine. I don't have a problem with new after market parts and I will say I have a lot of money into the old girl. BUT, for pure entertainment value and personal satisfaction of re-learning old High School Shop skills it is a cheap hobby! My current project is a 960 that will get an engine restart the last week in March. Because of the 8N51 I had the confidence to go into the engine and try and return it to original performance. I am already thinking of what project I will need for next Winter.

 

[zuhnc]

Bought my current 1951 8N 5 years ago for about $200,000. (not a misprint!) Fortunately, a house, garage, barn and 40 acres came with it! Best retirement move I ever made. zuhnc

 

[Lynn Patrick]

I told my wife for years that I needed a Ford tractor & she would ask "Why?" because we lived in town & I had no good answer. Then three years before I retired we bought some ground to build our retirement home on that was a jungle of brush, trash & weeds. I bought a 2N, blade, dirt scoop & brush mower & the journey began.

 

[Ed S.]

Just click the picture in my signature. I wrote up my 8N history some years ago, including the first ten years using my own 8N at our pre-retirement farm. Have had that tractor ~23 years now!

 

[Scott(Ks.)]

I bought my 1951 8N in 1964 from a widow. It was sitting out in the weeds and she said "You can have everything out there for $375.00. In addition to the tractor there was a sickle bar mower, a cultivater and a set of drag harrows. I got it running well enough to get it on the trailer. It never ran again until I got it overhauled and painted.
I used it for eleven years as my only tractor mowing and baling hay and feeding thirty cows. I used an Allis Chalmers small round baler and it was a good fit. I have since moved to a small six acre place and the tractor and I have basically slowed down and retired. It moves snow and mows grass and I read forums. It has been rumored that I will be buried on this tractor. The last time it was painted was in 1977.

 

[NW-FLORIDA]

I bought my 1951 8N in 1964 from a widow. It was sitting out in the weeds and she said "You can have everything out there for $375.00. In addition to the tractor there was a sickle bar mower, a cultivater and a set of drag harrows. I got it running well enough to get it on the trailer. It never ran again until I got it overhauled and painted.
I used it for eleven years as my only tractor mowing and baling hay and feeding thirty cows. I used an Allis Chalmers small round baler and it was a good fit. I have since moved to a small six acre place and the tractor and I have basically slowed down and retired. It moves snow and mows grass and I read forums. It has been rumored that I will be buried on this tractor. The last time it was painted was in 1977.

So great to read about this! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley]

A lot of heavy hitters in this forum on 8N’s and deeply appreciated. Please share a quick reply with how you got started? Farmer, Tractor mechanic, self taught, inherited 8N… The replies have helpes me tremendously. I was raised on my dads 850, still have and bought my 1952/8N out of GA 4 years ago. I am second owner. Its almost back together with your help. Love to read the threads! Thanks everyone!

My Mom grew up on a farm in Bad Axe, MI, and my grandpa and uncles always had FORD TRACTORS. I loved going up to the farm on weekends and playing on them and in the fields. My Grandpa was the first person in Huron County, MI to own a brand new 1939 Ford-Ferguson 9N, Uncle Pat was the oldest and he said people came from 100 miles away to see it work. In 1997 he passed and Mom sold the farm. I got the '39 Tractor and am restoring it to all original now as a tribute to them. I never knew my grandfather - he died the year before I was born. Later, grandpa bought a 1952 FORD 8N. My passion for FORD TRACTORS grew over the years and now I am a certified/authorized Ford Tractor Historian at the Henry Ford/Benson Ford. In 2017 the Eyes On Design function held every year on Father's Day at the Edsel & Elenore Ford estate in Grosse Pointe, MI hosts a show to display mostly old Ford vehicles. That year they wanted to add Ford tractors too so a few of us were selected to attend. What an honor. How cool was it to be on the actual grounds where Edsel Ford grew up? Henry visited there often as well.

I moved to the country in 1990 on a 10 acre farm and first thing I did was buy a used Ford 8N. Turned out to be an early 5-Digit s/n built in OCT 1947. I began to collect many Dearborn Implements as well and used them often. I restored th 8N in 2000.

Tim Daley (MI)

 

[Btzj02]

I bought my 1951 8N in 1964 from a widow. It was sitting out in the weeds and she said "You can have everything out there for $375.00. In addition to the tractor there was a sickle bar mower, a cultivater and a set of drag harrows. I got it running well enough to get it on the trailer. It never ran again until I got it overhauled and painted.
I used it for eleven years as my only tractor mowing and baling hay and feeding thirty cows. I used an Allis Chalmers small round baler and it was a good fit. I have since moved to a small six acre place and the tractor and I have basically slowed down and retired. It moves snow and mows grass and I read forums. It has been rumored that I will be buried on this tractor. The last time it was painted was in 1977.

Not a bad way to be buried!

 

[papap]

Hello I'm new here and also new to 8n I bought this 1950 ford 8n runs great every thing if still factory except for it been converted to 12 volt my question is what's this knob for it has short cable and goes into what I call the bell housing any help would be great as I venture to learn about this unit hopefully a restoration project next spring thanks in advance

 

[papap]

A lot of heavy hitters in this forum on 8N’s and deeply appreciated. Please share a quick reply with how you got started? Farmer, Tractor mechanic, self taught, inherited 8N… The replies have helpes me tremendously. I was raised on my dads 850, still have and bought my 1952/8N out of GA 4 years ago. I am second owner. Its almost back together with your help. Love to read the threads! Thanks everyone!

Grew up on garden tractors restored many cub cadets and thought it was time to get something a Lil bigger

 

[bob p mn]

Hello I'm new here and also new to 8n I bought this 1950 ford 8n runs great every thing if still factory except for it been converted to 12 volt my question is what's this knob for it has short cable and goes into what I call the bell housing any help would be great as I venture to learn about this unit hopefully a restoration project next spring thanks in advance

It looks like a cable operated sherman shifter my 48 8N has one of those but the cable was mounted higher on the dash. Also the cable enters the bell housing a little lower, I would guess the exact locations were up to the installer. I could be way off but that's my take on it.

 

[papap]

It looks like a cable operated sherman shifter my 48 8N has one of those but the cable was mounted higher on the dash. Also the cable enters the bell housing a little lower, I would guess the exact locations were up to the installer. I could be way off but that's my take on it.

im buying a manual would this be listed or shown in it??

 

[Non-farmer]

It's not much info, but better than nothing.

Click me

 

[used red MN]

im buying a manual would this be listed or shown in it??

Hello papap, welcome to YT! No, that will not be in a Ford factory manual. At the top right you will see an envelope icon, that is the conversation feature of this forum aka “private messages” I am going to give you some info there.

 

[Kirk-NJ]

It looks like a cable operated sherman shifter my 48 8N has one of those but the cable was mounted higher on the dash. Also the cable enters the bell housing a little lower, I would guess the exact locations were up to the installer. I could be way off but that's my take on it.

The knob is for a Sherman cable trans. Most got rusted in one position when not use over a period of time. It is for a step up or step down trans. In the position the knob is currently in would access standard gears. Due to the amount of rust I would say it’s probably a step up cause they don’t get used that often. Pushing knob in will access Sherman gears.