New 8N owner

[let's go]

I just picked up a 52' 8N from my uncle's farm. It has been sitting out behind the barn for a good while and needs some serious TLC. I just wanted to say that this site and the research I've done on here so far have been really helpful. I now know the tractor was born on Oct 5, 1952. "50 tips" has also already come in handy as well as provided a few laughs imagining how some of that wisdom was aquired.

My wife thinks I'm crazy crawling all over the thing as it sits in the driveway, but I'm really looking forward to getting her up and running around on my 80 acre piece of property. I've already placed an order for the manuals, a carb kit (found a large spider living in the carb so figured it might need some attention), shifter knob and some other general maintenance parts. And my recently retired dad is chomping at the bit to start tinkering. Should be a fun project to work on with him.

 

[JOKER in Alberta]

Hey There,
Welcome aboard.
....you do realize that your life as you new it will never be the same! LOL
These little gems kinda' grow on ya.
Most of the guys on here can take these tractors apart and rebuild them blindfolded.
Don't hesitate to ask anything.
They might get a chuckle out of your request, but will always help you out.
I did. Couldn't have done it without their input.

 

[Ken-Pa]

Hey Lets Go , you picked a great little tractor to start out with . They are pretty simple to work on . Are you planning a complete restoration or a just to get it running project ? You are lucky to have your Dad still around & willing to help you .It'll be a great father/Son project that you will always cherish . Don't be afraid to ask questions . Get yourself 3 manuals to start with . Owners manual, IT-F04 manual, & a good Shop manual . This site is a great asset to us tractor nuts , but there's also another great site that focuses mostly on the old Ns . If interested , email me because this site has a filter which won't allow any other sites typed in .Please post some pics of your treasure before you start any restorations . Also take a tip , take lots of pics of each thing you do & be sure to file them properly because computors do crash , causing a loss of great saved info .It happened to me once . I lost everything . Good luck & God bless

 

[tractorfix]

80 acres and only 1 N ? Well its a start. Once you get to know 1, its pretty hard to say no to others. Hope you have someplace to park them all!
Welcome to the world of N's!

 

[TennesseeMan]

You have purchased a great tractor. Good luck with fixin her up. This site has been great helping out alot of people. No telling the years of knowledge that is available. I have a 49 8N that I'm trying to sell and have really been surprised that I haven't had any takers. So I'm now listing it with a 5 foot Wood's Mower. Maybe that will help. I'll miss the tractor but we are down sizing and putting our house up for sale. With the just the wife and I, we no longer need this four bedroom home on 5 1/2 acres. Too much to take care of anymore.

 

[AudioFreq]

Welcome to the forum, Let's go.

(quoted from post at 23:08:54 08/03/10) Hey Lets Go , you picked a great little tractor to start out with . They are pretty simple to work on . Are you planning a complete restoration or a just to get it running project ? You are lucky to have your Dad still around & willing to help you .It'll be a great father/Son project that you will always cherish . Don't be afraid to ask questions . Get yourself 3 manuals to start with . Owners manual, IT-F04 manual, & a good Shop manual . This site is a great asset to us tractor nuts , but there's also another great site that focuses mostly on the old Ns . If interested , email me because this site has a filter which won't allow any other sites typed in .Please post some pics of your treasure before you start any restorations . Also take a tip , take lots of pics of each thing you do & be sure to file them properly because computors do crash , causing a loss of great saved info .It happened to me once . I lost everything . Good luck & God bless

Norton Ghost or the likes WILL cure all of that data loss thing. Applications which are worth their weight in GOLD

 

[let's go]

For now I just intend to get her in solid running condition. We don't live on the 80 acres yet and I'd hate to leave a nicely restored tractor out there. In it's present condition I doubt it would be much of a target for any potential thieves.

Once we move out there I'll probably take on a resoration project with it during the winter. Not that we really have a winter on the Texas coast, but at least the grass will slow down for a few months to give me some time.

For now it'll see use mowing fence lines, taking care of a couple roads and making a food plot for the deer, turkeys and quail. Eventually I want to really dig into the place and work it back to native vegetation. I bought it four years ago and I've allowed it to grow out after decades of over-grazing and being roto-chopped every 3-4 years. The little oaks that were waist high are now pushing 8-10 feet and some of the native brush has returned. I'm planning on planting the open areas in native coastal prarie. My back fence is common to a 5K acre wildlife refuge and I bought the place more for the wildlife than anything else.

We're looking at eventually doing a small bed & breakfast for photographers/bird watchers/etc. I figure between the restored 8N, the longhorns and the wildlife it'll be a cool little place to take some photos.

 

[Ed S.]

Ditto all the above. We only have 15 acres, but I find plenty to do with my 8N. A lot of guys here have web sites documenting their rebuilds, here's mine, plus a bunch of videos of my 8N at work.

Post pics as you go along, and ask questions! You'll find your 60 year old tractor will be a joy to use, but will also require periodic maintenance, compared to a modern "gun-n-go" model.

es

 

[let's go]

Well I had an extra couple hours in my schedule yesterday afternoon so I drug the tractor to my dad's house. We rolled her off the trailer and he started going over every inch like a kid with a new toy. I really needed to get going to an appointment, but he asked if I could stay a few minutes to get the hood off so he could take a better look. Next thing I know we've got the hood, fenders and grill off and are taking off other various parts "to check them out". LOL Needless to say I was late for my meeting, but it was fun to get started working on it with him and seeing how excited he was about the project. I think I created a monster.

The beginning....