Still a spot for an 8N on a big farm?

[notjustair]

OK, I?m not big by many standards - I run just under 1200 acres of row crop with 150 head of cattle thrown in. Not really as big as many, but not too small. I see lots of guys around me with nothing but newer cab tractors and often wonder what they do when the have a job to do with them like I had today.

I keep an 8N Ford around just for a few specific tasks. I blade the drives around buildings and I use it all summer to mow the electric fence lines as I rotate the cattle through grazing. That tractor is just as important to me as my articulated four wheel drive tractor. So many people rag on these little machines and their basic design but I thought of all of the YT folks today when I was running the rotary mower through buck brush as tall as me sitting in the seat. I used it to get fence put up on the back 30 acres of an 80 that is overgrown and was left to grow over before I bought it. I try to run the cattle a little further in the overgrowth each season so I can eventually get it opened up enough to get grass to grow and get new fences up. I couldn?t have gotten a cab tractor in where I was and need something that turns easy. She proved her punch today! No tractor with plastic body panels or electrical wiring hanging down would have survived. I?ll keep the mower on it now and use it every few weeks until next winter.

 

[Jim L WA]

Good to hear. Thanks for the post.

 

[Duner Wi]

Thanks for the post. I am older than your tractor and remember when you could actually farm 80 acres with one and make a living. Imagine that.

 

[John in Mich]

I often hear about the "little Fords". Yup, compared to some of the other brands, it was small but what a heart. We farmed with a '51 8N and an H Farmall. Dead even with 2-14 plows. The Ford with a Dearborn Economy plow. The Farmall pulled a 2-14 trailer plow.
I still have the 8N with 66 years in the seat. The H was sold in 1972. My farming is a joy ride now and then.

 

[8NHENRY]

very good story thanks for sharing!

 

[Royse]

The right tool for the job. I'm glad to hear you have a productive
use for it on your farm too. Think of all the other places where
smaller tools are the right fit. A skid steer is another great example.
Often beats the pants off of a bulldozer, loader tractor or a hydra-
hoe for the job at hand. Why burn 250+ HP worth of fuel for 20 HP job?

 

[Ed S.]

Great story. It all boils down to your use case, and an N Series is still a valid choice in a lot of situations. Royse s comment about smallness (or perhaps nimbleness) is spot on, and it why my N still gets a lot of hours despite me also owning a 50 hp tractor with a loader.

es

 

[Ultradog MN]

Good story.
And good advice - if you have other tractors.
If you have only one tractor I suggest something a little newer than an N.