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I guess I'm dumb, so help me out

Mac AR

Mac AR

Member
Location
The Hills of Home - The Ozarks
I'm having a hard time understanding a local trend, and I'm hoping you good folks can help me. Here (and I'm sure other places, too) its common for someone to come to a rural area from a more populated one, and purchase some land, usually from 5 to 15 acres, and call it their "farm". While I do consider it to be a farm, when its operated as such, I have a hard time understanding some of these "farmers" choice of machinery. They all, almost without exception, go out and buy an 8n or 9n Ford for $2500 to $3000, and then go buy implements for them. My hang-up is that for the same money or less, they can buy an H or M Farmall, or an A or B John Deere or even a WD-45 Allis Chalmers. Any of those are TWICE the machine an N is! So why do they want them? Around here, years ago, we all had an N for chores, etc. I sold my '39 this year, because it sat in the shed for 8 or 9 months between uses. So I'm not bashing the little tractors, I just can't for the life of me understand why everyone of these guys just HAS to have an N! I do know that I won't have another as long as I have the ability to own and use my 300 Farmall with its (new) power steering, IPTO and 3pt. hitch. Even my old B JD is an improvement power-wise.
Anyway, I hope you Ford guys don't think less of me. I'm really not knocking the N's. I just honestly don't understand what the obsession is.
Thanks, Mac
 

The sheer number of N Fords built and Rosales due their lack of features make them the most popular in the for sale advertisements. Also Ford vehicle drivers tend to purchase other Ford products.
 
I see more Kubotas's and compact John Deere's, CIH and such in those situations around here. They obviously have more money than me. gobble
 
We've got 50 acres and 3 tractors. It drives me crazy when people call our place a "farm" because we don't. Just have chickens and some food plots for deer and fields kept mowed. I'm probably just weird that way.

Anyway, I've always assumed the reason so many people go buy N's is for the 3 point. And also that there are just so many of them for sale and parts are available. I prefer my 2n over Most other tractors I've ever used, but definetely liking the "new" 961. Just like the little thing. Sure it can't pull much or do as much as other tractors but I still enjoy it.
 
3pt hitch is a huge advantage especially farming smaller plots with shorter rows and more turning etc
 
"Yea, but do those old tractors you mention have a 3 point hitch?"
For the most part, they do here. Seems like most of those I've seen that I mentioned have had one added on. However, not all of them do.

"but definetely liking the "new" 961"
I missed the 8/900 series of Fords. I'd include those in the "twice the tractor category", but around here they go for outrageous prices if they're in any kind of decent shape. Plus, around here anyway, you can't find a 9XX series anyway. Everyone's scared of the narrow fronts.

"They obviously have more money than me."
Yes, Tom, more than me and you both. Those things are outrageously priced, aren't they?

BuickandDeere, you may be on to the biggest factor. Ford did make a heckuva lot of the little buggers, didn't they. Admittedly, the 3pt. hitch does make a differnce, as most every implement made today is made for the 3pt. I maintain, however, that any of the aforementioned models with an add-on hitch is still a better buy, IMHO.

Mac
 
What does it matter what other people spend their money on? I think spending $1200/year or more to watch television is crazy but most people do it without hesitation.
 
Mac if that's the main thing that concurn's you about your neighbors I envy you. Now if they were too lazy to plant and plow that might be something to worry with. Good thing you weren't around following the depression,there were so many Ns in the fields you would have realy been asking what got into people.
 
(quoted from post at 11:47:12 09/08/16) I'm having a hard time understanding a local trend, and I'm hoping you good folks can help me. Here (and I'm sure other places, too) its common for someone to come to a rural area from a more populated one, and purchase some land, usually from 5 to 15 acres, and call it their "farm". While I do consider it to be a farm, when its operated as such, I have a hard time understanding some of these "farmers" choice of machinery. They all, almost without exception, go out and buy an 8n or 9n Ford for $2500 to $3000, and then go buy implements for them. My hang-up is that for the same money or less, they can buy an H or M Farmall, or an A or B John Deere or even a WD-45 Allis Chalmers. Any of those are TWICE the machine an N is! So why do they want them? Around here, years ago, we all had an N for chores, etc. I sold my '39 this year, because it sat in the shed for 8 or 9 months between uses. So I'm not bashing the little tractors, I just can't for the life of me understand why everyone of these guys just HAS to have an N! I do know that I won't have another as long as I have the ability to own and use my 300 Farmall with its (new) power steering, IPTO and 3pt. hitch. Even my old B JD is an improvement power-wise.
Anyway, I hope you Ford guys don't think less of me. I'm really not knocking the N's. I just honestly don't understand what the obsession is.
Thanks, Mac
Click to expand...

The sheer size of a Farmall H or M, or a John Deere B or A is intimidating. Maybe because you actually have to climp UP to get to the drivers seat, or maybe because they just don't like being that high up off the ground. Also, Most of the row crop type of tractors are equipped with that NARROW front end, and a city slicker just KNOWS for sure that the tractor is totally unstable, so they go with the little gray Fords. Also, FORD is a name they recognize and are familiar with. Most of the "wannabe farmers" have never heard of FARMALL, or McCormick-Deering.
 
(quoted from post at 15:18:14 09/08/16) What does it matter what other people spend their money on? I think spending $1200/year or more to watch television is crazy but most people do it without hesitation.
Click to expand...

I agree that we shouldn't be too concerned with how others spend their money. The problem is that so many of these guys think they know it all and end up getting hurt. Locally just last week there was a guy killed while bush hogging with an 8N. He had moved here from Dallas and had bought a 10 acre 'Ranch'. I don't know the particulars but I can guess. He left behind a wife and 2 kids that someone else will have to see after.
 
Coupled with the fact a N series can be parked in a "garage" sized parking space (or smaller) while a row crop tractor takes a much taller doorway. Other better utility tractors (MF135, IH 330, or an Oliver 550) while similar in size are much more expensive.
 
"Mac if that's the main thing that concerns you about your neighbors I envy you"
No, I think you've missed the point. I frankly don't give a hang what they spend their money on. What I can't understand is why they don't by more tractor for their money. I owned an N, and some of my neighbors still do. I also, in the past, have lost several neighbors on N's. In our hills and woods, the N's have a tendency to climb trees. They are nimble, and handy. They are, however, not my idea of "farm power". They do not belong anywhere other than a small garden, or for parades and shows. I'm sorry, but I like to get something done when it comes time to do it. My dad always said, in talking about horses, the a big horse can do all a little horse can, but a little horse can't do what a big horse will.
I'm sorry I've stirred something up. Like I said, I'm dumb. I don't understand spending money on something that won't do what you want, or it will do it, but it'll take twice as long, when you can spend the same money (or less) and buy something that will do all you want and more. I will say, to each of you, thank you for your input. I appreciate it.

Mac
 
The old guy who lived next door was a retired farmer who used to drive past on his Allis C pulling a steel wheeled trailer he used for firewood. One day, the Allis was gone, replaced by a little Ford. When I asked the old guy why, he said that the Ford was easier to get up on and down from.

I kinda understood as a kid, I really understand now.

Zeke B.
 
I have 2 '51 8N'S and love them for my chores around my tree farm. They are compact enough to get between the tree rows can handle my disc, cultivator, blade and other implements I have. The part of my property that is farmed in winter wheat and corn silage my neighbor tends with his big JD 4020 and larger JD's that he owns. They always tease me about my "hobby tractors" but they suit my needs. So I guess "To each his own".
 
[i:654c4848f0]The sheer size of a Farmall H or M, or a John Deere B or A is intimidating.[/i:654c4848f0]

I think this has a lot to do with it. I didn't grow up around tractors, and started with a Farmall M about 15 years ago due to the attractive price point. I next went with a 4-cylinder Ford 4000 (to pick up the 3 pt hitch, live-ish PTO via the two-stage clutch, and power steering). I grew up turning wrenches, and the Ford is still easy to work on (more like a motorcycle than a car--everything is easy to get to). I encountered difficulty finding a loader for my (row crop) Ford, and picked up a John Deere 3020. I keep the Ford, because it's the right size for me. I use the Ford for mowing and blading (implements are right size for the Ford, would want wider for JD), but use the JD as a loader tractor and snowblowing.

The hydraulic system on the JD intimidates me a little, I change the fluids and filters and an occasional leaky line. If something major breaks I'll learn, I guess, but the Ford seems much more approachable to me. I don't need two tractors for 10 acres, neither gets enough hours to justify having both, but that's where I'm at.
 
I have four 8Ns, and others have cited most of the reasons I like them. The main thing missing from a lot of tractors in that same price range is the three-point hitch. (Yes, I know they can sometimes be added, but that often adds to the cost). Also important to me, I can park an N in a 6-foot by 10-foot space with low overhead, such as a lean-to shed. Try that with an H or an M or B or WD45. I do a lot of mowing in areas with low-hanging branches, and the up-pipe exhaust on most tractors just gets in the way. I like low stance and wide front ends, which are scarce on an H or M or B. And replacement parts are almost unlimited for the Ns at relatively reasonable prices. That's not the case with many older tractors. Just compare rear tires on an N vs. a WD. Sure, I'd like to have live PTO and power steering and other niceties, but that all comes with a price as well as meaning more things to possibly go wrong. Power-wise, my Ns have never failed to do what I've asked of them on my seven acres. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Ford fanatic -- I also have a Farmall Cub, but it's a bear to get onto and off of, compared with the Ns, which are like climbing up one step at the back porch. I've been frustrated by the lack of some parts for the Cub that would be a few clicks away for an N. I've also been watching for a Super A and a small Allis and, ideally, an Oliver 55 or 550. I even occasionally get tempted by an H, but then I look at how big it is compared with the N and walk on by.
 
Rrlund, I love that song! Also, working in an equipment dealership, I see them everyday. We call 'em "fifty cent millionaires!"
 
This is hardly a trend, unless something that's been going on since the sixties can be called a "trend". The 8N has been the preferred tractor for gentleman farmers for decades. Why? It's small, not much bigger than a garden tractor, but it LOOKS like a real tractor. And because they're common, they're popular. The hundred series Fords are an order of magnitude better than the ubiquitous 8N, and modern tractors are better still. But the gentleman farmer doesn't understand the value of live hydraulics and live PTO, let alone power steering and hydrostatic transmissions. The gentleman farmer probably doesn't care that most garden tractors have more horsepower than his 9N. The Ns will remain popular for a long time, simply because they're popular. Just like '55 Chevys, Harley Sportsters and Ruger 10-22 rifles, a tractor doesn't have to be good to be popular.
 
Sounds to me like just another way to bash Ford Ns. They get a lot of it here. You know, like "all they're good for is getting the eggs and fetching the mail."
And of course there's the notion that they're the tippingest, flippingest, killingest tractors ever built and responsible for the deaths of millions - maybe even entire civilizations. Plus they wont do much work, break down easily, in fact they are broke down most of the time, look bad, cause high blood pressure, psoriasis, ostioporosis, PTSD, gum disease, syphilis, low earning potential, cows to miscarry, stunted growth in walleys, rasberry blight, dropsy, peevishness in children, the GDP to drop, bank rates to plummet, politicians to lie, salt to lose it's flavor and they probably are responsible for most of the global warming and irreligiousness.
Ho hum. Ns are bad. There's just no getting around it and we've heard it all before. Well, maybe not the part about the syphilis. I added that. But the rest of it anyway.
 
(quoted from post at 12:13:50 09/08/16) "Yea, but do those old tractors you mention have a 3 point hitch?"
For the most part, they do here. Seems like most of those I've seen that I mentioned have had one added on. However, not all of them do.

"but definetely liking the "new" 961"
I missed the 8/900 series of Fords. I'd include those in the "twice the tractor category", but around here they go for outrageous prices if they're in any kind of decent shape. Plus, around here anyway, you can't find a 9XX series anyway. Everyone's scared of the narrow fronts.

"They obviously have more money than me."
Yes, Tom, more than me and you both. Those things are outrageously priced, aren't they?

BuickandDeere, you may be on to the biggest factor. Ford did make a heckuva lot of the little buggers, didn't they. Admittedly, the 3pt. hitch does make a differnce, as most every implement made today is made for the 3pt. I maintain, however, that any of the aforementioned models with an add-on hitch is still a better buy, IMHO.

Mac
Click to expand...

Is it? Here you can't find an H, M or WD WITH a 3 point. And here 3-14 plows and other implements they can use bareback are either really expensive or nonexistent. So with any of the others in good shape 1500-2000 plus 1000-1400 for a 3 point. Plus about 700 for a used live hydraulics conversion. Here for the cheap side of that, say 3200, you can buy an N and implements. Plus you can buy about any implement you want NEW. So for 3200 you can have a tractor with 3 point or a tractor with 3 point and implements. Plus here we have a lot of woods. Getting an M or H into and out of the woods can be a lot of fun with low hanging branches to get in to prepare a food plot. Also here there are not many M or WD sized 3 point implements. The towed size ones make fine yard art I guess and the scrap man got the rest. A ground lift 3-14 plow here can bring as much as 650 and not even be close to field ready. Not uncommon for a collector to have to buy 2 or 3 at that price to get enough parts to make one working plow. Here it isn't hard to find used Cat1 3 point implements. A usable 2 bottom plow will bring about 350 in good condition.

I own an M and 2 8Ns. The M gets run about 10 hours a year, between the 2 Ns about 100.

Here though most of the folks buying a 5-15 acres "farm" have money and they are not buying Ns. Seeing a lot of JD and Kubota's around though. One of our "farm" neighbors bought 15 acres, put in a $500,000 home and a $250,000 horse stable and indoor arena. He has 2 JD's about the physical size of an N.

Rick
 
Nope, you're wrong. I'm not bashing, I'm just asking. I had one, I know what they can do, what they shouldn't do, and what they d@mn sure can't do. I suppose the "gentleman farmer" and "estate owner" would be satisfied with something small and light. I've got 80 acres of my own, plus neighbors land I help keep up. I tried it with an N, and with a 2000 prior. I got tired of not having live power, and of not having enough power, that I got rid of the Fords and got what I have now. The little Ford's are fine to spay with, or drag a pasture, or pull a hay rake. But in my neck of the woods, you work all day at your job, then come home and try to get your hay up, or your brush hogging done. I do in a day now what it took a week to do with an N. And I promise you all this, even an N beats a team of horses and a 5' sickle mower. I started farming with a team. I went from there to an N and still kept the horses.
All I'm saying is, I don't understand people. But that's ok. I evidently am not smart enough to. And , again, I'm not bashing the Ns. You want one or one dozen, more power to you. I'm glad someone cares enough about the old girls to take care of them, regardless of their color. Which is one why I like this site so much.
Mac
 
There were a lot of them in our neighborhood when I was young. Dad bought me one when I was about six or seven years of age and I think that it was his idea of a starter tractor for me to learn on. I must have been a fast learner because by the time I was eight I had my own Farmall M. I don't know of any other tractor that ever drew as many comments as the Ford has over the years. You could count on the Ford Tractor subject to come up every time you needed a haircut at the local barber shop. Both positive and negative. Some I remember like "Calling a Ford a tractor is like calling a VolksWagon an automobile" or "Can't have one around a dairy farm as they will suck the cows." They were a handy little tractor in many ways and kind of the predecessor to the four wheeler and many times used for short transportation. You would get a sense of safety when you would go get the cows with one when the bull was among them.
 
Around here it's the new Deere and kubota compacts, lots f money for a tiny tractor . We have 165 acres , 100 tillable . I rent out some , sell some hay , raise a few hogs n chickens , make maple syrup but hesitate to say I farm . I have a full time job that makes it possible to live . The place pays its own taxes and insurance etc. As far as the transplants it's fun to watch .
 
Around here, nobody is going to buy a Farmall, old 2 cylinder Deere, an AC WD or WD45, etc tractor for their 5 to 15 acre farm. They are running a bush hog, maybe a plow/disk for food plots or a garden. They have a rear blade, maybe a rear pan scoop or a carry all. They are not farming in the traditional sense. Some of them have a few goats or it seems like everyone wants chickens and fresh eggs - so they raise them. Sounds a lot easier than making hay or chasing cattle. A lot less expensive too!

So an 8n is just a handy tractor. 3pt hitch, easy on/off, easy to service, easy to get someone to service. Parts are everywhere.

I'd like an Allis Chalmers WD and/or a Farmall 400/450 - just because. Without a doubt for what I do - I'd be better served with a MF 165 or a Ford 4000.

Bill
 
I bought one for my daughter to learn to drive,,they are simple and you can get parts easy and reasonable
thats her learning to drive it,,and thats her many years later
a236806.jpg

a236808.jpg
 
When I was a kid growing up we farmed a 160 acre mixed farm, and a 1947 2n was the only tractor on the farm till the mid 60s. That being said I would not necessarily want to go back to that, but I am now in my 60s and still have the 47 2n plus 11 more Fords and Ferguson's. I only have 10 acres left but the Fords, obviously left a positive influence in my life. I do not want to part with my other tractors, but if I had to, my 52 8n would probably be my tractor of choise on my 10 acres, besides being able to do every thing I need it to do, they are just plain fun, There are many small acreages around here, many folks have no tractor just a riding mower,some have little garden tractor And an old 3pth tractor,many N Fords. Many of the well to do folks buy the new Mahindras,kubotas,and other new imports. The small import tractor dealers are doing a booming business around here. Though I like the tractors you mention, I would not even consider one for use on my acreage. I would like to have a JD A to play with.
 
"Love your wit! My laugh for the night. :)"

Ditto! It's even funnier knowing from the Ford forums that
Ultradog isn't really a big fan of the N series Fords.
He owned them but now prefers the 3 cylinder x000 series.
Can't blame him there. Power steering, live hydraulics, live
PTO, 12V systems as original equipment, similar in size/parking/
nimbleness but with double the horsepower and (nearly) weight.

N's are cheap and parts are cheap. Period.
I bought an 8N a few weeks ago with 8 implements for $1200.
The implements are universal cat 1 3pt implements.
I've already made my money back selling the ones I did't need.

On this site, head gasket for an N [b:ff3e5b63e1]$8[/b:ff3e5b63e1]
Head gasket for a Farmall M - [b:ff3e5b63e1]$47+[/b:ff3e5b63e1]
Head gasket for an H not even listed separately that I saw,
but the upper gasket set is [b:ff3e5b63e1]$103[/b:ff3e5b63e1]

I sold my M two years ago and my H this spring.
Sold the last Allis I had this summer too come to think of it.
I still have plenty of Farmalls but most of the Fords will stay.
That's no brand loyalty. Simply economics.

I'd like to find an Oliver S55 and a nice MF 135 one day.
They're usually way over priced around here though.

40223.jpg


40224.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 19:23:39 09/08/16) Sounds like that singer might be a tad bit jealous. ;)
Click to expand...

That's kinda what I'm thinking. Farmer working his backside off for peanuts jealous of a guy who made his money without killing himself and can now enjoy it!

Now there are a lot of guys who swear by the N series but not I. I have em because I needed something that size at the time. I could get buy with just one now. But my end goal is to get something about the same physical size but a bit newer with a little more HP. Then both Ns can find a new home. I do have 10 implements for Cat1 that I use.

Here the Ns are popular with "hunting land" Anywhere from 10 -40 acers with 1-5, 1/2 to 1 acre food plots. Lot of those land owners are not rich and an N is an affordable tractor for them. Me? If I'm going to do any serious plowing I hook up the 5-18 to the big tractor. But food plots and our garden get done with an N and a 2 bottom.

Bout the only people here with M's are hobby farmers and darn few of them. One, guy who cuts about 20 acres of hay is funny. Every cutting he gets about 1/2 done with his M and it breaks down. Then he pays a neighbor to finish it for him and to drop bale it. I can't remember the last time he was able to finish even one cutting with it. Here most farmers are feeding round bales. They use V rakes, most 10 wheel, to rake with so they run 70HP or bigger tractors for that. Heck most of em an M won't run their grain augers anymore. My BILs auger takes every bit of 80HP to run it! Farmers out west of me 30 miles or so use 250HP MFWA tractors for "yard" tractors. Only run augers and blow snow with em. If they have an old tractor it's a trailer queen for shows!

Rick
 
I don't know why modern 'gentleman' farmers may be seeking out Ford Ns, given their many available choices, other than that there still so many of them around.

An 8N was the only tractor I knew anything about for most of my life, because that's what we had and what I grew up with. My 8n (it was my dad's) still just fits me. It has done an incredible amount of work for me, and it did everything I asked it to do. I now have a JD 1020 and a Ford 4000, but the 8N is still the one the one that's most fun to use.
 
Royse,
Given the choice between an N which has
factory 3 point and any brand of drawbar
tractor of that era I would take the N. No
ifs ands or buts. Yeah, I do beat up on
the Ns sometimes but not because they are
bad machines. My contention is all the
fellows who buy an old N and then set to
"restoring" it. It's pretty easy to buy
one for $1500 and then drop another $3
Grand into it. Yes, they will have a
pretty, reliable tractor. But I think for
that kind of money they could have had
much more tractor. There are folks who do
the same with other brands too so it's not
just Ns in that regard.
Ultimately, I don't really care how a guy
spends his money though I would rather see
some guy restore an N or Allis B or JD H
or an old Farmall than spend his dough at
a casino or a bar. At least with an old
tractor he has something he's proud of
when he's done and he likely won't have a
hangover in the morning.
 
Larry, that could have been a picture of MY daughter. She learned how to steer and how to shift gears with a non-synchronized transmission. Now, my 'little' girl and I are both Ford fans.
 
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