9n va 800 series First Tractor!!!

Hey folks, I would like to buy a tractor (first one) for snow plowing driveway(1500 ft gravel in Midwest), mowing a couple of acres and maintaining a small 1/4 acre vegetable garden. I would like to install a bucket in the front. I am thinking about a 8n or 800 series. What are your thoughts? Also what is the difference between a live pto and an dependent pto? Will I need a pto for the mower and bucket? Thanks everyone for the help!

The 800 came out in several flavors - an 860/ 861 has all the cool options, an 820 has almost no options. So not all 800 series tractors are the same.....

You will need a pto for the mower.

Live pto or independent pto lets you run a baler or tiller or snowblower much, much easier. While possible, it's no fun to run these machines without it.

Live/independent means you can stop the tractor from moving, but still have power to the pto to keep the implement spinning. Without live/independent pto, there is only one drive shaft in the tranny, so you push in the clutch and both the rear wheels & pto stop; to mow grass or blow snow you have to let out the clutch and start the mower and the wheels moving at the same time. Can't let slugs or clogs work through easily.

The live pto and more gears (5) of an x6x model Ford is well worth the extra money.....

If you want to use a tiller for your garden operation, even the 800 series might not be the best idea, you want a slow speed for a tiller. The N series wouldn't be much with the 4 speed and no live anything.....

--->Paul

Either one can do what you want, as long as you get the right implements for it. The 800 can do the jobs faster/easier. Only tradeoffs I see to getting the 800 would be purchase price and fuel consumption would both be somewhat higher. I would pass on the 8/9N myself, simply because they lack live hydraulics. 800 series (or even the 600 series) is way more tractor than the N's.

9N/2N/8N all around 23HP on live any thing. 800/801 live hyds and could have live PTO by way of a 2 stage clutch. 800/801 is around 45HP so its a much bigger tractor. You could also look for a 600/601 which could also have live PTO if you found the right model of them. Both the 800/801 and 600/601 came out in a number of different models some with live PTO and some with out.
Hobby farm

Thanks everyone for the great information. 600 or 800 series is the way I going to head.

Paul, thanks for the very detailed response (very helpful)!

Take Care
Mark

Definitely 600/800 series minimum for loader work. Oh, I know there's lots of the little N's out there with loaders on them but, a loader will beat them (and you) to death. Beside that, power steering is a serious consideration/option when considering a loader. Not a very feasable option with an 'N'.
HTH,
jb
ps.....I love my '40 9N and have zero problem running its wheels off.(but I'd never consider treating it badly enough to put a loader on it)

I have had both N's and hundred series tractors, and very definitely the hundreds are a whole lot more tractor than any of the N's. On the other hand, parts availability for the N's is very good, the hundreds not as good, but not that bad. An 8x1 is way more powerful than an 8N.

What the others wrote about the ultimate tractor is correct. It would be great to find a nice 861 with live PTO and power steering, a perfect loader powered by a front pump, new tires on perfect rims and nice original paint and very low hours. But in reality, what I have found is that most tractors I have looked at had flaws, compromises and problems, or were very expensive.

If you want a loader tractor, I would find one that has a loader already installed and working well. It is possible to put a loader on a tractor, but unless it is coming off a very similar tractor, I would worry about not getting everything necessary and having to build parts to mount it up. It is possible to do that, but the factories/loader manufacturers engineered the mounting systems to work right. Doing the mounting myself, all I could do is make it way stronger than I thought it needed to be and hope that was good enough. Perfecting it might take some time and lots of rework. BTDT!

There are also other tractors to consider. I happen to like old Fords, but would also consider the other brands, including some of the Asian tractors. I really would like to have a Kubota, but have not ever come into the right deal to get one. Just in general, I would not be all that interested in tractors that do not have a factory 3 point system and would probably avoid any tractor with an "automatic" type transmission. Having working power steering would be a plus, as would many other options, like live PTO. In my experience, a diesel tractor will do a given job using a lot less fuel than a gas tractor. On the other hand, gas tractors are easier to start in cold weather and gas engines cost much less to rebuild than a similar diesel, especially if your have to have the injector pump worked on.

I would look at some tractors, and see what might be available in your area. Of course, I think it is fun to look at tractors and I am willing to tinker with them. Good luck, and happy hunting!

Hal
I saw one today that had a grill like a jubilee.
It had a cab with a sliding door on each side and a door in the back. It had no lift but had a bumper across the back with three hitches on it. It also had finders on the front tires. It looked like all of this was original and yellow. It appeared to have had Id numbers like state or government which had been painted over. All decals and tags had been removed. Ma bey something for pulling aircraft?

I have seen photos of what you described, but have never actually touched one. I think they were used for towing small aircraft around.

I would love to have a tractor with a cab, especially when I am plowing snow when the wind is blowing. But without the hydraulics and 3 point, I don't suppose one of those would work very well for the kinds of tractor jobs I do. Interesting tractors though.