8Ndefenceand tribute toDad

Everybody bashes 8Ns.They are good little tractors.Troulble is,most today are past worn out'so ofcourse they run like crap(havnt beened tunedup inmany yrs),have little power,and wont lift much anymore(but they STILL run).if you had the right equipment and used like they were designed to be used and not overloaded them,youcould get a lot of work done.When I was akid in KS in the late 50s and 60s,my dad farmed wheat and milo .his 52 8N was his only tractor,he had all the right,matching equipment.for few yrs,he had 160 acres,AND worked full time in the oil fields.when he finally bought a combine,it was a IH SP123.In 1966 dad bought a brand new GMC pickup.it was/is extra heavy duty.that was his grain truck,Dad put on very tall side boards and loaded erup.Istill remember the truck lift at the elevator.I still own that pickup today.Dad died in 04 at age 82. Thanks,Steve

I don't think everyone bashes 8N's. I grew up in the 40's and 50's with large tractors and an 8N. We farmed 320 acres in Nebraska and the N was a perfect tractor to do jobs that needed less HP. It mowed and raked hay better than the big ones, hauled grain to the bins during harvest, and generally did the odd jobs that needed done; pulling the manure spreader, allowed the young kids to have a learning tool prior to using the more difficult ones to drive, etc.
I still farm a bit in South Carolina and still use an 8N as a second tractor, not because it's better than a new 3500 JD or 3030 Kubota, but because it works for me. I'm hitting 70 this year, my 8N has a 9N engine six months younger than me, and it still starts every time I need it. Laugh if you want.

That's kind of one of my pet peaves,and to be honest I'm kind of guilty of it myself,but folks just being WAY overpowered or overequiped,however you want to put it. I farmed more land with a 90 horse tractor 20 years ago than I do now with 135 horses. For that matter,I think I farmed as much 35 years ago with a 56 horse tractor. News flash guys,you don't need a 5 plow tractor for 40 acres. There's a retired guy here in town who farmed an entire section in Nebraska with nothing but a WD45 Allis.

Yep,the 8N was the one that I learned to drive on when I was 5. I went to morning kindergarten and hauled manure out in the afternoon with a ground driven spreader.

Best tractor ever made! Problem is that people want it to do what it wasnt designed for. Its a small 3pt machine thats it! Mine has been running since 52 and on its fourth generation in my family. My Grampa and my Dad hammered maintaining equipment into us. Most people run their equipment until it fails then get a huge bill or just shove it into the fenceline and forget about it. My Oldest niece(16) can run it as well as my brother or me. My oldest(12) learned alot this winter about snowplowing with it helping dad out on jobs. Although she prefers the heated Cat(Spoiled child). I still use it on jobs were I need something small and handy like around foundations to grade and level. Everybody on the job always wants to come over and talk about the 8n when I've bring onsite. Oldtimers and young guys think its great. Never ask me about the brand new 416 Cat. Only one engine rebuild and one coat of paint in 60 years! Always starts, the only costs are fuel and oil and the occasional shot of grease, cant say the same any other equipment I have. Grampa went from horse teams to the 8n, now I'm trying to relearn how to use horse teams from a Amish friend. I love it and hopefully it will still be running in 60 years.

Anyone who ever looked a team of horses or mules in the rear end day after day, would love to sit straddle of an 8N Ford tractor. They would do the work of several teams, they didn't need to rest every few minutes in hot weather, and could work around the clock if needed. They were near the perfect tractor for small farms as the could handle most any job, and could change jobs quickly thanks to three point hitch.
Farmall and Deere had their cultivators on for the duration of the crop cultivating season as it was a major job to widen wheels and lifting finger pinching cultivors.
Been there and done that, and no I don't own nor ever have owned an 8N. Just trying to be fair.
Joe

I have no problem with a tractor if a given tractor has worked out quite well for a given farmer. Most people on this board are pretty open-minded about any given tractor regardless of the color they prefer.
But, the obnoxious talk I have heard over the years outside of here has left me cold towards them even though I have an 860. Most of it comes from city types that think farming should revert back to what it was after WW II. I argued one time at length (very heated) with a fellow I knew at college that thought Ford was the only farmer-friendly company and that IH and JD were very sinister for offering large tractors (I was wearing my JD cap at the time, he started it)
Used to have a lady customer (well to do) that came into a store that felt very threatened socially by modern agriculture. She did not like the idea of anybody measuring up to her wealth never mind somebody from the working class. Talked to people that knew her and they said she would like to see the clock set back again a few generations in agriculture. She set the example on her little hobby operation by making sure she had a 9N and 8N. Word was she had a fit one time because her husband did not want to put on overalls to walk to the barn just to check a latch.
Just as it is with me that I suspect that it is some of the more extreme boosters of the N series that irritate people more than the tractor itself. And as has been stated in another recent post that the sales figures do not tell the full story.
In any event I respect yours and your dad's success with that tractor. In the end the satisfaction of each owner is what ultimately matters.

Neighbors have one in really rough shape that they just use to haul a wagon for firewood. They keep thinking it's on its last legs but it still gets the job done. I keep seeing people trying to get $3-5k for a 'fully restored' 8N around here and all I can say is bless their hearts.
Zach

My neighbor, a 3rd generation farmer who sold out 4 years ago, had his Dad"s original 2N listed on the Auction Bill when he sold.

That 2N was used as the solo tractor on the original 1/4 Section dairy farm....as they added acreage to include over 420 acres, they added bigger tractors to help with the work....

That old 2N, though rusted out, and having 3 engine rebuilds under its belt, still was used to do light duty work on that farm....today, it is used to brush hog a "gentlemans hobby farm".

Tim

I am working on an old m for a friend of mine, it is in tough shape. I told the wife at noon today, hey, this thing is junk, ( I was taking the battery ignition unit apart). She said, tell him. I said no. My old boss told me many years ago. Jim, never say anything bad about a persons property. It is theirs and not for you to judge it. I am sure this old tractor you have has very special meaning to you and that is what counts. I have two of my Dad's H farmalls, I learned to drive on the older one and it is special to me. Don't let the bashers worry you.

My Dad, Gramdpa, and Uncle farmed about 400 acres in the 40's and 50's. They started out with a F-20 on full steel, then added a Ford 8N in 48 and another in 52. My cousin still has the 48 and I still have Dad's 52. Spent many a days cultivating. Not a better tractor could be found for raking hay.

The tractor was designed to replace two mules. and thats what it did. Priced just above the price of about 4 good mules. the 3 point hitch set the standard for doing the work that a tractor previouly had to weigh twice much. The 8n was much safer with running boards vrs pegs and the left brake moved away from the clutch side.


Good points.....
Theses are still very good compared to the japanese compact junk. Most are parts are availible, a lot of new reproduction parts. And they run forever. they will still out perform a lawnmower and last much longer. You can get brand new cams, manifolds and most other parts.

Bad points...
9n and 2n with no running boards were terrible dangerous as you could fall off the pegs easily. the left brake and clutch caused a lot of accidents when doing an emergency stop, the tractor would go to the right. pto driven equipment would continue to drive the rearend after the clutch was pushed in and propel the tractor forward. Lots of tractors end up running into trees, fences, and into creeks. its a small tractor withOUT live hydraulics and live pto, No power steering, very low horsepower and weight.

So if your looking to get a great lawn mower, posthole digger, and light plow tractor, it still a good choice. You can get one cheaper than a new riding lawnmower.

If you have lots of land, you can do a lot better with a much more modern tractor for just a little bit more.

the ford n series tractors probably outsold all other models and on the small farm, replaced the mule teams and move the USA into modern high production agriculture. This tractor was part of the movement to change america from where 60% of the population worked on farms and agriculture.

my grandfather literally swapped the mules in after the left one in the team bit him for the last time...brought home a '50 8N on the back of the truck...had to back it off on the hog trough ramp...he farmed 400 acres of melons with that tractor every year till Carla submerged it in '61...he had it dried out and repainted but he was kinda scared that salt water mite be trouble lurking so he swapped it off for the '62 2000 i still have and use today...i bought a 52 8N couple years ago that i'm gonna fix up and use while i rebuild the 2000...cant beat either one for shredding or truck farming as far as i'm concerned.

We have one. We call it the little tractor and that's what it is , it's the little tractor. I'm not a big 8n fan but if you need a little tractor , it can be quite capable. We haul 'em from one farm to another. The 8n is a little easier to move than my larger tractors.

My Grandad actually did trade 2 teams of mules for a 9N. They could out work 1 team for sure because you could run the 9n round the clock. He still kept/used mules for several years though.

My dad brought one in 1971 I was 8yrs old he taught me how to drive it and now 39yrs later im teaching my 8yr old to drive the old 52 8n.All of my high school buddies cant believe she is still humming.cbd