1952 Ford 8n...worth buying?

[mostly_gas]

The thing about the age is there will some tractors that are in good shape and run for 20-30 more years. Then there are some that will be money pits . To buy used you need to know how evaluate the tractor or know someone who can. Get a good tractor and can cover the routine problems yourself and you will be happy with it. I bought my 8N for 1K and sold it for 1.1K 10 years later I used mine to plow and plow under 2 crops of buckwheat(green manure) and then level and mow, 5 ft mower.

 

[chriscos]

I just bought 12 acres of land and am looking for a tractor. Found a 1952 8n that looks to be in good shape but just not sure about something that old. Also any other suggestions on the type of tractor I should buy will be appreciated. I just need one for general operation...disc, bush hog, auger etc. I would also like to be able to use a finishing mower to cut the lawn with. Not sure exactly what size tractor I should be looking for. Thanks for your help.

I have an '51 8N. I really like mine, but for PTO work (bush hog, finish mower, etc.) it is not a good choice. As other's have mentioned, it does not have "live" PTO. When you put the clutch in, it cuts power to both the wheels and the PTO at the same time. It is also geared relatively high, unless you find one with a "Sherman" transmission. I think there are two or three types of sherman transmission, high range, low range, and both.

I'm not saying you can't bush hog or finish mow with it, but it is a pain.

The other obvious thing is that they are 60 years old. I'm going to have to rebuild my hydraulic pump within the next couple of years on mine (it works but knocks a bit), and one of the cylinders has horrible compression with blowback (probably a cracked ring). Since I'm taking the head off anyway, I'm just going to rebuild the engine. It's a "sleeved" engine, which means you can rebuild the engine quite a few times on these things, and it is probably not the first rebuild my particular tractor has had... My point being... when you are shopping for an 8N, you have to do a lot of research up front to make sure you are not getting a tractor with these types of problems that you are going to have to deal with. I knew the issues about mine going into it, and the price reflected the problems, but to be honest, the last thing I need is another project, even though I consider it a fun project. Pretty much any real-old tractor that one buys is going to have some issues unless you pay top price for one (which may still have some issues that are well hidden).

Also, you are probably going to want a front-end loader. Even if you don't think you need one

 

[wolc123]

The 8n's are not great for pto work, but put an overunning coupler (ORC) on one and they are not bad. The ORC is an attachment that fits over the pto shaft and is available for about $75 from TSC. It will allow the pto to free spin when the clutch is depressed so that your implement does not continue to push the tractor. I cant believe no one has mentioned one yet with 12 posts. Hard to believe 11 guys are suffering without one. They are almost as good as live pto. Of course they dont help the lack of live hydraulics (you cant lift with the clutch depressed). I have a 1951 8n and it is still my favorite tractor. I would never be without one. In my opinion, this was the high-water mark for the Ford tractor company. If the price is low (less than 2k), and the condition is good, it would be a smart buy. My 8n has required less maintenence in the 20 years I owned it than almost every other tractor I have owned in that time and there has been about (10) others. Mine only had 1200 hours on it when I got it and had never spent a night outdoors, which helps a lot. It still has most of the factory paint. In some ways , the 8n is better than most modern CUT's. I have never had another tractor that was easier to hook up 3-point implements on, the size, weight, and location of hydraulic control is just about perfect for that task. Also, I love the low-stance and ease of mount/dismount fom either side. My 2005, JD 4120 cant hold a candle to the old 8n in these areas, which make the 8n a lot better on some implements like a 2-row corn planter. Another area where the 8n tops all other makes/models is parts availability. It is the only tractor I know of where you can find most parts in stock at your local TSC. As long as you dont try and put a front loader on one, and keep the pto work within reason, its hard to do much better than an 8n, especially if it is the most refined form (1951 or 1952).

 

[PHILIP8N]

I cant believe no one has mentioned one yet with 12 posts. Hard to believe 11 guys are suffering without one. They are almost as good as live pto.QUOTE]

No, I did not mention it. If he gets the 8N I am sure he will go to ytymag and get more information there than he will here. No, I am not suffering, I have one on my 8N, almost everyone does. I love my 8N, but having an ORC on one does not make it anywheres close to 'almost as good as a having a live pto'. With that being said, if OP has long runs of straight grass to cut and not many obsticles, the clutch operated pto is not that big of a deal, you learn to work with it. Philip.

 

[JoeinTX]

As noted above, the 8n is the forerunner of today's modern "CUT." The attributes and functionality that old man Ferguson designed for that tractor are still found on every small tractor built today.

Non live PTO? Okay? I've never operated a small tractor with Live PTO. So the PTO on these runs all of the time regardless of clutching? Really, that's such a big deal? When I hit the clutch, to presumably halt travel, the power to the implement is also cut. If you're stopping to avoid an obstacle......that's a plus. If you're changing direction, i.e. shredding, you hit your clutch and make your shift and ease out and keep the momentum. Not hard.....at all. And, of course, I have ORCs on all of the Fords I run.

No power steering? The 8n is light on the front by its design. Slap a mounted implement on the back and it's even lighter. In fact, the heavier the implement, the steering wheel may need a little turn brake pressure to point the nose. Again, not hard at all. If you need to ask what "turn brakes" are, well, then don't even bother, please.

If you need a loader tractor, no the 8n is not for you. You see a few with old loaders but they are ancient designs with limited functionality. They are limited capacity, fairly slow, and since the tractor wasn't designed for any such type of tool the design of the loader is compromised. Will they move 1/3 yard of material from Point A to Point B? Yes. Will they do it as quickly, efficiently, or easily as a modern loader? No.

Parts? New Holland dealers still stock parts for this tractor. I bought a replacement lift arm from a local salvage yard and they gave me my choice of 11 to choose from when I did. I bought an extra oil filter for mine from my local CarQuest. It's not an issue.

One thing we haven't even touched upon is fuel usage. The little flat four on the 8n will swing a 5' cutter on less fuel than any other tractor I know. The next generation NAA uses more fuel. My dad's Kubota burns more dollars doing the same thing. For the money, both purchase price and operation costs, it's hard to find anything that will handle more modern implements (minus the loader) for the money.

By the by, my little 8n has now suffered through two floods since it was completely rebuilt with nothing but fluid changes. It just loves to run.

 

[flusher]

If you get that 8N, I'd look for a sicklebar mower. My neighbor uses his 8N for work in his 8-acre hay field (discing, planting with a broadcast spreader, rolling with a cultipacker, mowing with a sicklebar, raking with a side delivery rake). These tasks are easy for the 8N. He ran into trouble when he tried to run an IH47 baler off the 8N's pto. He could get the baler spinning and the 8N could pull it OK. But when he stopped the tractor, he managed to twist the pto shaft into a corkscrew (there's a lot of stored energy in that baler's rotating flywheel). Now he has a friend do the baling with a 40hp JD CUT.

 

[jonyyuma]

I loved my 8N and still have it. Farming is just my hobby...I keep the Ford for sentiment...It served my uses well, plus it was not a lot of money, and was simple to repair, most of the time>.

 

[chriscos]

He ran into trouble when he tried to run an IH47 baler off the 8N's pto. He could get the baler spinning and the 8N could pull it OK. But when he stopped the tractor, he managed to twist the pto shaft into a corkscrew (there's a lot of stored energy in that baler's rotating flywheel).

And that's why we run over running coupler's on our 8Ns

 

[bige1973]

Well I had about decided to go with something newer but now I just don't know. Sounds like I could do most everything with the 8n and for the one mentioned the price ain't bad ($2400). What should I look for as far as condition ? I know its been converted to 12 volts and looks to be in good shape structurally but that's about all I know.

 

[chriscos]

Well I had about decided to go with something newer but now I just don't know. Sounds like I could do most everything with the 8n and for the one mentioned the price ain't bad ($2400). What should I look for as far as condition ? I know its been converted to 12 volts and looks to be in good shape structurally but that's about all I know.

Around here, that is the price for a good, solid 8n; good tires, nice tin, lift works correctly, isn't blowing smoke, etc.

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