Tractor search

[Soundguy]

OK... I'm a city boy, but my wife isn't... but I'm handy with the tools.
We are searching for an acreage to have a few horses. I know, they are lots of work... We are looking for 5-10 acres and some have told me... I need a tractor, to do some work around the place... mowing, manure spreading, hay moving, snow plowing, drive maintenance and maybe gardening. One of my friends says... a Ford 8N... another friend says a 4X4 utility... personally I like the vintage tractor idea.
I was thinking about something under $5K, with a 3 point hitch, wide front and no live PTO... any suggestions/opinions from the readers?

edit what you said to live hyds, and live pto if possible, then forget the 9-2-8n, and step up to a NAA, ore preferably ( live pto ) a 660, 661, 860 or 861. more tractor.. more options.. newer.. just as sturdy.

the NAA + has live hyds.. the *6* models have live pto.

an 860 costs about the same as a good 8n.. and is literally 2x the tractor.

soundguy

 

[OSCGOLF]

Lots and lots of good advice and opinions...
Considering an 8n, Jubilee or a NAA... As far as the live PTO is concerned, not sure if I'm going to be doing anything that requires that.
Can you tell me what work requires it? (There is a guy here in town that has a 57 Ford 600 for about $1800, and it has live pto).
Here's a question, how do I know by year & model, which one is live or not?
Another question I have and I hope some of you that already own one can answer this, how wide of a trailer do I need to have to transport one?
Thanks again for your help everyone...

 

[firefighter jim]

If you can pick up a good 8N for a reasonable price, you won't be disappointed. We've had ours 10 years and is like an old friend. Live pto allows you to push in the clutch to stop the tractor but continue to have pto engaged to drive impliments like a bush hog. An 8n's pto stops when you depress the clutch. Sound guy correct me if I m wrong but I believe 53 and up were live pto (Ford that is).

 

[Soundguy]

OSC.. and Fire.. I guess you guys missed my post directly above yours.. telling you which models had live pto... Here's a repost from a message just above yours.

""


the NAA + has live hyds.. the *6* models have live pto.

an 860 costs about the same as a good 8n.. and is literally 2x the tractor.

soundguy""


8n ford has a hyd pump driven by the pto shaft.. it's a single plate clutch, and non live.. when you step on the clutch, pto AND hyds stops.

All fords 53+ have live hyds via an engine driven hyd pump.

starting for year/model 55 the 600/800 series, you could get a 4 spd, non live pto 640, 5 speed non live pto 650, or a 5 speed, live pto 660.. it had a 2 stage clutch. same models in the 800 series were available. pressing the clutch half way on the *6* models clutched the drivetrain, but not the pto.

why is live pto good... say you are mowing with your 8n, and come up on a hidden stump, you stomp the clutch.. and.. keep on going because the pto is trans driven and has lots of stored energy and backfeeds the transmission and the rear wheels. you'd need to stomp the clutch and shift to neutral, or kick the pto out of gear to defeat that. or run an ORC on the mower shaft to mitigate backfeeding.

with a 2 stage clutch.. when you press it half way.. the pto and drive train are decoupled.. with pto still coupled to engine.

running a small bailer would realy require a live pto.. that way if the bailer plugged, you could stop forward motion while the machine cleared.. etc.


( for the 8n and naa, there was an optional live pto add on that was basically a pinion clutch.. you could thro a lever and uncouple the diffy from t he trans without killing the pto.. kind of added a 2nd stage hand clutch to your 1st stage foot clutch.. it's rare.. 8n is manual.. naa is hyd.. )

my advice is to look at NAA+.. they are all inthe same price range as an 8n... might as well get more tractor fo r the same money..

a running 660 for 1800$.. if it really is an 860.. and runs and operates ok.. that's a steal.. nearly half price...


soundguy