1952 Ford 8N 302 v8 conversion

wploetz · Nov 22, 2013

Oh boy will a tractor hop.
I can make my 4WD NH hop like a bunny under certain conditions and I have really made the 8N hop, especially in reverse in certain conditions. It seems a loose surface, with too high a gear, starting to push or pull a load will get 'er going when you break traction.

94BULLITT said:
They will hop even though they don't have a suspension.

Sent from my Samsung SPH-L710 using TractorByNet

xtn · Nov 22, 2013

Interesting. Just hopping on tire sidewall flex alone then?

wploetz · Nov 22, 2013

Nope, the whole backend can jump and shudder. Go to a lower gear or less throttle, no jump.
Traction of load exceeds traction of tires at a given torque to the rear wheels, I think?

xtn said:
Interesting. Just hopping on tire sidewall flex alone then?

Soundguy · Nov 22, 2013

true that.

I have bene moving hay with my 850 and hit a wet patch and they will shudder and can throw a tire up bad. even with hay ballanced inthe directiont he hop would be LIFTING the load. not the laod lifting the tractor.. etc.

has lots to do with differential traction

bulldogshotgun · Nov 22, 2013

its the difference in torque you really have to worry about thats what twists shafts and shears teeth off gears.
8n 27hp 92 lb-ft, the Fuel injected 302 in my old f-150 had 185hp and 270 lb-ft so its not 7 times the load on the shafts but rather 3x. i'm sure it could still twist an axle, but as many have pointed out if your not artificially loading the rear end, tire spin should happen before axles snap.

wploetz · Nov 22, 2013

Thanks, I think the consensus is, if I am careful with load, acceleration and tire spin, I shouldn't break anything. Still looking for someone who actually does work with one of these 8n V8 conversions.

bulldogshotgun said:
its the difference in torque you really have to worry about thats what twists shafts and shears teeth off gears.
8n 27hp 92 lb-ft, the Fuel injected 302 in my old f-150 had 185hp and 270 lb-ft so its not 7 times the load on the shafts but rather 3x. i'm sure it could still twist an axle, but as many have pointed out if your not artificially loading the rear end, tire spin should happen before axles snap.

milkman636 · Nov 22, 2013

Tractors will hop. I got a 16,000 lb. rented Case backhoe hopping while I was digging sand out of my pond banks. I was charging up the bank in 4wd with a full bucket and the throttle matted. It was a fun ride.

milkman636 · Nov 22, 2013

I wouldn't worry much about breaking things while running with normal 8n weight and pulling normal 8n type implements. If you try something like snapping duals on it and pulling a four bottom plow through a field in top gear then you'll get into overloading components.

The good news is there are still lots of parts donors out there for fixing things up after you find the limit. The trick is just keeping your name off the Darwin Award that someone mentioned earlier.