1952 Ford 8n...worth buying?

[PHILIP8N]

What a beautifull set of pictures.!!:thumbsup:

Thank you sir. It is a 1950, Dad bought it in 1960 from the original owner, 'gave' it to me in 1990, then passed on in 1993. I am sure the old girl, semi-retired now, will outlive me and the Kubota. Philip.

 

[plowboy77]

I know that this post is to late to help bige1973 but it might help someone else with the same question. I agree with all the previous replys but would like to add my two cents. For general all around use the 8N would work. The gearing and the Pto issue can be a pain if your trying to brush hog in close quarters but not imposable. You figure how long they have been around and the fact that they are still in use today it shows that they still can work. If you are not sure what you need get a good 8N and use it until you know exactly what you do need and can afford it. You can always sell your 8N. They are always in demand. I don't think I have ever seen one on a scrap heap. The 8N has a real cult following. But if you try to buy one from an 8N hobby type you are going to pay. Although you will most likely be getting a restored tractor. When I was working on them you could find a good one in the $2,500 to 3,000 range. Which when you figure all you can do with it is a good deal. If you need parts, companies like valu-bilt have everything you would need right down to the paint. At first I bought alot off of ebay because I didn't know any better. Not that ebay is bad. It's just that I was bidding on good used OEM parts when after market parts would work just as well and cost a lot less. If you are a collector and want all OEM parts for a restoration then thats a differant story. When you look to buy one make sure it has good oil pressure and compression. Make sure the 3 point hitch works or take a pressure reading. And the big one to me is make sure there are no cracks where the front end mounts and around the bolts on the transmission housing. The other stuff can be fixed but fixing a cracked housing is a real hit and miss deal. I Hope this helps someone.

 

[dw96790]

Howdy I own a D706 Farmall with all the trimmings. Shes a rust bucket but a Dang fine powerhorse 65 HP frontloader. I moved and only have a achre now needs lots of landscaping. But I feel my Farmall is just too big for the job. Found a guy that has the opposite problem he has a Ford 8N 1952 with all the trimmings. We are thinking about trading little money from his side as the Farmall will do anything he needs. I guess my question is the Ford hard to break in half. He says he has a starter problem but if he move the fly wheel it will start just fine. Too me that sounds like a worn or a flywheel missing some teeth. So how hard are these guys to break in half in case I have to?

 

[meos1]

Dad had an 8n. He owned 14 acres and my butt. We bush hogged (yes, close quarters can be interesting), plowed, sub soiled, landscapped, seeded all you ever wanted. IMO as a former operator, it was workhorse.

If you are going to break the case in half to replace a flywheel you are in for some work. We had to do this job to get to the hydraulic pump (its under the seat but there is not enough room for you to do the rebuild through the seat hatch.) Both sides are obviously heavy. DO this where you have a solid level floor. Use cribbing to support the front half. An overhead strap or chain should support the rear with no issue. Rebuild everything while you are there and you will probably never have to go back again. We didn't and it ran on another 15 years without issue.

 

[RaydaKub]

Those old 8N's are tough. My dad had a '51. It had car tires on the front rims instead of the narrow ones you usually see. He welded up a FEL made out of 3x5x1/2 inch thick box beams from the frame of a Farmall F20. The tires were loaded and a 14x14x24 inch box full of concrete on the 3ph. The pile of dirt, rocks, manure, silage, snow, etc., etc. that that tractor scooped over 45 years he had it would fill a mighty big hole.