Noob Here...Seeking a Tractor Education, Please

[schoeny]

as far as a relic goes had one on the farm growing up oil changes tune up and tires only money spent in 40 yrs of use, rake hay , pull wagons , 3pt bush hog mower, and bucket for cleaning cow yard for 30 beef cows , you tell me any tractor built now that will be that inexpensive to own over 40yrs

 

[LD1]

as far as a relic goes had one on the farm growing up oil changes tune up and tires only money spent in 40 yrs of use, rake hay , pull wagons , 3pt bush hog mower, and bucket for cleaning cow yard for 30 beef cows , you tell me any tractor built now that will be that inexpensive to own over 40yrs

Most all modern tractors will go 5000+ hrs with regular maintenance.

Nothing makes the old Ns special other than the fact that they made so many of them.

Doesn't change the fact that it's a terrible choice for the jobs that the OP wants to accomplish.

 

[schoeny]

has 10 acres , why would you want him to spend 25- 40 k on a tractor , all of the things you described can be done by a guy with a back hoe and bull dozer in a afternoon for a 1000- 1500 i see these little compact tractors on sale all of the time , they buy them and find out they are light and little power , better off buying used utility tractor that weighs 5000 lbs and used skidloader for 15k total

 

[LD1]

has 10 acres , why would you want him to spend 25- 40 k on a tractor , all of the things you described can be done by a guy with a back hoe and bull dozer in a afternoon for a 1000- 1500 i see these little compact tractors on sale all of the time , they buy them and find out they are light and little power , better off buying used utility tractor that weighs 5000 lbs and used skidloader for 15k total

Sometimes people just want a tractor.

I'm sure he has way more uses than listed to...or will find more uses.

You can't seem to make up your mind either.....5000# utility plus a used hunk of junk skidloader is alot different than suggesting an n series.

For some people....it isn't about buying the cheapest boat anchor they can find.

And someone who has NEVER owned/ran a tractor.....an N series or a 60 year old 5000 pound utility would be the last thing I'd suggest

 

[4570Man]

as far as a relic goes had one on the farm growing up oil changes tune up and tires only money spent in 40 yrs of use, rake hay , pull wagons , 3pt bush hog mower, and bucket for cleaning cow yard for 30 beef cows , you tell me any tractor built now that will be that inexpensive to own over 40yrs

Just because something has been around 40 years more like 82 years since the introduction doesn’t make them good. Pulling a wagon or hay rake is about the only thing an 8 or 9 n does well. Neither of which was on the OPs list. And you can get a way more modern but pre def tractor that will put in equally as reliable service. An 8 or 9 n isn’t good or even half way decent at anything on the OPs list. What exactly do you plan on him accomplishing with one?

 

[tradosaurus]

Thanks for all of the responses thus far. I have a 61" Ferris for mowing. Land is flat-to-very-small-inclines.
Usages, in no particular order, would include:

Spreading gravel
Digging post holes
Digging trenches for water lines and electrical runs
Clearing an acre of small trees...< 10" diameter...and moving the felled trees
Tilling soil for garden...approximately 1 acre or a little less

I have 45 acres but only work about 5 acres, except the work I did clearing a walking trail.

A 30 hp tractor will go just about anything a 55 hp tractor can do, just slower. I had a L3301 for 2 years and then upgraded to an MX5400. Moving dirt takes half the amount of time, I can work my gravel driveway (900 ft) with less passes, my heavy duty rotary cutter doesn't bind through thick grass or heavy brush.
Buy once, cry once if you are able. Even with me reading this forum and asking questions I still had the salesman talk me into a tractor that wasn't as suited for the work I was doing.

 

[jeff9366]

Get a 9n ford or t-20 Ferguson simple , well built has a good 3 pt hitch , can find lots of cheap attachments online , and can find restored ones from 2 thousand to 3500 hundred

Improvements in tractors since the Ford 8N/9N in approximate order: 4-WD, Industrial Tires, Roll Bars, Power Steering, "live" then "independent" PTOs, Loaders, Diesel Engines, heavier tractors with Category 2-3-4-5 TPH, Landscaping tractors of <2,000 pounds bare tractor weight, hydrostatic transmissions, shuttle shift gear transmissions, cruise control, Cabs with heat and AC. And, continuously, shields separating operator from moving parts.

I consider the old Fords much too hazardous machinery for our new-to-tractors OP.

 

[K5lwq]

I learned on a 8N when I was a kid. Although I do not think it is the right tractor for the OP, I do think for some new tractor owners it would be a good choice. If they can learn how to get work out of a N and keep it running, they will be miles ahead of the game with a modern tractor.

Of course tilling with a N is not going to work well but a turning plow and disk does. You just have to choose different implements and go about things differently.

 

[mcfarmall]

I live on 2 acres and have an M5660, just the right size for me and couldn't be happier.

 

[rademamj1]

Improvements in tractors since the Ford 8N/9N in approximate order: 4-WD, Industrial Tires, Roll Bars, Power Steering, "live" then "independent" PTOs, Loaders, Diesel Engines, heavier tractors with Category 2-3-4-5 TPH, Landscaping tractors of
I consider the old Fords much too hazardous machinery for our new-to-tractors OP.

You definitely made your point regarding tractor improvements over the many years. And we sometimes forget or don't realize it, until we see all those improvements listed.