Ford 8N and rototillers?

Hello. I am new to this forum. I just purchased a small farmhouse surrounded by 500 acres of hayfields. The farmer around the corner owns everything around me except my 1 acre parcel. There is a fallow field behind the house, maybe 1 1/2 acres, that I've been told I can use. The field is just overgrown hay and wildflowers.

I am familiar with the 8N from my youth spending summers on my grandfather's farm. I have seen a couple of good ones available for sale locally, and will probably make that purchase in the next couple of weeks.

So, to my question. I had thought of buying a rototiller attachment for my 8N, to use after I plow the field. However, I saw an article on this site that an 8N is not a good fit for a rototiller - 1st gear would pull the rototiller too quickly to work the soil properly. Is that the general consensus? Should I put that idea aside, and just get a small disc harrow and make lots of passes over the field?

I'm sure this won't be my first question - so thank you all in advance. I'm 55, and hopefully transitioning from a career sitting in an office to a retirement of lavender and honeybees.

Your 8N is geared much too fast for use with a PTO driven rototiller. Moreover, it does not have live PTO.

Yes, there are expensive and rather rare options that you can install to make it suitable for rototiller work but you will be $ ahead to replace it with a more suitable tractor if you must operate a PTO driven rototiller.

Dean

Here's a 8N pulling a general purpose tiller (sometimes called an orchard plow). I use this in combination with a disk to prepare my garden space. Work well for me.

We used to plow, then use a disc and drag harrow combination to finish it off. the first time you plow it, it may take more work but in following years it will be easier.
Have fun.

the 8n is geared too fast for a tiller, remember when that tractor was designed, tillers didnt exist, but that being said, the n can easily prepare your ground using the plow and disc maybe a harrow if needed, its more seat time but thats a good thing, if your set on using a pto tiller you can step up to the thousand series with its 2 stick high and low transmission, those can easily run a tiller

in no way do I want to run down the 8N tractor, great little tractor, but it has its limitations.
not having live power take off and a slow ground speed are two of the limitations.

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/2/6/260-ford-3600.html

If you have not bought your first tractor as yet, before you buy at least look at a Ford 3600,
about the same size tractor, but much more powerful and it will have the live clutch and slow ground speed to allow you to run the tiller.

also, enough cannot be said about the live power take off option, without an overriding clutch on the 8N pto shaft, the bush hog or rotary cutter can push you right into a ditch or fence or barn with the clutch pushed in.

be sure you know and understand these limitations and what they mean to the safe operation of the tractor before you buy your first tractor.

You can thank me for these tips later,

" However, I saw an article on this site that an 8N is not a good fit for a rototiller - 1st gear would pull the rototiller too quickly to work the soil properly. "

Yep. See tip # 74.


" Should I put that idea aside, and just get a small disc harrow and make lots of passes over the field?"

That's hard to say without knowing the soil type. Where I live now, the soil is very sandy and easy to work. I can't tell you the last time I used a turn plow. But, where I use to live, 20 miles away, the ground was clay. Very difficult to work.

My suggestion is for you to talk to the farmer. Chances are he or another neighbor will have chisel plows or a large disc that they can break up the soil for you. If you have light soil, then yes, you could keep it worked up enough w/ a disc & field cultivator.

Ask the guy that does it for a living!

75 Tips

Ns are great plowing, discing tractors.
And plowing and discing are two of the mostest funnest things you can do with one.
Well, those two things plus brush hogging, finish mowing, lifting heavy items with a boom pole, digging and moving dirt with a rear scoop, grading the driveway with a back blade, plowing snow in the winter, raking away brush, weeds and thatch with a yard rake, skidding logs, pulling a trailer, or just chugging along down to the quicky mart to fill the gas can for the lawn mower. Get an Eskimo Pie while you're there.
They also work marvelously well for making grand sons wide eyed and agreeable, wives wide eyed and disagreeable, fast friends, a slower tempo,
steady learning and small victories.
These little Fords are simple to work on and parts are readily available. They are very reliable too - if you listen to the guys here on how to tinker on one and are able and willing to do some regular maintenance.
Ns are not good tiller tractors - for the reasons mentioned below. They also are not the best loader tractors - if you are thinking along the lines of adding one.
Read what wellmax wrote.
And then read it again.
I disagree with him on some points but his general advice is spot on. Look for a little newer tractor.
Ford kept tweaking these tractors all along. Every model had advancements over the previous one.
9/2Ns had the famous Ferguson System with 3 point hitch and draft control. Made them plowing fools.
8Ns had both draft control AND position control. Better.
They also had better brake pedals and a real drawbar.
Even within models they made advancements.
The late 8Ns had much better steering, better distributer and a tach. Nice.
But the next series of tractors got away from the flathead engines and went to OHV.
Better.
They had better gearing in the transmissions and biggest deal of all, they had live hydraulics.
To me, live hydraulics is a must have. It seperates the wheat from the chaff.
Later tractors kept getting refinements - better rear axles, better rear wheels, more power, more gears, power steering, live pto, differential lock, remote hydraulics, increased hydraulic flow, diesels, front wheel assist, and on and on.
But a fundamental improvement they all share over the Ns is live hydraulics.
Look for a 600 or 801, 2000, 3000, 4000.
Or, as wellmax suggests, a 2600 or 3600.
They don't cost much more than an 8N but have many refinements you will really like. Like Ford said back then, "They'll do more faster. And easier."
And the wife and grandson will be just as wide eyed - according to their inclination, by your choice.

Got a 960 and a 640. Wouldn't trade em for a newer tractor. 2 bottom plow and disk harrow - slower way to prepare garden but tons o fun! Never rush. Enjoy "tractor time"!(I know ....960 needs a 3 bottom lol) I'm looking !

An 8N would be perfect for your small 1-3 acres, but as stated, not good to use a roto-tiller, even if you can find something that would fit. The Howard Gear Reduction box along with the Howard Rotovator were tried but finding those accessories in good working condition are slim. Instead, invest a Dearborn Economy 14" 2-Bottom Plow; a disc harrow; a 2-row cultivator like shown in post below; a spring tooth drag; and possibly a 6' back blade for grading the drive and snowplowing along with a bush hog or finish mower. Once the land has been plowed, disced, and worked, it won't need to be plowed again as long as it gets maintained once or twice a year with the disc harrow. If the land has not been worked in several years, best to first do a survey on foot to detect any hidden obstacles like rocks, boulders, tree roots, dead bodies, or old discarded cars or car parts. Then maybe run the bush hog to clear the heavy stuff down before you plow it up. Once plowed, run the disc harrow to help breakup the clumps and smooth out land a bit. The spring tooth drag can then be used to smooth over the land even further and make nice straight furrows for planting. You didn't say why you want to work up the land, but I assume it is either for a small garden or food plot. Also mentioned already is to talk to the locals who may have the equipment already you can borrow or hire out to get land worked for you as you work on getting your own tractor and equipment.


[i:654c4848f0][b:654c4848f0]<font size="4">Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)</font>[/b:654c4848f0][/i:654c4848f0]<table width="100" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td height="25" colspan="2" bgcolor="#CC0000"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></table>

*ahem* I have a Howard I'm gonna be selling soon.

I would plow it up and barter / cash / trade for some mowing ? with a neighbor to come over with their tiller the first year . N's are great for trimming around trees with lower limbs .

N's are easy to turn around at the end of a row . My 3000 with manual steering takes some room .