First N you ever drove?

Pete76NY

Well-known Member
I guess we should include Jubies, 6,7,8 and 900s. Although I had putzed around on a cpl at the dealer, the 1st one I ever spent any significant time on was Dad's '47 2n
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My first Ford was a Fordson Dexta and 6000 Commander we used to farm with back in the late 60s, early 70s. My first N is the 9N I still have that I bought back in 1992 when we moved from city to a rural property. I also have an 8N now.
 
My Dad's 1950 8N when I was 8 or 9. I had to be able to depress the clutch and brake while sitting in seat before he would let me drive it alone. After he quit farming in the early 60's he would mow vacant lots for extra money. I would get to drive the tractor on the street to move it from job to job while he followed in the car. I still have the tractor and in process of restoring it. Great memories...
 
the first ford was back in 1981, the plant i worked at had a jubilee around for a chore tractor and keeping the weeds down, today ive owned that very tractor about 12 or 13 years ,first tractor overall was a farmall c, around 1970
 
my first n is a 9 thats outside in its shed..got it in 82..mowed lawn with it ..followed me around the country..doing all kinds of work..never a minute of trouble..now its semi retired with the other 6 of them..including a jubi and 4000 backhoe..dont need to tell you what i think of them..phil
 
My dad had a 8N not sure the year but it had a sherman trans. This was around 1955. I was 5 years old. Dad had just finished in a wheat field an let me drive the tractor an wagon to the barn. He put it in the slowest gear an drove his tractor around me. Then he walked back to get me. I remmember this like it was today. Mom wasn"t happy. LOL
 
The first tractor that I drove was A 1949 8N>It was onthe dairy farm that we bought in 1951,At that time I was 3 Iwould sit on my dad or grand dads lap and steer!but they had there feet on the steer rod ends.Well Dad Has passed and the farm was sold.but I stilll have that tractor,it is under going restore now,as the other post,ther is A lot of fond memorys connected to that tractor,and the F20 we had which is gone. Thanks all for A great site George
 
My first Ford-Ferguson was a 1939 9N at about 9 years of age, equiped with 2-14 ferguson plow,cordwood saw, sidemount mower, Love pick-up disc. It was trade in on a 1950 8N after I wore the 9N out (about 3 overhauls,1 broke axle, chipped ring, gear shifter lever, many unstick hydraulic control valve.)
This picture is of the tractor at the Fennville cider mill, with my brother as driver, and my cousin siting on the hood, but about my age. This was the first 9N in Allegan County and worked hard during WW-II.

Charles Krammin SW MI
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It was our 1940 9N way back in the early 40's. The old way of making hay was to have one man on the ground pitching up haycocks to the second man on the wagon, whistle to the horses and they advanced to the next haycock. Two uncles handled this well. In comes the new hay loader, now one man on the 9N and one on the wagon. The man on the wagon could not keep up as the hay gushed up the loader and spilled onto and over flowed the wagon. Needed to have both men on the wagon. Thats where I came in, just heavy enough to push down and let up on the clutch. I drove it down the windrows stopped at the end and one man got off the hay wagon and turned the tractor to the next row where I again took over. I was soon pressured to learn how to turn the rig to the next row and I did. I also quickly learned how to back up the narrow ramped drive to the hay barn and pull the rope to haul the hay fork up the trolley that switched to travel to the hay mow where the two uncles neatly stacked the hay by hand. Long days in mid summer heat, still have some N's as well as some of that work ethic left but not that much energy!
 
1951 8N with Sherman combo: "Nellybelle" and me since 1953. Purchased by my father and is willed to my son, Rick. This picture was taken at Nike Park, Monroe, Mich. in July, 2003, 50 years. This year is 60 years. My goal is to make 90 years (or die trying).
NELLYBELLEFORJANDR-1.jpg
 
The same'44 2N that's out in the barn right now,
Dad bought it new when he started farming in 44.
I had to stand on the clutch with two feet to stop or shift at first.I don't have that problem 60 years later. LOL
 
Well if your including the 801/841 series it would be the 841 with Sherman combo that we have owned since the early 80s. Has a heavy duty front end loader and has been used and abused but had the engine rebuilt back in the 1987 or so. Funny thing is it took owning it for about 2 or 3 years before we found out it has 2 aux gears in the Sherman. We always thought it had a low and a high but did non know about the standard gears till I stopped and looked at the shifting plate under the steering wheel and found the extras
 
That will be the one I have now.I'm not a farmer. Retired underground hardrock miner. Moved from Tucson 100 miles SE into rural area. Needed something other than a riding lawnmower to maintain 10 acres and gravel road. Decided to buy a small tractor and decided on a Ford N cuz I thought they were so cool.Bought one In Roundup Montana in 1999 and hauled it to within 45 miles of the Mexican border. Turned out to be a 46 2N. Never heard of a 2N. Really good condition but it smoked some. Used it like that for 5 yrs. Had engine rebuilt. Still use it alot. Really love that so simple,versatile machine.
 
The first N I drove was a 1951 8N my Uncle bought new and still owns. I was 10 yrs old when I first drove in in 1962. I try to drive it every fall when I go there deer hunting.
 
Dec. 13 1998, Renfroe Al.
Last night I dreamed about the day that I plowed the field of about 10 acres over on what Jimmy and Dandy called the Ledbetter field. I was driving the 1948 8N Ford tractor that Jimmy bought in 48 new This was prebably in about 1951 and maybe even befor the house was built. This would have made me to be about16 years old and I drove the tractor for nothing and would have paid to drive it if I had had any money which I did’nt, but neither did anyone else at that time.
I was breaking land with the old 2 disc Dearborn plow that you don’t see anymore. I covered about 24” each round that you made with the plow and tractor and sometimes it seemed that Jesus would come again befor I could possibly ever finish a field as big as 10 acres. Even tho I loved to drive the tractor. On one of my rounds around the field after I had done about 2 acres as I stopped the tractor to back up to turn 90 deg. Right I looked down the last furrow I had made and there was a full grown red fox jumping up and landing on all fours to catch a grasshopper and eat it. He did’nt run away as soon as he saw me but continued to hunt in the furrow for bugs and grasshoppers. He was a big and beautiful dog red fox and
did’nt seem to be afraid of the tractor as I advanced ever close to him he just kept jumping up and landing on all fours. When I finally got to within about 59 feet of him he looked up at me and the 8N and trotted off into the woods. I thought to myself how lucky I was to have been able to see a fox in the wild and him not even to have been afraid of me and the tractor. As I came to the same place in the 10 acre field I looked down rhe furrow to where the fox had been and there he was again. This time he looked at me and then as if to ask my permission he started to hunt again and continued to do so till I was within about 20 feet of him. This time he trotted off but not to the edge of the woods but only to the edge of the field and warched as I plowed past and looked me straight in the eye. He continued to watch till I was well past him and then he came back and began to hunt in the fresh plowed dirt of the furrow.m The fox continued to do this nearly every round I made with the tractor except for a time or two when I thought that he had gone on his way when I did’nt see him on a couple of rounds. Then there he was again but this time he was just laying in the last furrow that I had plowed watching me as I came closer. He just lay there till the last moment and then he got up and just moved aside for me to pass. I pushed in the clutch and stopped the 8N and he moved away a few feet and then turned and looked at me as if to say “OK you can go on now” I restarted the tractor and went on around the field again and again and the fox continued to swap furrows as I advanced across the field like a snail going around world. I can only assume this but it was awfully hot that day and I think that he probably discovered that the earth that had just been turned was a lot cooler than anything else he had found that day and decided to stick around look at me and enjoy the airconditioning..
The Ledbetter fields are all over grown now with brush and pine trees and I suppose that I am the last person who could tell you where they were, but I’ll always be able to see them in my memories and all the other places that I enjoyed as a boy here in Renfroe. I am the last one of my family to live in Talladega. Every one else is either dead or moved somewhere where the grass is greener, but for me the grass don’t get any greener than it does here in Renfroe Because I still love it here.Because of the good times and good friends of my youth. Because of my sisterd and her family. Because I could run all day and never be tired.Because I have stepped on almost every piece of ground here in Renfroe.From the swamps of clear creek to the tops of the mountains of the sleeping giant.
Zane
 
Thanks for sharing that beautiful story, I can almost see that fox from the clarity you described. Had a gray fox in my garden this year that became so tame he'd let me throw him things to eat from about 15' away. He or she would come on hot days to lay in and under the crowder pea vines which were thick and must have been cooler. I often caught it looking at me while I was picking, and it would lay under leyland cypress trees in the shade and watch me.
 
I grew up in the burbs. Always wanted a tractor and a big garden. Got a 1/2 acre place and about 1985~ bought a Oliver with a flat tire. Fixed the tire and cleaned the carb. Don't even remember when I drove it, which I did. Only had it for maybe 6 months.

Figured out I needed a 3pt. Got my 48 8N, EvelyN (after my mother). Rebuilt the engine, lift cover and been getting lots of implements over the years. 2-14 dearborn, 7' cultivator dearborn, woods blade 6', forklift my welding, buzz saw, brush hog, home modified harrow, spring tooth should work on the boom setup made for the harrow, 6 1/2 Ford disk (almost too much for EvelyN).

Hoping to do live hydro w/remotes and hyd top link, boom w/jib, box scraper and maybe a rod weeder. All for farming a 1/4 acre garden.
 
What a great story Zane brought back lots of memories of my youth. All those Those black dirt north Texas fields I plowed then are covered with big houses now.
 
I bought my 1951 N about six years ago. I had a
Farmall Cub which I gave to my son. I really like the 8N, and even though it requires work from time to time, I'm able to handle it - thanks to the good advice on this site.

Joe
 
I always enjoy your stories Zane. I had a coyote follow me around a 10 acre field that I was brush mowing. It was hunting mice that I had disturbed or maimed.
 
Jubilee or NAA.

At least, that's what I think it was. Given that it was back in the sixties, and I was nine or so, it's hard to be sure.

My uncle had let me drive his truck (with him present) and then one day put me on the tractor, made sure I knew how to work the clutch, shifter and steering and told me to take the loaded bale wagon back to the barn - don't put it in the barn, just stop and shut it off at the base of the ramp.

Boy, was I careful!!!
 
A 1947 2N that I got going after it sat outdoors for 20 years. I still have it, it is my garden and utility tractor now, the heavier-duty work around the farm is done by an IH B275 Diesel.
 
My 1949 8N which I purchased of January of 2006. She's a working tractor on our 80 acre organic vegetable, poultry, and sheep farm.

Colin, MN
 
Great story Zane, I could picture what you were describing , was neat.

Stan
9N 222933
2N with 8N motor 8N345567
8N 146710
8N 179555
8N 197904
8N 199000
8N 254079
8N 362039
 
I don't know exactly what year it was , somewhere around 1972, I rented a tractor & a single plow from a rental center , it was a little Ford , don't know exactly what it was 9-2-8 N, at that time a tractor was a tractor. I was quite proud of myself for plowing my own garden , I think back I wonder if I really did a good job or not. A week later rented the same tractor and a disc, then I decided I needed a tractor , bought a Gravely with a plow, a disc and a sickle mower. Some-one stole the mower, never did use.

Stan
9N 222933
2N with 8N motor 8N345567
8N 146710
8N 179555
8N 197904
8N 199000
8N 254079
8N 362039
 
First was the used "Ford Ferguson" - probably a post war 2N, when I was about 10 years old, followed by a '50 8N (which is my present main tractor here in Ohio on our 8 acres), and then upgraded to an 861 which is still in use on our NY farm for miscellaneous bush hogging, etc. Farmer down in the valley is still growing crops on our land, (needs extra land for his 200 milkers) but uses his modern John Deeres that run about $100K+ each and has everything pretty well automated - from picking rocks with the Bobcat to loading fert from the big canvas bags, to all the modern haying and field chopping equipment etc. Sure has been some big changes in farming in the last 60-70 years!!!!
 
I'm not sure either of the year but i know i must have been twelve or so before i was turned loose on it and i am 66 now. Remember we had a Oliver Super 88 and the N. Raked hay with the N and pulled a New Holland 66 with the two cylinder Wisconsin with the 88. Some good stories here and a lifetime of memories. I wish i had the 88 now for it was a super tractor also.
 
50 8n Aunt Emogene taught all us kids when we turned 8 to drive the 8 n.Mom and Dad wernt happy but we had a ball.
 
The first Ford N I drove belonged to a farmer west of Wakefield KS. On my first tour of duty at Ft Riley my wife and I rented a house there in town. I met him by knocking on his door looking for permission to hunt. His wife told me "he's in that shed" and pointed to it. So I go into the shed an he's working on an IH 560D. He had messed up and I found where his problem was and helped him fix it. I had hunting rights! I also was doing some wrench turning for him from time to time. At the same time a guy in my unit was bragging about being a rodeo bum before joining the Army. The farmer called me on a Friday evening and said that he was going to need help moving a steer from a pasture to the barn to treat it for pink eye. He wanted to know if I could help and if there were any other guys I knew that may be able to come out. So I called several people and the only free was the rodeo bum. So Sat morning the "bum" shows up and we drive out to the farm. The guy brought a lasso with and I'm thinking to myself this guy is going to make a fool of himself and I'm going to have fun next week at work giving him grief about it! We get to the farm and the farmer and mu buddy come up with a plan. I'm going to drive a Ford 8N with my buddy on the hood and he's going to lasso the steer. This is getting better by the minute I'm thinking!!!!!! So the farmer and my buddy drive over to the pasture with the pickup and livestock trailer while I drive the 8N over. Now I'm really ready for my buddy to look like a fool! The farmer points out the steer that needs caught, my buddy climbs up on the hood, farmer opens the gate and away we go! Now it takes about 5 minutes to get the steer in range.....ole buddy is winding up for a toss....I'm laughing and telling my bud "don't miss"......and then I was very disappointed! He caught that darn steer on the first toss! Guess he had done roping!


Anyway that was my first time on a Ford tractor of any kind.......playing horse to catch a cow!

Rick
 

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