My 1st N: Is this 8N a Sherman?

8N-MW

Member
Hey everyone. This is my first post and I'm about to buy my first N series, actually my first tractor at all. I found a 1948 Ford 8N on craigslist with a backblade. It seems pretty clean and in good shape. It drives nice. I've test driven but haven't picked it up yet. The ad indicated it had, quote a "Hi-Low Range" of which I can see the lever on the side for.

Here's a photo:
25854.jpg


And here it is zoomed in on the shift lever:
25855.jpg


[b:e9ab96b89e]Do these photos help answer my questions? Is this a Sherman transmission? And is it a Step-Up/Step-Down combination or it just the Step-up?[/b:e9ab96b89e]
 
(quoted from post at 10:58:47 08/11/15) Hey everyone. This is my first post and I'm about to buy my first N series, actually my first tractor at all. I found a 1948 Ford 8N on craigslist with a backblade. It seems pretty clean and in good shape. It drives nice. I've test driven but haven't picked it up yet. The ad indicated it had, quote a "Hi-Low Range" of which I can see the lever on the side for.

Here's a photo:
25854.jpg


And here it is zoomed in on the shift lever:
25855.jpg


[b:96e852369f]Do these photos help answer my questions? Is this a Sherman transmission? And is it a Step-Up/Step-Down combination or it just the Step-up?[/b:96e852369f]


You will thank God for that little lever when you use reverse. Without it (and this comes from someone who loves the old 2N, 9N, 8N, 600 series...) you'll do about a hundred miles per hour in reverse!

At least, with that lever, you'll have a choice of a somewhat reasonable reverse speed.
 
Most likely a step up or also better called an over drive and standard. Problem with them is they also speed up the PTO so you want to run it in the low side when doing things like running a brush hog. You also want an ORC on the PTO to run most things off the PTO or it can make it very unsafe to use
 
You will thank God for that little lever when you use reverse. Without it (and this comes from someone who loves the old 2N, 9N, 8N, 600 series...) you'll do about a hundred miles per hour in reverse!

At least, with that lever, you'll have a choice of a somewhat reasonable reverse speed.

I don't get it, doesn't the step up essentially make it go faster in particular gears. Wouldn't "Reverse High" be faster than "Reverse" at the same RPM?

And to answer the other poster, I have already ordered a ORC and a spare!
 

It's called a "Step Up"...I guess that depends on what you call "Standard."

It's my experience from my 2N with that gearbox that it's "stepped up" gears are analogous to regular gears (as far as ground speed) on tractors without that gearbox.

My 2N, with that gearbox, in "un-stepped-up" mode, in reverse...goes slower than a 2N/9N/8N tractor without that gearbox in reverse.

Maybe someone can correct me here, but my limited experience is that...even though it's called a "step up"...the top speed of the tractor will remain the same, it's just that you now have to "step up" to get it.

Whatever it's called, it's nice to have more ground speed choices. The caveat that "old" mentioned about PTO speeds hold true, though.
 
(quoted from post at 13:54:22 08/11/15)
It's called a "Step Up"...I guess that depends on what you call "Standard."

It's my experience from my 2N with that gearbox that it's "stepped up" gears are analogous to regular gears (as far as ground speed) on tractors without that gearbox.

My 2N, with that gearbox, in "un-stepped-up" mode, in reverse...goes slower than a 2N/9N/8N tractor without that gearbox in reverse.

Maybe someone can correct me here, but my limited experience is that...even though it's called a "step up"...the top speed of the tractor will remain the same, it's just that you now have to "step up" to get it.

Whatever it's called, it's nice to have more ground speed choices. The caveat that "old" mentioned about PTO speeds hold true, though.

OH! (insert cussing) I just did some reading about the Shermans. There was a "Step Up" and a "Step Down"....maybe my 2N has a "Step Down"? All that I know is...these tractors go fast in reverse...I couldn't imagine stepping that up to go faster.

If your tractor actually steps up the normal reverse speed...hang on to your friggin hat!
 
http://www.oldfordtractors.com/sherman.htm

Maybe this will help explain.

According to this, my 2N shouldn't have any of these...so it appears that your question now causes me to question just how my tractor got what it has and just what does it have (terrible english)...

Anyway...all bets are off with me...I'm too confused to help you until I figure out what my own machine has.

Thank you for asking this question.

Sorry for the confusion...

(goes off to compare Sherman tranny pics to my own tractor)
 
Yes. The pictured tractor has a Sherman "step-up" transmission. It is not a combination or a "step-down" unit.

Yes. Reverse, as well as all other gears and PTO speed, will be faster when in OD.

Dean
 
It is a sherman. It is either a step-up or a step-down. BOTH THE STEP-UPS AND STEP=DOWN USE THE SAME HANDLE. When
you drive it from a stopped position pull the hand;e back towards the operator, If it speeds up it's a step-up,
if when the handle is pulled back and the tractor slows down it's a step down. pushed forward is the standard
gear range. The people who insist that it's a step-up would probably be right about 80% of the time. This tractor
is an 8n so you could pop the steering box off to confirm. Red for step down grey for step up.

Kirk
 
(quoted from post at 17:32:04 08/11/15) Read my post above. might help you ID your sherman.

Kirk

That was helpful. For my own, I just knew that it was a Sherman and that I now had a more reasonable reverse gear. I've been on enough 8Ns, 600s and such to know how fast they go in reverse. (without a Sherman) Ever try to back up a baler and haywagon with one? That's a driving skill test.

Anyway. I'm working on my 2N right now to solve a fuel issue. As soon as I do, I'm going to do your test; because I'm almost certain that mine is step-down.

It seems, from reading this thread and the couple of references that I looked up, that the Shermans were contemporary with the 8N, which came after the 2N...so somebody must have retrofitted my old tractor?

Thanks for clearing the ambiguity.
 
To find out if your sherman is a step-dowm instead of a step-up without driving the tractor Place your pto shaft
with the hole in the 12 o'clock position, engage your pto lever, with the tranny in neutral engage your sherman
handle by pulling the handle back, If your handle is the same style as the one pictured not the dogleg style,
Rotate the crankshaft pulley with a hand crank or by any other means one complete revolution. Check the pto shaft
if the hole is around 3 o'clock it's a step down if around 7 o'clock it's a step up.

Kirk
 
BTW on my 2N with the step down I use it all the time when backing into implements even though in reverse my 2n
is slower then my 8n. Also use it in low range neutral for belt work on my corn mill grinder. It slows the pto
down to about what a hit and miss engine would run it. Quite a difference then running it with my 950. The corn
really flies on that one.

Kirk
 

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