New 9N Owner

Just bought my first tractor and I can't wait to use it. I am, however, somewhat intimated by it. I've only ever used lawn tractors and I've used a Ford tractor (3000 I think) to cut an airstrip (in return I get to hunt the farm). My biggest concern is rolling it. It came with a 5' King Kutter brush hog and this is what I plan to do with it, for now anyway.

I would eventually like to use it for some other fun stuff too, but for now, I need to get accustomed to it.

Any tips for a newbie?

Thanks

Yes. If you're running a rotary cutter with it,don't use it unless you have an overriding clutch on the PTO shaft. If not,it won't stop when you push the clutch pedal if the mower is running. My son in law's step father rolled one that way because he thought the dealer was just trying to sell him something he didn't need.

If you have any hills NEVER drive along them only up then turn around on flat ground then back down or you can end up like this 8N in the picture. The guy was told do not drive along the hill be he did it any how and almost rolled it over but he did go to the hospital due to a busted up knee

overriding clutch and IM manual

I have a trail that has a slight angle along it. Is the warning because the 9N is "tippy" or does it have something to do with the brush hog?

As stated don't ride with the slope but go up and down. If it is really steep down is dangerous also. The brakes, if working, will just lock up a wheel and slide. Drop the attachment to the ground so it drags slowing you down. Watch for obstacles such as stumps, stump holes, rocks, ditches, etc. Try to walk over a new area to be cut first. Don't get right next to an embankment, like a creek bank. The tractor can cause the land to give way and turn you over. When turning the bush hog will swing wide so don't be right next to a fence, building, tree, or such when you make a turn. Wear hearing protection, it will be loud.

(quoted from post at 20:46:28 07/21/16) I have a trail that has a slight angle along it. Is the warning because the 9N is "tippy" or does it have something to do with the brush hog?

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The warning is because the 9N doesn't have an independent pto. When you step on the clutch with the cutter turning, the momentum of the blades will keep pushing the tractor. The over run clutch will help but they must be in good condition. A roll over protection would be a good idea also. Get familiar with the tractor on level ground and be careful. You'll soon learn, good luck.

(quoted from post at 17:52:37 07/21/16) As stated don't ride with the slope but go up and down. If it is really steep down is dangerous also. The brakes, if working, will just lock up a wheel and slide. Drop the attachment to the ground so it drags slowing you down. Watch for obstacles such as stumps, stump holes, rocks, ditches, etc. Try to walk over a new area to be cut first. Don't get right next to an embankment, like a creek bank. The tractor can cause the land to give way and turn you over. When turning the bush hog will swing wide so don't be right next to a fence, building, tree, or such when you make a turn. Wear hearing protection, it will be loud.

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Thank you so much for the advice!

Don't use too much choke. They get flooded very quickly. Get it spinning, give it a pull of the
choke and release. If it doesn't start pull the throttle to full and back to 1/3. If you get it
flooded, go do something else for 15 min. and try again. It's a learning curve to compensate for
the temperature. Also one turn of the gas shut off allows the fuel to flow from the tank except
about an inch. If the lower intake is plugged up it will not run with the fuel cut off fully open.
There is tons of help on the N forum on this site. Its a fun nimble little tractor and you will
learn to live with it's shortcomings. Good luck!

Definitely go with the over-running coupler with the cutter. Easy to find, and worth the cost. Keep it well greased. Take it easy at first until you are used to the tractor and just be reasonable with it until you are comfortable. A 9N may not be as handy as a more modern tractor, but it is no slouch either, and much easier to work on with simple tools. Easy to get info overload on this site, so just sit back and do plenty of reading. It is really just that good. Especially the 9N/2N/8N and Ford forums. (For your tractor)

I get the idea you're a little nervous about your first tractor. That's good to a degree.

As already stated, get an over run clutch. I have never actually used one on any tractor, but I have also never run a brush hog, only finish mowers. That being said,
GET ONE ANYWAY!

Don't worry too much about choke and things like that. Drive it around a field or flat surface. You'll get the hang of it pretty quick.

So I guess I'd really say, BE SAFE, and enjoy the tractor.

Any tractor be it a trike front end or a wide front end like the 9N there is a point that they will slide and in the picture I posted the guy was on a hill side and the tractor started to slide side ways down the hill and it then hit a tree which got into the clutch pedal area and he spun 180 on the tree. Tree hit his knee and busted it up pretty good. Had he not got hung on the tree there was a good chance it would have rolled over and down the hill with him being under it at least once if not a few times. As it was it took me an another guy 2 days to winch it off the tree and out in such a way to keep it from rolling over

Congratulations on your 1st tractor!
My wife and I bought our 1st one in
march. A 1955 ford 640, it came with
a bushhog. We now have 3 tractors.
Lol. A '57 ford 960. And a '41 9N
that ain't running (yet). We love
em. Got a box blade. 2 bottom plow.
Harrows (disk) dirt scoop. Also had
too get a 24 ft gooseneck to haul em
to shows. Lol. We hose em off and
show em in "work clothes ". Enjoy
and use your tractor. These folks
will help with any issues you have.
Heck I'm a deck building carpenter
and with help from here we keep
those tractors running.

To help make the tractor more stable you can increase the width of the rear track. The wheels and
rims can be mounted many different ways to make the tractor wider. I know you want to use a brush
hog so this might limit you if you don't want to be running over what you want to cut, but wider is
more stable. If the tires aren't loaded or it has wheel weights add either of these will also help
hold the rear ind down.

Mnic, congrates on the new to you tractor. There is another forum a few floors down for the 9/2/8N. You will find many on this forum on that one, including me.
Before my 43 2N came onto my property I was on that forum learning. As many others have said when using a rotory mower you need 2 main things, 1) common sense, 2) over running clutch. For $50 or so they are worth every penny. Please remember that some of these tractors are older than the folks that own them, as in my case, and from what I can figure out they were built mostly for plowing (dirt not snow) and harvesting. It's amazing what you can do with them including moving snow.
If you can change a tire on your vehicle you can fix almost anything on these tractors.

As far as stability is concerned they have a pretty low center of gravity due to it's design. The wider the wheels are set out the more stable it becomes. Now that concerning side hill operations. Where a lot of the roll overs occur on that type of tractor is flipping over backwards. Often happens went trying to do something like pulling a stump out or ascending too steep a hill. Weight on the back from an implement only makes the problem worse! The N's can get lite in the front in fast! So be careful. If it's real steep climb it in reverse! Remember that the brakes on an N are not the best design too!

Rick

Ford N-series tractors have a very low center of gravity and are quite stable.

Note that the "example" tractor pictured above did NOT roll over! It slid. That is a testament to the stability of the tractor.

Unless you have a very odd sense of "slight" I would not worry much about a "slight" incline in any direction. If it is not uncomfortable to walk across, a tractor will be fine so long as you don't do anything blatantly stupid like raise a loader bucket full of rocks to maximum height in road gear while jerking the steering wheel back and forth.

Make sure the brakes work. Avoid "greasy" conditions such as wet leaves or mud.

ALSO,, never pull from axle or top link.. ONLY pull from the bottom links or the swinging drawbar!!!!!! or it will flip over as any tractor will... the drawbar and bottom links are mounted UNDER the rear axle so they actually pull the tractor down, the harder it pulls... Pulling from anywhere else will cause it to just flip over.

ALSO.. stay away from a pto shaft that is turning as it will grab loose clothing, loose hair, loose shoe strings, or any thing else and kill you dead.


ALSO 6 children die every year due to falling off the laps of the operator.. DO NOT let anyone ride on the tractor or implements.

ALSO.. ALWAYS start the tractor from the seat as it WILL start in gear, roll over you and kill you if you start it from the ground...

ALSO,, turn all equipment off and turn off engine when getting off the tractor as the equipment will grab you, cut you in half, grind your up, or tractor roll forwards and run over you...

ALSO dont let anyone follow a cutter or other equipment as it willl throw rock and debris out the equipment..

ALSO.. dont operate on sloops as the tractor can slide, roll over, or other bad things...

And.. run an overrun clutch if using a rotary cutter as already said... so the tractor can stop quickly and not be driven forwards 10 feet. more if brakes are no good.

RESPECT the tractor and you will always be safe, just like a lawn mower, or brush grinder, etc etc etc....

thats a good tractor to start with, my suggestion is buy both the operators manual, and the service manual right here on this site, you will need them, these are about as simple as a tractor with a 3point lift gets, once you understand it you will enjoy it, if you need to the 892n board here can help you fix anything, and its one of the easiest tractors to get parts for most everything is available new, now, being as your new to it, as others have said, dont even think of brush hogging without a overrunning clutch on the pto shaft, you might say its critical, then get used to your new tractor on flat ground, even if its ground you cant mow, like a parking lot or barn yard, you will notice how when you turn, the tractor centers the turn on its rear wheels, in other words the tractor nose turns one way the brush hog swings out a little the other way, just mentioning it so you wont roll up and cut a turn right by the wife's new car to show off and plant that brush hog tail wheel right in the door of the car, wives dont understand that kind of thing, believe me they dont! one you get the hang of how the tractor handles you will gain some confidence, but dont let it go to your head, besides the start button, the only safety switch on that thing is you

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT ADVICE!! A friend and I brought it to my place where it'll be used yesterday morning. We unloaded it and all the stuff. One glitch and it was me and my inexperience. I was backing it up onto the trailer and the front wheels slipped off the ramps. Probably fell a foot or so to the dirt. Everything seemed fine and the person helping me laughed saying it happens all the time. Couple other friends/farmers said it happens, just be CAREFUL!

I'm learning little by little and finding out quickly how careful I need to be.

By the way, I did buy the over run device and will install it before I do any work!

Thanks again!!