Diggerdon

Member
My Ford 860 has a serial number of <> 133441 <> . I know this will tell me that it was made in 1957, but will it tell what plant , or was there only one in that year. Also can it tell me if it has things like HD front end or HD clutch ?
 
The only thing the SN tells you, as you've already named, is the year the tractor was built. If you put it within the range of serial numbers for that year, you may get some approximation of about what time of year it was built.

There are date codes on most components, for instance real axle housings, of the tractor that will tell you when each of them was built. That'll get you closer to a production date for the entire unit, perhaps.

I believe all Ford tractors of that era were built in one plant. That plant was in Michigan. Unfortunately, my mind is blank on the name of it.

This post was edited by Larry NCKS on 08/30/2021 at 04:46 am.
 
The plant for the tractor was in Highland Park Michigan
mvphoto81075.png
 
The Serial Number ONLY defines when the engine was built. FORD hand stamped the ENGINE BLOCK (only) with a serial number after it was assembled and then passed a QC Inspection break-in/test procedure. S/N's were NOT stamped while on the assembly line as the tractor ran down the line, contrary to some beliefs. It was that way they did it for all vehicles, not just tractors. Serialized/passed QC Inspection engines were stored in a hold area at random til pulled for the assembly line AT RANDOM. Now the s/n was meant to also ID the rest of the vehicle BUT, many engines got swapped out when the original was blown. FORD Tractor production (excluding the FORDSON) was always done at ONE plant only, and began in November, 1938 at first in a hangar at the FORD AIRPORT the day after Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford shook hands with their agreement after Harry demonstrated to Ford the new 3-point draft control system. This was a temporary set up as FORD got busy prepping the FORD Rouge Plant in Building 'B' and moved there in January, 1939 to begin design and production of the new 1939 Ford-Ferguson 9N Tractor. After WWII in 1945, maybe sooner, FORD had retooled the Highland Park Plant to build the 9N tractor. In late 1946 Henry Ford II fired Harry Ferguson and dissolved the handshake agreement his grandfather had made. FORD began tooling up for the new 8N Model and on January 1, 1947 the tractor and implement distributor was DEARBORN MOTORS CORP. In late 1951 at HP, FORD began tooling up for the new NAA Model (Jubilee) and this was released in SEP 1952. Tractor production remained at HP til 1967 when they moved out to to the northern rural suburb of Romeo, MI as the new FORD ROMEO TRACTOR PLANT was established. ROMEO built tractor models up until the late 1970's/early 1980's. FORD TRACTOR began outsourcing to New Holland, with Japan and other countries mixed in. FORD TRACTOR, the models and the name, were totally obsolete by the 1992. The FORD ROMEO PLANT still in operation. They build high performance/specialty engines for the Mustang.


Tim Daley(MI)
 
(quoted from post at 06:05:17 09/01/21) The Serial Number ONLY defines when the engine was built. FORD hand stamped the ENGINE BLOCK (only) with a serial number after it was assembled and then passed a QC Inspection break-in/test procedure. S/N's were NOT stamped while on the assembly line as the tractor ran down the line, contrary to some beliefs. It was that way they did it for all vehicles, not just tractors. Serialized/passed QC Inspection engines were stored in a hold area at random til pulled for the assembly line AT RANDOM. Now the s/n was meant to also ID the rest of the vehicle BUT, many engines got swapped out when the original was blown. FORD Tractor production (excluding the FORDSON) was always done at ONE plant only, and began in November, 1938 at first in a hangar at the FORD AIRPORT the day after Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford shook hands with their agreement after Harry demonstrated to Ford the new 3-point draft control system. This was a temporary set up as FORD got busy prepping the FORD Rouge Plant in Building 'B' and moved there in January, 1939 to begin design and production of the new 1939 Ford-Ferguson 9N Tractor. After WWII in 1945, maybe sooner, FORD had retooled the Highland Park Plant to build the 9N tractor. In late 1946 Henry Ford II fired Harry Ferguson and dissolved the handshake agreement his grandfather had made. FORD began tooling up for the new 8N Model and on January 1, 1947 the tractor and implement distributor was DEARBORN MOTORS CORP. In late 1951 at HP, FORD began tooling up for the new NAA Model (Jubilee) and this was released in SEP 1952. Tractor production remained at HP til 1967 when they moved out to to the northern rural suburb of Romeo, MI as the new FORD ROMEO TRACTOR PLANT was established. ROMEO built tractor models up until the late 1970's/early 1980's. FORD TRACTOR began outsourcing to New Holland, with Japan and other countries mixed in. FORD TRACTOR, the models and the name, were totally obsolete by the 1992. The FORD ROMEO PLANT still in operation. They build high performance/specialty engines for the Mustang.


Tim Daley(MI)
think you're thinking of an 8N and early NAA or prior. This is an 860. SN is stamped on the bell housing and not the engine on these and does flow down the assembly line. Therefore all the iformation you just put forth doesn't pertain to Diggerdon's tractor at all
 
(quoted from post at 04:05:17 09/01/21) The Serial Number ONLY defines when the engine was built. FORD hand stamped the ENGINE BLOCK (only) with a serial number after it was assembled and then passed a QC Inspection break-in/test procedure. S/N's were NOT stamped while on the assembly line as the tractor ran down the line, contrary to some beliefs. It was that way they did it for all vehicles, not just tractors. Serialized/passed QC Inspection engines were stored in a hold area at random til pulled for the assembly line AT RANDOM. Now the s/n was meant to also ID the rest of the vehicle BUT, many engines got swapped out when the original was blown. FORD Tractor production (excluding the FORDSON) was always done at ONE plant only, and began in November, 1938 at first in a hangar at the FORD AIRPORT the day after Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford shook hands with their agreement after Harry demonstrated to Ford the new 3-point draft control system. This was a temporary set up as FORD got busy prepping the FORD Rouge Plant in Building 'B' and moved there in January, 1939 to begin design and production of the new 1939 Ford-Ferguson 9N Tractor. After WWII in 1945, maybe sooner, FORD had retooled the Highland Park Plant to build the 9N tractor. In late 1946 Henry Ford II fired Harry Ferguson and dissolved the handshake agreement his grandfather had made. FORD began tooling up for the new 8N Model and on January 1, 1947 the tractor and implement distributor was DEARBORN MOTORS CORP. In late 1951 at HP, FORD began tooling up for the new NAA Model (Jubilee) and this was released in SEP 1952. Tractor production remained at HP til 1967 when they moved out to to the northern rural suburb of Romeo, MI as the new FORD ROMEO TRACTOR PLANT was established. ROMEO built tractor models up until the late 1970's/early 1980's. FORD TRACTOR began outsourcing to New Holland, with Japan and other countries mixed in. FORD TRACTOR, the models and the name, were totally obsolete by the 1992. The FORD ROMEO PLANT still in operation. They build high performance/specialty engines for the Mustang.


Tim Daley(MI)



This is the first that I have heard about Ford tractors having such a problem with blowing engines. Engines of all brands and types will fail of course and there are some that were found to have significant problems well after production started, but this is the first that I have heard about a bad four cylinder Ford tractor engine problem.
 
(quoted from post at 07:33:51 09/01/21)
(quoted from post at 06:05:17 09/01/21) The Serial Number ONLY defines when the engine was built. FORD hand stamped the ENGINE BLOCK (only) with a serial number after it was assembled and then passed a QC Inspection break-in/test procedure. S/N's were NOT stamped while on the assembly line as the tractor ran down the line, contrary to some beliefs. It was that way they did it for all vehicles, not just tractors. Serialized/passed QC Inspection engines were stored in a hold area at random til pulled for the assembly line AT RANDOM. Now the s/n was meant to also ID the rest of the vehicle BUT, many engines got swapped out when the original was blown. FORD Tractor production (excluding the FORDSON) was always done at ONE plant only, and began in November, 1938 at first in a hangar at the FORD AIRPORT the day after Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford shook hands with their agreement after Harry demonstrated to Ford the new 3-point draft control system. This was a temporary set up as FORD got busy prepping the FORD Rouge Plant in Building 'B' and moved there in January, 1939 to begin design and production of the new 1939 Ford-Ferguson 9N Tractor. After WWII in 1945, maybe sooner, FORD had retooled the Highland Park Plant to build the 9N tractor. In late 1946 Henry Ford II fired Harry Ferguson and dissolved the handshake agreement his grandfather had made. FORD began tooling up for the new 8N Model and on January 1, 1947 the tractor and implement distributor was DEARBORN MOTORS CORP. In late 1951 at HP, FORD began tooling up for the new NAA Model (Jubilee) and this was released in SEP 1952. Tractor production remained at HP til 1967 when they moved out to to the northern rural suburb of Romeo, MI as the new FORD ROMEO TRACTOR PLANT was established. ROMEO built tractor models up until the late 1970's/early 1980's. FORD TRACTOR began outsourcing to New Holland, with Japan and other countries mixed in. FORD TRACTOR, the models and the name, were totally obsolete by the 1992. The FORD ROMEO PLANT still in operation. They build high performance/specialty engines for the Mustang.


Tim Daley(MI)
think you're thinking of an 8N and early NAA or prior. This is an 860. SN is stamped on the bell housing and not the engine on these and does flow down the assembly line. Therefore all the iformation you just put forth doesn't pertain to Diggerdon's tractor at all

So much incorrect information. Take this, for instance:

After WWII in 1945, maybe sooner, FORD had retooled the Highland Park Plant to build the 9N tractor.

In 1942 Ford changed the name from 9N to 2N to designate a change in some of the materials, like steel wheels without rubber tires, and a lack of an electric starter, mostly because of war time rationing of materials. The 2N was made through 1947 when the 8N was introduced for the 1948 model year. So there is no way that they could have retooled an assembly line to produce 9N tractors in 1945, as they were no longer making 9N tractors at that point.

Then there's this:

FORD TRACTOR began outsourcing to New Holland, with Japan and other countries mixed in. FORD TRACTOR, the models and the name, were totally obsolete by the 1992.

Ford bought New Holland in 1985, so any production that might have been moved to New Holland was not outsourced. Fiat bought the Ford Tractor division, along with the New Holland subsidiary in 1991, but the Ford name was on tractor models through at least 1995.
 

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