Advice on what Ford to buy (8N, Jubilee, 600, and 641)

Looking around town and in the adverts, there are few tractors I am interested in. I'm fairly set on the early Fords as I like the styling and want a simpler, gas machine. There's about 10 options kicking around right now but they're all one of four models. I'm mostly looking for _general_ reliability and avoiding any gotchas one model might have over another. I reckon the answer is "get the newest of the models", but I thought I'd ask since I've got little experience with Ford tractors.

Options include all sorts of Ford XN's, 2N & 9Ns and a few 8Ns in various stages of working. There is also one Ford Jubilee being sold at a consignment store, I've checked the SN and it is a real bone fide one-owner Jubilee. There are two Ford 600s, both have PTO and 3pt, but not sure if the PTO is live, I suspect it isn't since that's the sorta thing you'd advertise. And then there are a couple fully restored Ford 641s.

I'm thinking the 641s are the right choice, but both of them are on the higher end of the budget ($3750 and $3900). The 600s are a bit better priced $3500 for one, but it comes with a bushhog, and $2500 for the other. Working order, 5' bushhogs seem to be going for around $750 to $1000 in my area, so I estimate these two are more or less on par with each other price-wise. Then Jubilee is $2750. Finally the Ns are in various states of working. There's a two-fer-one at $800 and I picked them over, there's at least one working machine between the two but that's after I put in a good number of hours to get it there. There's also four or five more 8Ns between $1200-$2000 mostly based on how purdy their paintjob is. Finally the 9N is $700 but it's missing a front wheel.

Like I said, I imagine the answer is "get the 641" since it's the latest of the four models, has a bit more go, etc, but I just wanted to get some opinions.

Mostly looking for a smaller tractor to mow the yard, pull stuff around the farm, and bushhog with. My only other tractor is a Case 930 and pulling that beast out seems overkill for nearly anything that isn't pulling a round bailer or plowing.

Can't go wrong with a 600. Jubilee is
nice too. The 601 seems expensive,
hopefully it's pretty, with new tires!

I'd go with the 601 series much improved over the other ones

I doubt the 600's have the live PTO option. Pretty rare to find one that does.

The NAA at $2750 is the one I'd be looking at.

The 641 will not have live PTO either. not a lot of deference between the 600 and 641. 641 might have a little more power.

When your looking at the Hundred series tractors, they need to have a 5 speed trans. to have live power.

While they are very handy, I would definitely stay away from an N just because they don't have live hydraulics- something you will appreciate on something you're going to work. Only 600 with live PTO would be a 660 or 661, not common in that size but they are out there. Put an over-running clutch on for brush-cutting with any of the non-live PTO options. Look at tires- you can get a lot of money into rear tires real quick.

I know that they're probably being advertised as 600's, but 600 is a series of tractors which contained several different models. The most common are the 640 (4 speed and non-live PTO), the 650 (5 speed and non-live PTO) and the 660 (5 speed with live PTO).

The 641 is the same basic tractor as the 640, but it is from the 601 series which was made after the 600 series, but without a lot of real changes.

I would check out the 600's to see exactly which models they are before making a final decision. If either of them have a 5 speed transmission instead of a 4 speed then it's possible that it might have live PTO, but that was not even available on a 4 speed tractor.

We've had a couple Dextas. Both with gas engines. Sweet running little tractor.

I would choose either the 600 or 601. 8n does not have live hydraulics. The others will including the Jubilee. Operating a Jubilee, 600 with the 4 speed (a 640) and a 601 with 4 speed (a 641) will pretty much be the same. Non live pto, live hydraulics and 4 forward gears with the possibility of a Sherman over/under. IF any of the 600 or 601 have a 5 speed transmission it might have live pto plus the 5 speed has a lower first gear than the 4 speed. Add on hydraulic options are more common and easier to find for the 600 and 601 compared to the Jubilee.

If you are going to use the tractor for small acreage farming, the lower speed gear on the 5spd would be the decider for me. I have a lot of short rows on
my small 1 acre farm. I have a VAC Case that I really like but it is too fast in 1st (especially if you have it running at pto speed) and too fast in
reverse for hooking up implements or backing down a row like I have to do on my plots. I bought a 2000 3cyl and it is nice and slow when it needs to be.
Something to think about depending on how you will use the tractor.

This is on the Jubes and the 600s and 601. Check both the engine and hydraulic oil and record what you see. You are looking for pretty clear or black in the motor, and clear or coffee milkshake in the hydraulics. Run each one and write down the oil pressure. Then remove the spark plugs and thread your compression tester in and record what you get for each cylinder. Don't go by the lipstick, check the insides of them too.

Thanks for the help guys!

Wife and I came to a compromise. I bought an 8N today for $400. It's not running, but I think I can get it fixed up and moving. My initial poke at it before I bought didn't show anything too concerning. At $400 I'm not concerned about not being able to get my money back if I can't get it going.

If I can get it going I'll use it for the time being because I need to got some grass cut pretty bad. And regardless of whether I get it going or not I'll eventually sell it and try to make a profit and then invest in one of its slightly bigger brothers, probably the 640 since I know a guy who'll sell me one for $2500.