'52 8N rear wheels

I have noticed that my rear wheels are different. Left has carriage bolts with nuts and washers on the inside holding the rim to the center. Right has a U shaped bracket on the inside of the rim that the bolt goes through. The right one also sets out a couple of inches further than the left. I've heard people mention hat style rims and I don't know one from the other. Just curious. Maybe it won't upset my OCD too much!

Jim

Don't let it bother your OCD. Hat rims had a fully boxed ring
that the carriage bolts went through. See the picture.
Aftermarket and later Ford rims were six loop style that just had
loops welded to the rims to hold the carriage bolts. I think this is
what you are describing. Either one can be mounted internal or
external to the center and turned around/moved side to side to
adjust the width of the wheel spacing. That's by design.

CDO - It's like OCD except in alphabetical order as it should be!

If you have the 8N owners manual there is a section on wheel spacing for different crop or attachment applications for both the rear wheels and the front wheels. If you don't have one they show up for sale in various places.

I do have an owners manual, just didn't understand why they were different. The hat style wheels are cuter on my darlin' little tractor, but I only have one. Of course the rear tires don't match either, which
further complicates the OCD situation LOL. BTW Royse, you can get a T-shirt with the CDO on it. Already told my wife I need one. So what do you call the other wheel I have? I have 12.4 tires but I've seen a
couple for sale with 11.2s. What did they come out with?

Jim

The other style, if aftermarket, I call standard 6 loop rims.
Ferguson had their own style that looked similar but used Pipped
head bolts instead of carriage bolts. But, I digress.
8N rims were 9 x 28 and came with 10 x 28 tires.
11.2 x 28 is the modern equivalent to 10 x 28.
12.4 x 28 provide a little better traction.

Here's a pic of an aftermarket rim and my '52 with 11.2's on hat rims.

That's the other wheel, Royse. So the centers are all the same, just a different rim, right? That's a handsome little tractor you have there, Royse. Still 6v and everything.


Jim

Thanks Jim. More pictures of it [b:7a6a7f026d]here[/b:7a6a7f026d] on YT.

Yes, either the loop rim or the hat rim will fit the
same center disk, even the 9N/2N center disk and both are
offset at the mounting points to allow for adjustment.
The centers from a 9N/2N will not fit an 8N, but the outer rim
will fit the 8N center. They were the same as far as I know.
I have for sure swapped them myself.

The old hat rims are getting harder to find because they trapped
dirt and moisture in that box and rusted out. Not the greatest
design. After the NAA, Ford switched to the loop style with
scalloped center disks. That actually let you swap the outer rim
from the outside of the center disk to the inside and back without
removing the center disk plus there was no more "box" to collect
dirt and moisture.

Yes, like Royse detailed, you have an original Hat Rim on one side and some aftermarket 6-loop style on the other. The 5/8-18 x 2-11/16 Special Carriage Bolts used on the hat rims are only made by Dennis Carpenter, but most suppliers stock them -usually at a marked-up percentage. If you have originals, best to preserve them. 'd check tires too for calcium chloride and if present get rid of it if you want to preserve the rims, especially the hat rim. The very first Ford-Ferguson 9N tractors used a 6-Loop style rear rim, 8 x 32, supplier unknown, but most likely Kelsey-Hayes. The loops were cast and riveted on ?see picture. It?s believed these were only used on the first 700-800 tractors. Next came the 8 x 32 hat rims. FORD N-Tractor thru Hundred Series wheels were all supplied by Kelsey-Hayes, Detroit, MI. The rims had their name and logo as well as the FORD script logo stamped on them in the beginning, later discontinued. The front 3 x 19 rims also were supplied by KH. Early ones were riveted design with logos stamped on outside near the bolt pattern.

FORD EARLY 9N 6-LOOP STYLE 8 x 32 REAR RIM:

FORD/KELSEY-HAYES 9 X 28 HAT RIM, LOGOS STAMPED ON INSIDE BAND:

FORD/KELSEY-HAYES 3 X 19 FRONT WHEEL, RIVETED DESIGN w/LOGOS:

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

Put 12.4's on it, unless you are going to use a plow. Then you need 11.2's on it.