Sign of the times?

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member
Location
Twin Cities
Back maybe 10-15 years ago this board averaged maybe 50 posts per day.
The N Board had the second highest number of total posts of all the colors at YT - after the IH/Farmall board.
Back then the main Ford Board was pretty slow. Had maybe 1/4 the action of this one.
Sometimes I like to click on the "todays posts" button at the top of this page.
It's an easy way to keep track of anything posted, even ancient posts in stupid modern view.
Lately the Ford board is averaging twice the number of posts per day as this place. So far today it's 34 posts there to 5 here.
Anyway, it had me thinking.
Either everyone's Ns are running great and the bigger Fords are running lousy or maybe...
the interest in Ns in general is waning and interest in the newer ones is perking up. It's been this way for several months now that I've been observing it.
Just wondering what the folks here think about it.
By the way, the other, little NTC board has almost completely dried up. Very little going on there anymore.
All forums with total posts
 
My "younger" brother (only 75 yrs old) restores old wooden radios. He has noticed the same thing in the last few years, much less interest in them. We wonder if it's because people who are buying want "what Dad had" & they have childhood memories.
 
(quoted from post at 18:15:04 08/30/19) Back maybe 10-15 years ago this board averaged maybe 50 posts per day.
The N Board had the second highest number of total posts of all the colors at YT - after the IH/Farmall board.
Back then the main Ford Board was pretty slow. Had maybe 1/4 the action of this one.
Sometimes I like to click on the "todays posts" button at the top of this page.
It's an easy way to keep track of anything posted, even ancient posts in stupid modern view.
Lately the Ford board is averaging twice the number of posts per day as this place. So far today it's 34 posts there to 5 here.
Anyway, it had me thinking.
Either everyone's Ns are running great and the bigger Fords are running lousy or maybe...
the interest in Ns in general is waning and interest in the newer ones is perking up. It's been this way for several months now that I've been observing it.
Just wondering what the folks here think about it.
By the way, the other, little NTC board has almost completely dried up. Very little going on there anymore.
All forums with total posts
Pretty simple. Its 2019 and if you want a cheap 40 year old utility tractor with good features, ready parts availabilty, and reliability you go shopping for a Kubota or John Deere.

TOH
 
Here in WI the price for N tractors is still crazy high. I continue to watch for deals to scoop one up but hard to come by.
8N - $2500-3000
2N\9N - $1600-2000

This is why I have not purchased one for a few years.
 
Interesting, Lynn.

I still have the Mahogany Atwater Kent set with morning glory speaker that my Grand Parents used to listen to Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s.

Dean
 
I suspect that the replies to some questions doesn't encourage participation... some of the "A" team can really be short, particularly to a new user. Not mentioning names, we know who they are.

But it is likely true that interest waxes and wanes.

Good observation, Jerry
 

I found the "Todays Posts" button. It doesn't show when you're viewing an individual post as in this post. It only shows in classic view when you're on the main page that shows all the posts.
 
Could it be that there are too many posts on here putting down the Ns? Too often folks ask about buying one and they get a dozen reasons not too. Just saying......love my 640 and 960 but dang that 2n and 8n are fun little tractors to use a finish mower with!
 
(quoted from post at 20:43:18 08/30/19) Could it be that there are too many posts on here putting down the Ns? Too often folks ask about buying one and they get a dozen reasons not too. Just saying......love my 640 and 960 but dang that 2n and 8n are fun little tractors to use a finish mower with!

I had my 8N about 8 years before I got my MF202. The 202 is a lot more tractor than the 8N. The 202 does all the work requiring more power like box blade and road maintenance. It even came with a fork lift that attaches to the FEL if I remove the bucket. Someone took a regular fork set up off a forklift and adapted it to fit on the FEL.

But I wouldn't think of getting rid of the 8N. It's my mowing tractor now and once in a while I'll put the landscape rake on it. It has a Mf 101 FEL on it same as the MF202. I often think about taking the FEL off of the 8N so it wouldn't have to work as hard. But, then I get to thinking that if I did that with my luck the MF202 would blow up on me and I would be without an FEL.

DSC03745.jpg
 
If the loaders on both tractors are the
same maybe put the forks on the N. That
would reduce the weight on the front. A
guy doesn't generally need two buckets
and forks are really handy. You can see
what you're doing so much better with
them.
This is my pal Kenny's Ford 545 hefting
a transmission/rear end out of my garage
this week. He's letting me "store" the
tractor for him through the winter. I
will put the bucket on it this fall for
snow duty.

cvphoto35112.jpg


cvphoto35113.jpg
 
Gramps,
If an honest appraisal of their capabilities is putting them down then I suppose you are right.
Ns are great, small tractors that will do a lot of useful work for you. And they are way more versatile than so many of the old drawbar tractors of comparable age and HP because of the 3 point hitch. Show me another 1939 model tractor that with a cheap attachment will do the job in this photo -
straight off the factory floor.
On the other hand, you posted photos of that NAA/Jube that was painted/rebadged as a 2000 a day or two ago at the link below.
Lets say your friend was wanting his first tractor. Wouldn't you suggest that he consider that NAA over any comparable N because it has more features and capabilities?

cvphoto35114.jpg

Rebadged NAA post
 
market:i get to travel around rural n.y. quite a bit.its a very small (niche if u will) market for old tractors now.all the back roads I travel are hiding these old gems.brands are plenty-john deere-farmall-ford-case-oliver......I blame compact tractors,face it they are handy as hell.but that said?farming interest is dieing-just like us older farmers.i hear it a lot.well that deere/case/fordall was grandpas.whats it worth?sad.a day is passing......
 
I just think the hobby s drying up. don't get many new folds wanting any tractors anymore. completely restored tractors do sell for decent money and is cheaper to buy them like that than to do it yourself. location is a real big factor. the 40-50 horsepower tractors prices has came down to the level of the n tractors and are a better tractor. sign of the times is correct. were just getting old aren't we
 

Many people tend to restore what they remember and used with Dad. The same in happening in the old car hobby. The 55-57 cars that were once all the rage are now worth less and less every year. Not may people left restoring that 57 Chevy they drove in high school.
 
IMO rural America is changing hands. Once made up of small farmers and folks who watched their $$ very close cuz they needed to. Now people flocking to rural parts bring with them plenty of money but less time. They do not have time and knowledge to keep the old tractors running. So they buy new compact tractors
 
You make a good point. But if they were already looking at a nice N then I would be happy to tell them what's good about them. My dad wanted a narrow front JD, and old one, maybe an A or B? Or a farmall super C. I talked him into a nice 2N. PTO, 3point hitch, low to the ground. Easy to fix and drive. He is tickled with it. Plenty to love about an N.
 
We are missing another reason. Lack of k knowledge. More and more young people have limited experience with these old machines. In my area north of Ann Arbor Mi, the past 30 years has seen huge growth in housing. Families have now have new houses with little or no need of repairs, they live on less than a half acre so no garden tractors and most hire the lawns done, and cars are so complicated and require costly special tools that people lease or have someone do it. Moreover, both parents have little time to do anything else.

That has bread a generation of young people with no experience. So if they buy a real tractor, they will likely have to pay to have it worked on. So if you are going to pay to have something work on, what would you buy? A machine that you need to take your time with and likely will not get your money out, or a machine that holds its value and does everything?

Dont get me wrong, I have sat on a wretched 8n for 44 years now, and I wouldn't part with it. But I can do things with it most have never thought of as I have so much experience on it. But then I have been taught to think/plan ahead.
 
(quoted from post at 08:49:32 08/31/19) We are missing another reason. Lack of k knowledge. More and more young people have limited experience with these old machines.

Half a century ago I was taught how to extract a square root. I still have that knowledge but it is of little to no utility and essentially obsolete since I can pull my [b:a25490e296][u:a25490e296]phone[/u:a25490e296][/b:a25490e296] out of my pocket and have the answer to six decimal places more reliably and a whole lot faster.

IMO it's primarily the utility and reliability element that sends people looking for newer machines. I am 68 years old and grew up in two farming families. I have lots of knowledge and experience and own two N-series because that is what Grandpa had. They see almost no use because I also own three small Kubotas for doing my chores which are tending to a small garden, grounds care on 6 partially wooded acres, and road maintenance. Hope to add a little newer and bigger fourth in the near future.

TOH
 
My father bought an NAA in the 70s for
what they sell for today, when you
figure inflation there was nothing
cheap about these tractors compared to
very capable compacts nowadays
 
(quoted from post at 00:34:17 08/31/19) If the loaders on both tractors are the
same maybe put the forks on the N. That
would reduce the weight on the front. A
guy doesn't generally need two buckets
and forks are really handy. You can see
what you're doing so much better with
them.
This is my pal Kenny's Ford 545 hefting
a transmission/rear end out of my garage
this week. He's letting me "store" the
tractor for him through the winter. I
will put the bucket on it this fall for
snow duty.

Putting the forks on the 8N was the first thing I tried. Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture below, the one end of the loader arm with the pin hole is bent just slightly inwards on the MF202.

You can see by the two lines in the pic. It's not enough to affect anything else but when they did the welding to adapt the forks to the loader, they made it a tight fit as you see between the two arrows. The forks just won't fit on the 8N's loader.

I even bought the largest porta power set from Harbor Freight freight to try to spread those outside angle iron pieces on the forks, but they are just to heavy for it to bend. It would be a simple job for a torch and a welder. Unfortunately I don't have either one.

cjz72iF.jpg
 
When my son and I decided we needed a small utility tractor of our own I was immediately drawn to the old Fords. 1) parts are plentiful, 2) the N series tractors are plentiful and affordable, 3) they are light enough that we can haul them with our present utility trailer which we cannot do with my brother's Farmall M.

We ended up with 2 tractors it was a package deal along with several implements, a front loader attachment w/pump and a large hay trailer for $2500. The 1946 2N was runnable as it was but needs rear seals and brakes and an 8N that the guy had started taking apart so he could paint it. I am still working on the painting part and it should be finished in a couple of weeks or so. We don't have a farm, I didn't grow up on a farm and before the 2N, I had never operated any Ford tractor before.

As for posts here I think what you are seeing is that there are so many previous posts that have already asked and answered so many questions that it is unnecessary to ask again. Google is how I got here the first time and many of my queries lead here. Just saying.
 
(quoted from post at 04:53:06 08/31/19) IMO rural America is changing hands. Once made up of small farmers and folks who watched their $$ very close cuz they needed to. Now people flocking to rural parts bring with them plenty of money but less time. They do not have time and knowledge to keep the old tractors running. So they buy new compact tractors

You're right that rural farming is changing hands - seeing it a lot where I live.

I'm an outlier, I guess, as when I took my current job in the Middle West, we chose to move to a dilapidated old farm homestead and put the place back in operation - alfalfa hay, various crops, chickens, horses, beef, goats, sheep, etc.. I work for a Fortune 50 company and earn a multiple of the median income in our county, BTW. I do this for the therapy value!

My Dad had an 8N, although he was no farmer - an educator, actually, that liked a big garden. That was part of the connection for me buying one when we moved here nearly two decades ago. I completely rebuilt it in 2008 and it's still one of the handiest tools I have on our 15 acres.

I bought a 2010 NH Boomer 8N a few years ago, and there's really not much overlap in its use case with how I use the '50 8N. Both have their strong points, and in many cases, the old tractor is still the "better" one.

I'm retiring soon and don't plan to do any haying or farming in the area we intend to move. Depending on how much acreage we end up on, the '50 and rotary mower may stick around for a while yet. If not, I'll have to decide if I want to keep it for the nostalgia, but like it is for most things, sitting idle isn't good.

All that to make the point that a nearly-70 year old tractor is still a valid tool for certain use cases. Nostalgia can be a use case, too, I suppose.

As for what's perceived as waning interest on the board, well, I've been around long enough to see a lot of things wax and wane. I still see a lot of the same questions posted here (and always place a secret bet with myself each Spring on when the first "Can I bale with an 8N?" question pops up). I don't see it as a problem, actually. Interest may decline, but as the 8N is essentially the Model A of tractors, there will be folks using them for many, many years to come.

es
 

Well, I see some posts about waning interest. I don't know--I'm a new guy, posted a bunch about my "new" 8N, but stopped getting replies. That doesn't help.
 
We just got a 8n and 2n in the
last few months. Love em both.
Will our 640 and 960 do things
they won't ? Yep. But still love
the Ns!!
 
(quoted from post at 02:35:21 08/31/19) Here in WI the price for N tractors is still crazy high. I continue to watch for deals to scoop one up but hard to come by.
8N - $2500-3000
2N9N - $1600-2000

This is why I have not purchased one for a few years.

I have a 1950 8N I will sell. [email protected]
 
I use to post a question and within 15 minutes had a solid kind answer. As some have died off, that has REALLY changed. Most times I have not even gotten an answer. People go to where the knowledge and kindness is.
 
"People go where the knowledge and kindness is."

I'm curious where that is - at least relative to Ns. I read YT, NTC, TBN, MTF, TF and NAT on a regular basis. YT is still the biggest, most knowlegable of them all that I know of - by a long shot. Are there other forums for tractors out there?
 
Regarding old things in general, I've seen prices decline on many things that had greater value a decade or two or three ago. Back in the '70s I bought a lot of antique oak furniture -- commodes, secretary bookcases, kitchen cupboards, for example. Today, I'd be lucky to break even if I were to sell one. Same thing with some car parts -- Wonderbar radios and Saginaw four-speed trannies, for example. Same with some guns -- old .22 singleshots I was buying for $150 15 years ago struggle to bring $90 today. And my four 8N Fords? I could probably make money on the one I got back in '94 for $1,000 with FEL ; the others not so great an investment. I'm gradually coming to accept the idea that not everything goes up in value, regardless of how neat or cool or cute or historic it is.
 

I sold off my Dad s ham radio gear (1940s-1970s) last year and was practically giving it away at the end. Only one buyer was under 50, most were late 60s or older.
 
Sadly, YT and a few others have the same problem as I stated. I do not have the time to visit more than a few.
 
(quoted from post at 10:43:39 09/02/19) I use to post a question and within 15 minutes had a solid kind answer. As some have died off, that has REALLY changed. Most times I have not even gotten an answer.

i remember seeing that happen to u recently, mike :(

i wish i could have offered something there, but sadly, my hydraulic cover has the words HERE BE MONSTERS on it.
 

It can all be blamed on Super Mario (nintendo ) who in the ell would go outside and play/work on a old tractor when you can play video games all day...

For the last 10 years every tractor but one I have worked on belongs to a person that's 50 years old and up most are retired with noting else to do and want to drive that tractor... Most have some kind of sentimental value and none of them are worth what they pay me to repair it...

Even if you have the cash to pay for it to be repaired the list of mechanics that can repair them is getting thin... Its not that mechanics have got drummer its just not where the moneys at...

I don't need fill in work nor does anyone else that can get top dollar for there time... Its a hobby for me like any other hobby another hobby will win the old one over...

Its a hand full here that I learn from that's the only reason I hang around its not for the glory...
 
There's a nice '51 8N on [u:8a74bb7562]Bring A Trailer[/u:8a74bb7562] right now with no reserve bidding at $4,800 (auction ends in 12 hours as of this writing). It's apparently one that was rebuilt by the company from Indiana.

I'd be tickled to get half that in our part of the country!

es
 
(quoted from post at 20:15:58 09/03/19) There's a nice '51 8N on [u:3eb090d7f5]Bring A Trailer[/u:3eb090d7f5] right now with no reserve bidding at $4,800 (auction ends in 12 hours as of this writing). It's apparently one that was rebuilt by the company from Indiana.

I'd be tickled to get half that in our part of the country!es

It sold for $4,800.
 
(quoted from post at 21:28:58 09/05/19)
(quoted from post at 20:15:58 09/03/19) There's a nice '51 8N on [u:ec4975c555]Bring A Trailer[/u:ec4975c555] right now with no reserve bidding at $4,800 (auction ends in 12 hours as of this writing). It's apparently one that was rebuilt by the company from Indiana.

I'd be tickled to get half that in our part of the country!es

It sold for $4,800.
b:ec4975c555][i:ec4975c555]

I know where there is a really good runnin' 2N, with three good implements to go with it!!!
$2900.00, OBO.........can't even get a call on it!!!
No One wants an old tractor around here, to plow snow with!!!???
They would rather pay $40.00, to someone to come plow them out every time it snows.
The Days, Months, years....have passed me by!!!

Gary :twisted: [/i:ec4975c555][/b:ec4975c555]
 
(quoted from post at 19:04:47 08/30/19) Interesting, Lynn.

I still have the Mahogany Atwater Kent set with morning glory speaker that my Grand Parents used to listen to Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s.

I still work on old tube radios, 8N tractors and windmills. Richard
 
(quoted from post at 17:59:18 09/08/19)
(quoted from post at 19:04:47 08/30/19) Interesting, Lynn.

I still have the Mahogany Atwater Kent set with morning glory speaker that my Grand Parents used to listen to Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s.

I still work on old tube radios, 8N tractors and windmills. Richard

I've had an 8N for over ten years and it's still a workhorse.
 
Less traffic is partly due to dilution, or more outlets avail. I know the N board, and this. But there's surely something on facebook, and also likely other outlets.

As mentioned, the tractor contingent are aging out, and also passing more each year. I can't find anyone around here to work on an old tractor.

I would never have imagined what utility I would get out of my free 8N. Even last weekend, I was tearing out fence, and rather than dig out the old concrete slugs, I just tossed a chain around them, and yanked it out with the tractor. Haul it over to the junk pile, and drop it then go back for another. In 100F heat, I was able to get 13 dead posts out in about 90 min. Now I'm looking at a heavy brush section of the lake house, and I'm going to connect the brush hog and set it on high, then take after it.
 
To answer UD question I chalk it up to about three reasons:

1. Attrition of members on the site. The old fellows such as Dunk, Dell, Zane, et. al. have gone on before us.

2. Persons like myself who have 8ns have gotten them fixed, and my need for advice has largely passed. Additionally, I don't use them like I did a decade ago. (Maybe I should frequent this site more, but I don't have time in life to follow and reply to threads like I did a decade ago.)

3. Nostalgia for older machines that daddy or maybe grandpa had would now be found in the tractor of the 1960-1980 time period. And to be perfectly honest, those blue Fords or green Deeres or whatever color they are, are better tractors than the 8n. (I still mow predominantly with my 8n, but it is underpowered compared to the diesels. And the live pto, hydraulics are clearly an improvement.)

I still love my little red bellys, but it is likely the passage of an era we are witnessing.
 
Well, that's not fair! I grew up playing nintendo (and still have one)! That NEVER stopped me from going outside and/or working on stuff, just like I like working and using my 8N. As a kid playing video games was more of a winter thing. Even then, I was out in the snow whenever there was any.
Could be some kids these days are stuck on the games, but it's their parent's fault. They probably bought them the games and let them just do their thing. Too busy to spend time with them.....

It's really the proliferation of technology being heralded as "better than what you have now" from the government, tv, etc.
Simply, "why have a garden when you can just buy it in the store".
Why work on an old car (or tractor) when the tv says just buy a new one for the low price of yadda yadda.
 

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