New 2N owner, new to the whole lifestyle really.

Westgadad

New User
Hello, I'm Micah and recently purchased a small (5.5 acre) property for my family to grow on. My wife and I have a 7yo daughter and really wanted to get her out of the "bad" side of town we've lived in for the past 10+ years. So here we are, even further west from Atlanta and loving it.

We've never farmed, never raised farm animals, etc etc. However we're extremely outdoors orientated, extremely hard workers, and extremely self reliant as much as we can be. The property came with 3 horses, although they are/were fairly malnourished. Good news is they're on the mend and looking better every day it seems. Planning on some chickens and maybe a couple hogs as well.

In the process of all this, I managed to break my C2 vertebrae, right thumb, and left leg at the knee joint in a motorcycle accident. Great timing right?!?

Well God provides! Come to find out our new neighbors are a older retired couple and just as nice as can be. Low and behold the day before I was supposed to go haggle at the JD dealership, the husband makes me a ridiculous good deal to buy his 9N (later discovered it's a 2N #151,+++). So anyhow, researching it has brought me to y'all.

I've been lurking and reading for a few weeks now and decided to go ahead and join up. You guys are a wealth of knowledge, and have already helped me avoid potential disaster (rear towing turnover risk I would have never considered).

The tractor will mainly be used for scraping manure and leveling the paddock. Also toting round bales on a sled. Possibly some rotary cutting if I find a deal on one, even included a overrunning PTO shaft with the tractor. Its in surprisingly good condition to be as old as it is. Also has a Sherman unit, however I'm still putting around in standard gear for now. Typical wet brakes on the right side still need to be addressed. 6v system that's working great so I'm going to leave well enough alone until it changes my mind for me. 4ft box blade and a three point draw bar were included too.

I guess I'm rambling at this point, but thank y'all for the info that's already out there, and I look forward to learning more as we go!
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Simple tractors to work on and great for teaching basic mechanical skills. Most everything can be done with basic tools and knowledge. My two boys help me with my old Ford all the time and love working on it. While a newer tractor will run circles around it with the ergonomics advancements of the last 70 years, the old Fords just "look right". They also come with more knowledge base than any new tractor... Anything that can break has been fixed by someone here. Congrats on the "new" tractor.
 

Thanks for the congratulations! I forgot to mention in the first post that I'm a steel industry maintenance mechanic by trade. Mostly AC and DC electrical systems, hydraulic, pneumatic, and the whole gambit of mechanical systems. I guess that's another part of the draw for me towards this tractor. There's something special about anything made during the era of men being men and common sense being valued. I do agree, the modern stuff is nice, but it almost has no soul. If that makes sense.
 
An N is a good hobby but it's got a lot of limitations for a working tractor. You can get a lot more hurt on a tractor than a motorcycle too. If it's got a brake pedal on each side you'll need to grow another leg.
 
"If it's got a brake pedal on each side you'll need to grow another leg."

No you don't, you just need to get the operator's manual and
adjust the clutch and brake pedals so they work as they were
intended. Clutch part way down disengages the clutch, all the
way down also applies the brake. Simple mechanical linkage.

WestGaDad, welcome to the forum and good luck with your endeavor!
If you don't have the operator's manual, it is well worth the price.
They're available for free download. All 111 pages.
The I&T FO-4 manual is a pretty good shop manual too.
But there is a lot of information in that operator's manual.
It was written when operators were more than just "drivers".

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Welcome to the forum Micha, lots of good information here, and
there willing to help you, you might want to check out BruceVA 75
tips, lots of information there to, have fun and always be careful.
 
Congrats on the move and the new tractor!

Look at the positive side of the injuries: you now have plenty of time to buy and read the manuals: see tip # 39.

I did the same thing you did 20 years ago next month: moved out of town & got my first 8N. Got 4 8N's, a 740 & M-F now, so be careful because they can get addicting.
75 Tips
 
Bruce, didn't know you have an MF. I have an early 8N mutt (sidemount engine) and just recently bought a 1974 UK MF 135 diesel. Which model do you have? :?:
 
Welcome to the forum. West of Atlanta is
getting close to us. We are in Talladega
co AL. What town do you live in? I
worked in Villa Rica GA years ago.
 
Those are tough old tractors. Got a 52 8N here that has been in the family since new.
Gets used all the time.
Drive it around a bunch and get used to it.
Richard in NW SC, about 2 hours up I85 from you
 
Welcome Westgadad to the "YT" group....

I to recently purchased a Ford 2-N.....

The best advice I was given was to start locating and procuring manuals/literature...and READ the literature...



Bob. Owner of various colored Tractors....
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Welcome to the board. You will find the folks here to be super helpful and equally knowledgeable.

The 2N should be great for your tasks and you will grow to love it. I just sold mine a couple of weeks ago and the guys that came to look at it really couldn't believe how well a 72 year old machine could run.

Don't hesitate to ask any questions and as Bruce said get yourself a manual.
 
Sir, Best of luck with your injury recovery.
These tractors can be lot of work but also a lot of
fun. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.
The guys on this site can fix anything except a
broken heart and the break of day. All here have
knowledge and a bit of genius when it comes to operating,
maintaining and repairs. As Grandpa said "learning from
others can be a blessing"
Good luck, gajack
 

Welcome Micah! One of my grandsons is named Micah and the other is Nehemiah. I suggest that you cut down on the number of horses. Three on a parcel that size is a high stocking rate.
 
Congratulations on the move and the great find!

If you scroll down, you see photos of our farm and 8N and 961D working tractors. They are our only tractor power on a working 60 acre family farm, and they both get used daily year round. The N is an incredibly versatile, efficient, and safe to operate IF you use common sense.

I'm biased against horses. I think they are dangerous for the inexperienced and very expensive to house. If you're interested in raising food for your family and giving your kids a rural experience, start with smaller livestock that your kids can interact with without supervision and also produce food, such as sheep, goats, chickens, and ducks. Then grow into the larger livestock as land and experience grows.

Colin, MN
 
My advice is stay put. I grew up with cattle and farming next door to my grandparents. I miss the lifestyle. Our permanent home is a boxed in .33 of an acre. Sounds like you made a good choice for your family.
 
Welcome.
N Fords are great, small tractors and
will do a lot of useful work for you.
Just don't restore it. For the price you
paid for it plus the cost of a
restoration you could own a newer
tractor like a Ford 600, 800 or 2000,
3000, 4000 which have way more features
and will do more work.
In a way, I think you're both under and
over horsed. Not enough hp on the N and
too many of the 4 legged kind.
I do like the idea of a hog or two
though. Those, unlike the horses, you
can eat.
My grand dad had a 5 1/2 acre field that
he rented to a cousin every year.
Cousin paid him a piglet and a jug of
whiskey for it.
Grampa raised a pig every year that I
can remember. He raised the jug a little
more often.
 
Welcome,,and keep posting,sure is nice to hear and best of luck to you and the entire family
I would like to put in my two cents,,,,
Think about giving the horses away,,they cost plenty to keep
 
Welcome and best of luck recovering from your injuries. I
hope you enjoy learning and operating your tractor and like
most of us here you will end up with another one before you
know it.(and another and another) just kidding. Best wishes to
you and your family .
 
You can get repair manuals and DVDs from this site as well as parts, YouTube can also be a help. If
you?re going to be using a rotary cutter be sure to install an overrunning clutch (ORC) on your PTO.
Good luck in your endeavors.
 
Best advice I can give. Sell the horses as soon as you can. They will eat you out of house & home. Chickens, pigs, cattle can be useful. Get well soon.
 
Thanks again y'all for the warm welcome.
Just today I managed to safely sled 2
round bales through 8" of mud and muck
uphill about 75yds. Doesn't sound like
much but man did it feel good getting
them up there before the rain set in
again. As for the horses, I agree, get
em gone. But for the wife and daughter
it's the whole reason we bought the
place. We're just a few miles east of
Villa Rica, little community called
Winston.
 
The best investment you can make for your N as a newbie is to get the essential manuals and read religiously if'N ya wanna be an N-tractor owner.


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TPD
 
A better animal for that would be rabbits. Easy cared for and very mild manered. Years ago I raised them and had bought a group of them from someone getting rid of all of them. Point here is the buck I got in that group they said was a bighter, when I got them home that one they said was dangerous was so nice and tame it would just set on my shoulder as I took care of them. Sheep are scared of their own shadow and will run away at sight of you. Checkings will try to peck you but a lot can be how they were raised. Goats and ducks I know nothing about. But a first small animal for childrun is a rabit. I have a 44 2N that Dad bought new in May of 1944 and a 41 9N. That 2N did all the heavy work on the farm for years.
 

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