1948 Ford 8n with Bush Hog

Satohbill · Feb 18, 2020

Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems? And yes I have the overrun clutch.

zuhnc · Feb 18, 2020

(quoted from post at 14:00:45 02/18/20) Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems? And yes I have the overrun clutch.

I run a 5' Bush Hog (tm) mower on my '51 8N with no issues. Mows 1" brush easily. zuhnc

Den N Ms · Feb 18, 2020

Satohbill,Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems?
What sort of problems are you having with it?
A good running 8N will pull a 5 foot rotary cutter just fine.

Jim in Western MI · Feb 18, 2020

Last Fall, I pushed my 8N a bit bushhogging two overgrown pastures in Michigan; they hadn't been cut in about five years. There were lots of briars, grapevines, weeds, and scrub trees up to 3" diameter mixed in: oaks, maples, and some hickory, and some others I've not yet learned to identify in this new region. It was a noisy operation and I didn't push it on speed. Took two passes on some area, but it did a great job. I plan to do it again next Fall, and the following Spring I think I will be able to disc it for alfalfa and clover and a little chufa.

Colin King · Feb 18, 2020

Absolutely! Cutting woody annual vegetation can be done in 3rd gear depending on terrain. 2nd or 1st gear works best for brush.

Caryc · Feb 18, 2020

(quoted from post at 12:00:45 02/18/20) Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems? And yes I have the overrun clutch.

My 8N is my dedicated brush mowing tractor. The five foot Woods M5 mower stays on it all the time.

R Geiger · Feb 18, 2020

Jus t becasue it is a5 foot one does not mean you have to take a full five foot cut, if it sound like it is bogging down just move over and take less of a cut.

Biffer5 · Feb 18, 2020

I had one on my 48 8n for a few years with no problems. Like you say, just have to have that overrun clutch.

John in Mich · Feb 18, 2020

Ran a Ford 5' Bush Hog on my '51 8N for 43 years. Just be careful.

reomack · Feb 19, 2020

For several years I ran a 5' cutter with no issues with my 48 8N. Then I had an issue that kept me from working the property for 4 years. When I tried to clear the growth it did ok until I ran into a large patch of blackberry brambles at which point I promptly fried the clutch. So be very careful when the going gets really thick. "That is unless you really like to split tractors to replace clutches.

Richard G. · Feb 19, 2020

The 52 8N I have that has been in the family since new has been pulling 5 foot brush hogs all its life.
Anything from pastures to briars to heavy brush.
It wore out 2 brush hogs and is about to start on new one this year.
Richard in NW SC

Tim PloughNman Daley RIP · Feb 19, 2020

All 9N, 2N, and 8Ns are the same as far as HP goes so model year is irrelevant. The 9N and 2N do not have Position Control so may want to add a Zane Thang or attach limiter chains on it. An ORC is a good safety feature and I use Stabilizer Bars on my mowers. A 5' Brush Hog is the standard on an N and work just fine. The trick with any hog or mower is you can't take a big bite or it will bog down. Standard mowing speed is in 2nd gear, 2/3 throttle with a 6" or lower height. I need to learn to take two pass? and raise the height up on the first pass. 1st gear can help but ground speed will impact fuel consumption and add additional time so it's trade off between two passes or gear reduction. Stabilizer Bars will control side to side swaying (Note: These are NOT the stay bars)and prevent scalloping on turns. One bar can work but I prefer both sides.

FORD 8N TRACTOR w/WOODS 660 FINISH MOWER & STABILIZER BAR SETUP:

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

Caryc · Feb 19, 2020

(quoted from post at 12:00:45 02/18/20) Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems? And yes I have the overrun clutch.

My 8N has position control which of course your's does too. But I use limiter chains on my mower. That way I can put the quadrant lever all the way down and let the chains do all the work.

Why have the position control working when it doesn't have to? I also have stabilizer bars on it. I use one flat bar and one adjustable bar. An implement is so much easier to hook up that way. You hook up the flat bar first then adjust the other one where it needs to be to easily go on the mower pin. You can then use the adjustable bar again to center your mower to your tractor.

JK-NY · Feb 19, 2020

As mentioned a good running 8n should handle a 5? brush
hog just fine. Good to use over running clutch on pto. Another
tip is to set your brush hog so the front of the deck is slightly
lower than the back. This prevents cutting the same stuff
twice.

Eman85 · Feb 20, 2020

(quoted from post at 12:00:45 02/18/20) Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems? And yes I have the overrun clutch.

The only problem is you don't have live hydraulics. You can't raise the cutter unless you have the PTO engaged. There are times where you might have to shut the tractor, get off, take the PTO shaft off, then start the tractor and raise the lift. Doesn't need to be done often but it does happen.

zuhnc · Feb 20, 2020

I step on the brakes, put it in neutral, let the clutch out, raise the mower, and then shift into what ever gear I want. Haven't needed to disconnect the PTO deliberately, yet. It has become disconnected on its own a couple of times. That was before I replaced the completely worn-out and twisted ORC and QD coupling half. zuhnc

Tim PloughNman Daley RIP · Feb 21, 2020

I'd also recommend getting a brush cutter that has the Stump-Jumper feature. Not all brands do. If a hidden object is obstructed, it will flip out of the way and not damage the blade. However, never just plunge into a field of tall overgrown grass that hasn't been mowed or plowed in years -you never know what may be hidden. Walk the area first to locate any hidden stumps, logs, rocks, boulders, car parts, stoves, refrigerators, or Jimmy Hoffa. ; > )

FORD 60? ROTARY CUTTER aka ?BUSH HOG?:

FWIW & FYI: The term ?BUSH HOG? is a brand name and used nowadays to describe any rotary cutter, aka a ?BRUSH HOG?.

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

Caryc · Feb 21, 2020

My 8N came with a roll over box blade and a Woods M5 rotary mower. I mowed brush for 3 or 4 years before I discovered that I could buy a stump jumper for it from Messicks. Below is a pic before I installed it. It's a lot heavier than it looks. I like it's style because I can still remove the blades for sharpening without removing the stump jumper.

JerryCPP(WA) · Feb 21, 2020

That is the exact mower my dad bought new for our '50 8N, and I still use. Our Ford dealer made it into an offset so we could use in our apple orchard. The 8N never had a problem turning it, even in waist-high alfalfa or tree prunings up to about 1 1/2" diameter. The 8N has a Howard transmission, which I use when the going gets real rough. I've had to replace the bearings and seals twice, the crazy wheel, and the blades and blade bushings several times. An over-running clutch is a must; several flat young apple trees finally convinced my dad of that. Thank you for the advertisement - I always wondered what year it came here, and now I know why the 8N still has the front wheel weights.

larry@stinescorner · Feb 21, 2020

yes it will!

zuhnc · Feb 22, 2020

"Bush Hog" (tm) is still a trademarked name, and shouldn't be used as a generic descriptor for a rotary mower. But, all of us (me included) still want a "Kleenex" (tm) instead of a tissue. And so it goes :lol: . zuhnc

samll · Nov 16, 2020

(quoted from post at 10:32:19 02/20/20)

(quoted from post at 12:00:45 02/18/20) Will my Ford 8n pull a 5 ft rotary cutter or bush hog with problems? And yes I have the overrun clutch.

Click to expand...

The only problem is you don't have live hydraulics. You can't raise the cutter unless you have the PTO engaged. There are times where you might have to shut the tractor, get off, take the PTO shaft off, then start the tractor and raise the lift. Doesn't need to be done often but it does happen.

Unfortunately this happens more often that you think

1948 Ford 8n with Bush Hog

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