52 8N

I just found this web site and believe it will be an excellent resource. Today I found a '52 8N with a 5' brush hog for sale here in North Texas for $1500. It runs fair, but looks poor. Paint is shot with some surface rust. Engine appears to leak a little from front seal. Still has 6 volt battery and generator. Left rear tire is cracked and dry rotted, right rear looks better but has a slow leak. Front wheels have 12 holes (attached with 6 lugs) and the front tires look like Jeep tires?

I am an old car buff, but don't know much about tractors. I recently bought a ten acre homestead and was thinking an 8N would be good to keep the weeds down and for hobby farming.

Is $1500 a good price for a "fixer upper" that runs including an old brush hog? When I go back tomorrow to look at it again and possible purchase, what all should I look for when I check it out better?

Thanks in advance for your help.

jetson

Didn�t see any leaks around the brakes. Are the brakes similar to a car, in that I could go through the system with new linings, rebuilt wheel cylinders & master cylinder? (can you tell I�m treading on new ground?)

The owner says he bought a bigger tractor because this 8N doesn't have enough power and bogs down in tall grass (3 or 4 feet) and on other jobs. I have a compression tester, but if this is a tractor is a good deal, I think I would not bother doing a compression test and just plan on doing sleeves, pistons, rings, bearings, valves, etc. this winter (next to my wife, I like old engines!) 8^)

Another possibility is buying a dead tractor and doing a total restoration. I might come out with a piece of equipment that I know inside and out for the same or a little more money. I have a 32 Ford sedan and have done a couple of old car �frame off� restorations, so I handle it once I familiarize myself with 8N mechanicals. A couple miles from me is an 8N that has been sitting for a long while (field storage).

Would it be realistic to find a dead 8N for about $500 and plan on an engine overhaul, boil out the gas tank and radiator, sandblast and paint, update wiring and charging, and end up with a fresh running tractor for about $3,000 with me doing all the labor? This assumes 8N transmissions and rear ends usually don�t need major R&R. Am I living in a world of make believe?

Thanks for your advice, O keepers of the 8N flame.

jetson

I can't give any feedback on the price. Mine was thrown in when I bought my place.

But an 8N is plenty of tractor for 10 acres. They lack live hydraulics, power, and weight, but the hydraulics thing is nothing more than an annoying inconvenience at times. The power and weight really are enough. My 2N has less power (especially since it hasn't had a rebuild in 35 years and needs one) than an 8N, but it's almost always enough for anything I want to do. More power can be just a matter of a simple rebuild. And weight is very easy to come by.

I mow about 6-7 acres of fields when they get about 3 feet tall. More than enough power to mow them at full throttle in 2nd gear, although it does have trouble with the extra-lush grass over the septic drain field.

If that 8N can't handle 3-4 feet, I'd guess it needs a rebuild. It should be able to do anything my 2N does and then some.

Personally, if it were me, I'd just go ahead and buy it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with trying to get it as cheaply as you can. I don't know their real value, but if I didn't have my 2N suddenly, I'd spend $1500 in a heartbeat for one. It's a valued companion you'll have for a very long time.

BTW, the brush hog dropping after 5-10 seconds is pretty bad. But tolerable until you can rebuild it. As long as it can lift plenty of weight when it's running, it's functional.

Up here in pacific northwest puget sound, $1500 for any running N-tractor is a good place to start. Junky brush-hogs $250. 600 - 800 series Fords (late 50's mid 60's) about $4000 - 5000, and the're not as common as N-tractors.

If it is not a total rustbucket, and you are seriously interested, even though it has "flaws", I would offer $1200 because it has "rotted rear tires that cost $200 each" and you are taking a risk...etc... You already know what his selling price is, but it never "hurts" to start low and be willing to come up to his price, if you really want it.

Neat thing about N-tractors, the're cute, parts are readily available and relative enexpensive. As I tell my wife, it keeps me off the streets, out of the bars and away from wild women.

Good Luck on your decision..... ..Dell

Nolan
Who refuses to contemplate growning old gracefully, and plans to be an embarasement to his family.

Plan on rebuilding it from the ground up. There are many sites with step by step restoration photos etc. created by guys on this forum.

If you don't want to do a complete restoration it would be cheaper to buy an 8n in great shape for $2500-$3000 bucks. Don't buy one without a Sherman high/low transmission. I think an 8n without one is practically useless with its stock high gearing.

Good luck on your decision.