Good Morning, I am new to this forum and I have a question about a good buy? I am looking at purchasing a 1948 8N tractor with a back plow and a front bucket. It has been switched over to a 12v system. THe question I have is it worth the $2500. and How easy is it to find a Mower deck for it? Thank you Greg
- Thread starter Fixatruck
- Start date
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
Kinda hard to say on the value as we don't know anything about how well it runs or the condition of the tires. Tires are expensive and therefore important on establishing a value.
That said, if all is good then the price is not out of line for what I see those tractors sell for in these parts.
There, I answered your question - as best I could - now let me give you some unsolicited advice.
The Ford N Series are fun small tractors and will still do a lot of useful work for you. On a small scale of course. Plowing, discing, mowing, grading, etc. Lots of them still in use for gardens, deer plots, lawn grooming and the like.
They are nimble little things that will put power into small spaces.
But they don't make real good loader tractors.
No power steering is a big drawback and a loader makes an unwieldy behemoth out of one. The do fine with implements on the back but not the front.
Another thing I will suggest is don't go "restoring" the darned thing. Lets say you buy it for $2500. You could easily spend another $3K on it - rebuilding the engine, paint, tires, etc and when you're done will have a tractor that's still only worth about $2500.
If you have $5500 to blow on a tractor you would be much wiser and more satisfied buying a newer tractor to begin with. Something like a Ford 3000 could be had with a better loader and likewise would have live hydraulics, and might have more gears, Live PTO, power steering, differential lock, and other significant upgrades and refinements. It would also have 50% more hp than an N and more hp is almost always better.
That said, if all is good then the price is not out of line for what I see those tractors sell for in these parts.
There, I answered your question - as best I could - now let me give you some unsolicited advice.
The Ford N Series are fun small tractors and will still do a lot of useful work for you. On a small scale of course. Plowing, discing, mowing, grading, etc. Lots of them still in use for gardens, deer plots, lawn grooming and the like.
They are nimble little things that will put power into small spaces.
But they don't make real good loader tractors.
No power steering is a big drawback and a loader makes an unwieldy behemoth out of one. The do fine with implements on the back but not the front.
Another thing I will suggest is don't go "restoring" the darned thing. Lets say you buy it for $2500. You could easily spend another $3K on it - rebuilding the engine, paint, tires, etc and when you're done will have a tractor that's still only worth about $2500.
If you have $5500 to blow on a tractor you would be much wiser and more satisfied buying a newer tractor to begin with. Something like a Ford 3000 could be had with a better loader and likewise would have live hydraulics, and might have more gears, Live PTO, power steering, differential lock, and other significant upgrades and refinements. It would also have 50% more hp than an N and more hp is almost always better.
Way over priced IMO. Look around for a more modern tractor with live PTO, live hydraulics, power steering, a hydraulic bucket and not a trip bucket. The N series are a dime a dozen. Nice little raking tractors, or for pulling a wagon around a 2.3 "farmette", but you can get a lot more tractor for that money any day of the week.
Tires, rears, as mentioned above, are a huge factor in tractor pricing these days.
Dan in North Houston
Member
You can put a mower deck under it, but they are not real common. You could probably find one if you hunt hard, but the real problem might be finding all of the brackets and pulleys that you would need.
grandpa Love
Well-known Member
Pictures always help when asking value. Maybe a little high priced...but in great shape ready to use I would consider it
A 3000 would be a good tractor IF one could be found, they are almost nonexisting. In my 73 years think I might have seen one at a show sometime but never any on a farm or for sale. In that age Ford all you will find are the larger 4000 or 5000 models. I know of only one of the blue 2000 and it will never be for sale.
Just gotta ask, what are you going to get with a blade and loader with a better tractor for 2500? Heck here, and location matters, what you are going to get for 2500 is an 8N. Less money will get something like a Farmall H or M, AC WD or WD45, Case SC but what are you going to do with that? No 3 point, difficult to find usable implements for. Here a bare 8N is about 1500 in OK condition. Restored with new tires about 2500. With some implements a little more. No I complete agree with UD's assessment. 3500 or so will get a better tractor in the utility class. Most people looking for just a couple of acres are not going to want a Farmall 450 or 706.
For the OP. Yea, get a better tractor if you can. If you are in the utility market most are equipped with a 3 point and rear PTO. Rear mount finish, rough cut a brush mowers are available new and used. Almost any implement is easy to find both new and used too, like a plow or disk for food plots or a garden. Most work well if match to PTO or drawbar HP output. If you want or need a loader power steering will make it actually useable. Plus newer tractors should have better hydraulics. Do a little research before you buy anything to make sure parts are available!
Rick
That is a common asking price. When you feel like selling it again you can ask about the same, so you should do ok.
Actually $1500 would be a more honest price. The N series was a very popular machine 60-70 years ago, and so many were made that people have fond memories of grandpa and his new, fancy tractor, the Ford N.
But over the decades, tractors have a lot better and safer features. Today the N tractors are quite limited compared to tractors from the 1950s-70s, with few gear speeds to pick from, no live hydraulics or pto, and so forth.
They sell for a high price because of fond memories; once you actually use a Ford N for a while, you learn its actually quite backwards in today's world and not worth what they sell for......
So, how do we answer your question?
As a collector item with fond memories of grandpa using one, $2500 isn't to bad a price.
As a useful machine, you can find a lot better machines with live pto and hydraulics for the same $2500, making that N a little overpriced for actual use.
Paul
Actually $1500 would be a more honest price. The N series was a very popular machine 60-70 years ago, and so many were made that people have fond memories of grandpa and his new, fancy tractor, the Ford N.
But over the decades, tractors have a lot better and safer features. Today the N tractors are quite limited compared to tractors from the 1950s-70s, with few gear speeds to pick from, no live hydraulics or pto, and so forth.
They sell for a high price because of fond memories; once you actually use a Ford N for a while, you learn its actually quite backwards in today's world and not worth what they sell for......
So, how do we answer your question?
As a collector item with fond memories of grandpa using one, $2500 isn't to bad a price.
As a useful machine, you can find a lot better machines with live pto and hydraulics for the same $2500, making that N a little overpriced for actual use.
Paul
SmokeEater2
Member
We had an 8N when I was a kid that mostly got used like a 4 wheeler for transportation or for pulling wagons and spreaders etc.
It worked great for those purposes but everything else was done by a Ford Jubilee, A Farmall Super M and a Ford 2000.
I think the 8N is one of the neatest looking little tractors ever built but I sure wouldn't want to have to use one for any halfway serious work and I sure as heck wouldn't want a loader on one.
There are much better tractors out there in that price range.
Buying a 9n... 1939 tractor for $2500 when you could buy a 1965 tractor for $3000... One is a 3 speed flat head model T engine. The other is an 8 speed hd, high torque industrial tractor engine. One has transmission pto and transmission hydraulics, meaning that the clutch HAS to be out to use the hydraulics or pto, and everytime you push the clutch in, your lift, pto, and loader are dead and will not move. Then newer has live hydraulics, high flow hydraulics, can have live pto, can have power steering. the 9n 1st gear is way too fast to do loader work, the newer one will have at least two gears that are slower. I can go on, on , and on... After 65, all improvements are minor and progressive. After 96 all improvements are emissions and not necessarily good.
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
If I where you I would walk or maybe run away form that. Front mount distributor is a pain in the back sides. Plus the coils are known to be a trouble spot. For that price you should be able to find a 601/801 series tractor which is by far better and they have live hyds and some live PTO which is a very big plus and the cost for one set up like that 8N would be maybe $500 if even then
RandyB(MI)
Well-known Member
I just bought a nice little (?)1973 MF 175 Perkins gas w/70% rubber and factory ROPS for $ 2700...$ 400 to get it here from MO. so $ 3100 to my door. Few and far between but if time to shop , one can find them.
rossow (mn)
Member
I have four 8Ns and love them, but if you hanged me for thinking I could get my money back if I were to sell them, you'd be hanging an innocent man. Yet they're so darned cute, and for smaller jobs such as grading a gravel drive, pulling heavy things like old cars, using a spike harrow on the garden, brush-hogging and belly mowing, hauling firewood and brush trailers, etc., they work OK for me. And you'll have a hard time finding another tractor that old that has so many replacement parts available at manageable prices. Nevertheless, I agree with others that power can be a bit short, loaders can be cumbersome (I have two that haven't been mounted for years), and lack of live PTO can be a PITA. Get your brush hog hung up on a gopher mound without live PTO and you'll see what I mean. (And as far as cute, heck, so is my Farmall Cub, but it can't even do half what the 8Ns do. Aesthetics don't always equal performance.) I've been watching for a more modern tractor for several years, but in my area I haven't turned up anything I consider reasonably priced that hasn't been beat to he11. And although you can sink a lot of money into repairs on an N series Ford, that ain't nothin' compared with the repair bill for some of the newer auto-tranny tractors that can't so easily be fixed at home. Life often involves trade-offs and compromise. Bottom line: Newer can be better if the price is right.
Thank you all for your input. I am still looking, I have just purchased a small 12 acre farm in Northern Minnesota, Mostly looking for a good reliable tractor for mowing and a little plowing and tilling. and maybe a little snow plowing. I will keep my eye out for a little bit newer tractor. Thanks again for all the input.
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
A guy I know - used to be my neighbor but
moved up to Bemiji (Brrrmiji
has a pretty
fair Ford 650 he would sell. I found it for
him about 6 years ago and recommended it
then. He's not using it anymore and would
let it go at a reasonable price. No loader
but it does come with a back blade, rear
scoop and a boom pole. A 650 is a couple of
models newer than an 8N and is substantially
more tractor. If you click on the send email
link below this post I could put you in
touch with him.
moved up to Bemiji (Brrrmiji
has a pretty fair Ford 650 he would sell. I found it for
him about 6 years ago and recommended it
then. He's not using it anymore and would
let it go at a reasonable price. No loader
but it does come with a back blade, rear
scoop and a boom pole. A 650 is a couple of
models newer than an 8N and is substantially
more tractor. If you click on the send email
link below this post I could put you in
touch with him.
Lots of good advice on here. I would just add that when buying any tractor, especially one from 1948, you need to drive it to make sure it starts and runs OK. Check for leaks. Check out the clutch, brakes, and the lift. Make sure the tires are good because 4 new ones will be very expensive. As others have suggested, since you are going to use a loader and a mower, I think you would be a lot happier with a later model that has live PTO, live lift, and power steering. My advice on the mower would be to get a 3 point hitch model. Last thing, I totally agree with what was said about changing the points. That is a real pain.
MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
$2500 sounds reasonable for an 8N with a loader in reasonable condition. I'm not a big fan of N-series Fords, but the 8N is the best of the lot. It does not have live hydraulics, hopefully this one has an engine-driven pump for the loader.
You'll have better luck finding a three-point mounted mower than a belly mower. Note that the 8N isn't powerful enough to handle heavy mowing.
Whether or not an 8N will meet your needs depends on what you intend to use it for. If you decide later on you need more tractor, you won't have much trouble selling the 8N; they're quite popular.
You'll have better luck finding a three-point mounted mower than a belly mower. Note that the 8N isn't powerful enough to handle heavy mowing.
Whether or not an 8N will meet your needs depends on what you intend to use it for. If you decide later on you need more tractor, you won't have much trouble selling the 8N; they're quite popular.
I've seen everything from MF50's to DB990s to IHC 444 or similar utility models in working clothes for that price area. Tire condition is going to be a big factor. N series here tend to start around $800. and go up. Bit since you talk about other brands, I've seen AC WD's with hydraulic loaders and 3 pt conversions go in the $2k range, Cases with Eagle hitches that will work with many standard 3 pts, IHCs with 3 pt kits, etc. And there's another side to the issue- what good is a trip bucket N series with a worn pump and no power steering? Getting a non-power, non-live hydraulics loader tractor is really kind of wasting money. If it's real cheap, yeah, but otherwise you'll end up kicking yourself later.
A N series was made to be cheap, sell cheap and replace a horse. Not much has changed IMO.
Might be in other areas of the country, not mine. If a person wanted that size tractor he probaly already had an older unit and did not spend the money to trade. If he wanted a new tractor then he went to a larger model and kept his older one if he still wanted that size tractor.
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