Glad to be here

I am purchasing my first tractor today. It is a Ford 8N. I am very excited to get started on the restoration and using it on the farm. I will be the second owner since it was purchased new in 1950 and I am getting it from the original owners family. This has a been a long time coming and I was blessed to have this opportunity present itself. I look forward to being a part of this forum. There are lots of great posts and ideas. Thank you for letting me be a part. Have a great day.

Welcome to this extended family. My brother has an 8N and it gets used. Jim

Welcome! This group has kept my fleet of
Fords and Farmall Cubs running and
working for years.

Welcome. Their is a forum down the page a ways that is dedicated to Ford
tractors and another for the N series Ford's FYI. But many of us visit
multiple forums here. I'm an IH guy and have learned a lot and have
really enjoyed this site. They sell parts here also which is nice.
Explore this site and look at the serial number list to find out what
year your new tractor was made. Sometimes that makes a difference.
Since it sounds like your new to tractors be very careful, they can be
dangerous. Many of us can tell of bad experiences. I'm 64 years and
could tell you of two of them myself.
Dave

My 52 8N has been in the family since new.
Use it all the time and work it hard sometimes.
If you are going to brush hog with it, get an ORC for the pto.
About to go out now and mow about 2 acres with mine and the finish mower.
Richard in NW SC

Welcome and enjoy your new purchase! Lots of friendly advice here.
Ben

Welcome,and congrats. 8Ns unfairly get regularly cussed,for no good reason. They were the state of the art at the time. I was raised on an
8N. I was finally able to get a '52(just like dads) a couple of years ago.I use it frequently,as handy as a shirt pocket.Go down to the 8N
forum. Lots of knowledge there.Happy tractoring!

(quoted from post at 05:40:15 06/26/21) My 52 8N has been in the family since new.
Use it all the time and work it hard sometimes.
If you are going to brush hog with it, get an ORC for the pto.
About to go out now and mow about 2 acres with mine and the finish mower.
Richard in NW SC

Click to expand...

Maybe, since the original poster is new to tractors, you should explain what ORC means.

Welcome CTX1836!

I see you didn't come seeking advise, but I'll give you some anyway! LOL

The first and most valuable purchase you can make are some manuals. Service, parts, owners,
whatever you can find. They are available here and used ones on Ebay. Read them, study them, put
yourself back in the day. They will more than pay for themselves in mistakes not made!

Then, if the tractor still runs, or you can make it run, before tearing it apart, take it for a
ride, better yet put it to work. Put it through the motions, get a note pad and write down every
problem, every leak, every unusual sound. Get a good evaluation before you start. Nothing worse
than getting it all back together and having to go back in because a new unnoticed problem popped
up.

And, being this is your first endeavor into tractors, you may want to do more of a practical repair
than diving into a full restoration. Full restoration is best left for the seasoned hobbyist. It is
very involved, time consuming, and expensive. If you start out just doing what it really needs to
be a practical, dependable, and still useful without being afraid to get it dirty, it will be a
much more rewarding project. You may even decide to keep it as original as possible, especially if
the paint is still good. They are only original once! Sadly too many old tractors get fully
disassembled, the project becomes overwhelming, too expensive, or just gets put too far on the back
burner to ever be completed.

Keep us informed, take lots of before, during, and after pictures. Don't be afraid to ask
questions, we want to help you and help keep another one out of the scrap yard!

Welcome!

A lot of good advice has already been given. I will echo some of it.

First of all, as mentioned, get yourself an owner's manual and whatever other manuals you can find. Read and study them and get familiar with your tractor.

Second, if it's currently running, just drive it and use it for a while before doing any major work on it. Get familiar with it and determine what needs to be fixed and what does not. Then fix one small thing at a time, don't tear the whole thing all apart at once. It's easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged and never get it back together again. Don't ask me how I know this!

Third, as also mentioned, visit the 8N forum down below, as well as this one. Lots of expert advice to be had here.

Good luck with your new tractor, and keep us posted on your progress. I grew up on an 8N. It was one of the first tractors I learned to drive on. They are a fun little tractor. I have another one now.

After you've posted here 5 or 6 times you will be able to post pictures. We'd love to see pictures of your tractor!

ORC is over running clutch.
Kind of surprised you did not explain that.
If you don't have one it is direct connection to the power take off.
Will push the tractor even if clutch is in. DOUG

Welcome aboard. A lot of good people hang out here that are more than willing to help you. A few a$$ holes that have nothing better to do
than try to stir up something, cause trouble, and say things they would never (hopefully) say to your face. Be ready to sift thru it all,
take the good, return the help when you can, and ignore the rest.