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what tractor to pick for my first one

D

David Stallworth

New User
OK- Can someone point me in a right direction? I woul dlike to get a tractor to restore and use. I donr have a particluar name brand but I iike the Ford 8N and others like it. I dont know anything about tractors. Would you suggest things to consider and other points to help me make a decision?

THanks,
David
 
It depends on how much money you have and what you are going to use the tractor for. The Ford 8N is a classic and there are lots of them out there but might not have enough power or be able to run a big enough loader depending on what you want the tractor to do.
 
Well if you want one to work with and also make look good I would probably go with a 601 or 801 series. Both have live HYD. and some have live PTO which is a big plus. You can pick one of those up for just a little more money then an 8N and you would have a tractor that is a good bit better. Now if your dead set on an 8N get a later one with the side mount distributor which is also a good bit better when it comes to trouble shooting
Hobby farm
 
I would pick one that is easy to work on for your first one. I'm told that 8N's aren't all that easy to work on. Do you need a 3-point hitch? A Farmall C or Super C would be easy to work on, but no stock 3-point hitch.
 
I love these questions, very simple answer: a Massey-Ferguson 135 Diesel. Plenty of parts, proven Perkins engine, and good PTO, hydraulics. It would work an 8n and Farmall under the table-just kidding, but it would.
 
This question pops up at least once a week here. You can do a search.
In short you want something with power steering, live pto, live high flow/high pressure hydraulics. A real drawbar, cat II three point hitch preferred, differential lock, 12V electrical, creeper 1st and reverse gear a local dealer network. The ability to mount a loader on the tractor too. A rops with seatbelt IS REQUIRED for new users. Pro's for matter too.
If you absolutely insist on a Ford then a 600,800,3000,4000 doesn't cost any more than primitive, flip over on it's driver 2N,8N,9N.
The old Massey 35,135,235 and some old IH's are in that price range too.
For the money a new Deere 2305 is diesel, 12V, 4WD, has a rops, warranty, no previous abuse,factory mower deck, diff lock, factory loader etc. It will drag a 8N around like a toy too.
 
I'll second the 135, 3000, 2000, 3600, 2600, etc... We have a 135, 35, and 175, my grandfather has a 3000, and my uncle has an 8N. I've spent a lot of time on each. The Massey Fergusons and and 3000 have all been used hard for many, many years and are great tractors. They are very capable and versatile. Don't waste your money on an 8N. They would be good for collecting and historical purposes, but for working I'd almost rather have my mule. Don't overlook the offset Farmalls. I have spent many hours on a 140 and Super A and they are the ultimate tractors for cultivating. You can use about any implement on them that can be used on other tractors if you have 1pt. equipment.
 
I like my 860 ford. It has live power and about 40 hp. I can run 9' mower or square baler easily. The little fords keep good resale too. Here in Southwest MO you cold pick up one in good shape for $2500 to $3500.
 
Most of those didn't have a rear drawbar. The operators would hook drawn loads to the three point hitch upper link. Or hook to one of those lowerlink drawbars which were often raised too high.
Then again, none of this is old news. Why do you ask? Ever ask the local rural fire department volunteers which tractor is most often found on top of drivers?
 
It depends on what you want to use it for. I have a 46 model 9N that bushhogs 10 acres, plows my 140'X80' garden and pulls stuck trucks out of the mud. Ocassionally will pull a 16' trailer slowly for the Grandkids to ride on. And best of all when I have a really bad day I can grab a couple of beers and jump on it to ride down to the creek and wind down. Looks great, gets lots of compliments and works well for what I use it for. If it is for restoration and recreation get what pleases ya.
 
It depends on what you want to use it for. I have a 46 model 9N that bushhogs 10 acres, plows my 140'X80' garden and pulls stuck trucks out of the mud. Ocassionally will pull a 16' trailer slowly for the Grandkids to ride on. And best of all when I have a really bad day I can grab a couple of beers and jump on it to ride down to the creek and wind down. Looks great, gets lots of compliments and works well for what I use it for. If it is for restoration and recreation get what pleases ya.
 
any of these tractors would make you a good first tractor, but as much as i like my ford jubilee, the n series does not make a good loader tractor, the front axle is too light duty and no power steering makes it a real bear to steer with the loader full,if youve never owned one or been around old farm tractors before i would recomend you spend some decent time reading tractor safety tips, these old tractors are a lot of fun and will do more than one would think they will, but they do not have the safety stuff of newer units, you are the safety device on them, if you arnt sure of something your fixing to do, ask here before you do it, while backflipping is a issue on fords,and fergusons, it mostly happens when something is hooked too high on the rear of the tractor, always pull from under the centerline of the rear axle, that handy top link hole on top of the rear end of the n series looks right handy and it will get you killed in a few seconds if you try to drag your stuff with it hooked up there, too if your planing on running a brush hog on any non live pto tractor get you a over running clutch on the pto shaft first, there about 60 bucks right here on this site and can save your life as well as your tractor if you have to stop, [ on a non live pto the brush hog will back drive the tractor thru the pto shaft until it stops rotating] or in simple terms it wont stop when you want to, and you end up pointing up a tree, hitting the wifes new car ect.
 
85% of tractor roll overs are to the side.The old Fordson had the reputation for rear flips.I know of 1 8n rear up in 43 years here.Driver was running fast with a chain dangling from the draw bar and hooked on a high cut stump.autos kill about 40000 people a year.It would be interesting to bring up the figures on farm tractor deaths.My grandfather was killed by a work horse and a friends grand dad was killed by a horse.Life is dangerous.
 
Not sure what you want to use it for and what your budget is but assuming it is a non-farm application or maybe a "hobby" farm and you dont have a new tractor budget, a 30-40 HP tractor '50's -'70's would suit you just fine. The best choices, are the Ford Jubilee series ('53-'63 Ford), Ford-Ferguson (Ferguson TO-30, 35), Massey-Ferguson 135 (the best), mid '60's to early '70's Ford 2000 or 3000, Deere 420, 430, 1020, 1520, 2020, IH 404, 424, 454, 504, Oliver 55, 550, Allis D15, D17, 160. In my area (Northern NY) Fords and Deeres are easiest to get parts for, Massey not too bad. Allis and Oliver if you have a good AGCO dealer nearby. IH and Case if there is a good Case-IH dealer. 8N's and 9N's are good, but some of them are getting pricey and they don't have live hydraulics or a live PTO which can be unhandy if you do much work with them. Which tractor you get depends on the deal you can find, the condition of the individual tractor, the dealer situation in your area. I know I have left out some other good choices, but at least this is a start. Good luck and have fun
 
Respectfully, if you don't know anything about tractors, it sounds like you have no reliance on a tractor to get tasks done. If you have no use for the tractor, you could pick up absolutely anything and start restoring it. Price and parts availability might be your only limiting factors.

jason
 
Why take an added risk, at no extra cost just to get the job done?
Purchase the proper tool for the job. A tractor without a fixed drawbar towing a draft load is looking for trouble.
A bushhog on a transmission driven pto is looking for trouble. I"d hazard a guess that thier isn"t an over running clutch on one in a thousand such machines.
The oldies were ok in thier days when people didn"t know any better or didn"t care. We can do better now.
 
I don't know where this false information comes from that the old Fords are prone to rear tip over, they are one of the safest tractors ever made for that. The worm drive Fordsons were the ones that had a problem and they stoped making them before the N series tractors came out. 64 years around them and dozens of neighbors had them and have never head of one rolling over. The 3 point with its design makes it so that even if you have the lift arms all the way up will only raise just so far till they will actually start trying to pull the front end down. Only Ford ever heard of rolling was a narrow front tractor with loader too close to bank of gravle pit, loader raised, bank gave way, that situation NO tractor would stay upright in.
 
Nobody like to have their own, Dad"s or Grand Dad"s favorite slighted. Ford, JD, AC, IH, Oliver, you name it. It applies to all.
As for the statement that "with the loaded attached to the three point at full height. And once it raise so far the three point will start to pull the front end down again".
Oh please. That"s just silly. By the time the tractor"s front is high enough so the three point is levering the front down. The tractor is already straight up and moving fast enough she"s coming all the way over anways.
A 8N,2N,9N with a proper fixed drawbar attached to the bottom of the trans case is a whole different deal. Mighty rare find there too.
Too many times the Ford is a little small for the job and the inexperienced driver is jumpy on the clutch. Or takes a running start at the tree stump at the end of the chain. Flipping time.
The other cause for roll-overs etc is the transmission driven pto. Lots of Fords up trees, into fences, posts, ditches, ponds into vehicles with that classic. An over running clutch on Ford is less than 1 in a hundred and closer to 1 in a thousand.
Unless the prospective owner of older machines has a decent shop and all around technical skills. That old tractor is going to run up some shop bills over the next 10 years that will cost more than a new compact tractor.
If you like the old Fords so much. At least tell the guy to spend the same bucks and get a live pto & proper drawbar with the 600, 800 ,3000 or 4000 series for the same money.
You don"t drive a 1939-1953 vintage vehicle on the road every day for a reason. Same goes for farm equipment.
 
You are implying that 9n,2n,8ns did not have fixed drawbars.go to smiths website and look at a complete drawbar.None of these have hydraulic lift.They must be set to fixed position unless you are tired of living and want to commit suicide.9n,2n,8ns are not (FORDSONS). CENTAUR
 
I don't know what the Smith Website is Centaur,but the 9n,2n,8n and NAA were never offered with a Under Axle drawbar by Ford.The first hitches of that type weren't offered until the 700 and 900 tractors,so B&D is right on all the hitches being mounted to or on the 3 point arms and kept at fixed height by adj.straps to the top link point.
Asfar as the first poster the 2Ns and 9Ns would be the last choice for no other reason then their awkward Clutch-Brake pedal setups.
 
(quoted from post at 09:50:02 08/28/08)You don"t drive a 1939-1953 vintage vehicle on the road every day for a reason. Same goes for farm equipment.
Click to expand...

In high school I quite often drove my '51 IH L-120 pickup to school and for a night on the town. If I had it here in AZ it would be out at least a few times a week.

As for old farm equipment, we usually put more hours on my '42 H in the summer than our '69 544...

http://www.youtube.com/user/smgussey
 
What does the 1 in 10,000 exception person who drives a historic vehicle have to do with practicality? Anyways the 1951 was either a "chick magnet" or all you had to drive.
Have a look around states and provinces other than arid areas. Vehicles in excess of 10 years are getting scarce on the roads. 20+ year old vehicles are becoming the exception.
I;m talking practicality, reliability, features, over all operating cost. Not nostalgia. The guy asking wants a hobby property tractor, not a tinker project.
 
It's only in salted areas that vehicles in excess of 10 years old are becoming scarce. Next time you go west take a look at all the 30 year old vehicles on the road. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and a whole bunch of states too. Even around here there are 20 year old vehicles still on the raod with holes rusted through the frame in a variety of places becasue of lack of annual inspections.
 
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