Ford 800 or 8N

[jwalley]

All things considered equal, which would be a better purchase to shred 5 acres, pull a grader, and maybe a single row plow for gardening? There are several 8Ns around the San Antonio area and a couple of 800s to look at. Better options for reliability, usability and price/availability of parts??

 

[rambler]

860 would be the best, live pto. That makes farming fun!

An 840 is certainly much more tractor than an N. Bigger engine, live (usable!) hydraulics, etc.

-->Paul

 

[whodat526]

if i had a choice between the two i wouldn't even look at the 8n unless the 800 was about 1500 dollars higher

 

[jwalley]

The 800 I saw listed is actually a 4000. Is this tractor better equipped?

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is high for a 800. I have a 861 and its 1.5 times the tractor a 8N is but in this area they sell for $2000 to $2500 depending on condition.

8N's sell for $1500 to $2000

Chris

 

[jwalley]

Sorry, I meant the tractor was clearly a Ford 4000. Supposedly similar to the 800, but I have no idea how they differ. Any comments welcome.

 

[GreenWannabe]

The original Ford 4000 was a couple of generations newer than the 800, built from '62 to '65, and was based on the 801 series, built from '58 to '62. The original 800 series was built from '54 to '57. The three-cylinder 4000 was a new tractor, built from '65 to '75. This information, and much more, is available from TractorData.com.

 

[ruffdog]

Growing up we first had a 8n with a rebuilt engine. After many years, a nice 801 was available and we bought it. Yes, 1.5 times the 8n. Much better.

 

[kf4uda]

These guys are telling you right as far as I am concerned. I own an 861 as well so there would be no decision to make between a 4000 and 8n. I don't mean to bash the 8n as they are certainly good little tractors but they are not the same caliber as a 4000 in my opinion.

 

[rambler]

What tranny does it have? The SoS (sorta automatic) can be a little scary. They worked well, but this old, if they give trouble there are 3x as many parts in one, big bill to fix up.

No comparison, an 800/801/4000 has a lot more features and a size bigger than an N series. Note that there were many options in the 800/4000 series, be best to look over the machine to determine which tranny it has for live pto, number of gears, etc. I'd pay an extra $500 or more for a good live pto, and I'd pay about $1000 less for an SoS tranny because I just don't trust them at this age.

--->Paul

 

[TripleR]

Some have a fondness for the 8N, but my preference is the 800 Series and up, better 3PH, live PTO and you can put power steering on them not to mention the additional power and gears.

 

[jwalley]

What tranny does it have? The SoS (sorta automatic) can be a little scary. They worked well, but this old, if they give trouble there are 3x as many parts in one, big bill to fix up.

No comparison, an 800/801/4000 has a lot more features and a size bigger than an N series. Note that there were many options in the 800/4000 series, be best to look over the machine to determine which tranny it has for live pto, number of gears, etc. I'd pay an extra $500 or more for a good live pto, and I'd pay about $1000 less for an SoS tranny because I just don't trust them at this age.

--->Paul

saw one listed as 5x1 tranny. I haven't gone to see it. Don't know what that means.

 

[kf4uda]

That means it has 5 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed.

 

[whodat526]

saw one listed as 5x1 tranny. I haven't gone to see it. Don't know what that means.

how far or you from giddings they have a tractor auction on the second saturday of every month sometimes you can get a really good deal on a tractor there

 

[strum456]

If priced equally and the condition of both tractors is the same, the choice is easy. In my area, hundered series tractors are generally atleast 1000 more than N series tractors. Thousand series tractors are usually atleast 1000 more than hundred series tractors.

From your description of pulling a small plow for your garden and using a back blade, an 8n would be a nice little tractor. I have a few hundred series tractors and one 8N. For light work, the N does just fine, and it uses way less gas.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Another good little tractor from Ford that is often overlooked is the 600 series.

With a 8N they had basically 2 series. The newer with the side distributor is much more desirable than the early ones with a front mounted distributor.

Chris

 

[strum456]

Another good little tractor from Ford that is often overlooked is the 600 series.

With a 8N they had basically 2 series. The newer with the side distributor is much more desirable than the early ones with a front mounted distributor.

Chris

2x Agreed on both points!

 

[CaptJCHill]

I have never seen an 8n that wasn't for sale.( or 9 or 2n for that matter)

John

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have never seen an 8n that wasn't for sale.( or 9 or 2n for that matter)

John

True. You can not drive a 1/2 mile without seeing one in a barn or back yard around here.

Chris

 

[flusher]

All things considered equal, which would be a better purchase to shred 5 acres, pull a grader, and maybe a single row plow for gardening? There are several 8Ns around the San Antonio area and a couple of 800s to look at. Better options for reliability, usability and price/availability of parts??

I'd be wary of 8Ns--some of them have been worked to death and need major repairs (clutch, tranny, hydraulics). Two of my neighbors have 8Ns. One has been fine; the other has been a big headache requiring clutch and tranny repairs. Check out the performance of the clutch, transmission (all gears), brakes, and hydraulics before buying an 8N.


Also be careful of later model Fords with Select-o-Speed (SOS) transmissions. These were late 1950s/early 1960s attempts by Ford to develop something akin to modern shuttle shift trannies. SOS trannies are complex and expensive to repair. There's a recent TBN thread describing the problems one member has had finding parts for his SOS.