Ford 9N - Retrieve it or Leave it?

[jjeff]

Well it's now in my barn! The owner cleared the trees, vines, and brush away from it then kindly pulled it out with his jeep.
It is indeed an 8N and not a 9N like I had thought. The loader has a tag that says Wagner Ironworks.

Once I got it home, I took the jungle gym off to focus on the tractor. It turned over with a wrench so I let some penetrating oil sit in the engine before changing the motor oil and filter
I rebuilt the carb and bought a new 6volt battery. It turns over well and fires up on a little water bottle of gas. It does smoke a little, my guess is a leaky or sticky valve.

There is good green coolant coming out of the block petcock, BUT there is oil floating on top of the radiator. I may try suck the oil off the top to see if that would help. The oil in the block still looks good after running it a few times.

After a good power wash it doesn't look too bad, next is taking off the tank to clean out all of the old gas and corrosion. I plan to flush the radiator and fill with fresh coolant, my dad suggested re torquing the head bolts at the same time, or replacing the head gasket while the hood is off.

I really like the patina on old iron.

 

[Alan46]

What a great project you got there bro!

 

[John0829]

My SIL had a near perfect 8N (one of the last ones built in 1952) he sold and I am still mad at him for doing it. The 8N is not a fancy tractor. It does not have all the bells and whistles of the new plastic machines, it is just a solid, nimble little tractor that can do most any job asked of it if the operator knows how to. With a little care that N will still be around after a lot of these newer tractors have been forgotten.

 

[fidowanttobe]

SCORE!!! Good for You!!
While I am not a fan of the old Fords, I do see some very cool old Iron. I am also not a fan of "restored". I love it when they are functional, reliable, but have their every-day work clothes on.

 

[PVourlitis]

SCORE!!! Good for You!!
While I am not a fan of the old Fords, I do see some very cool old Iron. I am also not a fan of "restored". I love it when they are functional, reliable, but have their every-day work clothes on.

I thought about cleaning it up and clear coating the sheet metal. Just to make it smooth and keep the same look.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Hello Ford Tractor Experts,
A friend of mine is willing to give up a Ford tractor that has been sitting in his field for many years. It is about a 3 hour drive for me to retrieve it, and maybe a few more hours worth of chain saw work to "unearth" it. He sent me this photo not too long ago. It has the front end loader attachment. I do not know much about the tractor other than it ran when it was parked! As much as I love old American iron, is it worth the effort to dig this tractor out? My first order of business would be clearing the brush and making sure it turns over by hand. What are some things to look out for? Thanks for your help!

That's an 8n in the picture.

 

[PVourlitis]

That's an 8n in the picture.

Yes it is, my title is not correct since knowing the serial number and retrieving the tractor. Got this one for free as well.

Runs well after a carb rebuild and oil change. Next I need to clean the old tank and check the hydraulic fluid for water.
They are pretty simple and easy to work on.

 

[mapper]

Any loader on an 8N is a very bad idea!
There is no power steering on an 8N, and with any weight in the bucket you need to be Charles Atlas to steer, unless you are driving on a glass table top.
I would haul it away, but would get paid $500+ to do so!

The front axle on 9n tractors is not designed for a loader, there are a lot that have broken front ends out there.
My old 8n was a beast to steer without a loader, can't imagine what it would have been like with an additional 500+ pounds on the front end!

 

[M59]

Hello Ford Tractor Experts,
A friend of mine is willing to give up a Ford tractor that has been sitting in his field for many years. It is about a 3 hour drive for me to retrieve it, and maybe a few more hours worth of chain saw work to "unearth" it. He sent me this photo not too long ago. It has the front end loader attachment. I do not know much about the tractor other than it ran when it was parked! As much as I love old American iron, is it worth the effort to dig this tractor out? My first order of business would be clearing the brush and making sure it turns over by hand. What are some things to look out for? Thanks for your help!

PVourlitis,

Whether or not you take on this project is dependent upon whether you need a machine for work (jobs ) or want to restore an old piece of equipment to point it can be used but may have periods of being unreliable/ unworkable.
A friend had a Ford in better shape than this and going value, 5 years ago, was $500. Basically scrap metal value.
You may get lucky but it could also get very costly ( many thousands of dollars ) and time consuming if water got into any part of hydraulic system where it rusted valves and or pump parts. Mice chew up wiring pretty fast so expect all new wiring harness. ( ouch ). Any rubber parts, seals, hoses, tires will all have to be replaced due to uv and heat degradation. Brakes and brake lines are probably rusted, pin holed, or seized.

I personally wouldn't touch a machine like this unless you needed parts for an already working machine.
I know current prices on new and used equipment are absolutely ludicrous but I agree with the 8N owner. Run away. There are better pieces of equipment to spend your time and money on.

 

[PVourlitis]

As an 8N owner......my advice is......RUN AWAY !!!!

Why run away? I always hear great things about these tractors. The plan is to get it running enough to do minor 3pt work with it.
I plan to get a newer tractor for loader work, that loader may end up in the scrap. Just curious why! Thanks!