Expert eyes please, whattaya see?

techfarmer

New User
Double Newbie here... first, many thanks for the forum, already spent hours learning...(Got my book list and 75 Tips, thanks Tim!). New tractor "for my wife"... Forum education tells me it's likely a '43 2N, but a hybrid for sure (serial # isn't conclusive yet, but as I've learned, doesn't really matter!). Would love to hear what expert eyes see...


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Very nice outfit tin looks very good.Ya can paint your tractor any color you want but being a
purest I like all gray. scripted hood not for a 43. The serial # is important to me as I do buy and
sell. Have a few ways to lift the serial # if you want it. Oh and if its for the wife I would paint
it pink, but whatever just have fun.
 
As WW2N said, script hood is mid 1950 8N, but works. Converted to 12 volts, preferred by many. Paint
scheme is personal choice but not original. Needs a pto cover to be safe because it runs when the
hydraulics are working. 9N/2N did not have foot boards but those save shins.
None of these detract from a working tractor, only for a show tractor. Enjoy it.
 

We have and Apple and Christmas Tree Farm. I use a Kubota 5030HST for the Apple trees, the Ford is smaller and easier to maneuver. Wife will use it for the pumpkin patch, gardens, moving Apple bins, etc!
 
Numbers would indicate a 1943 but it's likely the engine was
changed out and restamped. Ford used an I and b for the 1 and 6.
No 9N and no stars. Still say it's a 9n 1941.

Kirk
 
I think the script on the hood is just a decal, not raise script.
Either that, or someone filled in the hole for the 8N air breather.

Looks like the rear axle fender bolt mounts may be solid too.

Serial number should start with a *9N or 8N
If that picture shows 122644 with no *N, it may be a replacement
that was stamped by the installer. That number would actually be
for a 1948 8N, which would fit, but the tractor is not an 8N.

Oh, and the brackets under the rear fenders look strange to me.
 
You have a good readable serial # so no problem there. Heres what I think you have. The engine is a
replacement engine. They took the 9N122644 number from the original motor and stamped 122644 without
the preceding 9N.,Which is a 1943,that my best quess.
 
Definitely an over stamped serial number, and I think I see a star at the end but the '1' and '6' are not FORD original hand stamps. Silly paint job an d the FORD hood scripts are painted on or vinyl decals, but for sure a 9N or 2N hood -no 8N air cleaner vent. I-beam radius rods, original hat rims, and United air cleaner visible. 12-volt conversion detracts from value IMHO. Grease fittings on back of spindles too. Rear wheels spaced out but looks like PO added some weird brackets to also allow fenders to be moved out as well. Key switch on column but ammeter is not original. Oil gauge unclear as to whether original or not. Starter button on shifter cover. Rubber looks good from this angle...

Tim Daley(MI)
 

Thanks for all the replies... hood script is decal, wife likes the paint so I might be stuck... Will keep trying to decode the history. In the mean time we're having a blast, starts every time and runs better than most of the modern stuff around here... Hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving!
 
If she is going to be using it with PTO stuff, PLEASE get her a GOOD over running clutch for the pto shaft,
not a cheep one- 4 friends of mine have been killed by those darn things. Do the brakes work?? When I
started running them in 1960 or 61, an old ford mechanic told me "the brakes don't have to be real good on
them, the just gotta be better than the brakes on a high wheeled wagon pulled buy a team".
 

Great advice hd6gtom, recommendations on mfg of "GOOD" vs. "Cheap" would be welcome... and funny you mention the brakes, not working well. We'll be researching proper adjustment technique next (any direction there is also welcome). Thanks again...
 
If you want to make the tractor a little more maneuverable for
you wife you might want to consider taking the home-made fender
extensions off and move the wheels in. I would also suggest a
full set of manuals to help you understand your tractor better.
Brakes are pretty easy to adjust if not wore out, big square nut
sticking out on the back side of the drum.
BTW, in your last photo of the tractor is that a McCormick
Deering 10-20 tractor?

Kirk
 
An ORC is recommended when using mowers and PTO driven equipment, but concentrate for now on other SAFETY issues using these machines. The Owners Manual will be a big help here so get one and both you and the wife read like often your Bible -religiously. You need to know what and what not do with these old N's especially when it comes to pulling. N brakes are notorious for not being the greatest and once the seals start leaking and get them wet, it makes stopping even harder. Simply 'adjusting' them probably won't do any good now. The I&T F-04 Manual has the procedure on R&R'g the brakes. Do an visual inspection first and if the shoes are all wet inside, time to replace seals. Just doing a brake job won't fix the problem as they will only keep getting wet and failing.

Tim Daley(MI)
N Brake Repair
 
Tim,
Just so we don't confuse new guys here (and inadvertently start new "myths" about these tractors), the ONLY time you need to use an ORC on one of these tractors is when you are running a bush hog type rotary mower.
No other pto powered implement - spreaders, seeders, cordwood saws, finish mowers, sickle mowers, flail mowers, sileage blowers, augers, feed mills or grinders, etc, etc have the kind of inertia that will push your tractor forward like a rotary mower will.
 

Thanks Kirk... and very observant, didn't realize that snuck in the background. It's a Fordson, I'm told 1920's.... (it was on the property when purchased). Definitely on my 'someday-maybe-retirement' project list.


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Yes, realized that after I posted. It is the rotating blade that acts like a big flywheel with stored energy. BTW, I've never had an ORC with my 8N and bush hog and WOODS 660 mower. I only had one instance where I wished I did though. I was mowing my 10 acres one day, going in the reverse direction I normally used and thru a cluster of pine trees. I was steering with my right hand and took my left to swing a large branch out of the way when it got caught up in my sleeve and was now hindering my ability to steer out of the way of the oncoming pine with one hand and no power steering. You know, N's -no power steering! Next thing I now I'm smack dab stopped dead into that pine with the engine steaming and overflowing coolant as the fan blade pushed thru the radiator. The grille was all smashed up but I managed to straighten it enough to use and it is still on it. Original radiator was ruined, ended up with a 12-14 inch circle pattern on the fins and rad shop said it was beyond fixing. Had to buy a crappy aftermarket one to use for a few years until I got sick of it and found a nice original to restore and put back on. Still don't have an ORC but only mow about 5 acres now and no more bush hogging either. Someday I should get one and heed my own words.

[i:654c4848f0][b:654c4848f0]<font size="4">Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)</font>[/b:654c4848f0][/i:654c4848f0]<table width="100" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#000000"><tr><td height="25" colspan="2" bgcolor="#CC0000">
<font color="#FFFFFF" size="3">*9N653I* & *8NI55I3*</font>​
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