By George Blosser.
Growing up on our family ranch in California, I learned to drive our family’s 2N Ford tractor at a very young age. Fifty-five years later I tried to locate our original family tractor. I couldn’t. So I gave up looking and searched for an 8N and located one in the State of Arkansas. A restoration process was immediately started to return the tractor to its condition as delivered from the factory in 1952. Continue reading
By Gardner Waldeier. N-News Winter 2016. Vol. 31 No. 1
Thrift. noun. The careful use of money, especially by avoiding waste.Making due with what is available is paramount these days. I needed a good dry place to keep my tractor and set to making that thought a reality at the 1799 farmhouse where I grew up. So I built a lean-to style pole barn off the end of the house recently and did the whole project for around ten dollars. Continue reading
In days past, when Fords were entirely mechanical. A rough-running tractor was felt in the seat of the pants. It invited a climb-down to check the usual suspects: carb adjustments, timing, dirty plugs. We diagnosed and repaired mostly by ear. Today life is much more complicated for owners of modern tractors.
Without the fame (and fortune) generated by Henry Ford’s model T, he never would have been able to focus his energy (and resources) on an update of the old Fordson farm tractor. That led ultimately to development of the 9N in 1939… and the rest is history. Enjoy this video!
Simply the best (only?) compendium of commonly used implements for the N-series (and into the mid 1950s). This is literally a collection of Operators & Owners manuals that would have come with that particular implement. An invaluable asset for the Ford tractor collector OR the person who is still working a plot of land. $40 plus $6.25 S&H.
Film director Sumner McKane weaves together a fascinating story of the history of logging in Maine. Using vintage footage and images, McKane offers a short history lesson of the northernmost New England logger and river man in In The Blood: Uncovering the Life, Skills & Character of the Turn of the Century Maine Lumbermen and River Drivers. Wonderful short movies and still images of camp life abound with audio interviews of men remembering their time working out in the middle of the woods. There are discussions of staying warm in the bunks, drying clothes on the “stink pole” and having beans three times a day along with donuts, Johnny cakes and lots of coffee. These log camps ran from October … Continue reading
In June of 2009 I traveled to Iowa to interview Harold Brock, chief designer of the 9N tractor project. It was a little overwhelming to sit down and talk with a man who worked intimately with Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Henry Ford II, had met Thomas Edison, Harry Ferguson and many other legends of modern invention and industry. The idea of having a tunnel back in time to talk to someone who was there, was an intriguing project to tackle. Producing a video interview takes a lot of time and money. Collecting up the gear, traveling and postproduction work were all things I felt the N-News couldn’t afford either the money or the time to do. But, author Bob Pripps … Continue reading
As a reference guide this book is brief and to the point, listing the most salient information formatted chronologically. In this respect it functions as a very convenient field guide. The no–nonsense black and white archive photos, taken mostly from promotional literature, present the oldest, most familiar images of each tractor in its moment of inception. Just $16. In A Guide To Ford, Fordson & New Holland Tractors 1907-1999 there’s quite a bit of information about the Fordson, dubbed in the first chapter as “The Tractor That Dominated the Market,” and there’s no stinting on all the permutations of this tractor, beginning with the earliest Ford experimental tractors, then, from the “F” to the “All–Around,” indicating the factory of manufacture … Continue reading
There is something about the aesthetic of machine age objects that enchants many of us – a humanistic element or perhaps a beautiful simplicity. It would be easy to forget that the culture of the late 19th and early 20th century promoted the concept of machines replacing man and animal in doing work. When seen from our perspective now, industrial design of that period (say, 1900-1960) looks amazingly elegant. With its smoothness, its “form-follows-function” simplicity and its straight forward conception, nearly anything could have a sense of awe and inspired grace – including the Heathkit condenser tester from the January issue. Add the patina of age, and you have a formula that culminates with a directness of design, and in … Continue reading
By Peter Wells. N-News Spring 2015. Vol. 30 No. 2
My dad, Bill Wells, had a desk job in the Boston financial district. Then in 1936, mom and dad bought an old dairy farm in Massachusetts. But dad was not interested in dairy barn hook ups – he wanted to raise poultry! And we needed a tractor. Dad found a used 9N and a new farm trailer. It was on the N that I had my first driving lesson at age eleven! When he retired, he moved to a family farm in New Hampshire and another 8N took over the mowing work. Here’s our story. Continue reading
By Chris Britton. N-News Spring 2015. Vol. 30 No. 2
Mowing season comes early in my part of Florida. But when I get my mower raised, the front end gets light and the front wheels come off the loading ramps! I needed some weight up front but I checked the tractor budget: there wasn’t much money for weights. My answer: cement weights. Luckily I had around the shop an old animal feed tub! . I thought, “Wow, that would make a nice round weight!” Continue reading
By Lauran Paine. N-News Winter 2015. Vol. 30 No. 1
Our tractor wasn’t just about work on the farm. It was about hayrides and picnics, too. I can’t think of those things and not smile. Now I use it for parades and teaching the grandkids about old tractors. But I recently restored my harrow – a Dearborn-Towner Model 11-29 – and now when I drive my tractor, the sights, sounds, vibration and even the rattle of the harrow take me right back to 1961. “Magical,” I say. “Old tractors are good for the soul!” Continue reading
By Daniel Howe. N-News Winter 2015. Vol. 30 No. 1
In the summer of 2005, we picked up a 1940 Ford 9N to help out around our 15 acre farm. I knew we needed the tractor to carry round bales to feed our horses, but I also needed it to plow snow. Front mounted snow blades seem to be as scarce as hens teeth and they also use the 3 point arms to get their lift. I set out to design my own reliable plow. Continue reading
This is the exact manual that came with the 700-900 row-crop tractors starting in 1955. It contains all operating and maintenance information including brake and clutch adjustment, valve adjustment and basic operations. Also has a nice accessories section. 66 pages. Only $12 plus $2.75 S&H.
This is the exact manual that came with the 600-800 tractors starting in 1954. It contains all operating and maintenance information including brake and clutch adjustment, valve adjustment and basic operations. Also has a nice accessories section. 66 pages. Only $12 plus $2.75 S&H.