By Daniel Howe. Published in the N-News Winter 2015. Vol 30 No. 1.

Daniel Howe’s 1940 9N takes a breather. But this beauty is ready to work!

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 that would not rely on the rear 3-point hitch. I found a 6’ snow blade at an auction for $50. A buddy of mine gave me 20’ of 2½” drill casing. I cut the pipe in half and welded it to the plow mount. I drilled 1” holes in the end of the pipe and used 4”x1⁄2” “C” channel to make a bracket that is held on by the fender bolts under the rear axle.

The tractor had already been converted to 12-volts by a previous owner, so all I had to do was get a winch and mount it to the brush guard.

With a bale spear on the 3-point hitch, I could now pick up a 600 pound bale of hay and use that for counter weight while plowing the driveway and barn yard. Then I would drop the hay in the pasture to feed the horses. It has proven to be an excellent setup that has worked well for us and earned the tractor the nickname, Maude (tough old woman, strong in battle). I did have to add a set of duo grip tire chains to get through the ice and hardpack, but the plow works fabulously. Total investment was $159 and a couple hours with my mig welder and drill press.

Daniel Howe’s 1940 9N at work on the farm.

Daniel Howe’s 1940 9N outfitted with his own reliable snow plow!

In 2012 Maude received a complete restoration. The plow setup still works amazingly well. We don’t have to haul feed in the winter anymore, so now Maude carries the front blade and a Dearborn rear blade. It is an impressive sight to watch this tractor clean out a driveway with both blades down.

The weather guru’s are predicting a hard cold winter, so we are added one piece rear wheel weights and a Sherman Hi-Torque head. If you would like me to help you build a front mount snow blade you can contact me, “Farmer Dan,” at patchofheaven@att.net.

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