Here are some websites that might help you find a price: ytmag.com, tractorlinks.com/Ford, mikestractors.com, philstractor.com

When we inheirited the family Ford tractor a couple of years ago, we just got on the Internet and started searching. These are some of the websites we saved.

I replied to your post over at the tractor forum about this.

I love my 1949 8N tractor.

Pooh Bear

When we were looking to get our farm tractor, we at first were looking at older ones & read up on them.

One BIG caveat - the older tractors with the front wheel-base close together can be very dangerous under certain conditions. The injuries/deaths from rollovers in hilly or deep conditions are quite high, & apart from collectors/curiousity, they're not recommended for farm work anymore.

I'm sure there are folks on here who still use these tractors & that they have their fans - I'm just stating current safety opinions.

I wouldn't get a tractor with the "tricycle" front end.

These old tractors are great. But they do lack the modern safety features.
That being said, I just love to get out on my 8n and mow.

Pooh Bear

Thanks for the info! Breezy, the 600 we were looking at has the wide front end, that was definitely a must-have for us. Our land is quite flat other than the mounding up around the pond, where we won't be using the tractor anyway, so I think we're fine on that.

Thanks for the websites Kimberlee - I will definitely check those out. DH called the dealership and found that the person who's selling the tractor (a customer of the dealership) is asking $4200 OBO, which sounds reasonable at first glance.

The only real problem I can think of is how would we get it to our property 100 miles away!

I brought mine home on my neighbors trailer, 6x16.
The wheelbase on a tractor is only about 5ft wide.
And the length is about 12 ft.
So it fits right on a trailer.
You could rent on to move it.

When I was a little boy my Dad rented a Uhaul truck to move a tractor.
It fit rite in the back of the truck.
This is probably the safest way to move it any distance.

Pooh Bear

That make sense, Pooh. Actually, I should have said the REAL problem is where do we come up with the cash? :P Man, there's a lot of stuff we want to buy right now.

But after doing a bit of research online (thanks again Kimberlee!) it looks like this must be a 650 or 660 since DH said it has a PTO (is it possible to add a PTO aftermarket?), so the price seems reasonable according to ytmag.com's value list. We didn't know to look for the serial # to know for sure, but next time we swing by there we'll do that. That should also tell us the model year. I'm pretty sure it's possible to convert from trans PTO to live PTO, is that right?

Wow. I never EVER thought I'd be this excited about buying an old tractor! LOL

I think the 6xx series and on up had live PTO and live hydraulics.
This was the major improvement made over the N series.

If you want lots of info read the boards at
ytmag.com and tractorbynet.com
Lots and lots of great info there.

Pooh Bear

You also have to make sure that you'll be able to get repair/parts for your tractor if need be. Some of the old-timers aren't always that easy to find parts for.

It is easier to get parts for my 1949 8n
than for my neighbor's 1989 Case tractor.
I have a catalog rite here on my desk for
8n,9n,2n,6xx,7xx, and 8xx tractors.
And parts are no more expensive than a modern tractor.
I was really suprised at the availability of parts.
I can get a lot of parts at the local Napa auto parts store.

Pooh Bear

Pooh Bears right about parts.
Don't fall in love with the first one. Go view several, they are usually a few in the classifieds. There is huge variation in quality and price. Some people are dreaming when it comes to price don't pay that. I just bought a '41 Ford 9N for $2500- rblt engine, great breaks, harrows, two blades, etc etc etc. The first two I looked at were $3500 and had no attachments and didn't run as nice. Don't be in a rush- and learn what to look for in a good/bad oldie. You'll know it when you find it and it WON'T be the first one.

Ok.... so now I'm back with more questions. :) There's an old tractor for sale just down the road from our new place: a 1952 Ferguson TO-30. The owner is asking $3000. I hate to be so needy, but does anyone have any good info sources for this tractor? I've been poking around on ytmag.com and other places, but I haven't really been able to find what I'm looking for, which is, would this tractor be good for our purposes?

A Ferguson is similar to the Ford N series.
A lot of the parts are interchangeable.
Try the Vintage board at tractorbynet.com
And try the 8n-9n-2n board at ytmag.com
Those guys also know lots about the Fergy tractors.

Another great resource is The Smith's 8N tractor page.
Lots of great info to read over there in the FAQ.

Just 8Ns has a parts catalog online to look at.

Just about all tractors now use the Ferguson System in their 3point hitch design.
Fergy tractors came about when Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson disolved their famous handshake agreement.
Ferguson had invented the new system of using a 3 point hitch with draft control and Ford agreed to add it onto his new 9N tractors which went into production in 1939. The tractors manufactured under the agreement each had an emblem on the front under the Ford emblem that said "Ferguson System". In 1947 Ford abandoned the agreement and added position control to the 3 point hitch for the 8N tractors starting out in the 1948 model year. And Ferguson decided to build his own line of tractors to compete with Ford.
The Fergie tractors are nearly identical to the Ford tractors.

Pooh Bear

Thanks Pooh! You're a gold mine of tractor information. :)

While I'm here, could you tell me if there are any tractors that are easier or harder to service/maintain/repair? DH and I are newbs to any kind of under-the-hood stuff - we are determined to get our thumbs black, but it'd be nice to keep it as easy as possible to start with! Although, it seems that with these old tractors, the crappy ones would probably have been weeded out decades ago! :)

The N series tractors were designed for farmers to work on
using basic tools back in the 30's, 40's, and 50's.
They are simple straight-forward easy to work on machines.
And the support for them is incredible.
If I need help figuring something out I can just ask.
The Fergies are the same as the N series.
Then comes the 100's series, 6xx, 7xx, and 8xx.
Then comes the 1000's series from the 1960's and early 70's.
All of them are about the same to work on.

If you are not a mechanic type person you mite want to
stay away from diesel tractors. The old gas engines are
really easy to work on and understand.

When I started looking for a tractor I wanted a Ford 3000.
That was the only type of tractor I had ever driven.
I didn't know anything about the old N series and wasn't considering one.
But then one came along that was very affordable.
I did some research on it and found out it was a great tractor.
So I bought it. And I am glad I did. I love my 8N tractor.
If you want a small tractor I would get an 8N tractor.
They are easy to find, easy to work on, and very reliable.
You can get an N tractor for $2000 to $3000 depending on
the shape it is in and the attachments that come with it.

There a few downsides to an N tractor.

No live hydraulics and no live PTO.
You can add live hydraulics but I have hardly missed having it.

Also, you can get a front end loader for an N tractor, but
it wasn't really designed for a loader. A FEL makes it hard
to steer since it doesn't have power steering. You can add
power steering. It causes extra wear on the front end
because of the all the extra weight.
A FEL makes it hard to get on/off the tractor.

An N tractor won't pull a 3pt tiller. The tractor won't go
slow enough for the tiller to work. It is geared to high.

An N tractor won't pull real heavy implements.
And it doesn't do round bales very well (too heavy).
The horsepower is low for a tractor,
about 28hp at the engine, 23hp at the drawbar.

I have been using my 8n since January and haven't had any problems with it.
It does all I need to do, mostly mowing.
I can plow with it, and I moved some dirt with it.

I love my 8N tractor.

Pooh Bear

ANY ONE KNOW IF A 1948 FARMALL CUB TRACTOR IS 6 OR 12 VOLTS SN IS 53246

A 1948 would be 6 volt unless it's been modified. Many of them were converted over the years.

Twinsmom,

I suggest going up north on state rt 73 to Morning Sun, OH and check out Robert's Tractor Supply (AKA the tractor grave yard). They have parts for older tractors and many people who are quite knowledgable about older tractors and they also sell use tractors. This is the only business in this village so it is hard to miss.