Carl: Both the 8N and the H are good tractors. Close to a million owners couldn't be wrong. The 8N sold close to 600,000 and the H 400,000, making them number 1 and 2 in all time tractor sales. Coming out of the dirty thirties and WW#2 the 8N became the first motorized vehicle many farm families owned. They in many cases had been one horse farms. I can remember seeing them on way to town with mamma and kids on that platform carrier on three point. They were more popular than a SA as they would haul more drawbar weight. Not that mamma was so heavy but who knew when another was on the way, then there was the feed supplies and groceries. The H on the other hand was an acerage production tractor. Had the weight and traction to do some serious farming. In the early 40s H was the big IH seller, going into the 50s the M took over. Earlier many farmers thought the M was just too large. I made a comment one day last week in forums and MF guy was wondering if he should go Farmall. I suggested that most of the 6 cylinder diesel Farmalls had the ability to go 10,000 hours to the first engine rebuild, with good maintainance. He shot back saying his MF 175 allready had 12,000 hours and going strong. What he didn't and probably still doesn't realize is the MF chassis didn't have enough weight to wear out any engine. You have the same thing right within the Farmall line. The C, SC, 200 and 230 chassis were much harder on the C-113 and C-123 engines than were the A, SA, 100 and 130. Probably on mass those engines did the same amount of work in either application. Most tractors had a good use in what they were designed for. I asked a hired hand on a neighboring farm on day what the MF 135 was good for. His responce," raking hay and rounding up cows." I said," what about 165", he said," just bigger cows".
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