Hi, N-Board people:Last Friday, I posted a question here regarding a 1951 8N traded in two days earlier at my local John Deere dealer. My concern was with what appeared to be oil in the radiator. After getting fresh N-Board advice plus advice from the archives that such oil is pretty common, I went back for another look at the tractor. The dealer gave me the previous owner's name, and I called him. He said the oil had been there for the 15 years he owned the tractor. He said he used it only for mowing, always kept it shedded, never had any trouble with it, and traded it only because he needed something that would mow closer to trees and that his wife could use more easily. In checking the coolant with an anti-freeze tester instead of a stick, I found the oil does appear to be a thinner film than I had previously reported -- only about an eighth of an inch. I'm hoping a head gasket will fix it. So, for better or for worse, here's what I got: 1951 8N. Proofmeter says 2,900 hours but doesn't work, so who knows?. Has 60-inch Woods-brand belly mower plus all the original 3-point lift arms, chains, links, etc., to convert to original, including a pair of stay bars and a swinging drawbar and even that little chain to hook over the three-point-lift lever. Rear tires look almost new but have minor checking, and the rims look solid. Front has car tires for mowing but I also got the original fronts with single-rib tires. Oil pressure is steady at 30-35 pounds whether idling or driving. Hydraulics work, at least enough to raise the mower and hold it. Converted to 12-volt last year with new Delco alternator and new battery. Has original lights but wrong bulbs. The sheet metal is rust-free but carries the usual share of dings and dents, and the paint is faded. The grill has dents in the bottom pan but the bars are unmolested. As usual, the toolbox is missing, as is the winged radiator cap. It has rear lights (both red and clear, but one lens is broken). When you accelerate, it gives a quick puff of oil smoke, but the smoke doesn't show up when driving. (The ex-owner said he had to add a quart two or three times a summer, so a ring job may be in order some day.) It also has a functioning foot accelerator, which I think may be a fairly rare option. Best of all, I discovered today that what I thought was only an underdrive tranny is actually both over-and-under. (I hadn't remembered that I had to slide the side lever in and out as well as forward and back to access both over- and underdrive as well as normal speeds.) So that's it. The implement dealer wanted $2,500, but I got it for $2,100, including free delivery. For those who have endured this long post, does it sound like I did OK? I have a severe tendency toward initial buyer's remorse, even when I got my 1952 8N at half the price a few years ago. Now I need reassurance so I can go home and tell my wife a lot of highly knowledgeable guys said, "Wow! Damn good deal! Worth at least four or five times the price!" Regardless, please accept my thanks (I think) to those who offered advice about whether to buy. However -- if the oil in the radiator DOES turn out to be a disastrous problem, I'll hunt you down and mail it to you in an old cracked Mason jar with a leaky lid. Regards,
M. Rossow
Mankato, MN
"Now two 8N's! Is there no end to the madness?"
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