8n Tractor Price And Application

I have recently purchased 2 acres of previously farmed land and built a house on it. I have been looking for a tractor to maintain the propery, disking,scraping and tilling. I have found an 8n that a gentleman has fixed up. It has been repainted grey and red, it has a 12V electrical system on it, the tires are new and full of water, it has new brakes and axles seals and new coil, plugs, wires, hoses and belts. The guy did an excellent job on it, he's retired and his bag is tinkering with old tractors. He wants $3900.00 for the tractor, is this a resonably fair price? Also, can I roto-till with this tractor in soft dirt? All information regarding this subject would be greatly appreciated as I know very little about tractors and their proper application.

Rob Zimmer

The 8N is one of the best all-around tractors for the small land owner / hobby farmer. Has the power, 3-point hitch which will take all implements (lots of older tractors didn't have the 3-point), hydraulic lift (real handy for lots of projects, not just lifting implements), and you can easily get almost any parts you need for them. Good examples are going for $2500-$3000 in lower Michigan.

I like the 12 volt on mine; lots of the purists decry its use in favor of the original 6-volt system, but last winter when the wife's car needed a jump, guess what I used?

Downside: these units don't roto-till well. They have the power, but ground speed it too fast to do a good job. Geta rental.

Overall, it's hard to go wrong with a good 8N. After 50+ years, they're still going strong, while most of their contemporaries and many of their intended replacements are long gone. A new tractor that will do everything an old 8N can do will cost you 3 times the price, and won't last half as long. Look around, read up, pick out a good one, and start enjoying it.

Last weekend at the local coop customer appreciation day I saw a tiller that would work with an 8n. Self powered with an eight horse Briggs. Price was $799.00. Probably designed to be used with an ATV or a lawn tractor with no PTO.

Any PTO driven tiller is not going to do a good job with an 8n. No gear to run slow enough while you turn the tiller fast enough. Instead of a PTO tiller spend that money at the local rental shop for a walk behind rear tine; take it back dirty; and don't worry about it.

Your mileage may vary

Hope this helps, I've always found the prices given in the guide, from buying tractors myself and finding out what others on the site have paid, are about 20 to 25 percent high. For me, to consider paying that much over the book value, the tractor would have to be perfect and all original (That would mean getting rid of the altinator before purchase)for full antique value.

If it was that good you wouldn't want to work with it, I think he's a lot high on his price.

Mike

"Fair price" is a very hard thing to determine on a tractor this old. I strongly suggest you have a qualified tractor mechanic look at the following before making your decision. It is so easy and inexpensive to make a tractor look well maintained. A lot of people get fooled by those nice acting "farmers."

1. Compression test.
2. Clutch test.
3. Hydraulics (PTO and 3 pnt hitch)
4. Drive test.

This tractor needs to be put thru the paces when it's cold and warmed up. Hydraulics are renowned for fooling people because they work fine for a few minutes and then bleed down. Have the guy demonstrate the tractor's hydraulics for several minutes under a good load.

Engines with fuel and ignition problems start showing up after things get warmed up.

An 8N will easily handle the work you've described if it's in good shape. $3900 should get you a very good, no-problems 8N.

Best of luck.