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Mowing with my 8n

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RB

08-11-2004 13:17:03




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I am using a landpride 72" finishing mower with side discharge off my 8n. I cuts fine but my tractor smokes a bit from the crankcase during mowing I have to run it at full throttle always. My questions for the board are: Should I rebuild the engine? Will this give me enough power to drive the mower easily?..or.. Should I just throw in the towel and buy a Kubota diesel??




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RB

08-11-2004 18:37:31




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
Thanks for your comments, My 8n has good oil pressure about 20-25 psi running Hot. The Landpride mower AT25 does a great job even with the engine blowing by. I think I"ll keep it running for now, all in all it"s a workhorse around here, I just don"t want to cause any severe engine damage. How long can it run this way? Thanks. Ron



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Barnstormer

08-12-2004 07:17:11




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 18:37:31  
As long as you have acceptable power for the work you are doing and you maintain good oil pressure, you could go on for years. If the rings are worn though you should also see some smoke out the tail pipe (pipe is proboably black on the inside). You may foul spark plugs more often than just with the junk gasoline that we buy. Try a little hotter plug like H-12 or equivalent. Also, no short starts. If you fire it up, let it warm up good before shutting it off.
MHO

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Russ in SoCal

08-11-2004 20:28:44




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 18:37:31  
Ron,
If you have the 8N because it's a great little tractor and a historical part of American farming, then consider a rebuild when the compression gets down below about 90psi dry, but comes up on a wet check. If it's just something to jump on and use when needed, consider something a little bigger. Most folks on this board find the more they learn about the "N" by using, tinkering, and talking nice to it, the more they love it.
Russ

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Gaspump

08-11-2004 17:53:17




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
My old beat up but good running 1947 2N handles a 6' finishing mower just fine, and thats here in FL where the very tough Argentine Bahia grows so fast you can see it change within a day. Rebuild is not required unless you are using a lot of oil and blow-by (breather smoke) is bad enough top smoke mosquitoes.



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Bill(Wis)

08-11-2004 17:16:15




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
The comments about a 6' mower being too much for an N are true if it is a HD rotary cutter. A land pride 6' finishing mower should be an ideal match for an 8N unless you are trying to cut high, thick grass. If that's the case, have you tried taking a 4' swath? 3' swath? Whatever it takes until you get the grass down to a manageable height. I have both a Land Pride 6' finishing mower and a Land Pride 6' Rotary Cutter. The rotary cutter takes a lot more power and I think it would be too heavy for an N to lift.

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Bruce (VA)

08-11-2004 14:34:22




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
The smoke from the oil breather is blow-by from worn rings with the engine under load. You can have the engine rebuilt for $1500-$1800 (parts & labor, no machine work here in VA was $1,000, but I'm told that was a bargin). What's a new Kubuto cost? I pull a six foot Caroni with a 50 8N, 3/4 throttle in third gear & cut 3 acres every weekend; no problems. By all means, tighten the belts and sharpen the blades; it makes a world of difference.

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Ramon - the old man

08-11-2004 14:25:41




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
I agree that the 6 foot mower is a bit much for an N, but you can help by making sure belts are tight, and that the blades are kept sharp. By doing so you will take a bit of the load off the tractor. You will need a pretty good investment to change to a Kubota, or a comparable 2110/2120 Ford.
They all are pretty much the same. Generally a 3 cylinder water cooled diesel, although you will run into a few older two cylinder units out there.

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souNdguy

08-12-2004 06:14:35




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to Ramon - the old man, 08-11-2004 14:25:41  
A 2120 ford is a pretty big machine.. in the 40 hp range... I had a 1920 for a few years but traded it in a few months ago on a 7610s.. and I can tell you.. that 1920 was also a powerhouse, in the 30hp region.

Soundguy



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John N KY

08-11-2004 14:18:07




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
I also us a LandPride 6" finish mower with my 8N and it to smokes from the crankcase breather. The only time I ever have a problem is if I wait to long between cuttings. I usually mow the biggest areas (which are all hills) every other week in 2nd gear about 3/4 throttle. I would bet an overhaul would be cheaper than another tractor and give you all the power you need.



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Rick H. Ga.

08-11-2004 13:41:09




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
Hi RB,

My 49 8N began loosing power, smoking and using oil after about 24 years of light farm use (mostly brushhogging). I decided to rebuild the engine and restore the rest of the tractor. After the rebuild and restoration/referbish the tractor had great power and looked great as well. Not only do I have a good running machine but I enjoyed the learning process of doing the rebuild and restoration.

As far as the Kubota is concerned, I looked at a couple of Kubotas but didn't want to spend the money for a machine I don't use every day.

HTH. Rick H. Ga.

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Rob

08-11-2004 13:34:10




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to RB, 08-11-2004 13:17:03  
Six-foot finishing mower is a bit much for the 8N. Different mower or tractor is the way to go.



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Barnstormer

08-12-2004 07:07:51




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to Rob, 08-11-2004 13:34:10  
I've been using a 6 foot Woods finish mower for over 15 years and my 8N handles it very well in third gear. If the grass gets a bit ahead of me I might drop to second gear. No smoke, just a little more governor action.
Keep the blades sharp and the mower well lubricated and the ORC in place.
Fresh gas in the tank, clean oil in the crankcase, good tires and an alert driver. FUN!



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Rob

08-12-2004 08:16:35




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to Barnstormer, 08-12-2004 07:07:51  
Last night, I was thinking about the different responses. It dawned on me that mowing ain't the same. For instance, 'mowing grass' in South Texas isn't going to be the load it is in Kansas, the great grassland. Here in Kansas, this is grass-county like few if any places in the world. I hit a healthy stand of grass around here it loads that N more then any of the weeds or even woody plants like shumack. Might not be the case in other areas that aren't so favorable to grass.
We rate our pastures and rent 'em out by the acre depending on how many acres are needed to support a cow/calf pair during the season May 1 to Nov 1. That varies and in this county 7-acres of native grass pasture is needed to feed one cow/calf pair. So I figure that in a part of the country where more acres are needed to support a pair the N will pull a bigger mower. Heck, out in the middle of Utah an N could mow grass pulling dang near what ever you can hitch up, what there is of grass won't load it none.

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Tim...OK

08-11-2004 14:14:13




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 Re: Mowing with my 8n in reply to Rob, 08-11-2004 13:34:10  
Yeah,you could sell me that 6-footer cheap..(grin) I'd rebuild the N,rented a Kubota a few weeks ago,decent tractor I guess,just lacking character IMO

Tim



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