![]() I have enjoyed all of the problem solving required to get the tractor running well and maintaining it as a useable piece of machinery. Bright side is that once complete, I’ll have an adjusted lift that will have working position control and draft control should I need it! (if I decide to use the moldboard plow for example). I will adjust it and reassemble once I get the cotter pins I need that I didn’t have on hand. Of course, it was a longer process than expected, and involved removing various parts to be able to get to the cam follower pin and get it replaced. The kit came with a new cam follower pin and so I figured I’d just take it all apart, replace the pin, and then adjust to specs. Let me tell you that it was a royal PITA! A while ago I bought a jig from Zane Sherman that helps line up and adjust the lift linkage. One thing I neglected when I replaced the lift cylinder was the cam follower pin. While I wait for parts, I decided to revisit the hydraulics and adjust them to spec. I have new hubs, so while I replace the axle seals, I’ll reassemble with the new hubs. I replaced the brakes and when I took the hubs off, they were deeply grooved so brake shoes weren’t making firm contact. This will give me the opportunity to finish the brake repair. (Lesson learned: wedge the clutch pedal down when stored.) Long story short, I’ve just ordered a new clutch kit and will replace the transmission shaft seal while I have the tractor “split.” I also decided to replace the axle seals that I noticed are worn out. I’ve tried a bunch of quick fixes to get it free, but so far it’s still stuck. When I sat in the seat and tried to shift into gear, the clutch wouldn’t disengage so I couldn’t get into gear. Now that it’s Spring, there’s lots of mowing to get to and I hoped to hop on the 8N and hook up the mower. I used a small pry bar and made a few modifications and presto – the cap fits snug and no more coolant leaks. After letting the engine cool (and me cooling off after a few choice swear words) I saw that the lip on the radiator was bent, so the cap wasn’t sealing properly. But then, once the engine warmed up, coolant started spraying out from the radiator cap all over the shop. Once installed, I started her up and no more oil leak. Following the manual, I got everything set correctly and she fired right up! There were a couple of mishaps though…oil flowed out of the filter canister and all over the shop floor…turns out a washer needed replacement. Finally, after checking the Ford Dealer Mechanic Training Manual I figured it out – the timing was off. I scratched my head and checked that it had all needed elements – fuel, air, spark and compression. Once I put all of the doo-dads back in place (technical term), I couldn’t get the engine to start. The pistons and sleeves looked good enough so I decided not to replace them at this point.īefore and after the cleaning before replacing the valves I cleaned the carbon from the accessible parts of the block, replaced the head with a new gasket and grade 5 bolts, and torqued to specs. This past winter I ended up taking the head off of the engine block and replaced the valves with newer adjustable valves. I’ve also repaired or replaced a number of components in the fuel and electrical system including the carburetor and distributor. Since purchasing it, I’ve repaired the hydraulic lift, which included scraping out the decades of gunked up hydraulic “fluid” and installing new piston and O-ring, lift cylinder, (and bent lift arm…). Over time I’ve become more familiar with the machine and have seen where maintenance has been neglected over the years. We couldn’t afford a newer tractor with a front end loader, and the purchase included a dual-axle car trailer plus a number of implements, so we felt we got a good deal. When we moved to our property we bought a 1950 Ford 8N that we planned to use mostly for mowing and perhaps eventually other fieldwork. Wasn’t paying attention to the camera…sorry about the thumb…but she runs nicely now My goal is to keep the tractor working, doing what she was designed to do – be a reliable (70 year old) tool. But, nothing ever is easy with this machine and so on to the next project. Our 1950 Ford 8N tractor is finally purring like a kitten! A bunch of parts, trial and error, and swear words and she’s almost ready to do work.
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