# 2N Brake & Axle seals Fair repair cost (?)



## Dan's 2N (May 24, 2004)

Hi All,
What is a fair and reasonable cost to have a dealer put new brakes and axle seals/shims on a 1944 Ford 2N ?
I live in NE Pennsylvania.
Any ideas ??
Thanks
Dan


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## jbetts13 (Dec 28, 2003)

well come l don't know but andys good with the fords he should be able to help :tractorsm


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Welcome aboard DAN!!!  

Looks like you (or your repair shop) is in for nice little project. Brakes are never fun on any large tractor and these Ns are no exception. (especially with filled rear tires in some cases!) The oil leak on your 2N is probably simply saturating your worn brake pads and causing failure. The shop will probably use SureSeals to fix this problem. You will want to replace your brake shoes and lining assembly, possibly gaskets and also check alignment and set. These pads are asbestos so no sanding or burning the oil off to preserve em.
Get a new set - 9N2019 should be around $65.00 wholesale for both rear wheels. They might charge you ~$125 for brake shoes, pads, & sureseals etc and then labor on top of max of 6 hours. ($40/hr x 6hr = $240 + $125 = $365) --- That seems kinda high to me for a brake and seal job but I am giving you a high "city" quote. Honestly, I would say less labor time so you would be good at a quote of less than $300 --- say $250 total to do the job. Remember that you can overhaul the entire engine with magnaflux, boring, honing everything including all new components for about $750 total out of the door. ($350-400 will get you complete new engine kit with all components for these flat4s) 

Heck these tractors go for $2500-3000 completely restored -- Dont pay too much! 

FYI, The oil is most likely coming from inside the axle which is lubed by the crown gear turning and dripping oil into a small collection dish in the casting and in turn runs down to the end of the axle housing. That is where the oil leaks out from the brakes on alot of these 2Ns. Either that or various points on the axle seals are bad and if your full with 234D fluid, you will have alot of fun getting flooded. If there are leaks at the point that the lift arms bolt to the tractor, it is good to replace those gaskets while you have the axle housings off. You may need to replace the bolt studs & springs also. Check em for heavy wear. (heck you got it all off now!) 

Let me know if you need anything else.
Andy


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## Dan's 2N (May 24, 2004)

*2N brake cost*

Thanks Andy.I had 1 local quote of almost $1000.00 mights well been a million bucks to me.
Dan


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

$1000?????? Are they crAzy? You can buy a used 8N in good shape for around $1500-1750. $1000 for a brake and seal job. Simply horrible price. The parts are no more than $100 and the rest is labor. In the right shop you can get this done in less than 3 hours total for both sides. A really good shop that is totally fair with you could it for $250-300 easily. Worse case $400 out of the door IMHO.

I hope this helps. 
Andy


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

Welcome Dan $1000. bucks mg: if you cant find anyone cheaper i have one thing to say DIY.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Welcome Dan........$1000 *WOW* that does seem a lot steep...that local shop doesn't seem to friendly...


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Welcome Dan!
Is that shop familiar with n's or just a repair shop that agreed to do it? It might be worth transporting the tractor further to a more reliable and experienced shop. As a mobile tool distributor, I see first hand what goes on in repair shops. If they don't know what the going rate is for that type of repair on that type of tractor chances are they don't really know what they are doing. Or maybe they know and hope you don't. Either way, probably not the place you want to use. The next thing they're likely to tell you is they found something else broken while doing the repair, maybe, or maybe with their inexperience they broke it trying to fix it. Talk to other n owners in your area, maybe there's a club even, and see who they recommend.


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## Dan's 2N (May 24, 2004)

No it's a regulat tractor dealership.And the one mechanic has good knowedge on the N series.

I wish to thank all who replied to my question today.
YOU ARE ALL GREAT !!!
THANKS
Dan


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

SO what's the plan now, Dan?

Keep us in the loop. 

Welcome. 
Andy


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## Dan's 2N (May 24, 2004)

My plan is to look to other tractor repair shops and discuss all info with my son.Then decide course of action.

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL FOR YOUR HELP..................

DAN


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## bear (Oct 20, 2003)

if you have a place to work and a good jack and some blocks. get yourself a book and tackle the job yourself


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## parts man (Sep 24, 2003)

:ditto: It's not a terribly complicated job, a little messy, and if your tires are loaded, a little heavy lifting, but not a bad job, all-in-all.:thumbsup:


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## tomttomtom (Dec 24, 2003)

Gettca a FO-4 manual......It's not a had job at all.


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