# What was your first Ford tractor experience?



## Fordfarm (Dec 27, 2005)

Ok, guys! Come on! Tell us about your first experience with a Ford Tractor! Mine was as a grade schooler, a neighbor used to rent the farm ground next door. He had a "fleet" of Hundred Series Fords. He knew I was watching, so one day he set me up in the seat in front of him and let me steer. One day, when I was 10, he actually let me DRIVE his Powermaster down the driveway and back! I was hooked! I had driven Dad's Farmalls before, but they were all narrow front (B,H,M) and NOTHING like this machine! I still love the Farmall's but, I'm a little more partial to the Fords!


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## John-in-Ga (Sep 22, 2003)

My first experience was with a 1948 brand new 8n Ford tractor in, naturally 1948. My Dad’s first tractor. He bought it to replace two mules. He kept the mules for another year or two and the little 8n for several years. He had it overhauled several times. I put in a lots of “seat time” on the little work horse. Dad in a year or two bought a Jubilee and kept the 8n. When my brothers and I got home from school we would race to the field, as the first one there would get to choose the tractor they wanted to drive. Naturally the “winner” wanted “The New One.” 

But I digress, you ask about first experience. I would have been only about 7 years old when the 8n was delivered, so can not remember all the details. I can still picture my Dad unloading some of the implements he got with it. They came in wooden crates and were unloaded off his old Ford truck out by the little dirt road where we lived. The tractor came from a little town about 50 miles away, even though there was a Ford Tractor Dealer in our town. 

I have since learned that even in 1948 tractors were still in short supply in our little town, as Ford Motors hadn’t, as yet, been able to catch up with the demand for farm tractors after switching over from war production. Hence, the reason our tractor came from 50 miles away. Dad’s brother, who lived in the town where the tractor was bought, was “lucky” enough to find it for him. 

There you have it. Hope my foolish ramblings doesn’t deter you from asking other provocative questions.


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

My best farm based childhood friend's father had an "N" I have no clue what flavor , but it was a real joy to visit him because we could play who's was bigger!! As two snot nosed Holstein herders we always had the providable Mine can outpull your's!! 

We had all IH stuff but I can tell you in no uncertain terms it was brown stain pant's producing time when I took his Ford down the mountain from our separate farms in neutral and he following in our big ole lumbering IH "H"!! 

I add with regret that his life ended in an automobile accident some 45 years ago as a young man accustomed to any thing goes in a rural lifestyle!! 

Dean MGRYSM!!


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## Fordfarm (Dec 27, 2005)

Great stories, Guys! Don't worry about ramblings! You ain't heard none of my idle ramblings yet!


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## Fordfarm (Dec 27, 2005)

> "our big ole lumbering IH "H"


Yeah - I remember when I thought an "H" was a BIG machine!


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Fordfarm _
> *Yeah - I remember when I thought an "H" was a BIG machine! *


Believe me in 1944 compared to the N's and Johnny poppers it was BIGGGGG , we also had some monster Molines in the county!! My god the earth will never stop shaking with one of those around!!
What warm loving memories this thread has brought back to me!!
Thank you all!
Dean


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## gwill (Jan 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Fordfarm _
> * Ok, guys! Come on! Tell us about your first experience with a Ford Tractor! *


I can beat stories... I have a picture.

At our county fair a photographer took my picture for his display. At the end of the fair he gave it to me. He caught me sitting on a new N Ford, daydreaming about how much better it would be than those !#$%^ mules! I'm not sure of the year, but it must have been about 1946. I have a copy of the picture added to my original owner's manual.

<img src=http://members.toast.net/gwill/album/Tractors/Ford/fair_9N.jpg>


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

A hansomne man destined to do great things!! How well we used to dress as young lads in those days!!
If I had access to congratulatory smilieys you would get a screen full George!!
Dean


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Ford “600”, I don’t know what year it was built.
It had a FEL and rear grader blade and was mostly
used to shape-up a utility road of dirt and gravel on
a large estate were I worked a long time ago.


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

I started restoring Ford tractors when I moved to Hammond, LA by trading services with a neighbor....he taught me about rebuilding and restoration and I taught him about photography and computers and posted his items on Ebay! We started with the Ns....alot of 8Ns..Jubilees...then 3000, 4000, 5000, and several other tractors....both diesel and gas driven. I have always wanted a restored Powermaster 861 unit.....thought they were simply beautiful machines!


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## Fordfarm (Dec 27, 2005)

EXCELLENT photo, gwill! I've got some pics around here SOMEWHERE of me at the fair and the dealership where Dad worked. I'll have to find them sometime!


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## dawzie (Oct 2, 2008)

*This thread back to life*

Well, when I was five or six years old(1958/59) my Uncle was throwing loose cut hay up on a four wheel wagon. Got tired of me asking him a thousand questions and picking my nose. Sat me down on the seat of the old 9N, showed me how to push down on the clutch and put it in gear. My little legs couldn't let up on the clutch easy, away I went in second gear, heading for the other end of the field. Unc cought up to me in time to shut the switch off before something bad happened.

He was yelling and I was crying !!

My cousin now has that "N" with the sicklebar mower on it. 

I got the '50 8N :jumprope:


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

Great story Dawzie and welcome to the Tractor Forum. 

My first exposure to the Ford tractor world was much later in life when my younger brother bought a very used 8N that was pretty well beat. It had one of those trip bucket loaders that seemed like a good idea but never seemed to work very well. It was a neat old tractor but he didn't have the patients to fix it up so he sold it and bought a new Kubota.

Andy


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## tbzep (Jul 6, 2008)

I was born into it. My father still has the 1952 8N. My first experience.... My mother has photos of my father sitting me on his knee and riding me around. Judging by the pics, I wasn't old enough to walk yet. 

Last summer, my two children, 16 and 9, helped me and my father rebuild it and paint it for the second time since it's been in our family. It's been worked hard. 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y283/tbzep/Tractor/p1010001-2.jpg


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## Ford-fan (Oct 26, 2008)

OK guys. I got this one. I was 17 years old and kind of helping out on a 1000 head cattle farm after school. It was winter time and I was asked to to put out the large round hay bails to the bulls in the "bull lot." I had never driven a tractor before and my first taste was on a big Ford 7000. It had iced the day before and everything was covered in about an inch of ice. So I go in the bull lot to put the first bail out and this big red angus they had that was ornery as a wet hornet undoutedly didn't like where I put the bail and comes charging the tractor. He rams the rear wheel and this huge tractor briefly goes up on two wheels. I start sliding on the ice down a hill after he rams me. I grab the first gear I can get it into and take off towards the open gate praying he won't come after me. He didn't and I survived. Scared the dickens out of me though.


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## dbear (Sep 17, 2003)

I remember sitting on my mom's lap when I was 5 and attempting to steer my uncle's 9N or NAA (he had both) between the rows of trees in his orchard.

I was driving his 841 (PS and FEL) by myself by age 7, I think, ferrying pallets of crates, one on fel and one on rear forks, to the picking crew, and returning with full ones for sorting.


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## middleford (Aug 16, 2008)

In 1943, when I was 7 years old, I spent the summer on Harry Cooley 's farm in Randolph Center, Vermont. He had a 9N that his sons taught me to drive, and they let me pull the side-delivery rake for haying. I wasn't heavy enough to depress the clutch, so I had to stand on it and pull up on the steering wheel to declutch. They wouldn't even let me ride on it during plowing because of the sudden stops when the plow hit a rock.


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## alleyyooper (Oct 23, 2004)

I grew up on a farm with Massey Harris tractors from a model 20 to a 44. We also had a Case vac-u and a SC for a while. The case vac-u was my first driving exeperince. Some latter we had Allis Chalmbers WC's and WD's.
The Ford came after Dad retired from cattle farming and the shop. It was a 9N dad got after relizing that the Jap tractor just wasn't shucks for keeping the drive clean and plowing up the huge garden the folks grew. I was in my 20's then and decided I would use that little Ford to raise some hay to sell on a share deal. Dad found that the 9N ran the big snow blower ok if we had just got a little snow with no wind but if it was windy the drifts made you work your tail off getting the first path down the drive done. Dad bought a Ford 2000 with live power and a FEL. He also decided that being retired totaly wasn't for him so he started doing some farming again. Asked If I wanted to join in with him, which I did and bought My 5000 Ford.

I still like my Masseys best though.

 Al


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## IamMyFathersSon (Jan 6, 2009)

Growing up we had Farmalls. The first tractor I remember was a Farmall 140. It was the bread and butter of most all the tobacco farmers in the area.

My Dad's 140 was in the sixties model, but I don't know the exact year. I have asked him previously what year it was and he had trouble remembering.

My Mom has told me when I was a baby and she could not get me to go to sleep she would carry me out to the field were Dad was plowing tobacco or doing whatever that day. He would put me on the tractor and ride me til I fell asleep and then carried me back home. 

It's funny to think back about it, my Dad and Uncle farmed together. We named all our tractors. Dad's 140 was named grandma and my uncle's we called grandpa. 

For some reason back then the 140s would come with different high gears. Grandma's 4th gear was really high. She was fastest tractor in the community! Grandpa had a very low 4th gear and was slow as could be.

All the farm kids would argue over who got to drive grandma cause it was the fastest on the highway when we were changing to different fields and farms. None of us wanted to drive grandpa! He was just too slow for us kids.


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## DanielWilson (Feb 2, 2009)

When I was about 8, I stayed a couple days with my grandparents. Grandpa was a Ford man all the way, so I <i>think</i> his backhoe was a Ford.

He took my brother (5?) and me out to the field and got out his camcorder. He still has about 30 minutes of video of us driving the thing the length of the field. He'd come down and turn it around and we'd do it again. We were overwhelmed, but he had a blast!

The first time I knew what I was doing on a tractor was the other night. I was looking for a small tractor ... and answered an ad for a 9000. Not small!

Anyway, I got the feel of the thing and it was a lot easier to handle than 14,000 pounds of 1972-era steel looked.

After we left, my wife decided she didn't want me getting a tractor for which I'd need a bigger barn.  Oh, well, it's fun to dream ...


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## frankmako (Sep 13, 2008)

ford 8n on the farm. it was a great day for me to move up to the 8n over the allis chambers wd with the hand clutch. electric start was good.


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