# 8n owner needs info. help.



## viken (Dec 7, 2004)

i bought this 8n this year and never used it until this last weekend. it did a good job. three months ago when i bought it, i got a rear blade and a brush hog. have not used the hog yet but the blade did good at helping me make a road where the wife and i are going to make a house.  1st prob. the three point hitch is all bent it works but i would like a new one even the grease Zerk is broke off on the thing that makes the one side go up and down. is there a place i can get all the parts and save a little money over getting separate pieces? also i changed the oil and filter when i got it, it needed it done. the old owner said he just changed the hydro fluid but when i make the rear go up it goes up but the last few inches it goes grrrr and goes slow. it will only stay up for 15 min if i turn the engine off. 2nd prob. i need new front tires they are rotten. the back looks good. should i get the three ridge or the single ridge? the single seems to be hard on the grass. 3rd prob. i would like to clean the tractor up and put some paint on her. can i just use a wire brush on a drill and get the paint off and prime and paint with the spray cans of paint i bought from tractor store?


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Good day and welcome to the Forum! I have had my fair share of rebuilds and work with the ole' 8Ns! I simply love em! So let's see what we can do to help you here. 

1st, bent 3point hitch. Doesn't sound good! You can often find parts for these tractors (there were over 500K made!) and lots of independent tractor salvage yards exist, as well as parts on Ebay and of course one of my personal favorites - www.just8ns.com 
I highly recommend Don Barkley (just8ns.com) for all of your 8N parts and info needs. His customer support, knowledge and professionalism is a credit to the entire tractoring industry in my humble opinion! 

2nd, the lift faltering after 15mins is not that bad but not the best either. There are routinely 2 different weights of hydro/tranny (combined cavity for this beast) used --- straight wt. and new 134D Hydro fluid. The straight oil is heavier but you probably have a wear/tear issue with your hydraulic pump. Here is some helpful insight on how to diagnose that issue. You should first take off the right hand inspection plate under the seat on the side of the lift housing. With an implement on the lift start the engine and with the lift in the up position look inside and see if their is oil leaking from the end of the lift ram cylinder.If their is only a slight drip this is normal.If their is a fairly steady stream this may be the trouble.If the oil is coming from somewhere else try to pin point its orign. If you find no appreciable leaks on top in your view then you may have a pressure relief valve leaking. It is located just under the pto shaft on the vertical back of the pump. Sorta shaped like a spark plug and an 11/16" box end wrench fits it. You can check it for leakage by first finding it with the engine off and then with the pump running and with a load and hot put your finger over the end of the relief valve and if it is leaking enough to be a problem you will be able to feel the oil push your finger off the end of the valve slightly.You can check it by washing it up and then soaping it real good with some dishwashing detergent and water and apply air to the end that goes into the pump. If it is leaking you should replace it with a new one. Or just replace it if you have it out because these things are notorious for failing. The part # used to be 8N638

3rd, I use the 3 ribbed, but I have seen many people change to turf and even motorcycle tires for the fronts. I can get you more info if you need it on this conversion. 

Lastly, it depends how much $ and time you want to put in it. Cost for good quality enamel paint and multiple coats can run you into some serious $$$ --- if you just want a decent restoration, you can of course tear the ole N down and sand, prime and paint each part. The time you put into it will help you in the long run as you will undoubtly find things to tighten up, repair and fix along the way with your paintjob! 

?'s:
You didn't metion the year of the N, nor if it is side/front mount distributor, or anything else...How does the oil pressure hold up?
Have you done a compression check on the engine? Do you have a pictures? 

I hope some of this helps! Welcome again!


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## psrumors (Apr 25, 2004)

Welcome to the forum Viken. I will try to answer the questions in the order you asked.

1: Parts are available with excellent service at Just 8'ns Don is a great guy.

2: Take a look at the hydraulic dipstick. If the oil looks good it's time to troubleshoot the probelm if the oil is milky or smells burnt change it first. To troubleshoot the lift I recommend Zane's way. 8N Lift Troubleshooting 

3: Front tires. It depends on what you will mainly use the tractor for. I had the single rib on the front of my 8n and as long as the ground was good and dry I could finish mow the lawn without leaving marks. If it was wet though that was a different story.

4: Paint. Many people use a spray cans with good results. The main issue is surface prep. If you can get all the 50+ year gunk off it should turn out just fine. Some people will brush the paint on for a good first coat and the spray the second to cover up the brush marks. I have seen this and seems to work pretty well.

Again, welcome to the forum. Hope this helped.


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## psrumors (Apr 25, 2004)

Now between mine and Andy's post it shows there was 11 minutes but Andy's wasn't there to begin with and I know it only took me a couple to type mine.

What do they say about minds thinking alike?


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Few things

The first you already have some great info, from a few people who know more about these then me. But some input..

Tires I have old truck tires on mine and I hate them. The tread packs up bad with mud. I will be getting the tri rib tires next. 


The paint If you just want to make it a little better, but not doing a restore, spry cans would be better then whats there now


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## viken (Dec 7, 2004)

this is a good place to get answers. thanks all. when i first start her it's at 40-45 than after a couple hours it was down to 19-20 if i put the rpm's up it went over the 20 mark. also i think i will get some tri tires. the trans fluid i did check and it looked a little like milk. what should it look like.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

should look pretty much like clean gear lube. If its milky, it has water in it. The shift boat, and fill cap are prone to leaking[see my post named "why did I wait so long"]


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