I have been using my 9N for many years. It is very dependable. Today I started it, let it idle, then put it in gear to move. It went 8 feet and died. The started does nothing as if there was no electrical connection. All connections look tight and good. The battery is nearly new. I don't think it is the starter or starter button since neither of those would have caused it to die. I don't think it is the coil because the engine would still turn, just not start. I am at a loss on this one.

I would be looking at an electrical issue starting at and off the battery. Remove and clean all connections. A starter won't cause a running engine to die shortly after starting. A coil or fuel issue will not cause the starter from cranking.You have to investigate up to the point where the cranking system and ignition system power go their separate ways. Having a DVM can be a valuable diagnostic tool in a situation like this.

I completely agree. Now that the resolution has been found I have to assume the engines sudden stop and the lack of starter following that was possible a coincidence. In time I guess I will know, but after checking all electrical connections, finding nothing, I decided the starter was bad and decided I would start it with the crank. I turned the engine a couple of times just to sense where I needed to exert force, then had the thought, try the starter one more time. I did...it started. It seems the starter has a bad spot in the windings. Hopefully it does not happen often.

Hey Shaun, just checking - do you know the safe way to hand crank an 8N? Some folks have ended up with broken thumbs or wrists from not doing it correctly.

No. Definitely not. I have only done it once just to see if I could, and it was easy. I turned it until I could feel the spot where there was compression and then gave it a heave. It started. If there is a correct way to do it...I don't know what that is. I would be glad to have the education though.

1. Do NOT wrap your thumb around the handle end. Have your thumb resting on top of the bar. If you get a backlash, it will be less likely to break your thumb.
2. Start at 6 o'clock and pull up to 12 o'clock. Do not try to go from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock. If you get a backlash doing it like this and your thumb is not wrapped, it's less likely that you can get hurt.

Unlike many tractors, the crank pulley nut is a beveled/ramped slot so that should the engine kick backwards, the handle is ejected from the slot to prevent the broken thumb. That said, it is still a good idea to ALWAYS have thumb on the same side of the handle as your fingers in case you were to ever crank some other brand. My humble experiences, many, many, many moons ago.

DUH!!! Here it is 2:30AM! I'm in Bastrop, Texas Holiday Inn and a jolt of truth just hit me. After a bladder drain and as I crawled back into bed...BOOM! I am wrong about the purpose of the beveled/ramped crank slot. It is to kick the crank handle out when the engine starts! This does prove that you can never be too old to learn about mistaken beliefs.
I HAD to make this entry so that I can go back to sleep.

Ignition switch???? All connections clean, bright, and tight, as someone once said many years ago...

Tight, yes. Clean, yes. Bright, not at all. Most connections are 25+ yrs old. I will brighten up all of them and let you know. Thank you for the ideas. It has to be something and hopefully its something simple. Thank you.

Just because a battery is new does not make it good. If you don't have a way to test at least voltage take the battery and get it tested.

The engine started up perfectly 5 minutes before it went dead...then would not even turn the motor in the slightest...I will test the battery, but it seems like it is something else...I will keep you posted. Thank you for the suggestion.

Solved. Very weird, but solved. Tested the battery (6 volt), was good. Cleaned all connections. Tried to start it...Nothing, as if there was no power getting to the starter. Checked the switch, Ohm meter said it was working. Power was getting to the starter...but it was not responding. I thought maybe it is a bad starter, so I decided to try starting it with the crank. I turned the engine a couple of times. Then before reconnecting the battery (disconnecting the battery is how I shut mine off...the key is gone) I decided to try the started one more time. It fired right up. My assessment is that either the engine was jammed in a bad spot or the starter was and that by turning the engine manually, it solved the problem. Go figure. Thank you everyone for your help on this.

That can be caused by a bad spot on the starter's armature. I had this issue with an old 6v VW Beetle. You can get by it the way that you did, but I used to tap on the body of the starter with a hammer while my wife turned the key, and that would get it every time until I could replace the starter. The Ford starters were engineered to be rebuilt many times, so if you can find a replacement armature, it will save you some money. Another option is to take it to a specialty shop that fixes generators, alternators, and starters, and see what it will cost to overhaul yours.

Not a bad idea...but it will have to happen much more often for me to have the starter rebuilt...since I have the crank...and I only run it a few times per year. It is a very dependable piece of equipment. That issue was baffling...frustrating...and yet in the end so simple. Now I know. Thank you!

I pulled into a gas station, shut the truck off, fueled up and nothing would work could not even jump it had to get a new battery.