In Reply to: My 8N restoration posted by Nick C on April 30, 2025 at 17:14:32:
Enjoy that 1951 8N! Those memories are precious.
My father bought our '51 8N, used, in 1953 from a local dealer. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that it was traded in on a 1953 NAA, Jubilee. It has the Sherman combination step up/step down tranny, also.
Anyways, we farmed with that 8N. I started learning to drive on the 8N. I was 10 when dad bought it and he had me cultivating corn and soybeans that summer.
Over the years, it pulled the Dearborn 2-14 Economy plow and a 3 point double gang disc.
It also pulled the 4 section, spring tooth harrow (drag). We also had the Dearborn 3 point, 2 row cultivator. It then pulled a Woods Bros, Dearborn one row corn picker and a 6' cut Woods Bros. combine with a mounted industrial engine.
A year later dad added a used Farmall H to handle some of the heavier work and to lease additional land.
A few years later dad bought a Wagner Loader and a backhoe attachment to clean various ditches in and near fields.
Dad died in 1968 at age 53. My mother was selling all the equipment except the 8N and the 3 point, equipment which she gave to me, the only son (I had 3 sisters).
That tractor currently sits in my barn. By the way, HER name is Nellybelle (the 'e' at the end of the name is silent) I'll explain the name source later.
Up until about 1990, I worked it pretty hard as my family grew and we built a new house in 1985. It was/is always reliable. Each of our 3 kids (2 boys, one girl) learned to drive on it.
She is basically retired now. Her hardest work is carry me around the yard. We have downsized our land (10 miles from the original farm) from 17 acres to 3 acres.
During our 39 years on this property, we had many hayrides, and Nellybelle was in her finest hours.
In all the years, she has had the engine rebuilt 3 times and has been painted twice. Not show quality, maybe but pretty to our family.
We now have a 3 year old great granddaughter. I gave her one of my 1/16 scale Ford 8Ns. She loves it!
Nellybelle's future was decided years ago. She will go to my oldest son who has just completed a 40x64 barn for his family toys. Our younger son will get my 1944 2N which he helped me restore and paint. Our daughter lives in DC and really not interested in a tractor. Any other tractors I may have will get sold.
Nellybelle's name: in the early 50's, there was a TV show, Roy Rogers. He had a sidekick, Pat Brady, who drove a WW2 Jeep named Nellybelle. I spent many hours in the fields imagining I was driving Nellybelle.