THE CLASSIC TRACTOR

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One fellow I met during my pilgrimage to find the classic tractor turned out to be something of an 8N expert. He drives around the country buying old tractors, hauls them back to New Mexico, restores and then sells them. One thing he knows a lot about is parts for 8Ns. Yes, they're available. For one thing, so many Model As are still around that new parts are still being made for them. In fact, many 8N components are so common in automobiles that you won't have to go any farther than your local car parts store for what are known as "crossover" parts. These places are generally less expensive than a tractor dealership.

In any case, should you decide to restore an 8N, you can be assured that you won't have to drive around the countryside looking for a derelict 8N to cannibalize. Just head down to the store. You're not likely to find many 8Ns sinking into sunflower patches anyway, and any broken veterans you do come across may be worth as much as $1,000—certainly no less than $600. They're still that valuable for their salvageable parts.

A nicely restored 8N brings up to $3,00o here in New Mexico. In Oklahoma, one large used-tractor dealer had 212 tractors on his lot, and 28 of them were 8Ns. All ran, none was restored and they ranged in price from $1,050 to $2,025—and the cost keeps rising. The $1,500 machine of a few years ago is now up to $2,500. Almost sounds like a good investment, doesn't it?

The 8N has it all over the 9N and 2N in several respects (for one thing, there are more of them around, but the main difference, as far as I'm concerned, is that the 8N has four speeds instead of three. The 8N is really considered the Cadillac of the trio, as well as a true classic of its day. The 8N is still prized for its handling, simplicity, availability of spare parts—even for its looks.

If you need a tractor, and you're looking for a winter project, an 8N restoration will most likely fill the bill. Back the veteran into the barn in October. Drive out in the spring, ready to go to work with your spruced-up American country classic. So maybe it's not a '42 Lincoln Continental or a '48 Indian Chief. But your classic won't languish in a garage, covered by sheets. Your classic is going to earn its keep.

Albert Manchester is a free-lance writer living in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico.

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