I use my 8n with exact same 5ft brush hog. I'll admit, without a bucket or weight up front it is a little heavy, however I use this thing to blaze trails on the side of my mountain. It is defintiely a dangerous experience if you are not careful. But it gets the job done.There is a reason the 8n is the most sold and used tractor around the world. If you are used to modern tech, there is a learning curve, but for old timer usage it is an amazing machine with plenty of new and used parts still available.
The 8n is a great tractor. I've been using one for 50 years and yes with a brush hog, plow, disc, post hole digger........... Can't be all bad when they made 524,000 of them. Sure a $15,000 tractor will be better if you have that kind of money.
I agree with you. We only had a 8n for years and years.. never used it to brush hog until lately. It was a challenge. I just found out about the overrun clutch. Im sure it would make it much easier.
My Farmall Super A is the same way. 1st gear is way to high geared and fast. You have to give it alot of throttle to mow which makes your speed pretty fast. The pto not working when clutch is pressed in wasn't a real problem for me it was just not being able to slow down without losing the cutting power. Eventually got a Ford 3000 Diesel with hi low range and it was perfect. It could crawl along at snails pace if you needed to. Now have a Compact John Deere 1025R with hydrostatic transmission and front end loader. Costly little things but man they can do it all! Love it
2n was one of my favorite bushhog tractor yeah 5 ft is max and heavy briers you have to mow high then low, but I never had to run over 1,500rpm and always enjoyed it. Of course I live in foothills some of which are 45% slope and they aren’t good on the worst but fine on the normal steep hills. You must always have the overrunning clutch you can shift on the go, start the bush hog and put it in gear with the bushhog still spinning, you can stop instantly, etc without it they are too dangerous with it they are pretty nice. They won’t mow a unpastured field full of heavy fescue without making a higher cut then a second lower cut. If you are wanting a mainline tractor to do heavy duty bushhog or baler work, the N is not right but if you want a good plow tractor to also keep a field trimmed and drag a little firewood, you can’t beat these old beauties.
I know this is an old video but you can purchase, or build your own, live hydraulics kit. It adds a modern hydraulics pump, driven directly off the front of the motor, or set up to be driven by belt, much like the alternator. It gets plumbed in to your existing hydraulic system so the lift continues to work as normal, except that is works wihout regards to the position of the pto or clutch. It's like getting a new tractor!!
I understand your frustrations but if you get a few summers under your belt with an Nseries none of this will bother you. Just like a few others have said just idle in neutral, set your height, throttle up, get the hog spinning then put in gear and go, and a clutch or clickbox is a must to keep the hog from pushing the PTO. It's just a different process with an N. It's not a new tractor but even as old as it is it will likely still outlive your new one lol
You need a pto overrun clutch, I have an old kubota same problem live pto. I just learned about the over run clutch and bought one on ebay only about $50 bucks. Lets the pto freewheel when not driving brush hog. Wish I had learned about that a few years ago!
Yea it takes some getting use too for sure. When this tractor was produced technology just didn't (at the time) exist to made the PTO run independent like todays are. It was a far cry from walking behind mules back then so many thought they were super. Good video.
You bring up some good points, but there are after market parts to help. An over run pro clutch is a must for bush hogs, a live hydraulic kit so you can move the implement up and down without the PTO running, and some experience with all the controls. Cheers.
20 years ago I had a 2N and I learned rather quickly about the PTO continuing to drive me after I engage the clutch as I ran up a fence post, but hey, I learned quick and I learned to love that tractor! Now just today I bought a 8N and I'm looking forward to getting it up to Snuff and putting it to work.
IMPORTANT ... IMPORTANT ... IMPORTANT One other person has lightly touched on it but ... if You want to live, you will go to Tractor Supply and buy (not expensive) an "over-running clutch adapter" for Your non-live PTO. A bushhog has two large blades that store energy as a rotating mass. Because the 8N has a non-live PTO, the energy stored in the bushhog transfers that energy to the transmission even when You push the clutch in. This means when You come to a lake, when You come to a fence, when You come to any tight spot, the bushhog's stored energy will push You into the obstacle. The adapter allows the stored energy to rotate the adapter without transferring energy to the PTO and transmission, thus eliminating the danger.
I bushhogged with my 9n for years it takes a bit to get used too. I upgraded to a ford 2000 more HP and its way easier then the n series tractor . Its all in the operator I guess Some get the hang of it some dont. Glad the orange tractor works good
The n series has a non live pto. A live pto means you can depress the clutch and the pto would still spin. Please use an over run clutch on non live pto tractors.
I do the same thing. I've hopped off the tractor before, at low rpm and with the transmission out of gear of course, and have picked up rocks and debris in my pasture and the blades were spinning all the while ....but I've got a 1940 9N, so maybe my tractor is different than his.
you cant get it in gear at all if you spool up. Transmission on 8n is turning when cutter is. If you spool up, then you will really grind gears,,,unless you have racheting pto attachment as others have suggested,,,and is needed here..
ITs bushhog,,not brushhog. Yep you have to run fast to get up on the power band of the engine, and speed enough in blades to cut. Taking blades off and doing a real good sharpening will help. No, its NOT live pto. Live pto is when pto runs live independent of wheels. A suggestion here--get on a flat drive way, adjust hitch so that front of deck rides above ground about 2", that way you wont always be dragging and wearing deck lower slides. Also, adjust so that rear of blades is about 1" above front. That way you will save energy and fuel over the long run as blades wont be dragging on cut tops of material. Also, on one with a rigid rear wheel, set hitch so that wheel carries most of the cutter weight. That insures that less wear is on tractor, and cutter more closely follows ground contour and gives better cut. Get with experienced guy who can watch while you cut and give advice. Tires in first photo are too far apart, wont allow you to cut near anything,,but you may need wide for stability
love that orange with the bush hogg brett the orange powerful k sures handle 100% more places then a 8n woud done that befr i find the on sucks for bush hogging wich had to switched to lovely kubota
Lift arms only work with the CLUTCH engaged. PTO does not have to be engaged. The biggest issue is without live power, the pto is tied to the drive, meaning the brush hog momentum will drive the tractor even if you are out of gear or it the clutch is disengaged. You need an overrunning clutch on the pto. No doubt, a newer $15,000 tractor is better than a $1500 8N, but the 8N is a good little tractor if you know how to drive it.
Phil Scott the pto does have to be engaged for the lift to work on a n series tractor. The pto what is what drives the hydraulic pump. I agree that you HAVE to have an over running clutch. It will save your life or save you from serious injury.
Sorry I don't agree with this . I grew up from age 7 with the 2n ford, the lift arms will NOT work with the pto off, the pto has to rotate as it runs the hydraulic pump so the lift will work. I have also had the 2n , 8n, and jubilee apart from one end to the other and that is the way they work. How ever the jubilee has live hydraulics but not pto. For what it's worth.
You'll get used to the N, it's a learning curve. I always tell people those little things will bite you in the ass faster than a big one, they're not idiot proof. You can do a lot of damage with the little things haha
rexum69 rex well like some of the comments say I was wrong on what a live PTO is. My point of the video is to basically say if you plan on using it for brush hogging I would look elsewhere. The 8n is a super capable tractor all around.... just not the best for certain things.
This guy would really hate an 8 track player, OMG! Thank God he's not a real farmer. Surprised he didn't just hire somebody to do the job. PS over running clutch should always be mounted on implement side, not tractor 😂
if i was bush hogging id get a kubota tractor for bush hogging jobs wich it handles flat,hills even grounds wich kubota makes a great tractor for any brush hogging jobs wich is nice
nope wich is good thing my kubota dealer helps customers find the cheapest model kubota tractor that customers andgive the tractor desent price or let the customers take the tractor and let it pay for it self wich hes pretty awsome :)
Brett Buckley We love our brush hog. It cuts the field great and chops up brush quite well even with dull blades. The Kubota would run the brush hog really nice. Ours has a hico label on the right vertical side (looking from the back) of the brush hog. I can barely read it but can make out the letters.
@@bucksgarage1 Yes sir, online is cheaper. Agrisupply.com has them for 35$ Idk if this ford 8n size but heres a link. www.agrisupply.com/rls1-overrun-coupler-6-spline/p/90654/
They run $50 - $100. You put the pto in gear, tractor in neutral and let the clutch out to get the mower spinning, then put in reverse or a forward gear and go mow. When you come to a corner and want to stop just push the clutch in and it won’t push you.
I worked on ranches when I was younger and a lot of my first discing, brush hog ect experience was on a machine like this. Didn't seem like such a pain in the ass to me when I was 16 and didn't know any better.
Live PTO has the PTO shaft turning all the time whether the clutch is depressed or not. The brush hog runs constantly. You can back right into the brush pile and pull out without the blade stopping. This is why I did not buy a tractor like this. Mower will push you right over a cliff.
Personally I wouldn't put anything bigger than a 5 footer on that small of a tractor. Unless you are on LEVEL ground , then you may go to a 6 footer. I had a CT-41 McCormick that was about the same size as that Kubota, and ran a 5 footer on some hilly ground, it will move that little tractor around a good bit !
I love the 8n. I have a new kubota 4740 but there is something about the 8n. I have some logging, fishing, camping videos on my channel, P.S. I support the paying it forward rage where a content provider like you and me subscribes to each another's channel. This way everybody gets more subscribers. Thanks Ray
Thanks for subscribing. The 8n was one of the most beloved tractors of all times. Ford, boomer, several years back made a replica with chrome etc and it was a work of art. I believe it was around 60 hp with all the new running gear. Beautiful for a rich guy but i wouldn't take it in the wood and would want a garage to keep it in.
Alright, you asked for a comment. Well here's mine. I don't want to come across as a know-it-all or a complete jack ass (though I've been both and worse) but, @3:30 you state the PTO will spin in reverse if you're in reverse. Do you mean the PTO is activated while the clutch is out while going backwards or are you trying to say the PTO actually reverses direction? Rather confusing statement to me. If'n I were to guess, I'd say you meant the PTO is activated when you let the clutch out and have the PTO lever in the 'engaged' position, no matter what gear you're in. All of the things you stated about not being able to shift gears, ya gotta wait for EVERYTHING to stop spinning, it's hard to stop or slow down, etc. etc. with the brush hog attached could be taken care of by a simple apparatus on the PTO stub shaft coming from the tractor. It's called an "overrun clutch" or ORC. It's a simple ratcheting mechanism that will only allow power to be pull TO the PTO driven accessory and NOT allow the kinetic energy from the brush hog to be transferred to the running gear of the tractor. So with an ORC when you go to stop, you simply push in the clutch and apply the brakes to stop, WITHOUT the worry of being pushed forward or reverse. An ORC essentially makes it possible to operate the tractor as you could without a PTO driven accessory attached (save for having extra length of the unit). An ORC can be purchased at pretty much any tractor parts outlet AND you can get one which adapts the 1 1/8" shaft to the more common 1 3/8" shaft. There's a few vids here on 'the tube' on the subject. Hope this helps.
Sorry boys, my nephew bought one last week and did some mowing to try it out. When he puts it in reverse to try and back in a spot to mow the pto reverses direction and the bush hog runs backwards, and of course can't mow that way. So yes with the tractor in reverse the pto runs backwards.
@@dougshrader7721 never had a problem mowing in reverse in 50 or so years of using an 8N. Come to think of it... I've never seen the PTO reverse directions when backing up.
Live pto. is a separate good pto. separate clutch.. seprate in out gear anytime! what 8n is = transmition geared pto= suks ..basic.. very dependable though! tractor will teach you to drive it lol . or break you lol. not for young kids toy !!! be on your game..
Any N series Ford tractor Is fine to run a bush hog. You can’t be a complete moron when using one and even if you are a partial moron get a PTO clutch.
Dude... Get real... they are tough and get the job done without a bunch of b s accessories. With an overriding clutch on the pto and some common sense in the driver's seat, the 8n will handle just about any one a comparable hp tractor will do. You need to quit making how to videos until you know how to.... Just sayin
Broski maybe you can't read well. Please look at the title of the video again, it doesnt say how too, it clearly says " My first time" I agree it is a very capable tractor and with a part ( override clutch) I had no idea they made for it I'm sure it would be better. Maybe you should start making videos... you know, since you know it all.
@@bucksgarage1 I don't know it all pard, but I've been running tractors, dozers, and backhoes since my feet would reach the pedals, but when you make a recommendation about the subject of your video, you should at least be informed on the subject.... again... just sayin... oh... and I read pretty well.
@@MrCap1813 I was merely stating a view point from a novice. With limited experience and no overrun clutch the 8 n is pretty dangerous. I called rural king and they have the over run clutch in stock, going to pick one up tomorrow. I haven't used the mower on it since that day. We'll see the difference soon.
