The Ford N-series tractors were a line of farm tractors built by Ford between 1939 and 1952, covering the 9N, 2N and 8N. The 9N was the first American-made production tractor to use Harry Ferguson’s three-point hitch, a system still used on most tractors today.
Ford N-series tractor at a glance
| Maker | Ford Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 1939–1952 |
| Models | 9N, 2N, 8N |
| 9N released | June 1939, shown in October 1939 |
| Key feature | Ferguson three-point hitch |
| 9N price | US$585 with tyres, PTO, hydraulics, starter and battery |
| 9N weight | 2,340 lb (1,060 kg) |
| 9N power | 13 drawbar horsepower, enough for a two-bottom plough |
| 9N built | about 750,000 |
| 2N introduced | 1942, simplified for wartime |
| 8N introduced | July 1947, more power, new transmission |
| 8N sales | over 530,000 worldwide |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only.
History of the Ford N-series tractor
Ford, Ferguson and a handshake
Ford’s first tractor had been sold as the Fordson because another company, the Ford Tractor Company, was using the Ford name; Ford of the United States left the tractor business in 1928 while Ford Ltd of Britain carried on. In Ireland, Harry Ferguson had been improving hitches since the 1910s and by 1926 had a working hydraulic three-point hitch. In 1938 the importer Eber Sherman arranged a demonstration of Ferguson’s tractor for Henry Ford, and its light weight relative to its power impressed him. The result was a handshake agreement: Ford would build tractors using the Ferguson system, and the company invested US$12 million in tooling for Ferguson’s distribution company.
The 9N
The 9N was introduced in June 1939 and released in October, officially a “Ford tractor with the Ferguson system” though Ford-Ferguson was widely used. It sold for US$585 including rubber tyres, power take-off, Ferguson hydraulics, an electric starter, generator and battery, with lights optional. It weighed 2,340 pounds and had 13 drawbar horsepower, enough for a two-bottom plough, with an ignition system improved over the Model F and an innovative system of rear-wheel and front-axle mounts that let farmers set the width for row-crop work. Ford said “our competition is the horse” and designed the 9N for farmers who were not mechanically minded: safe, quiet and easy to operate. It was an immediate success and its layout became an industry standard for fifteen years, and about 750,000 were built.
The 2N, the 8N and the lawsuit
The 2N of 1942 was the 9N with features changed or removed because of wartime restrictions. The 8N of July 1947 was largely a new machine with more power and an improved transmission, and by some measures it became the most popular farm tractor of all time in North America with over 530,000 sold worldwide. Henry Ford II, who took over in 1945, found that the N had lost Ford over US$25 million in six years despite its success: he formed Dearborn Motors in November 1946 to take over distribution and told Ferguson that Ford would stop supplying him after July 1947. Ferguson sued for US$251 million over patent infringement and alleged conspiracy to monopolise the business, while Ford argued the patents had expired. In 2001 it was estimated that nearly half of the 9Ns ever built were still in regular use.
Design and features
- Ferguson three-point hitch: the first American production tractor to have it.
- Light and powerful: 2,340 lb with 13 drawbar horsepower.
- Easy to use: designed for farmers who were not mechanically minded.
- Industry standard: the 9N layout was copied by other makers for fifteen years.
Ford N-series tractor versions
- 9N (1939–1942): the original Ford-Ferguson tractor, about 750,000 built.
- 2N (1942–1947): the wartime version with some features removed.
- 8N (1947–1952): the more powerful model with a new transmission.
- NAA and 600 series: the successors built on the same layout.
The N-series tractors were the forerunners of the Ford 3000 and the Thousand Series, and their engines and chassis were Ford’s own work after the Fordson. More Ford vehicles are in the Ford collection.
Sources
- Ford N-series tractor, English Wikipedia: development, 9N, 2N, 8N, Ferguson dispute
