Check to see if you have weighted tires on the rear. The weight adds to the tractors ability to push or pull, making tire tread dig in. Beet pulp juice is now the preferred filler because does not rust out the rims like chloride fill does. You don’t fill front tires. Just keeping tractor tires out of the sun will add years to their life.
There is an adapter that goes on the PTO that allows “free spinning” when using things with moving parts, like brush hogs (for example). Not sure of the technical term, but you don’t have to wait for blades to stop before you can shift. Worth the money to get it.
My husband watches Utube videos by a lady who runs a business fixing older Ford tractors. He likes how she covers all the details in the repair. Uses her information to fix our Ford 9N.
If you have a local Ford tractor dealer, you might take the tractor in for the upgrade radiator cap. It is a safety issue, should tractor ever tip over. Cap is free if tractor never got it upgraded before. They track by vehicle numbers. I laughed about recalls on 60+ year old tractors. Our Maisie got her new cap when we got new brakes put on. Not sure which number they used, she is a combination of 8N motor, 9N axles and 2N frame! Regardless, she is a terrific tractor for pulling the spreader daily. Husband added foot plates that make life a lot nicer than those foot pegs the 9N comes with! Benefit of another Utube video he watched.
Rear hydraulics are the main issue we ever had a problem with. There was the going up when NOT expected! Lever moved itself while driving, broke the female PTO head off the driveshaft rising so high. I have the lever tied down now to prevent it happening again. No need to lift or lower the hydraulics with the spreader. Tractor is strictly a towing machine these days. The other was failure of hydraulics to stay in place, in use. One old Ford would lose pressure OR suddenly lift unexpectedly. Sold that one! Just do pay attention to things when lifting to prevent being surprised.
We now have a lovely Kubota (Katy Kubota) with a loader, who does most of the needed jobs around the farm now. I told husband I HAD to have a tractor with loader to save my shoulders shoveling sawdust for stalls after the kids left. But I did many things with the Ford before we got Katy, was such a good worker for us. Taught the kids to drive on it!
Congrats on the new tractor, they do make work easier. I would pass on the dump bucket. We had one until I sold it. Very inefficient as a tool. Easier to move dirt quanties with the back blade. Rent a bobcat loader if you have big/huge dirt quanties to move. We did. Major time saver in getting a job finished in a timely manner.
