Somebody told me these things could pull a plow.
pretty, but plow-worthy?
While researching for parts to rebuild the engine on our 1934 Hemmings Speedster, I came across something I had never heard of before, namely that Ford offered four cylinder 9N tractor engines as an option on some of their pre-war model trucks. The 1941 sedan delivery series 1NA and pickup series 1NC 1/2-ton and 1ND 3/4-ton were equipped with the 119.7 cubic inch tractor engine which had the same bore and stroke as the Mercury 239 flathead V-8. These engines were commonly referred to by Ford salespeople as “a half of a Mercury” and could deliver a little under half the horsepower of the flathead.
nicely restored 8N with a 119.7 we photographed at Rhinebeck in ‘08
The engine was used in 2N, 9N and 8N Ford tractors beginning in the late Thirties and was known by farmers for delivering decent torque (84-lbs.ft) at low idle speed (2000 rpm). The engine was used as Ford’s solution to buyers who were perfectly happy with the the Model A and B 4-cylinder engines that Ford canned in 1933 in favor of 8 cylinders. The earlier Model B engine was popular with the economy crowd in 1932 with its less thirsty 200.5 cubic inch engine and rated at 50hp on lower 4.6:1 compression. With the introduction of the 226 L-head 6-cylinder in 1941, the appearance of a tractor engine in a Ford truck was short lived, the model 2NC and 2ND pickups in 1942 used this 9N tractor powerplant. However, it was not available in trucks after WWII although it continued to power Ford 2N tractors until 1947 and 8N models unit the early Fifties.
