If you're looking at a worm-drive Fordson with rear fenders and a magneto, it's probably a Model N. The next questions are the ones that decide its originality and value: was it built in Cork, Ireland, or at Dagenham in England, and was it a prewar tractor or one of the wartime builds that plowed up Britain's grassland?

Paint won't answer that on its own, because many of these tractors have been repainted, some of them more than once. The serial number, checked against a few physical features, will. This guide covers where to find the number, how to read it, and what to check on an N before you buy it or try to get it running.

A short history

When Ford ended US production of the Fordson Model F in 1928, the design moved to Europe. Model N production began in Cork in 1929 and moved to Ford's new Dagenham works in the early 1930s. Grace's Guide gives 1932 for the move, and other sources give 1933. The N was built until 1945, and Dagenham built more than 136,000 of them during the war (Wikipedia). It was replaced in 1945 by the Fordson E27N Major.

Compared with the F, the N had a bigger engine, a high-tension magneto instead of trembler coils, standard rear fenders, and optional pneumatic tires. A power take-off was available as an option from 1935 (Grace's Guide).

Engine4-cylinder, 267 cu in (4-1/8 in bore x 5 in stroke), kerosene or gasoline
Nebraska tests (1930)Gasoline (Test 174): 29.09 belt hp, 18.30 drawbar hp. Kerosene (Test 173): 23.24 belt hp, 13.60 drawbar hp
IgnitionHigh-tension magneto
Transmission3 forward speeds, worm-gear final drive
WeightAbout 3,600 lb
BuiltCork 1929 to about 1932, then Dagenham to 1945

Figures are from Tractor Data unless noted.

Is it an N or an F?

  • Serial number. Model F numbers end at 747,681. The N's begin at 747,682.
  • Ignition. Look for a separate magneto on the engine. An F has no separate magneto. Its magneto is built into the flywheel and feeds a coil box.
  • Fenders. Standard on the N. Fs had none before 1923, so a fenderless tractor with no fender mounting holes is most likely an F.
  • Bore. The N's is 4-1/8 inches against the F's 4 inches.

Where the serial number is and how to read it

Tractor Data puts the N's serial number in the same place as the F's: below the cylinder head on the right side of the engine. It's a plain number with no model code. These are the starting numbers for each year:

  • 1929: 747,682
  • 1930: 757,369
  • 1931: 772,565
  • 1932: 776,066
  • 1933: 779,154
  • 1934: 781,967
  • 1935: 785,548
  • 1936: 794,703
  • 1937: 807,581
  • 1938: 826,779
  • 1939: 837,826
  • 1940: 854,238
  • 1941: 874,914
  • 1942: 897,624
  • 1943: 925,274
  • 1944: 957,574
  • 1945: 975,419

Telling Cork, Dagenham and wartime builds apart

By serial number. Numbers below 776,066 (1929–1931) are Cork tractors. Numbers from 779,154 on (1933 and later) are Dagenham. The 1932 block, 776,066 to 779,153, is the gray zone, because sources disagree on exactly when the move happened. Britain entered the war in September 1939, so numbers from late in the 1939 range up through 1945 are wartime builds.

By paint, with caution. According to Gas Engine Magazine, Cork tractors were gray with red wheels, apart from a few early ones with black wheels. Dagenham tractors started out dark blue with orange wheels, then changed to orange. When the war came, Fordsons were painted green so they would be harder to spot from the air. Older tractors were repainted green too, so green paint on a 1930s tractor doesn't make it a wartime build.

Worked example (made-up numbers): a block stamped 861,400 is at or above the 1940 start (854,238) and below 1941 (874,914). That's a 1940 Dagenham tractor, built during the war, and green would be its correct color. A block stamped 770,000 falls in the 1930 range, so it's a Cork tractor, and gray with red wheels is right even if someone has since painted it orange. In both cases, the serial dates the engine block. If the block has been changed, the tractor around it may be older or newer.

By options. A PTO was optional from 1935. A PTO on a tractor whose number dates it earlier was probably fitted later. That's fine for a working tractor, but it matters if you're restoring to original.

What to check before you buy or start one

  • Turn it over by hand first. With the plugs out, the crank should turn the engine smoothly. If it's seized, don't force it.
  • Spark at the magneto. No spark on an N usually points to the magneto, which can be removed and rebuilt by a magneto specialist.
  • The block. Check the sides of the water jacket for freeze cracks and old patches.
  • The worm drive. Listen for a clunk as the drive takes up, and check the rear housing oil for metal flakes. It's the most expensive part of the drivetrain to put right.
  • Wheels and tires. Lugged steel wheels will chew up pavement and a driveway. Find out what's fitted, and whether the rims are good enough to take tires if you need them.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Calling it Cork or Dagenham by its color. Wartime repainting and decades of owner paint jobs make color the weakest clue. Go by the serial number first.
  • Buying Model F parts for an N. The bore is different (4-1/8 in against 4 in), so pistons and rings don't swap. Measure before you order anything that touches the cylinders.
  • Assuming the serial number dates the whole tractor. It's stamped on the block, and a block can be replaced after freeze damage. Check the features against the number.
  • Hitching high. The N has fenders, but it still has the Fordson worm drive and short wheelbase. Hitch only at drawbar height, and never to the axle.
  • Grinding the number to read it. Shallow stamping disappears fast under a flap disc. Use a wire brush, solvent, and chalk rubbed across the stamping.

While Dagenham was building green Ns, Ford's US plant was building the wartime Ford 2N, a descendant of the very different Ford 9N with its Ferguson three-point hitch. From 1939 on, the British and American Ford tractor lines went their own ways.