I think Raleigh Barnett is an amazing man for owning 64 Ford model 8N tractors. I don’t know of another person that has a larger collection of one model of tractor. All of his refurbished tractors are in excellent condition. All are ready for work. Raleigh stores his tractors in two sheds located on his property in Waterfall, Pennsylvania. The oldest tractor in his collection was manufactured in 1947 and the newest in 1952. He says he uses five of his 8N’s for various duties on his farm.

Raleigh began his collection when he purchased a brand new 8N in 1952. It’s his personal favorite because he’s had it the longest. It was twenty years later when he acquired his 2^nd 8N. Since then, he hasn’t been able to stop collecting them. He collected his 53^rd 8N in September of '98 at a nearby sale. By the year 2000, Raleigh managed to acquire 3 more 8N's to bring his count up to 56. One of them was a Christmas present from his wife. By the year 2002, Raleigh added 6 more 8N's and then another by 2004 to bring his total up to 63. He added one more to top off his collection to 64 which is his current total today. Raleigh just loves his 8N Fords.

Years ago, Raleigh told me he’s running out of storage space in his sheds and needs to stop collecting.  He said he would quit collecting them when he reaches the magic number of 60. That didn't seem to pan out. Raleigh told me it was getting harder to find parts for his 8N’s. I told him there’s a parts shortage because he has all the parts. He chuckled. Another possible collecting problem is his son Richard, who helps him restore these tractors, is getting tired of it. Come on Rich, how about a couple more restorations?

Once a year during the annual Fulton Fall Festival, which is in the third week in October, he and his family starts, washes, and lines them in rows in a field next to his house. I was astonished to see the amount of people who stopped to see his collection. I visited for an hour and I bet there were 30 vehicles that stopped.

Each 8N has its different features and characteristics. Most of them are painted the original color. One 8N is resting alone in front of his house with its sheet metal and wheels painted dark gray, the same color use for the earlier 9N model. Raleigh purchased it from a farmer who spent $500 for a paint job and used a non-original gray color for 8N’s.

Raleigh owns 64 of the 524,076 model 8N tractors that The Ford Motor Co. manufactured from 1947 to 1952. The model 8N was one part of the "N" series tractor Henry Ford built. The others were the models 9N and 2N. The model 9N was manufactured from 1939 to 1942 and the model 2N from 1942 to 1947.In conclusion, the next time you have a hankering to see a massive amount of Ford 8N tractors, visit Raleigh Barnett. You’ll feel like you’re in heaven at the first sight of his terrific collection.

8N w/hand brake	8N w/Sherman Combination Auxillary Tranny	8N w/Hupp Auxillary Tranny

8N w/rear accessory	8N w/Sherman Combination Auxillary Tranny	8N w/Hupp Auxillary Tranny

Here are more pics of Raleigh's 8N collection.
(Click the thumbnail for a larger view)

8N w/9N Engine	8N w/9N Front Hubs	8N w/Dearborn Mower	8N w/High Mounted Headlights	8N Painted Dark Gray

I'm sorry to report that Raleigh Barnett passed away May 19th, 2006 at the age of 82. To read more click here.