When did NF production stop ?

My Dad had several narrow front tractors (WD, WD45, Farmall M, & Farman H). Yes they turned in tight spaces. Hauled many a loads of manure cause they could manuerver great in & around cattle shed & feedlot. They were also great pto for feed grinders, roadside ditch & hay mowing with sickles bars, and they were the best at getting into very tight spaces for pto grain bin augers. All of them being gas engines made starting them easier in the cold Midwest winters.
Now for field tillage or planter tractors - not a favorite. Could break your hand or finger if harrowing plowed ground when narrow front caught sideways in dead furrow. Steering wheels had spinners cause power steering wasn’t common. Spinner is what cracks your hand when front end cocks sideways in loose soils. Which reminds me that their brakes were usually worn out cause ithey were a bear to turn at headlands. Hydraulics were not as good either which complicated turns with disks & such. Plows had to have a true centerline to drawbar draft cause onland narrow front didn’t bite good & usually no differential lock on rear axles to assist pulling evenly.
Row crop cultivating was not to bad if it was a rear hitch type. If it was a front mount cultivator, it was easy on the driver’s neck, but weighted steering could be difficult to muscle for a young guy.

The last Deere tractors were supposed to be the 4030,4230 and 4430. But there are several confirmed 4040's with factory narrow front. Massey I think the 1080,1100 and 1130 were the last and Ford the 8600 and 9600. I have seen a handfull of 66 series IH's and know of a 1086 with a narrow front but not sure if factory or built. Some of the 70 series Case tractors were narrow front as well. Tom

Have seen pics of a 1086 with a narrow front, that would have been a '77 or newer. IH used some of those at the factories to move things around. Friend of mine has a 1066 with NF his dad bought new and mounted a corn picker on.

AC7060IL wrote:

Thank You Much!!! for this one! I remember seeing it from before and love the look. do you know what brand of nf it was from? I was thinking it was from a Ford.

Since the 8000 came out 85% of the tractors are MFWD.   Besides too many folks either rolled a narrow front or know someone who did. Just like the belt pulley it’s an idea that’s time has long since past.

And how many of those brochures did you save?


Edited by Ted J - 05 Apr 2019 at 4:45pm

I bought a new 175 in December of 1978 and I didn't have much money to spend so I tried to get one with a NF I thought it would be a little cheaper, and the dealer told me that the last year that you could get a NF was 1973. that is when OSHA outlawed them.