It's been awhile since posting here, but it's also been a long time since I had a problem with the 8N. It has been amazingly reliable even when I have been pretty neglectful, which is the case for the past few years. I'd say it's been 10 years or more since I've pulled the front mount distributor, the plugs, or the carb. I keep the battery on a tender and I treat the fuel or use avgas to minimize fuel problems.
I did use the tractor a bit last year for some mowing & to pull some dead trees out of the creek. It gets used almost every season for something or other, I just haven't been good about regular maintenance or taking care of the details.
No-start with these great old machines usually is key switch, electrical connections, or carb. In this case it was a dirty carb. I disassembled it, soaked overnight, and put a few new parts in it. I went ahead and pulled the front mount & plugs to look them over & clean them up too. The 8N is back up and going again.