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129-579: The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated IH or International ) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more. It was formed from the 1902 merger of McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester Company and three smaller manufacturers: Milwaukee; Plano; and Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner (manufacturers of Champion brand). Its brands included McCormick, Deering, and later McCormick-Deering, as well as International. Along with

258-440: A brand architecture during the first half of the 20th century, when the concept was still new. IH capitalized on farmers' familiarity with its older brands stretching back to individual entrepreneurs of the earliest days of agricultural mechanization ( Cyrus McCormick , William Deering ), which is why legacy company brands McCormick and Deering were used. The Farmall name itself began as a model name and then evolved to encompass

387-478: A Habitability Consultant for design of the Skylab space station, launched in 1973. One of NASA's goals in hiring him was to improve the psychology, safety, and comfort of manned spacecraft. Due to long duration confinement in limited interior space in micro-g with almost non-existing variability in environment, the comfort and well-being of the crew through the use of aesthetics played high importance. Loewy suggested

516-572: A London office in the mid-1930s that continues to operate. in the early 1930s, Loewy did comprehensive design work for the Pennsylvania Railroad in providing a deeply modern Art Moderne design for the railroad's flagship electric locomotive, the GG1 . The engines would operate into the 1980s under a variety of paint schemes, some of them reflecting ownership changes, and one of them - 4935 - would be restored to its original appearance all

645-430: A bright, distinctive color scheme in 1936 helped to further strengthen the branding effort. The Fordson was the first truly mass-produced, light, affordable tractor, and thus the first to tap the market of small to medium family farms on a large scale. Its design was excellent in many respects, including design for manufacturability and the low cost that it allowed. But one task that its design had not been tailored to

774-501: A class of machine that various companies were building and selling in the late 1910s and early 1920s. As the name implies, these were self-propelled cultivators in the simplest sense—little more than a horse implement with a motor added. The IH motor cultivator and another all-purpose tractor, the Moline Plow Company 's Universal, both sold several hundred units in the late 1910s. IH's machine was not particularly successful;

903-421: A dealership meeting the new "50 Series" of tractors, which included the 136 hp (101 kW) 5088, the 162 hp (121 kW) 5288 and the 187 hp (139 kW) 5488. IH also released the "30 series", which included the 81 hp (60 kW) 3088, the 90 hp (67 kW) 3288, the 112 hp (84 kW) 3488 Hydro, and the 113 hp (84 kW) 3688. These new tractors proved once again that IH

1032-417: A decision was made to change the entire tractor (frame, sheet metal, engine, and wheels) to a new color, 'Farmall Red'. It was around this time many tractor manufacturers began using bright, distinctive colors for branding (e.g., Allis-Chalmers orange). A farmer could look out across the fields and see his neighbor's tractor from a great distance and know what make it was; this provided a sort of advertising in

1161-640: A fashion illustrator for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar . In 1929, he received his first industrial-design commission to contemporize the appearance of a duplicating machine by Gestetner . Further commissions followed, including work for Westinghouse , the Hupp Motor Company (the Hupmobile styling), and styling the Coldspot refrigerator for Sears -Roebuck. It was this product that established his reputation as an industrial designer. He opened

1290-595: A leading brand of all-purpose tractors. Its bright red color was a distinctive badge. During the 1940s and 1950s, the brand was ubiquitous in North American farming. Various trends in farming after the 1960s—such as the decline of cultivating in favor of herbicidal weed control, and the consolidation of the agricultural sector into larger but fewer farms—ended the era of Farmall manufacturing. However, many Farmalls remain in farming service, and many others are restored and collected by enthusiasts. In these respects,

1419-461: A model line . With the success of the Farmall, other manufacturers soon introduced similar general- to all-purpose tractors with varying success. In their early years, they often included the word "all" in the name of the product. During the first decade of Farmall sales, IH's advertising even had to emphasize the name's correlation to IH, to protect the brand name from genericization . The shift to

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1548-506: A more powerful engine, and renamed it F-20. At this time, IH also added another model, the F-12, a smaller, lighter version of the original. It had no portal axle at the rear, deriving its ride height instead from larger-diameter wheels. Thus, beginning in 1932, the Farmall brand had grown from a single model to a model line, which became known as the F-series . In 1938, the F-12 was replaced by

1677-465: A new generation, through design exhibitions, publications, and documentaries. In October 2017, the documentary, "Raymond Loewy: designer of American dreams", originally conceived by Laurence Loewy, premiered to Paris audiences. The film has aired on the French Arte channel. On November 5, 2013, Loewy was honored with a Google Doodle depicting a streamlined locomotive bearing a resemblance to

1806-427: A new rear-hitch system. The 50 Series had an unprecedented three-year or 2,500-hour engine and drive-train warranty, which later became an industry standard. Although no new sales records were set, IH sold a respectable number of these tractors during their short production time. IH also released the "60 series 2+2s" and planned on making the "Super 70 series" 2+2s, but only a handful of these exist today. On May 14, 1985,

1935-401: A number of improvements to the layout, such as the implementation of a wardroom, where the crew could eat and work together, the wardroom window, the dining table and the color design, among others. A key feature of Raymond Loewy's design for the sleep compartments was that the floor plan for each of the three was different to create a sense of individual identity for each compartment. Elements of

2064-463: A number of smaller competitors. Parlin & Orendorff (P&O Plow) and Chattanooga Plow were purchased in 1919. Other brand names they incorporated include Keystone, D.M. Osborne, Kemp, Meadows, Sterling, Weber, Plano, and Champion . In 1924 IH introduced the Farmall , a smaller general-purpose tractor, to fend off competition from Ford Motor Company 's Fordson tractors. Farmall was a leader in

2193-480: A period of time, buying companies and acquiring technology. Its heavy tractor range was an established offering, however IH wanted to offer innovative new construction technology. Significant moves included the purchase of the Frank G Hough company which produced an iconic machine called a PayLoader, and the purchase of French company Yumbo, which produced hydraulic excavators. Between 1956 and 1982 IH developed and sold

2322-412: A range of off-road dump trucks , which were known commercially as 'PayHaulers '. International manufactured and sold an extensive range of heavy equipment . In 1974 IH renamed this division the 'Payline' division. The original payloader model was literally a tractor which had forks welded to the front. Frank Hough was the man who invented the concept and Hough's company worked closely with IH until it

2451-418: A simple numbering system. The first 2-3 digits was the horsepower rating, and the last number was the number of cylinders, so a 1486 was rated 148 hp and had a 6 cyl. engine, while the 1468 had 146 hp and a v8 engine. In 1964, IH made its four-millionth tractor, an 806. In 1965, IH introduced its first 100 hp (75 kW) two-wheel-drive tractor, the 1206. Another option became available in 1965 for

2580-418: A strategy to drastically cut costs and improve profit margins. Unprofitable lines were terminated, and factory production was scaled back, resulting in profits reaching their highest levels in ten years by the end of the year, although cash reserves remained low. This strategy led to growing dissatisfaction among union members. In anticipation of labor disputes, IH braced for a strike. On November 1, 1979, just as

2709-509: A tractor chassis, fitted with friction drive (one speed forward, one reverse). Between 1911 and 1914, 862 were built. These tractors had varied success but the trend going into the mid-1910s was toward "small" and "cheap". The company's first important tractors were the 10-20 and 15-30 models. Introduced in 1915, they were primarily used as traction engines to pull plows and for belt work on threshing machines . The 10-20 and 15-30 had similar Mogul and Titan versions. Concurrently, IHC purchased

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2838-400: A utility tractor. By 1973, IH had officially dropped the 'Farmall' name from its new tractor models, ending an era that began with the first Farmall Regular back in 1924. However, the Farmall nameplate continued to appear on new 1974 and 1975 tractors until the factories exhausted their inventory of obsolete name badges. On February 1, 1974, at 9:00 A.M., the 5,000,000th IH tractor came off

2967-496: A variety of attachment solutions Bucyrus-Erie made a range of cable and hydraulically operated blades which fitted International-Harvester track type tractors. IH purchased the blades range from Bucyrus-Erie in the 1950s and absorbed these into its machinery division. IH also purchased attachments for the tractor range from Isaacson, including logging arches and dozer blades. Carrying on with its expansion IH purchased Isaacson's attachments division in 1952. Farmall Farmall

3096-611: A wider front axle. During the Letter series era, these alternate models were sold under the McCormick-Deering brand; later models were badged with the International brand. Some examples include: The International 544 and 656 Row-Crop tractors were a bit of an anomaly until International dropped the Farmall brand, in that they combined some of the customary features of a Farmall (such as an adjustable wheel width) with

3225-404: A wider variety of capabilities, engines, and equipment options. The smallest of the line, the 'A', utilized the company's Culti-Vision offset engine/front end design, along with a wide front wheel track and dropped axles. The 'B' was the same as the 'A' with the exceptions that it used a narrow, tricycle type front end, and the engine/driveline were placed along the centerline of the tractor. On

3354-670: A young student from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. The team worked in a house leased for the purpose in Palm Springs, California . (Loewy also had a home in Palm Springs that he designed himself. ) Each team member had a role. Andrews and Kellogg handled sketching, Ebstein oversaw the project, and Loewy was the creative director and offered advice. Raymond Loewy worked for NASA from 1967 to 1973 as

3483-424: Is a model BM (British M) with a gasoline engine. This model was built from 1949 until 1954. Detailed tables of model names, years, engine displacements , horsepower ratings, production quantities, serial number ranges, and other statistics are available in reference books on the subject. The Farmall Cub , A, B, 100, 130, and 140 models had the seat offset from the engine, allowing the operator to look directly at

3612-511: Is owned by CNH . The European division exists today as McCormick Tractors and is owned by ARGO SpA of Italy. International became solely a truck and engine manufacturer and brand and reorganized as Navistar International in 1986. Throughout its existence International Harvester was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois . In 2020 Volkswagen agreed to fully purchase the remaining shares of Navistar. The roots of International Harvester run to

3741-500: The Burlington Northern Railroad , was appointed as IH's new chairman and CEO. Under Menk's guidance, IH went through a twenty-month reorganization process, and he hired a new management team. Menk also ensured that IH made necessary cutbacks, and it involved the sale of the company's Payline division of construction equipment to Dresser Industries . Further assets were sold to Tenneco, Inc., in 1984. Following

3870-507: The Farmall and Cub Cadet tractors, International was also known for the Scout and Travelall vehicle nameplates. In the 1980s all divisions were sold off except for International Trucks, which changed its parent company name to Navistar International (NYSE: NAV). Given its monumental importance to the building of rural communities the brand continues to have a massive cult following. The International Harvester legacy non-profits host some of

3999-522: The Ford Model T or Fordson tractor , could meet that requirement. The Farmall was thus similar to a Fordson in its capabilities and affordability, but with better cultivating ability. Descriptions of tractors as "general-purpose" and "all-purpose" had been used loosely and interchangeably in the teens and early twenties; but a true all -purpose tractor would be one that not only brought power to plowing , harrowing , and belt work but also obviated

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4128-621: The Hinsdale, Illinois , Testing Farm, IH entertained over 12,000 dealers from over 25 countries. The series included the first-of-its-kind six-cylinder 460 and 560 tractors. Unfortunately just a year later, these models were recalled due to final drive component failures. They had not been updated since 1939 and would fail rapidly under the stress of the more powerful 60-series engines. Some customers lost faith in IH and migrated to John Deere's New Generation of Power tractors introduced in 1960. Throughout

4257-590: The Missouri Pacific Railroad , and a number of lesser known color scheme and car interior designs for other railroads. His career spanned seven decades. The press referred to Loewy as The Man Who Shaped America , The Father of Streamlining and The Father of Industrial Design . Loewy was born in Paris in 1893, the son of Maximilian Loewy, a Jewish journalist from Austria, and a French mother, Marie Labalme. Loewy distinguished himself early with

4386-619: The Studebaker Avanti and Champion , and the Air Force One livery . He was engaged by equipment manufacturer International Harvester to overhaul its entire product line, and his team also assisted competitor Allis-Chalmers . He undertook numerous railroad designs, including the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 , S-1 , and T1 locomotives, the color scheme and Eagle motif for the first streamliners of

4515-403: The hydrostatic transmission would become a defining feature of the 70 Hydro and 100 Hydro models. Raymond Loewy Raymond Loewy ( / ˈ l oʊ i / LOH -ee , French: [ʁɛmɔ̃ levi] ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He

4644-825: The joint venture , IH lost their up-front investment in the engine plant and ended up selling British truck manufacturer Seddon Atkinson (which had belonged to IH since 1974) to Enasa in 1983. IH over the years used a number of brand names to market their tractor and harvesting products: Along with its prominent tractor division, IH also sold several different types of farm-related equipment, such as balers , cultivators , combines (self-propelled and pull behind), stationary engines , wagons , combine heads, corn shellers , cotton pickers , manure spreaders , hay rakes, crop dusters , disk harrows , elevators, feed grinders, hammer mills, hay conditioners, milking machines, planters, mills, discs, plows, baler twine, and other miscellaneous equipment. IH built up its earthmoving division over

4773-546: The various John Deere L/LA/LI models , one of the "mechanization-resistant" markets it hoped to penetrate was the small, poor, one-mule family farms of the rural American Deep South . But the Cub also sold to owners of larger farms who required a second tractor. Production of the Cub commenced at the newly acquired Farmall Works-Louisville plant (formerly the wartime Curtiss-Wright Aircraft factory in Louisville, Kentucky ) which

4902-414: The "Farmall" name from its tractors, ending a name that had begun with the first Farmall "Regular" in 1924. The 230 hp (170 kW) 4568 V-8 4WD was introduced in 1975. In 1976, the entire tractor line got a new paint scheme and decal pattern; instead of the side panels being all white with chrome and black decals, they were now all red with a black-striped sticker. This was done to clear inventory for

5031-604: The "custom" cab was dropped and the "deluxe" cab was now painted red instead of white. Due to horsepower confusions, the 966 and 1066 Hydro models were restriped; the Hydro 100 and the 666 Hydro became the Hydro 70. On February 1, 1974, at 9:00 am, the five-millionth tractor came off the assembly line at the Farmall Plant in Illinois; IH was the first tractor manufacturer to reach that number. Also in 1973, IH officially dropped

5160-626: The 1830s, when Virginia inventor Cyrus Hall McCormick perfected his version of a horse-drawn reaper , which he field-demonstrated in 1831 and for which he received a patent in 1834. Together with his brother Leander J. McCormick , he moved to Chicago in 1847 to be closer to the Midwestern grain fields and founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. The reaper sold well, partially as a result of savvy and innovative business practices. Their products came onto

5289-465: The 1955 lineup was the 300 Utility. In 1957 power was increased in some models and the 230 Utility was introduced. IH would sell 38,000 TD-18 series tractors between 1938 and 1958. The TD-18 would be replaced by an upgraded TD-18A in 1949 and 181/182 variants in 1955. In 1958 the TD-20 crawler was introduced. In July 1958, IH launched a major campaign to introduce a new line of tractors, the 60 series. At

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5418-559: The 1956 model year. In the spring of 1961, Studebaker's new president, Sherwood Egbert , recalled Loewy to design the Avanti . Egbert hired him to help energize Studebaker's soon-to-be-released line of 1963 passenger cars to attract younger buyers. Despite the short 40-day schedule allowed to produce a finished design and scale model, Loewy agreed to take the job. He recruited a team consisting of experienced designers, including former Loewy employees John Ebstein; Bob Andrews; and Tom Kellogg,

5547-405: The 1960s, IH introduced new tractors and new sales techniques. As producing tractors was the lifeblood of the company, IH would have to remain competitive in this field. They both succeeded and failed at this goal but farming was about to change. In 1963, IH introduced the 73  hp (54 kW) 706 and 95 hp (71 kW) 806 tractors. Until the 88 series, all numbered series tractors followed

5676-466: The 460 and 560 tractors starting in 1958. Large competitors such as Deere and Caterpillar lagged at least two years behind IH in offering direct-start diesel products. The Torque Amplifier (TA) was first introduced on the "improved" Super M of 1954, called the Super M-TA. An auxiliary planetary gearset provided a double-reduction (low) gear ratio for each transmission gear (comparable in function to

5805-402: The 706, 806, and the new 1206: a factory-installed cab (made by Stopler Allen Co.), often called the "ice cream box" due to its shape. It could be equipped with a fan and heater. By 1967, over 100,000 models 706, 806, and 1206 were built. The 276 was also built at this time, becoming popular for smaller farms with tighter lanes and fields due to its lighter weight. In 1967 was the introduction of

5934-477: The C in 1948, which combined the attributes of both models into one tractor, while moving the operator position on top of the tractor in a more traditional layout like the H and M. Though the "Super series" received improvements, these tractors largely followed the design of their predecessors, and like them, were built to last. In 1954, the numbered or so-called Hundred series tractors appeared. The Hundred series models used numbers instead of letters to identify

6063-563: The Canadian Cockshutt Plow Company 's new line of agricultural tractors in the squared-off style that was becoming popular.The Cockshutt 540 , 550 , 560 and 570 models were all styled by Loewy. Raymond Loewy's designers influenced the design of Allis-Chalmers crawler tractors. The tractors were described as having stylish panelwork with curvaceous lines. Loewy's first marriage was to Jean Thomson, which ended in divorce. Jean Thomson remained employed by

6192-479: The F-14, almost identical to the F-12 except for an updated steering column and a higher-revving engine (whose higher rev limit , 1650 rpm instead of 1400, made it more powerful at peak output). All Farmall tractors were painted a deep blue-grey until mid-1936 (around July through September). The color has often been mistaken for battleship grey , but it was actually bluer. The wheels were most often red. In mid-1936,

6321-465: The Farmall era continues. As predicted in the 1980s and 1990s, the growing public understanding of environmental protection , and of sustainability in general, have brought a corollary resurgence of interest in organic farming and local food production . This cultural development has brought a limited but notable revival of cultivating and of the use of equipment such as Farmalls. Being an amalgamation , IH, like General Motors , gradually evolved

6450-530: The Fast Hitch in the 1960s after the three-point hitch was standardized and adopted by all manufacturers. There are kits available from a variety of sources that will either convert a Fast Hitch to a three-point, or add a three-point hitch to tractors that originally only had a fixed drawbar. International Harvester was one of the earliest manufacturers to provide a stepless transmission in a row crop tractor. Introduced first as an option on 656 and 544 tractors,

6579-563: The IH Model 350, which offered engines using a variety of commonly available fuels: gasoline, diesel, or LP-gas. The diesel engine version had a direct-start feature, and could be started and run using only diesel fuel. In 1957, IH again gave the tractor lineup an overhaul. Although the basic design was still not changed to any significant degree, new white paint was added to the front grille and sides, new engines were introduced, and new number designations were added. Along with these additions,

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6708-558: The International Harvester Company. The most important motivation for the merger was elimination of competition in order to increase profits. Banker J. P. Morgan provided the financing. The architect of the merger was George W. Perkins , one of the Morgan executives who Cyrus McCormick described as the "most brilliant negotiator he had ever known." The new company was valued at $ 150 million. In 1919, IH bought

6837-703: The International Harvester name to Tenneco. Navistar International Corporation continues to manufacture medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, and engines under the International brand name. The International Harvester Agricultural Division may have been second to the Truck Division but it was the best-known subsidiary. One of its early products was the Traction Engine, a frame manufactured by Morton Traction Truck Company (later bought by IHC) featuring an IHC engine. From 1902 to

6966-635: The Loewy firm after the marriage ended. In 1980, Loewy retired at the age of 87 and returned to his native France. He died in his Monte Carlo residence on July 14, 1986. He was raised a Roman Catholic and was buried in the cemetery of a Catholic church in Rochefort-en-Yvelines , a village located 40 km south-west of Paris, where he owned a rural home named La Cense. He was survived by his wife Viola (née Erickson), and their daughter Laurence. In 1992, Viola and Laurence Loewy, with

7095-525: The McCormick-Deering "standard series" (W-4, W-6, and W-9). For 1941 the MD model was introduced as the first row crop diesel-powered tractor; over a decade later, IH's largest competitor, John Deere, introduced a diesel option on their row crop models. The letter series tractors were updated to the "super" series in 1953 (with the exception of the A, which had become a "super" in 1947, and the B and BN, which were discontinued in 1948). Many of these tractors (especially

7224-452: The Model H proved most popular with customers. The 'MD' Farmall offered a diesel engine, which actually started on gasoline, then was switched over to diesel when thoroughly warmed up. Sales took off, and letter-series production did not end until 1954. Overall, the Farmall 'letter' series, well built and affordable, became not only a defining product line in IH history, but an iconic symbol of

7353-493: The Moline Universal was more successful, but its parent company nevertheless faced dire financial straits. Both models were soon discontinued. Many farmers were content (and could afford) to keep one or two horses or mules around to do miscellaneous light work (such as cultivating). Around 1920, as IH's motor cultivator died, a team of IH engineers had evolved the motor cultivator into an all-purpose tractor, replacing

7482-567: The Parlin and Orendorff factory in Canton, Illinois , a leader in plow manufacturing, renaming it Canton Works. International Harvester was one of the main clients of Product Miniature Company. In 1926, IH's Farmall Works built a new plant in Rock Island, Illinois . By 1930, the 100,000th Farmall was produced. IH next set their sights on introducing a true 'general-purpose' tractor to satisfy

7611-531: The Pennsylvania Railroad, including stations, passenger-car interiors, and advertising materials. By 1949, Loewy employed 143 designers, architects, and draftsmen. His business partners were A. Baker Barnhart, William Snaith, and John Breen. Loewy had a long and fruitful relationship with American car maker Studebaker . Studebaker first retained Loewy and Associates and Helen Dryden as design consultants in 1936 and in 1939 Loewy began work with

7740-618: The TAs on the "Standard", "Utility", and "Industrial" tractor lines as well. The Fast Hitch was IH's answer to the three-point hitch developed years earlier by Harry Ferguson , and featured on Ford-Ferguson tractors . The Fast Hitch was first offered as an option on the Super C. Fast Hitch was then an option on the 100, 200, 300, and 400 and some later models. However, even the Fast Hitch had three incompatible variants (100—single prong; 200—two small prongs; 300/400—two large prongs). IH discontinued

7869-541: The Torque Amplifier was added to the Model 300 and all larger models. This provided on-the-go shifting to suit varied needs; the operator was offered ten forward gears and two reverse, instead of the usual five and one. Another addition to these tractors was the independent ("live") power take-off (PTO), which meant that the farmer could run the PTO even when the clutch was disengaged (clutch pedal pushed down). Although

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7998-481: The US with 114 hp (85 kW). In 1971, IH introduced the 66 series line. The new models included the 85 hp (63 kW) 766, the 101 hp (75 kW) 966, the 125 hp (93 kW) 1066 turbo, the 145 hp (108 kW) 1466 Turbo, and the 145 hp (108 kW) 1468 V-8. The 130 hp (97 kW) 4166 4WD was also introduced. The 966 and 1066 were available with Hydro or gearshift transmissions and

8127-751: The United States. In 2006, the Loewy Gallery opened in Roanoke, Virginia through the supportive efforts of the O. Winston Link Museum , the local business community, and art patrons Laurence Loewy, David Hagerman, and Ross Stansfield. Laurence died of natural causes October 15, 2008, and is survived by her husband David Hagerman. Hagerman is the representative for the Estate of Raymond Loewy, which remains dedicated to reintroducing Loewy's design philosophy of MAYA, or "most advanced, yet acceptable", to

8256-568: The assembly line at the Farmall Works plant in Rock Island, Illinois. IH was the first tractor manufacturer to officially accomplish this production threshold In 2004 Case IH reintroduced the Farmall brand, initially as a line of small utility tractors with less than 55 horsepower (41 kW), intended for small-acreage farms. The brand includes a return to letter designations according to size. Generally tractors were marketed by

8385-412: The bigger and more powerful 56 series tractors as replacements for the popular "06" series. These new models included the 65 hp (48 kW) 656, 76 hp (57 kW) 756, the 101 hp (75 kW) 856, and the 116 hp (87 kW) 1256. The "ice cream box" cab was still an option. In 1969 IH introduced the 1456 Turbo at 131 hp (98 kW). Also that year, the 91 hp (68 kW) 826

8514-450: The choice of two-post roll over protection structures (ROPs) or two different cabs, the "custom" and the "deluxe". Both could be equipped with air conditioning, heat, and AM-FM radios. In 1972, the 666 replaced the long-running 656, the 150 hp (110 kW) 1568 V-8 replaced the 1468, and the 160 hp (120 kW) 1566 and the 163 hp (122 kW) 4366 4WD were introduced. Also later that year, four-post ROPs replaced two-post;

8643-481: The company announced a $ 1.8 million bonus for McCardell, the United Auto Workers called a strike the following day. The protracted strike eventually cost the company almost $ 600 million, equivalent to $ 2.5 billion in 2023. By 1981, IH's finances were at their lowest point ever, and investors had lost faith in the company and its management. In 1982, Louis W. Menk , who was a former president and CEO of

8772-448: The company. As tractor production was a mainstay of the company, IH realized they would have to modernize and re-engineer their tractor line, lowering costs where possible in order to remain competitive. The massive boilerplate frame and iron housings of the old IH tractors were slowly phased out for lighter, less-expensive components. The streamlined exterior of the earlier tractors was replaced by straighter, more angular lines, updating

8901-536: The competition. The diversification of the agricultural tractor range into genuine construction equipment whetted appetites for further expansion. In 1937 IH engaged designer Raymond Loewy to revamp its product line and logo. In 1938 the first such model was the TD-65 heavy tractor, later renamed the TD-18. For model year 1939, Raymond Loewy created the styling for the Farmall "letter series" (A, B, BN, C, H , and M) and

9030-634: The corporation produced torpedoes and their components, artillery systems and their parts, artillery shells and some civilian products for the military like bulldozers and truck engines. In 1946 IH acquired a defense plant in Louisville, Kentucky , which was adapted for production of the Farmall A, B, and the new 340 tractors. It acquired the Metropolitan Body Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1948. The commercially successful Metro line of forward control vans and trucks were produced here from 1938 until 1964. In 1970, Pacific Trucks

9159-489: The crew quarters included sleep restraints, storage lockers, privacy partitions, lighting, a light baffle, privacy curtains, mirrors, towel holders and a communication box. The table was designed by Loewy in order to avoid creating hierarchical positions for crew members during long missions. Food was eaten using forks, knives and spoons, which were held in place on the table by magnets. Liquids were drunk from squeezable plastic containers. The International Harvester company

9288-413: The day; additionally, because of the second group, the Farmall could also, like previous tractors, perform all the other duties a farmer would have previously achieved using a team of horses . A tractor could yield lower overall operating costs than horses as long as it was priced right and reliable (and its fuel supply as well). The Farmall, mass-produced with the same low-cost-and-high-value ethos as

9417-652: The design of a successful model aircraft , which won the Gordon Bennett Cup for model airplanes in 1908. By the following year, he had commercial sales of the plane, named the Ayrel . He graduated in 1910 from the University of Paris . He continued his studies in advanced engineering at Ecole Duvignau de Lanneau in Paris, but stopped his studies early to serve in World War I, eventually graduating after

9546-518: The design proved to be unsuccessful. However, the new tractor did its many jobs well and hence sold well, and by 1926, IH was ready for large-scale production at its new Farmall Works plant in Rock Island, Illinois . Although the Farmall never reached the per-year production numbers of the Fordson during the 1920s, it was the tractor that prevented the Fordson from completely owning the market on small, lightweight, mass-produced, affordable tractors for

9675-560: The early 1920s, the McCormick and Deering dealerships kept their original branding with Mogul tractors sold by McCormick and Titan tractors at Deering due to the still-present competitiveness of the former rivals. IH produced a range of large gasoline-powered farm tractors under the Mogul and Titan brands. Sold by McCormick dealers, the Type C Mogul was little more than a stationary engine on

9804-541: The emerging row-crop tractor segment. Following the introduction of Farmall, several similarly styled "F Series" models were introduced while the original design continued to be produced as the "Regular." In 1932, IH produced their first diesel engine for the McCormick-Deering TD-40 crawler . This engine would start on gasoline and then switch to diesel. Other diesel engines of this era were difficult to start in cold weather and using gasoline allowed

9933-532: The engine on gasoline, then manually switched it to diesel fuel after warming up the entire engine. This two-in-one engine design, also known as a "gas-diesel", was unique to IHC agricultural products from 1935 to 1958 and IHC construction/industrial products from 1935 to the early 1960s. Other companies used different yet elaborate means to crank and warm their diesels, such as a pony motor, compressed air, hot bulb, or black powder, among other things. The Farmall Super MD, Super M-TA Diesel, 400 Diesel, and 450 Diesel used

10062-533: The engine to thoroughly warm up first. In 1935, it was used in the WD-40, becoming the first diesel tractor on wheels in North America (the world's first diesel tractor was Germany's Benz-Sendling BS 6 in 1922). The market for industrial tractors grew in the 1930s. The TD-40, the first of IH's heavy-equipment crawlers, was suited for a wide range of environments. As demand for construction equipment grew, so did

10191-489: The excitement caused by the new introduction was short-lived. The following June, IH recalled the 460, 560, and 660 tractors after reports of mechanical breakdown in the field. IH, who wanted to be the first big-power tractor manufacturer, had inexplicably failed to substantially enlarge or re-engineer critical drive components on the new six-cylinder tractors. The tractors' final drives, which were essentially made up of unaltered Letter Series components, (the 460 carried over from

10320-571: The experimental duplex engine Q1 which was his last work of streamlining PRR's steam engine. In 1946, at the Pennsylvania Railroad's request, he restyled Baldwin 's diesels with a distinctive " sharknose " reminiscent of the T1. While he did not design the famous GG1 electric locomotive , he improved its appearance with welded rather than riveted construction, and he added a pinstripe paint scheme to highlight its smooth contours. In addition to locomotive design, Loewy's studios provided many designs for

10449-410: The factory. For large orders, any color scheme could be accommodated at the factory. Although IHC's very first diesel-engine tractor was a "Standard" model WD-40 built from 1935 to 1940, the very first "Farmall" diesel tractor was the model MD released in 1941. Like many agricultural and construction/industrial diesel engines of the time, the early IHC diesels were not direct-start; the operator started

10578-472: The favorite row-crop tractor of America, outselling all other competitors (such as John Deere 's). In 1931 came the first variation of the original Farmall. The F-30 was bigger, heavier, and more powerful. The original Farmall became known by the retronym Regular . (It may never have been an official name for branding, but it was common among farmers.) In 1932, IH updated the Farmall Regular with

10707-458: The first generation of over 30 years of Axial-Flow combines. In 1979 IH introduced two tractors, the 3388 and 3588, known as the 2+2 4WD line. These were built by taking two 1086 rear ends and hooking them together with a transfer case. A year later, the 3788 was introduced. Although these tractors performed well in the field, they never sold well. As the 1980s began, IH faced a stable economy, yet an unknown fate. In September 1981, IH announced at

10836-588: The forthcoming Pro Ag Line. In September 1976, IH released their 86 series Pro Ag Line. The models included the 80 hp (60 kW) 786, the 90 hp (67 kW) 886, the 101 hp (75 kW) 986, the 104 hp (78 kW) 186 Hydro, the 135 hp (101 kW) 1086, the 146 hp (109 kW) 1486 and the 161 hp (120 kW) 1586. These tractors had a new cab dubbed the Control Center that came standard with air conditioning, heat, and several radio-CB options. The driver sat well ahead of

10965-424: The ground under the tractor. This feature was called Culti-Vision because it was created to give the operator an excellent view of the cultivator teeth as they cultivated the vegetable row. ( Cultivating in this context refers to breaking up the soil next to the vegetable row, which kills weeds by uprooting them and/or burying their leaves). The Farmall A, B, and C used a sliding-gear four-speed transmission, while

11094-501: The horse in every job including cultivating. By 1923, they settled on a configuration, and their informal name for the project, the "Farmall", was selected as the product's official name. As IH management was concerned that the new high-riding, tricycle design—a rather spindly -looking thing to eyes of the early 1920s—might turn off customers, the Farmall was initially released only in Texas, in order to minimize potential embarrassment if

11223-418: The horse team entirely. This latter step is what changed the financial picture to heavily favor the mechanization of agriculture. The Farmall was so successful at total horse replacement that it became a strong-selling product. With the success of the Farmall line, other manufacturers soon introduced similar general- to all-purpose tractors with varying success. In later decades, the Farmall line continued to be

11352-480: The intensely competitive tractor market. The F-series tractors lasted until 1939. In late 1939, the famous Letter series of Farmall tractors was introduced. The model name letters were A , B , C (which replaced the B in 1948), H , M , and MD(M diesel). IH commissioned an industrial designer , Raymond Loewy , to give the new Farmall general-purpose tractors a sleek new streamlined look. Designed for small-to-medium size American farms, IH's new machines offered

11481-465: The larger models, the 'tricycle' type, narrow-spaced front wheel design was retained, as it provided quick steering and a considerable improvement in maneuverability over competing tractors such as the Ford 9N . IH took care to produce a model for almost every farm and every need. The Farmall A, B, BN and the later C offered compact size; the H and M series provided extra plowing capability and power, while

11610-426: The larger, more powerful Farmall H and M were fitted with a five-speed transmission. The extra gears of the Farmall tractors helped maximize the engine's power band and road speed, giving a sales advantage over the competition. The A, B, and C all used essentially the same engine but the C ran at a higher RPM and so yielded higher horsepower. IH Farmall Red became the standard Farmall tractor color after 1936, and

11739-436: The largest agriculture related events in the United States. Following years of financial and economic decline, International began selling its separate equipment divisions, starting with the sale of the construction division to Dresser Industries in 1982. In November 1984 IH finalized a deal with Tenneco to sell the farm equipment division to Tenneco's subsidiary Case Corporation , and the brand continues as Case IH , which

11868-452: The largest, the H, M, and W models) are still in operation on farms today. Especially desirable are the diesel-powered MD, WD-6, and WD-9's. The letter and standard series of tractors was produced until 1954 and was a defining product in IH history. In 1947, the smallest tractor in the Farmall line was introduced, the Cub . With a 60-cu. in., four-cylinder engine and a 69-inch wheelbase, the Cub

11997-514: The last IH tractor rolled off the factory line, a 5488 FWA. In the late 1970s, IH entered a deal with Spain's Enasa to build diesel engines there as Internacional de Motores . After a downturn in the market coupled to problems with Spain's entry into the European Economic Community threatened the profitability of this project, International Harvester withdrew in 1982. In return for being allowed to escape all conditions of

12126-548: The look and requiring less-complicated equipment to manufacture. The new machines also became vastly more complex, though easier to operate. Bowing to inevitable sales pressure and bitter price competition from other manufacturers, IH tractors, while still well-made, could no longer be relied upon to last indefinitely. Many Farmall tractor models have one or more mechanically similar models under another IH brand designed for other uses, such as industrial, utility, orchard, or wheatland use. These models have lower ground clearance and

12255-710: The market just as the development of railroads offered wide distribution to distant territories. He developed a vast support network to demonstrate field operations. McCormick died in 1884 and his company passed to his son, Cyrus McCormick, Jr. , whose antipathy toward organized labor helped spark the Haymarket affair , the origin of May Day as a labor holiday. In 1902, the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester Company , along with three smaller agricultural equipment firms (Milwaukee Harvesting Machine Co., Plano Manufacturing Co., and Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner —manufacturers of Champion brand) merged to create

12384-419: The market. One of IH's suppliers, a company named Heil Earthmovers, manufactured a range of scrapers called 'Heiliners.' Rather than spend money on R&D and enter the market at a later date, in 1953 IH bought Heil's road machinery division, incorporating a range of motor and towed scrapers. IH International had a supply agreement for its heavy tractor attachments with a company called Bucyrus-Erie . Amongst

12513-526: The merger, tractor production at Farmall Works ceased in 1985. Production of the new Case IH tractors moved to J.I. Case in Racine, Wisconsin. Production of IH Axial-Flow combines continued at the East Moline, Illinois, factory. The Memphis Works plant was closed. The truck and engine divisions remained and in 1986, Harvester changed the corporate name to Navistar International Corporation , having sold

12642-474: The model H, the 560 did the same from the model M), failed rapidly under the stress of the more powerful 60 series tractor engines. IH's competitors took advantage of the recall, and IH lost customers in the ensuing months. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, IH introduced new tractors and new methods of marketing, but conservative management, an unwieldy corporate organization, and a policy of in-house promotions tended to stifle new ideas and technical innovation at

12771-416: The model. The new models were given slightly different looks and a few new features, but were still essentially the famed Letter series tractors. The Farmall Cub continued unchanged, but in 1955 a new 'low-boy' version was added, featuring a shortened 62.5-inch wheelbase and a frame eight inches lower than the regular Cub tractor, which improved the machine's center of gravity. 1956 saw the introduction of

12900-508: The most beautiful cars ever made", was radical in appearance, as radical in its way as the 1934 Airflow . However, it was beset by production problems. To brand the new line, Loewy also contemporized Studebaker's logo again by applying the "Lazy S" element. His final commission of the 1950s for Studebaker was the transformation of the Starlight and Starliner coupes into the Hawk series for

13029-410: The needs of the average American family farmer. The resulting 'letter' series of Raymond Loewy -designed Farmall tractors in 1939 proved a huge success. IH dominated the market through the 1950s despite stiff competition from Ford , Allis Chalmers , Massey Ferguson and John Deere . IH ranked 33rd among United States corporations in the value of World War II production contracts. Different plants of

13158-426: The new series. A computer monitoring system (Sentry) was developed, and IH became the first manufacturer to add a computer to a farm tractor. Other innovations included a "Z" shift pattern, an 18-speed synchronized transmission, a forward air-flow cooling system which sucked air from above the hood and blew it out the front grille, "Power Priority" three-pump hydraulic system, color-coded hydraulic lines and controls, and

13287-506: The new tractors did improve sales, IH's innate conservatism and reluctance to update their tractor line in response to changing times was becoming apparent. At the Hinsdale, Illinois Testing Farm in July 1958, IH entertained over 12,000 dealers from over 25 countries. IH showed off their new 60 series of tractors: including the first of their kind, large six-cylinder 460 and 560 models. But

13416-598: The number of 16" width plows they could pull in average soil to indicate their power. Here is a list of plow ratings (see footnotes) for all Farmall tractors produced for North America : Notes: There were also some Farmall models unique to the European market: DF-25 (comparable to the H), DGD4 (comparable to the Super H), BMD (British MD) and B-450 (British 450). These models all utilized direct-start diesel engines. Also there

13545-483: The principal designer Virgil Exner . Their designs first began appearing with the late-1930s Studebakers. Loewy also designed a new logo to replace the "turning wheel" that had been the Studebaker trademark since 1912. During World War II, American government restrictions on in-house design departments at Ford , General Motors , and Chrysler prevented official work on civilian automobiles. Because Loewy's firm

13674-453: The prototypical American small-farm tractor. Many machines (especially the two largest models, the H and M) are still in operation on farms today. In 1947, the smallest tractor in the Farmall line was introduced, the Cub . With a 60 cu. in. four-cylinder engine and a 69-inch wheelbase, the Cub was aimed at small farms such as truck farms, horse farms, and other small acreages that had previously continued to rely on horse-drawn equipment. Like

13803-399: The rear axle, and the fuel tank was mounted behind the cab over the rear axle. This improved balance and ride. Also in 1976, the 62 hp (46 kW) 686 along with the "86" series four-wheel-drives were introduced, including the 4186, 4386, 4586, and 4786. In 1977, International Harvester introduced the first Axial-Flow rotary combine. This machine, produced at East Moline, Illinois , was

13932-540: The rear seat. In addition to the iconic bullet-nosed Studebakers of 1950 and 1951, the team created the 1953 Studebaker line, highlighted by the Starliner and Starlight coupes. (Publicly credited to Loewy, they were actually the work of Robert Bourke. ) The Starlight has consistently ranked as one of the best-designed cars of the 1950s in lists compiled since by Collectible Automobile , Car and Driver , and Motor Trend . The '53 Starliner, recognized today as "one of

14061-415: The same IHC gasoline-start engine design as the MD, but with larger displacement (more cubic inches). The first Farmall tractor with a direct-start diesel was the model 350, which appeared in 1956. The 350 could also be ordered with a gasoline or LP-gas engine. The 350's direct-start diesel engine was built by Continental Motors . IH subsequently developed their own line of new direct-start diesel engines for

14190-438: The small or medium family farm. Its narrow-front tricycle design, high ground clearance to clear crop plants while cultivating (helped by a portal axle [drop gearset]), power take-off (a feature on which IH was an early leader ), and standard mounting points for cultivators and other implements on the tractor's frame (a Farmall first ) gave it some competitive advantages over the Fordson, especially for row crops, and it became

14319-735: The support of British American Tobacco , established the Raymond Loewy Foundation in Hamburg , Germany. The foundation was established to preserve the memory of Raymond Loewy and promote the discipline of industrial design. An annual award of €50,000 is granted to outstanding designers, in recognition of their lifetime achievements. Notable grantees include Karl Lagerfeld , Philippe Starck and Dieter Rams . In 1998, Loewy's daughter, Laurence, established Loewy Design in Atlanta , Georgia, to manage her father's continued interests in

14448-403: The tasks needed on the farm that the need for hired hands was reduced and for working horses or mules eliminated. The original Farmall is widely viewed as the first tractor to combine a set of traits that would define the row-crop tractor category, although competition in the category came quickly. Although it was not the first tractor to have any one of these traits, it was early in bringing

14577-518: The two-speed rear axle on a commercial truck) that allowed for a quick downshift via hand lever, without using the clutch, to gain torque at the drive wheels. The popular TA attachment was seen upon most of the new 300 and 400 Farmalls that first appeared in 1955, and on the 350 and 450 produced 1956–1958, and on later models through the 1960s. Although the TA was appreciated on the Farmalls, IH also offered

14706-670: The war in 1918. Loewy served in the French army during World War I (1914–1918), attaining the rank of captain. He was wounded in combat and received the Croix de guerre . After the war he moved to New York, where he arrived in September 1919. In Loewy's early years in the United States, he lived in New York and found work as a window designer for department stores , including Macy's , Wanamaker's and Saks in addition to working as

14835-416: The wartime Curtiss-Wright Aircraft factory in Louisville, Kentucky ). Selling for $ 545 in 1947, the Cub proved extremely popular and its design continued largely unchanged mechanically until 1979. For 1955 in IH tractors, the numbered "hundred series" was offered. Although given slightly different styling and few new features, they were still updates to the models introduced in 1939. The only new tractor in

14964-465: The way down to paint colors. He designed other passenger locomotives for the firm, including a streamlined shroud for K4s Pacific #3768 to haul the newly redesigned 1938 Broadway Limited . He followed by styling the experimental S1 locomotive, as well as the T1 class. In 1940, he designed a simplified version of the streamlined shroud for another four K4s . In 1942, he designed the streamlined shroud for

15093-560: The winning combination to market. The traits included (a) 'tricycle' configuration (a single front wheel or narrowly spaced pair), high ground clearance , quickly adjustable axle track , excellent visibility all around and under the machine, and light weight; (b) sufficient power for plowing and harrowing, and a belt pulley for belt work; and (c) all at low cost, with a familiar brand and an extensive distribution and service network. The first group of traits allowed for more nimble maneuvering and accurate cultivation than most other tractors of

15222-400: Was cultivating the rows of young row-crop plants to kill the weeds. IH recognized motorized cultivating as an unmet need in the marketplace. It was also under intense competitive pressure to build a "Fordson beater" soon, lest the Fordson go on to dominate the entire marketplace of agricultural equipment , imperfections or no. IH's first effort to solve this problem was a motor cultivator,

15351-476: Was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, light and heavy duty trucks, construction equipment and appliances. In 1935 it engaged Loewy to overhaul the product line, from the company's logo to operator ergonomics. The first new machine to reflect Loewy's design aesthetic, a crawler tractor known as the International TD-18, was launched in 1938. For the 1958 model year, Loewy was engaged to style

15480-552: Was a prominent brand in the 20th-century trend toward the mechanization of agriculture in the US. Its general-purpose machines' origins were in row-crop tractors , a category that they helped establish and in which they long held a large market share . During the decades of Farmall production (1920s to 1980s), most Farmalls were built for row-crop work, but many orchard , fairway, and other variants were also built. Most Farmalls were all-purpose tractors that were affordable for small to medium-sized family farms , and could do enough of

15609-444: Was aimed at small farms which had previously relied on horse-drawn equipment. Like the various John Deere L/LA/LI models , one of the "mechanization-resistant" markets it hoped to penetrate was the small one-mule family farms of the rural American Deep South , but the Cub also sold to owners of larger farms needing a second tractor. Production of the Cub commenced at the newly acquired and updated Farmall Works-Louisville plant (formerly

15738-483: Was expanded, remodeled and re-equipped. Selling for $ 545.00 in 1947, the Cub proved extremely popular, and the original design continued in production without significant alteration until 1979. The Letter series tractors were updated to the Super series beginning in 1947 with the Super A, 1951 for the Super C, 1952 for the Super M and 1953 for the Super H, the B model having been dropped from production and replaced with

15867-552: Was independent of the fourth-largest automobile producer in America, no such restrictions applied. This permitted Studebaker to launch the first all-new postwar automobile in 1947, two years ahead of the "Big Three." His team developed an advanced design featuring flush-front fenders and clean rearward lines. The Loewy staff, headed by Exner, also created the Starlight body, which featured a rear-window system that wrapped 180° around

15996-401: Was innovative. Designed and styled by IH industrial designer Gregg Montgomery (Montgomery Design International), the new stylish design of the 50 and 30 series changed the look of tractors from that time forward. IH spent over $ 29 million to develop this new series, and the result was the last great lineup of tractors from International Harvester. Many technology-related innovations were used in

16125-433: Was introduced with the option of gearshift or hydrostatic transmissions . The "ice cream box" cab was dropped and replaced with a new "custom" cab made by Exel Industries which could be equipped with factory air-conditioning, heat, and an AM radio. Another milestone was the 1970 introduction of the 1026 Hydro, basically a hydrostatic version of the 1256 and at that time the most powerful hydrostatic transmission tractor made in

16254-410: Was purchased in 1952. The terminology came to mean any type of front loader machine, and loaders were manufactured in a number of varieties, included wheeled and track loaders, rear wheel loaders or an articulated steering design. In the early 1950s contractors worldwide began using motor scrapers as a means of shifting dirt. IH had a hole in its product range; it did not offer a motor scraper product to

16383-750: Was purchased. In 1974, the five-millionth IHC tractor, a 1066, was produced at the Rock Island Farmall plant. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, despite good sales, IH's profit margins remained slim. The continual addition of unrelated business lines created a somewhat unwieldy corporate organization. Overly conservative management and a rigid policy of in-house promotion tended to stifle new management strategies and technical innovation. IH faced strong competition and increased production costs, primarily due to labor and government-imposed environmental and safety regulations. In 1977, International Harvester named Archie McCardell as its new CEO, who embarked on

16512-614: Was recognized for this by Time magazine and featured on its cover on October 31, 1949. He spent most of his professional career in the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1938. Among his designs were the Shell , Exxon , TWA and the former BP logos, the Greyhound Scenicruiser bus interior, Coca-Cola vending machines and bottle redesign, the Lucky Strike package, Coldspot refrigerators,

16641-495: Was used through the 1970s. The only factory color variations known are Highway Yellow (generally used for municipalities ), Demonstrator White , used for dealer demo models during the 1950s, and Demonstrator Gold —actually a red-and-gold color scheme used only during the International Demonstrator program in 1970. Farmalls in other shades are known to exist; these were most likely custom ordered from

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