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The Evolution of Farmall

Tanner Olson

Research and Technical Writing

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Abstract
Throughout the research for my paper, I found that the McCormick company was by two
brothers, Cyrus and Leander. These brothers built something they could only dream of.
In 1884, Cyrus passed away, giving the company to his son Cyrus Jr. It was a new age for
Farmall. New inventions had came about the company making it a huge success. The biggest
invention was the row crop tractor. This tractor was designed to fit between the rows of crops so
they could not be destroyed. In 1955, the number series tractor was invented, up until the mid
50's the tractors were only letter series. As tractors and the years had come and gone, new
upgrades on tractors was becoming more common. The super series was one of them. The super
series is the tractor with more power and strength than the normal tractor.
Farmall was the head of the game, when their reputation was starting to fall apart. The
upgrades on their 460s and 560s was failing and giving them a bad reputation. Around 300
hundred hours using these tractors, and the transmission would be known to fail. Even with all of
these set backs, Farmall still prevailed and made history. The tractor will always be known for
the competition against John Deere and showing they had what it takes to go keep going.
I found much of my research at "A Brief History of the Farmall Tractor." Many of the
websites I used had a lot of very useful information making it easier to research my project.
Another site that also helped me was Tractor Data.

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As the McCormick boys were growing up, like every kid they had a dream to build a
business. Unlike many kids, they would fulfill their dreams and make it into a reality. They
learned their ways in the world of building and selling farm equipment. They made a mark for
themselves at a young age, building and designing a horse-drawn reaper. The horse-drawn reaper
came out at the right time when the railroad was becoming a more popular way of transportation.
The company was building and expanding in the ways they were not expecting. It was time for a
new and remarkable invention to put their name in people's name across America.
It wasn't until World War II, when Farmall gots its big break. As many of the hired hands
left to fight in the war, farmers were left with all the work to do themselves. They best way to get
work done faster and more efficiently, other than a horse, was a tractor. The tractor came out
making it faster and easier to get work done. The biggest obstacle for farmers was to be able to
afford these tractors.
The quality of the tractor improved after the war ended. All of the rubber seals and many
of the other parts quality improved due to not being used for war equipment. Even though they
had a few minor set backs they continued to prevail. The company's success continued to
skyrocket and they continued to beat their rivals. In the 1960s, the Farmall's popularity declined.
The legacy of the Farmall will never die, like many things, it will have the reputation of being
around forever.
In 1830, Cyrus McCormick his version of the horse-drawn reaper. After his successful
patent, Cyrus and his brother, Leander McCormick, moved to Chicago in 1847. After being in

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Chicago for a little while, Cyrus and Leander started up the McCormick Harvesting Machine
Company. The brothers' reaper sold well, because of an increase in railroads being put down and
being able to transport the machinery.
Cyrus learned to be a salesman to be a salesman, learning the techniques and training the
people how to use the reaper. Cyrus died in 1885, passing his passion onto his son Cyrus Jr. In
1902, McCormick merged with three smaller firms Milwaukee Plano, Warder and Bushnell to
become International Harvester Company. A factory in Canton, Illinois became the leader in
plow sales. In 1919, International bought out the company naming it Canton Works and the
business went on for many more decades.
In 1923, the first row-crop tractor was introduced, slowly making its way through the
market. It had enough ground clearance to drive over the crops and not hurt them. The tractor
was still very expensive in the 1920s; many average size farmers could not afford them. In 1926,
International expanded to Rock Island, Illinois.
The company had some rivals, they had to compete with Allis Chalmers model B.
International started with the letter series, in 1955 the number series came out. The 200 was the
smallest number tractor to ever roll off the assembly line in the 1950s.
Horses were the best thing to have the farm if work needed to be done faster and more
efficiently. Many farmers had multiple horses so work would be less strenuous on just one horse.
Many farmers also had hired hand son their farm to help keep up with that the day had to throw
at them. Many of the hired hand a were enlisted into the war and when it came to the farmers
needing help, there was no one to be found.

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According to Bill Ganzel, this was a defining time for many of the farmers. Many
farmers went under due to little help and not enough money being made. The farmers found help
they were not excepting, being the help from a tractor. A tragedy struck, the "Dirty Thirties"
pushed many farmers to break and lost everything they had worked for.
Shortly after the horse was replaced, tractor sales skyrocketed and making much money
for the manufactures. Farmers found it to be much faster and more efficient to have one tractor
than to five horses. In the 1940s, much money was to be made after a struggle for the nation.
Tractors showed ways of being faster and making more money. For instance, many acres were
dedicated to feeding the horses in America and this was expensive. After switching from
horsepower to raw power, it free'd up many acres to be a cash crop. According to Bill Ganzel,
studies showed that one tractor would do the work of five donkeys. Many people did not like
seeing the horses leaving the farm, while many others were more than glad to see them leave.
This brought many more jobs and redefining how farms do things to today.
After many years of proving themselves to be the best, Farmall decided to go above and
beyond with their tractors making them more durable with new innovations. In 1951, the
1,000,000th tractor rolled off the assembly line. The tractors that were built between the 1920s
and the 1970s were designed to be row crop tractors, this means the tractor was able to drive in
between the rows of crops without hurting them.
To compete with their rivals, Farmall gave the tractor a whole new meaning. They gave the
new tractors horsepower to show they mean business. Not only was there more horsepower
involved, but the tractors also weighed less, giving the tractors the ability to pull more.
According to International Harvester, the tractor was equipped with a quick adjustable axle track,

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belt pulley and higher ground clearance than previous tractors. Farmall decided to raise the
stakes a little by adding the number series. The number series was introduced in 1955, making
tractors bigger with more horsepower. According to International Harvester, the popularity of
cultivation was decreasing and weed control was on the rise making tractor demand decrease.
As the popularity of the numbered series was becoming popular, the 460s and 560s were
having issues. After approximately 300 hours, the 460s and 560s were having transmission fails.
Many of the farmers came into the dealers and said the tractors failed when they needed them the
most. Farmall's reputation dropped dramatically while the engineers worked overtime to solve
their problem.
When painting the tractor, International Harvester had many instructions on how to they
wanted the tractors to look. The engineers gave the companies the option to assemble the tractors
after they were painted, the companies decided to put the tractor together and then paint many of
the parts. The biggest things to go on after the paint were the tires, decals, and the serial number
badge. According to Guy Fay and Andy Kraushaar of the "Farmall Letter Series Tractors",
tractors were painted white so they could demonstrate how the tractor works. The best known
white tractors were Cubs, Super As and Cs; they were also used for mid-century advertisements
in the 1950's. The white tractors were painted in the Louisville assembly factory. The idea for
demonstration and advertisement of the white tractors started before WWII.
The quality of the seals and many of the parts were better after the war ended. The reason for
this is because once the war ended and the supplies were not need as much due to not needing
more war equipment.

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In the 1950s, IH recommended that the tractors be refurbished. IH pushed the idea away from
dealers to make a quick buck with all the spare parts they had laying around. Dealers wanted the
idea to happen because the slow months so they could still make money.
IH Wichita district reported reported over 529 tractors being refurbished. This happened in
January, February and March of 1951. Over 2,000 gallons of paint was used. When the dealers
repainted, it became known that the dealership didn't do the same quality jobs as the
manufacturer.
As the years went on, Farmall had ups and downs. After many years they had many
changes. For example, on January 17th, 1941, the IH monogram that was featured was stripped
off the spark plug box. This was because the obsolete spark plugs could be sent back to the
company. The company also advertised many of the parts that were on the tractor. The rubber
battery tie downs were also given to Farmall if they buy their batteries.
The early tractors, like the A and B, were started by hand crank. Hand cranks were often
dangerous due to the back pressure of the motor making it possible to have the crank snap back.
The idea of electric start was the way to go, making it easier for farmers and other operators to
start the tractor during the winter. The electric start attachment was available for the M on July
3rd, 1939. According to Guy Fay and Andy Krausharr, the starter and generator were originally
produced by Delco-Remy. On the H, many of the starting switches were relocated from under the
gas tank support to by the foot pedals for easier start.
The early tractor magnetos had a cut-off switch but was not popular with operators. The
H4 was a popular magneto being the fact it was waterproof. While it was popular, it had its fair
share of issues. For instance, the tractors points would keep getting wet and preventing the

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tractor from starting. The H4 also had the same issue of running at the same speed as the motor
crankshaft.
Many upgrades for many of their parts were yet to come. Farmall had set a standard that
no other tractor could compete with.
The larger Farmalls were more known then the little Farmalls. The thing that people did
not know is small Farmalls were just as critical to some farms as were others. The best known
small tractor was the A Farmall. This tractor was the most popular out of the letter series small
tractors. It had a 113 CID 4 cylinder motor. The tractor weighed approximately 1900lbs. From
the years of 1939 to 1947, 117,552 A Farmalls were manufactured. Small tractors could do
anything a large Farmall could do, just not to the same extent and speed. The Super A was
essentially the same tractor as the A, with the exception of a few heavier parts. Between the years
of 1947 to 1954 there were just over 94,000 tractors produced. The Super A has a 113 CID 4
cylinder motor. The tractor weighs around 2,385lbs.
The tractor that was the next step up was the B Farmall. The B was equipped with a 113
CID 4 cylinder motor. From the years of 1939 to 1947 there were approximately 75,241 tractors
manufactured. The tractor weighed 3500lbs and was heavier set than the A making it able to do
field work faster and more efficient. The BN was produced from 1940 to 1947. The BN was the
same as the B with a few exceptions. For instance, the BN was designed more as a row crop
tractor than the B. The rear wheel width could be changed for 56 inches to 84 inches best being
used to go in between the rows.
The C was produced between the years of 1948 to 1953 manufacturing just over 112,000
tractors. The tractor had a 113 CID 4 cylinder motor. The tractor was known for tougher

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hydraulics and was a strong tractor. The Super C was produced from 1951 to 1954. It has a 123
CID 4 cylinder motor. According to Kenneth Updike, the tractor is well known for its hydraulic
touch control and fast hitch availability, (Classic Farmall Tractors).
The Farmall Super Series is the super size of any tractor. For instance, IH would take a
tractor and make a bigger and stronger version of it. IH made their own radiators only for the
super series. According to Farmall Letter series, the letter stamped on the side of any super series
tractors muffler was the indication of the manufacturer.
As the years have come and gone, Farmall has proven to be the best. They had the
reputation of having good and reliable tractors. The "H" was one of those tractors that gave
Farmall their reputation. The tractor was produced from 1939 to 1953 and manufactured just
over 390,300. According to Farmall, many Farmall H tractors are still used on family farms
today. The tractor is equipped with a 152 CID 4 cylinder motor. The tractor came from the
factory with a 6 volt battery system.
The Farmall Super H was more rare and more expensive when compared to the "H". The
Super H was produced between the years 1953 to 1954, manufacturing only 28,691 tractors. The
Super H has a larger displacement giving it more power than the "H". The tractor was slightly
smaller than the "M".
The Farmall M was very popular and more expensive. Farmall produced the M from
1939 to 1952 manufacturing 270,140 tractors. The "M" was the biggest row crop tractor of its
time. The tractor is equipped with a 248 CID 4 cylinder motor.

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The stronger version of the "M" is the Super M. The Super M was produced from 1952 to
1954 manufacturing 44,551 tractors. Many tractors were based off the Super M. For example, the
Super MD and the Super MTA. The tractor is equipped with a 264 CID 4 cylinder motor.
Farmall brought something new to the market that would revolutionize the way we
looked at farm technology. According to Peter Easterlund, the Super MD is the diesel version of
the Super M (Tractor Data). The Super MD was produced through the years of 1952 to 1954
manufacturing 5,199 tractors. The Super MD would start on gasoline and as it warmed up, it
would switch to using diesel fuel.
Farmall highly advertised the refurbishment of many of their tractors in the 1950s. If
farmers ordered official International Harvester parts from the IH dealer in the 1950s, the lights
they ordered were painted red. If farmers ordered official IH parts from an official IH dealer in
the 1940s, the lights would be painted red with black underneath. IH purchased all of their lights
from General Motors from the Guide Lamp Division. The lights that were ordered from General
Motors were painted black, because they were sent off to many different manufactures.
The starters and generators were put on the tractors and painted at the factory. The data
plates on the units, were masked off with a piece of tape or paper that was precut to fit.
Generators and starters were often replaced after they left the factory. If the part was taken off to
be rebuilt, the parts would be returned black so people would know the condition of the part. IH
like many other manufactures, would use standard units in many of their applications.
When restoring the tractor, people would have the option to not replace the decals and
just leave it blank or replace it with new decals. The package decals were often bought through
International Harvester dealers. The large Farmall decal on the side of the hood was kept the

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same so farmers who had their tractors refurbished could make their tractor look like a newer
model. The decals ordered today are ordered to look the same as the decals in the 1950s to look
original. The decals were changed in 1949 when the "Deering" and left the McCormick.
Farmall had made its way to the top. After many failures and disappointments, their 460s
and 560s transmission had failed. After this, their rival John Deere had taken the lead in tractor
sales. Farmall had proven they had what it took to be the best. Farmall had been through
everything from transmissions failing to being the best tractor around. They had something to be
proud of, they made something to help the average farmer could get the work done. Farmall
revolutionized the way we farm today.
Farmall engineers had taken all their knowledge and skill to build something that would
last forever. These tractors took a beating like nothing else. They were designed to last and get
the job done. The idea and concept of these tractors was genius. These tractors are a symbol of
old-school engineering and when times weren't as easy as they are today. Families keep the
tractors that their grandfather used in fields and they cherish them. Many people learned how to
drive tractor with their dad right next to them. People remember and cherish these kind of
memories. Today many families still use these old tractors.
Farmall had made its way to the top. After many failures and disappointments, their 460s
and 560s transmission had failed. After this, their rival John Deere had taken the lead for the
most tractor sales. Farmall had proven they had what it took to be the best. Even through thick
and thin, Farmall had been through everything from transmissions failing to being the best
tractor around. They had something to proud of, and that is they made something so the average
farmer could get the work done. Farmall revolutionized the way we farm today.

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Farmall engineers had taken all their knowledge and skill and built something that would
last forever. These tractors to take a beating like nothing else. They were designed to be there and
get the job done. The idea and concept of these tractors were genius. To some people, these
tractors look like just a giant hunk of iron but to me, they are a symbol of old school engineering
and when times weren't as easy as they are today. Families keep the tractors that their grandfather
used in fields and they cherish them. Many people learned how to drive tractor with their dad
right next to them. People remember and cherish these kind of memories. Today many families
still use these old tractors.
These tractors were meant to do the job and that is what they did. Even though Farmall
was not the most popular in the 1960s and 1970s, they still had a special place in people's hearts.

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Work Cited
"A Brief History of the Farmall Tractor." Farmall Tractors Fan Page RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Nov. 2015.
"Farmall Letter Series Tractors." Farmall Letter Series Tractors. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015
Fay, Guy, and Andy Kraushaar. Farmall Letter Series Tractors. Osceola, WI: MBI, 1998. Print.
Book
Fay, Guy, and Andy Kraushaar. Farmall Letter Series Tractors. Osceola, WI: MBI, 1998. Print.
Book
Ganzel, Bill. "Horses Finally Lose Their Jobs." Wessles Living History Farm. Ganzel Group, n.d.
Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Website
"International Harvester Farmall Tractors during the 1940s." International Harvester Farmall
Tractors during the 1940s. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
"International Harvester." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Website
Peter. "Farmall Super MD." Tractor Data. Tractor Data, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Website
Updike, Kenneth. Classic Farmall Tractors. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur, 2008. Print.