Farmall Australia

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International Harvester produced farm tractors in Australia under both the Farmall and McCormick International brands from 1939 until 1973, after which only the McCormick International brand was used. As in the North American market, the Farmall brand was reserved primarily for row-crop tractors with narrow front wheels. Farmall tractors were sold alongside wide-front McCormick International-badged tractors of the same series. Initial production was mainly from imported parts. The first fully-Australian-made tractors were not built at the Geelong works until 1948.

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International Harvester in Australia

International Harvester (IH) began selling agricultural equipment in Australia in 1903. IH predecessors McCormick and Deering had sold equipment in Australia since 1884. Early production, using imported parts, took place in Spotswood, Victoria, near the company's Australian headquarters in Melbourne. The International Harvester Company of Australia Pty. Ltd. was established in 1912, and took over all assets owned by its predecessors. [1]

During the Great Depression, the Australian government imposed high duties on imported farm equipment, leading IH to establish production facilities in Australia. A site in Geelong, Victoria was purchased in 1927, and the plant was opened in 1939. Beginning in 1940, plant production was diverted to war production while continuing to produce agricultural equipment. The plant was doubled in size starting in 1947, but most tractors were still made using substantial quantities of imported parts. In 1948, the first fully Australian-made tractor, an AW-6, was produced. [1]

Farmall production

The Farmall M was manufactured in Australia from 1949 to 1954 at Geelong. Initial production primarily consisted of local assembly of parts made in the United States, but as time went on a larger proportion of each machine was produced locally. The standard fuel for Australian tractors at the time was kerosene, as opposed to the North American market where distillate and petrol (gasoline) were more usual. Ms and McCormick W-6s were produced on the same line. The greater proportion of production was the W-6, which was preferred for Australian farming practices. Some industrial tractors were included in production. Beginning in 1951 the by now entirely Australian-made Geelong tractors were designated as AM and AW-6, with McCormick International branding for tractors destined for farm use and International for industrial tractors. Production ran until 1954 [2] [3] [1]

From 1953 to 1957 the line was replaced by a series of "Super" models. A Super AW-6 was produced along with a diesel-engined AWD-6. Likewise, the Super AM and Super AMD diesel were produced. An orchard version, the AOS-6, did not have the upgraded engines of the Supers and was not produced with a diesel engine. From 1957 to 1961 the uniquely Australian AM-7 and AW-7 replaced the Super AM and Super AW-6. [2] [4] [5] [6]

Beginning in 1961 the line was restyled in the same manner as North American tractors, with more powerful four-cylinder engines than previous models. The A514 was mechanically equivalent to the British Farmall B-450 and resembled the North American Farmall 560. It was intended to replace the Farmall AM-7. The tractor was built with narrow, wide and adjustable wide front axles. [7] From 1964 the A514 was replaced by the A554. Engine choices continued to be kerosene and diesel, with petrol engines available for industrial versions. [8] [9] As with the North American lines of the time, the rear ends were not well-matched to the power that had been added, and the power trains had to be uprated. The A564 replaced the A554 in 1967 with minimal changes. A564s dropped the McCormick International branding in favour of "International." The Farmall brand was discontinued by IH in Australia and North America at the same time in 1973. [2]

Australian models

US Models also manufactured in Australia

  • Farmall M (Kerosene)

UK Models also manufactured in Australia

  • McCormick International A414

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Farmall Model and brand of tractors

Farmall was a model name and later a brand name for tractors manufactured by the American company International Harvester (IH). The Farmall name was usually presented as McCormick-Deering Farmall and later McCormick Farmall in the evolving brand architecture of IH.

Farmall Cub

The Farmall Cub or International Cub was the smallest tractor manufactured by International Harvester (IH) under either the McCormick-Deering, Farmall, or International names from 1947 through 1979 in Louisville, Kentucky.

John Deere Model A Tractor model

The John Deere Model A is a row crop tractor manufactured by Deere & Company to directly compete with McCormick's Farmall tractors. With over 320,000 sold by the end of its original production in 1952, it was a popular tractor that used Deere & Company's two cylinder design. Early tractors burnt distillate, a petroleum byproduct similar to kerosene, which became a main selling point owing to the fuel's low price. Deere & Company's two cylinder design made a very distinctive sound giving them the nickname "Johnny Poppers"

Farmall H Row crop tractor

The Farmall H is a medium-sized two-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1954. It was the most widely-produced of International Harvester's "letter series", with approximately 390,000 produced over the 14-year run. It succeeded the Farmall F-20. The H was incrementally updated with new model numbers as the Super H, 300, and 350, but remained essentially the same machine. The original H used an International Harvester C152 4-cylinder in-line engine. Production of all versions lasted until 1963.

Farmall M Row crop tractor

The Farmall M is a large three-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1953. It was of International Harvester's "letter series". It succeeded the Farmall F-30. The M was incrementally updated with new model numbers as the Super M, Super M-TA, 400, and 450, but remained essentially the same machine. The original M used an International Harvester C152 4-cylinder in-line engine. Production of all versions lasted until 1958.

Farmall C Row crop tractor

The Farmall C is a small two-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1948 to 1951. The C was developed from the Farmall B as a slightly larger, more versatile implement, raising and moving the B's offset operator seat to the centerline and increasing the wheel size to allow a straight, widely-adjustable rear axle. The C kept the International Harvester C123 engine that had been used in the Super B model. The tractor was heavier and more robust, and featured hydraulic capability from the beginning. The C was incrementally updated with new model numbers as the Super C, 200, 230 and 240, but remained essentially the same machine. The closely-related successors to the C were produced until 1962.

Farmall B Row crop tractor

The Farmall B is a small one-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1947. It was derived from the popular Farmall A, but was offered with a narrow set of centerline front wheels instead of the A's wide front axle, allowing two-row cultivation. The operator's seat was offset to the right to allow better forward visibility.

Farmall A Row crop tractor

The Farmall A is a small one-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1947. The tractor was popular for its set of innovative features in a small, affordable implement. It succeeded the Farmall F-14. The A was incrementally updated with new model numbers as the Super A, 100, 130 and 140, but remained essentially the same machine. Like the smaller Farmall Cub, the Farmall A features a distinctive offset engine, displaced to the left over wide-set front wheels, to allow vision straight ahead. An International Harvester C113 4-cylinder in-line engine was used for early models, increased to an IH C123 with the A-1. The most significant change was the introduction of hydraulics with the Super A. The series was produced until 1973.

Farmall 60 series tractors Row crop tractor

The Farmall 60 series tractors are general-purpose row-crop tractors that replaced the larger models of the Farmall letter series beginning in 1958. Produced from 1958 to 1963, the Farmall 460 and 560 tractors represented a modernization of the Farmall H and Farmall M respectively, with higher-horsepower 6-cylinder engines in a restyled body. The heavy general-purpose 660 was sold under the International brand, and was a successor to the McCormick-Deering W series tractors.

McCormick-Deering W series tractors General-purpose crop tractor

The McCormick-Deering W series tractors were a range of standard-tread farming and industrial tractors produced by International Harvester that were derived from the Farmall letter series row-crop tractors of the 1940s and 1950s. Branded by International Harvester as McCormick-Deering products, with the same styling and red paint as the Farmall line, the W series had fixed wheel widths, lower height and wide front axles. Starting in 1956 the W series was integrated into the International Harvester numbering series and the McCormick-Deering branding was dropped.

Farmall F-30 Row crop tractor

The Farmall F-30 is a large three-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1931 to 1939, with approximately 28,900 produced. It was a larger successor to the Farmall Regular, and was replaced in 1939 by the Farmall M as the largest tractor in the Farmall line.

Farmall F-12 Row crop tractor

The Farmall F-12 is a small two-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1932 to 1938, with approximately 123,000 produced. An improved model, the two-plow F-14, was produced beginning in 1938 and ending in 1939, when the Farmall letter series tractors were introduced.

The Farmall 340 is a medium-sized row-crop tractor, first produced as part of the Farmall line by International Harvester in 1957. The 340 was a completely new design, unrelated to its predecessor the Farmall 350. Production ran until 1963 for the Farmall model, while production under the International and International Harvester name ran until 1965.

The Farmall 04 series tractors are a family of row-crop tractors with four-cylinder engines, continuing the tradition of four-cylinder engines in Farmall and parent company International Harvester for general-purpose and row-crop tractors. In the early 1960s demand for more power led to the 06 series with six-cylinder engines. Four-cylinder engines were reserved for tractors equivalent to the Farmall H and smaller.

Farmall 06 series tractors

The Farmall 06 series tractors are a family of row-crop tractors with six-cylinder engines, providing greater horsepower than the parallel product line of four-cylinder Farmall 04 series tractors. Until the late 1950s, Farmall and parent company International Harvester tractors used four-cylinder engines for general-purpose and row-crop tractors. Demands for higher performance and greater horsepower led to broader use of six-cylinder engines, with the bulk of International's production moving to the larger engines. The Farmall 806 and 706 were introduced in 1963, with production running to 1976 and 1967 respectively.. The Farmall 1206 was introduced in 1965 as the most powerful tractor of its time, using a turbocharged diesel engine. Production of the 1206 ran until 1967. The 06 series sold well and was regarded as extremely successful.

Farmall Britain

International Harvester's Farmall brand of tractors were built in the United Kingdom between 1949 and 1970. The Farmall name was applied sparingly to International Harvester's UK products, appearing only as the BM, BMD and B-450.

Farmall France

International Harvester's Farmall brand of tractors were built in France between 1951 and 1964. Initially produced from US-made components, tractors were made at the International Harvester (IH) plant in Saint-Dizier with French parts from 1952. A range of models were produced, many based on the Farmall C, with special narrow-track models for use in vineyards. The offering gradually broadened, with adaptations of IH Germany models. The Farmall brand was phased out in 1964, with subsequent machines bearing the International Harvester brand.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tomac, Sarah (2019). Klancher, Lee (ed.). Red Tractors 1958-2018 (2 ed.). Octane Press. pp. 59–63. ISBN   978-1-937747-87-9.
  2. 1 2 3 Pink, Craig. "Geelong International Harvester W6/Farmall M Tractors & Variants 1948-1973". Ploughbooksales. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "McCormick-Deering AW-6". TractorData. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Farmall Super AM". TractorData. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "Farmall Super AMD". TractorData. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "McCormick-Deering AW-7". TractorData. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Farmall A-514". TractorData. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Farmall A-554". TractorData. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Tomac, pp. 131-133
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