The Farmall M was a large three-plow row-crop tractor produced by International Harvester from 1939 to 1953. It was the bigger companion to the Farmall H, used the same implements and was one of the most widely produced of the letter-series tractors, with 270,140 built. A diesel version, the MD, and the Super M followed the same basic design.
Farmall M at a glance
| Maker | International Harvester, Rock Island, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Production | 1939–1953 |
| Predecessor | Farmall F-30 |
| Engine | IH C248, 248 cu in (4,060 cc) four-cylinder |
| Transmission | five forward and one reverse gear |
| Plow rating | three 14-inch plows |
| Electrical system | 6-volt |
| Rear track | 52 to 88 inches, up to 100 with extended axles |
| Price in 1952 | $2,400 |
| Built | 270,140 |
| Also built in | Doncaster, England (BM); Geelong, Australia (AM) |
| Replaced by | Farmall 400 in 1954 |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Farmall M, which also covers the MD, Super M and the later 400 and 450.
History of the Farmall M
The Farmall M was introduced in 1939 as the replacement for the Farmall F-30 and was one of International Harvester’s “letter series”, styled by Raymond Loewy. It was rated for three 14-inch mouldboard plows, commonly called a three-bottom plow, and used an International Harvester C248 four-cylinder overhead-valve engine of 248 cubic inches with a six-volt electrical system. The sliding-gear transmission had five forward gears and one reverse. The M was the larger of the two main row-crop tractors of the late 1930s and early 1950s, alongside the Farmall H, and could use the same implements. Standard Ms had narrow front wheels on the centreline, and the rear wheels could be adjusted on splined axles from 52 to 88 inches, or up to 100 inches with an optional extended axle. All Ms had hydraulic lifts, and their modular construction let complete assemblies be replaced. A standard M cost $2,400 in 1952.
From 1941 International Harvester also built the Farmall MD, a diesel version of the M that started on petrol until it was warm enough to switch to diesel; 18,253 MDs were made. The Farmall Super M of 1952 to 1954 had a larger engine of 264 cubic inches, and it was joined by the Super MD diesel and the Super MTA with a torque amplifier. In all, International Harvester produced 44,551 Super Ms, 5,199 Super MDs and 26,924 Super MTAs. High-clearance versions for vegetables and other tall crops were built as the Farmall MV and the diesel MDV, and there were also the W-6 with a standard front end and the I-6 industrial tractor, which had fixed wheel widths, different gearing, a foot throttle and usually a wide front axle.
The M was produced at Rock Island, Illinois, but also abroad: in Britain as the BM from 1948 to 1953 at Doncaster, and in Australia as the AM from 1949 to 1954 at Geelong. Tractors built outside North America mainly used wide front axles instead of the tricycle layout popular in the United States and Canada. In 1954 the M line was replaced by the Farmall 400, which was essentially the same machine with updated sheet metal: a four-cylinder 50-horsepower engine of 281 cubic inches, a torque amplifier transmission with ten forward and two reverse gears, and petrol, diesel and LP gas versions. The 400 was built until 1956 with 40,957 made, and was followed briefly by the Farmall 450 of 1956–1958, of which about 39,000 were built in the United States; a British B-450 stayed in production from 1958 to 1970, mainly with a wide front axle.
Design and features
- Three-plow rating: the large row-crop model of the letter series.
- C248 engine: 248 cu in with five forward gears.
- Adjustable track: rear width from 52 to 88 inches, up to 100 with extended axles.
- Hydraulic lift: fitted to every M.
- Diesel option: the MD started on petrol and switched to diesel when warm.
Farmall M versions
- Farmall M (1939–1953): the standard petrol or distillate tractor.
- Farmall MD (from 1941): diesel version, 18,253 built.
- Farmall Super M (1952–1954): 264 cu in, 44,551 built.
- Super MD and Super MTA: diesel and torque-amplifier versions, 5,199 and 26,924 built.
- Farmall MV and MDV: high-clearance petrol and diesel versions.
- W-6 and I-6: standard-front and industrial versions.
- BM and AM: British and Australian versions built in Doncaster and Geelong.
The Farmall H was the smaller tractor of the same generation, and the M replaced the earlier Farmall F-30. More Farmall tractors are in the Farmall collection.
Sources
- Farmall M, English Wikipedia: engine, transmission, diesel and Super M versions, overseas production, 400 and 450
