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 A 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.
Description and production
Styled by Raymond Loewy,[1][2] it was one of International Harvester's "letter series", with 103,800 produced over the 4-year run. The C was rated for two 14-inch (36 cm) plows.[3]
The C was designated the Farmall E while it was in development. Work started in September 1939. Introduction was delayed by World War II until 1948, when it was designated the Farmall C.[4]
The C is equipped with an International Harvester inline overhead-valve 4-cylinder engine with 123-cubic-inch (2,020-cubic-centimetre) displacement. The sliding-gear transmission has five total gears: four forward and one reverse.The Farmall C replaced the Farmall B, doing away with the offset operator's position and the B's geared portal axle in favor of a straight, splined rear axle with a much greater range of adjustment. Larger wheels provided the necessary underside clearance. The C kept the B's tricycle configuration, with closely spaced front wheels under the engine housing.[5][6][3][7]
From 1951 to 1954, International Harvester produced the Farmall Super C, with the a 26 horsepower (19 kW) 123-cubic-inch (2,020-cubic-centimetre) IH C123 engine. About 112,000 Super C tractors were produced. Super Cs were available with either narrow or wide front wheels. They were replaced by the Farmall 200.[5][8][9]
Farmall 200
The Farmall 200 was a rebadged Super C with minor improvements, replacing the Super C in 1954, with production into 1956. It was marketed as an ideal tractor for farms with 80 acres (32 ha) to 120 acres (49 ha).[10][11] The 200 introduced an option called "Hydra-Creeper", where the transmission could be powered by a hydrostatic drive, allowing for a "creep mode" at about 0.25 miles per hour (0.40 km/h) from transplanting operations.[12]
Farmall 230
The Farmall 230 was produced from 1956 to 1958. Compared to the 200, the 230 had styling changes and an increase in compression ratio.[13][14] About 12,000 230s were produced, selling for about $2,200.[15]
Farmall 240
The Farmall 240 replaced the 230 in 1958. It was restyled to match the new squared-off look of larger tractors in the Farmall line, and the operator position was adjusted. The 240 was produced until 1962.[16][17][18] The IH 240 was produced as the utility version.[19] About 4,200 240s were produced, at a selling price of about $2,300 to $3,000.[15]
Comparable product
The John Deere 420 was a comparable offering to the C and the 230.[20] The farmall model
c sold about 12,000 and sold for 2,300 to 3,000
References
^Pripps, Robert N. (2020). The Complete Book of Farmall Tractors. Motor Books. pp. 58–59. ISBN978-0-7603-6389-8.
^Klancher, Lee (2017). The Farmall Dynasty (1.2 ed.). Octane Press. p. 108. ISBN978-0-9821733-0-5.
^Leffingwell, Randy; Pripps, Robert N. (2015). Farmall: The Red Tractor that Revolutionized Farming (2nd ed.). Voyageur Press. pp. 135–136. ISBN978-0-7603-4846-8.
