Fairey Battle Bomber plane

"International Harvester played an important part during World War II. In addition to building many parts essential for war, they were also a base for the fairy battle bomber airplanes. In the above photo you can see the white buildings of the army barracks protecting the airfield with planes ready for takeoff.  (1940)"

Early in 1940, Geelong received its first military contract. The Commonwealth Government had exercised its right to utilize the services of the plant and its work force. Geelong Works became a large contributor to the war effort, manufacturing guns, tanks, shells, aircraft and other war equipment. Geelong Works still continued to produce certain lines of farm equipment to help feed the thousands of soldiers overseas.  Engineers at the works were able to develop equipment for large scale vegetable production during the war. As a result, many new lines of vegetable equipment were available in Australia.

 - excerpt from International Harvester in Australia : Geelong Works - book by SJ Galloway

Australia's Beginnings in Agriculture

Following is the beginning of the IH story in Australia. This article came from International Harvester in Australia, March 1955, it is a great start to understand the IH story in Australia. 

Australia’s development began in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in New South Wales. One of his first acts on landing as Sydney Cove was to issue orders that land be prepared for the growing of food. This was the beginning of Australia’s agriculture.

In the years prior to 1831 in the USA—the year in which Cyrus Hall McCormick invented the first practical reaper—it was necessary for nineteen men to work on the land in order to produce enough food to feed one man in the city. Similar conditions existed in Australia. Were it not for the inventive genius of man and the creation of efficient farm equipment, the present rate of development both of this and other great countries would not have been possible.

High on the list of Australia’s great pioneers are those who have contributed to the growth of agriculture. Noteworthy is the South Australian, John Ridley who invented a stripper which, although a crude device, stripped the heads of wheat from the standing crop by means of a horizontal comb.  Ridley’s stripper, developed in 1843, enabled the labour costs for harvesting to be reduced from 3/- per bushel to just over 3d. per bushel. HV McKay was another great pioneer who, in 1884, further developed the stripper principle to create a machine that would take the heads from the standing crop, then thresh, winnow, and clean the grain in one operation.

Other important Australian agricultural developments included the invention of the stump-jump plough by RB Smith in 1876 and the introduction of irrigation. Men like William Farrar experimented with and produced, drought resistant strains of wheat suitable to Australian conditions; these strains enabled low rainfall areas to become productive, and added millions of pounds to Australia’s income.

During the early years of Australia’s development the predecessors of International Harvester made a considerable contribution to this country’s agriculture. In 1877, a quantity of wire-tying grain binders was shipped to Australia and for many years these machines and later the twine-tying grain binders became a common part of the Australian rural scene. Early machines introduced by International Harvester to Australia included steam engines, threshers, seed drills, garden implements, disc and mouldboard ploughs and cream separators. The first harvester was marketed in 1905 and was displaced in 1915 by the harvester thresher. This was the forerunner of the modern header harvester, now built at Geelong works, a product which has been acclaimed by farmers all over Australia.

Perhaps the greatest IH contribution to agricultural growth in Australia was the early farm tractors which were introduced soon after the turn of the twentieth century. While these tractors were heavy and cumbersome they were the foundation of power farming as we know today. International Harvester was quick to develop more efficient tractors with a higher proportion of power-output-to-weight. These quickly gained wide acceptance and soon began to replace horses on the farm.

While International Harvester’s first farm tractor appeared in 1906, one of the biggest steps in the USA was the development in 1923 of the first all-purpose Farmall tractor. This was a new conception of the tractor as a power unit, utilizing less expensive but more efficient direct-connected implements.

Another achievement accredited to Harvester engineers was the Farmall System of Farming – the original “system of farming” which enabled the farmer to operate a complete line of matched equipment for every phase of farming. System farming has now been developed to a stage were there is a complete system of implements for all types of farming. Early in the field of road transport development, International Harvester produced its first production-line motor trucks in Akron, Ohio, USA, in 1907 after nearly ten years of research and experimenting. Known as the Auto Buggy and Auto Waggon, these early International trucks were imported to Australia and were the fore runners of the world-renowned International trucks of today. At first they were regarded with suspicion, however, when their possibilities were visualised, they quickly gained common acceptance and wide use.

In 1902 the McCormick, the Deering, and other farm implement machine companies, merged in the United States to form the International Harvester Company of America, which continued to operate with separate representatives in Australia until 1904, when the International Harvester Company of America opened for business. In July 1912 International Harvester Company of Australia Pty. Ltd. Was formed to carry on in Australia the business formerly conducted by International Harvester Company of America and its predecessors.

The history of the Australian company is one of steady progress disturbed only by the depression of the early 1930s. During a period of widespread tariff restrictions on imports, plans were made for the manufacture of Harvester products in Australia. Geelong Works was established in 1938; but production was interrupted by World War II; and the company switched its facilities to the manufacture of materials vital to the allied effort in the South Pacific. Included in this were large quantities of vegetable growing equipment.

Since the war an ever-increasing range of farm machines for all major agricultural activities has been designed, developed and produced. Tractor manufacture commenced at Geelong Works in 1947 and thousands of Australian-built tractors today serve agriculture and industry throughout the South Pacific. Eleven models are now being produced ranging from the AOS-6 Standard Tractor to the Super AWD-6 Diesel Tractor.

While for many years the imported International trucks which were sold in Australia included some Australian-made content, it was not until 1950 that truck manufacture began in Australia. Today the company’s Dandenong Works manufactures eight basic models ranging from a 12-15cwt. Utility to a 5-6 ton medium-heavy-duty model.

International Harvester’s long association with Australia has stood the test of time. Today the company, whose policy is founded on a spirit of pioneering tradition, is putting its “shoulder to the wheel” with the determination to help Australia complete her gigantic development programs so that she will one day be one of the really great nations of the world.

  

Above: An exact  replica of the first  McCormick Reaper made in 1831

Following is a short overview of how crops were harvested before Cyrus brought us his reaper. The next page on IH Combines brings us the changes through the last 100 years. Hope this brings back memories for some of you, and reminds the rest of you how much times have changed in the last 150 years!

“Reaping Hook" or Sickle With the sickle or reaping hook one man could cut from one-half to one acre in a hard day's work. The cut grain was later bound by hand.

Cradle The cradle was the most efficient means of cutting grain before McCormick's invention of the reaper. The cradle consisted of a broad scythe with a light frame of four wood fingers attached to it. The advantage of the cradle was that by a turn to the left the operator could throw the grain into a swath, ready to be raked and bound into sheaves. This improvement was introduced in America about 1776, according to Professor Brewer of Yale, and was the common instrument of grain harvesting as late as 1840. For cradling grain, two acres was considered a day's work.

Scythe
The scythe was the companion tool to the reaping hook or sickle. It was always used for mowing grass but sometimes oats and barley were cut with it. It was not generally used for cutting wheat. With the scythe a man could cut up to three acres a day.

The first reaper included these essential elements:Reciprocal knife, Fingers or guards, Revolving reel, Platform, Master wheel, Forward draft, Divider. The McCormick reaper of 1831 has a wide master wheel which carried most of the weight of the machine and, through ground transaction, supplied power to operate the reel and the reciprocal knife. The world's first reaper incorporated seven basic principles (listed above) which have ever since been found essential in virtually all grain-cutting machines.

While this first machine required only 2 people for operation (a person to ride the horse and a man to rake the cut grain from the platform), it cut as much grain in one day as 4-5 men with cradles or 12-16 men with reaping hooks.

The McCormick Patent Reaping Machine of 1857 combined machinery for reaping and mowing, and was built from 1852-1865. Its chief improvements over the 1831 reaper were seats for driver and raker, a cutting knife fabricated in sections rather than one piece, and an all-metal main wheel. This machine also cut a wider swath than the first reaper and was pulled by two horses.

McCormick Harvester and Binder of 1876 at work in the field. This was the first practical self-binder ever built. People traveled miles to see the first machine controlled by one man, which cut and bound grain in a single operation. McCormick built and sold 50,000 of these binders between 1877 and 1885.

McCormick Harvester and Twine Binder manufactured in 1881. This was McCormick’s first binder which tied the bundles with twine. After the development of this machine, only minor improvements, tending to give greater durability and lighter draft were added.

The McCormick Light Steel Binder built in 1888. This was an improvement over the first steel binder of 1885. The knotter was improved for the first time since the binder came into existence. Improvements in the reel construction were made and an adjustable canvas grain shield was added on the rear of the platform.

The McCormick-Deering Tractor Binder is operated from the Farmall tractor through the shaft running out of the rear, thus making the binder independent of ground conditions. This power take-off, as it is called, is regularly supplied with all Farmall tractors. The binder, being independent of ground conditions, can operate when a horse-drawn binder would find it difficult, if not impossible, to cut grain.

McCormick-Deering Harvester-Thresher is the most modern type of grain-harvesting machine. It cuts 40-50 acres per day and threshes the grain, delivering it after a thorough cleaning, into a grain tank. From the tank, the grain can be drawn off into a motor truck or wagon and hauled to the grainery.

This Windrow-Harvester cuts grain and leaves it in a windrow on top of the stubble. After the grain cures on the stubble it is picked up by an attachment on the platform and threshed. The windrow-harvester makes it possible to cut grain earlier (avoiding natural hazards such as winds and hails) and to better harvest woody grain (because the weeds dry out with the crops before threshing)

Article from; Shenandoah Valley AREC, Steeles Tavern, VA; Grain Harvesting History information obtained from McCormick Reaper Centennial Source Material (International Harvester Company: Chicago) 1931

IH Adverts

Just a couple of Advertisements that were sent to me. They are interesting to look at, and learn about the marketing strategy of International Harvester Company - and how one company was worldwide, and yet due to poor financial and forward management, failed.  Sad.

1949 Advertisement for International Harvester

1953 advertisement for IH trucks 

Real tractor - 986

I would like to start out with something a little familiar to everyone, the 986 tractor. This photo was sent to me a few years ago and I always liked the looks of this typical farm photo. 986 Tractors are common on many farms.  There are about 820 Australian and 20,550 American tractors made of the model number.   There are variations between the American and Australian tractors, such as the engine used and horsepower rating. Many are still being used on farms today doing the same jobs since the tractor was introduced in 1976 (1978 for Australian)

Hugh and Tania Reid (owners) are located at North Star near Moree, NSW. The farm is all cash cropping, including Wheat, Barley, Chickpea, Faba Bean, Sorghum and Millet. IH vehicles on the farm are a 1971 Acco C1800 "Butterbox" Bogie drive with the 354 Perkins motor and 18 tonne grain bin. The 986 tractor has 5900 hrs on the clock and is used for loader work, Grader blade work and on the chaser bin.- photo taken November 2007

IH book

Here's what the front cover of my book looks like.   The book itself is about 200 pages, hardcover, and full color. There's at least one photo on every page - most pages have two photos. It retails for about $45USD. I think it's definitely a book that every red tractor person needs to have in their collection.

Introducing.....me.

I'd like to share with you the information that I have amassed over the years writing a magazine and then a book about IH tractors in Australia. I started out listening to stories from farmers of the years these tractors were introduced. Then I was just looking for answers for myself and others  - such as "How many A-514 tractors were made?" and "What does a A-554 weigh? (or 564 or AW-7 or...)"

That's how I ended up writing a book all about tractors- "International Harvester Australia: Geelong Works" I found enough answers. The title is long. I know. I usually just refer to it as IH Geelong.  (ps. you can buy it from Amazon, order it from your local or big bookstore)

I've been able to find and answer most things that are thrown at me, but one. I still don't know exactly how many A-514 tractors were made. I have an idea, (I found an engineering report projecting the numbers) but nothing has come to my attention as facts. (I like facts.)  

I hope to share a few stories from both you, the reader, and the IH factory. There are also a lot of stories from  real people that should be out there for others to listen to. I've had the pleasure of  listening to many of these and I think everyone would have a good time if I was able to share some of them with you.