Farmall & IH

Farmall was a model name and later a brand name for tractors manufactured by International Harvester. The original Farmall was the first general-purpose tractor with narrowly spaced front wheels. The 'tricycle' front wheel design combined with good ground clearance allowed for more nimble maneuvering and accurate field cultivation than many other tractors of the day, yet the Farmall could perform all the other duties a farmer would have previously achieved using a team of horses. This horse-replacing appeal contributed to the mechanization of agriculture. The slogan used was Better than a team of horses and an extra man.
Development began around the start of the 1920s. In 1932 IH introduced an updated Farmall with a more powerful engine, which received the designation F-20. The F-20 replaced the original Farmall All Farmall tractors were painted a deep blue grey (not battle ship grey) until middle 1936 when a decision was made to change to a new color, 'Farmall Red'.
In 1939, the famous Letter series of Farmall tractors was introduced (A, B, BN, C, H, M, and MD). The smallest of the line, the 'A', utilized the company's Culti-Vision offset engine/front end design, along with a wide front wheel track and dropped axles. On the larger models, the 'tricycle' type, narrow-spaced front wheel design was retained, as it provided quick steering and a considerable improvement in maneuverability over competing tractors.
The Farmall A, B, and BN offered compact size, operator visibility, and maneuverability; the C and M series provided extra plowing capability and power, while the mid-sized Model H proved most popular with customers. Overall, the Farmall 'letter' series, built of the heaviest-duty materials available, became not only a defining product line in IH history, but an iconic symbol of the prototypical American small-farm tractor.