The International T-6 series included gasoline and diesel crawler tractors built by the International Harvester company from 1940 to 1969.
Model history[]
- For Company history, see International Harvester.
The International T-6 and TD-6 were new small crawlers from International, following the styling theme introduced earlier on the TD-18. The original models of the entire crawler line used hood side panels with a horizontal silver bar on the side panels matching horizontal silver bars on the grille. Somewhere around 1950 the side panels were dropped (or made optional) and the grille was painted all red. The T-6 was larger and more powerful than the unstyled T-20 it replaced, and had a 5-speed instead of 3-speed transmission. The T-6 shared the 248 ci 4-cylinder gasoline engine and 5-speed transmission of the McCormick-Deering Farmall M and W-6. The T-6 competed with the Allis-Chalmers M, Caterpillar R-2, and Cletrac AG-4. All of these tractors were rated at 3-4 plow. The T-6 was the same physical size as the Caterpillar R-2, but heavier and more powerful, with a 248 ci engine vs. Caterpillar’s 221 ci.
The TD-6 diesel was identical to the gasoline-powered T-6 except for the engine. The 248 ci 4-cylinder diesel was very similar in basic design to the gasoline version, but strengthened to withstand the stresses of operation on diesel. Like all International diesels of the time, it started on gasoline. In 1940 the TD-6 had a larger engine than the Caterpillar D-2 (248 ci vs. 221 ci) and developed somewhat more power. The TD-6 was a little less powerful than the Cletrac AD. In mid-1947 Caterpillar enlarged the engine of the D-2 to 251ci, making the D-2 slightly more powerful than the International TD-6. In 1951 International revised the TD-6 by increasing the compression ratio from 14.2 to 16.8. In Nebraska test no. 482 the revised tractor developed 38 belt and 32 drawbar horsepower. The TD-6 was now more powerful than the Cat D-2. The original T-6 and the TD-6 diesel were in production from 1940-56. In 1956 International came out with the still higher powered T-6 Series 61 and TD-6 series 61.
The new Series 61 was the first major change to the T-6/TD-6 in 16 years. New styling amounted to a grille made up of thin vertical bars only, vaguely resembling the grille of the flagship TD-24. The 4-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines were increased to 264 ci displacement. They were basically the engines of the McCormick-Deering Farmall 400 and International 400 wheel tractors with engine speed increased by 100 rpm. Each new model weighed several hundred pounds more than the corresponding old model and gained 11 belt hp. 1959 was the last year for the 4-cylinder Internationals. In 1960 they were replaced with the 6-cylinder Series 62.
The external appearance of the new models was nearly unchanged but the tractors were lengthened 5" to make room for the longer 6-cylinder engine. The engine of the International T-6 Series 62 was the same 263 ci gasoline model as in the McCormick-Deering Farmall 560 wheel tractor, but with governed rpm reduced to 1,550. The new T-6 was still basically a farm crawler, with its 5-speed gear-drive transmission. The only other gasoline crawlers of similar size in 1959 were the Case 610 and the Oliver OC-9, both industrial models with 4-speed partial power-shift torque-converter transmissions. In 1962 John Deere introduced its 2010C, with a small high-speed 4-cylinder engine and dual-range 8-speed transmission. In 1966 Case replaced the 610 with the new 450, using a Case ohv 4-cylinder engine instead of the previous Continental L-head six. At the same time, John Deere replaced the 2010C with the stronger JD450 powered by a new 183 ci 4-cylinder.
The TD-6 Series 62 was the same as the T-6 described above except that it used the 281 ci 6-cylinder diesel engine borrowed from the 560 Diesel wheel tractor. The competitive situation for the TD-6 was basically the same as for the T-6. In 1959 the only competition for it came from the Case 610 and Oliver OC-9. These were joined by the John Deere 2010C in 1962 and the Case 450 and John Deere JD450 in 1966. In 1965 International added the higher-powered Agricultural Crawler with the ended speeded up from 1550 to 1800 rpm, increasing the hp output by a small amount. International soldiered on through 1969 with the T-6 and the diesel TD-6, but diminishing sales caused them to be replaced by the made-in-Germany industrial/construction-oriented International T-7C and TD-7C.
Timeline[]
- 1940 - International T-6 and TD-6 replaced the McCormick-Deering T-20
- 1951 - TD-6 compression ratio increased for slightly more power
- 1956 - T-6 and TD-6 Series 61 with larger engines replaced the original T-6 and TD-6
- 1959 - 6-cylinder T-6 and TD-6 Series 62 replaced Series 61
- 1969 - 4-cylinder T-7C and TD-7C replaced the T-6 and TD-6 models
Model lineup[]
See the following articles for detailed specifications
- International T-6
- International TD-6
- International T-6 Series 61
- International TD-6 Series 61
- International T-6 Series 62
- International TD-6 Series 62
- International TD-6 Series 62 Agricultural Crawler
Factory locations[]
Serial Numbers Information[]
Year | Serial no. run start[1] |
Serial no. run End |
Number Built | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | T6 or TD6-501 | 4434 | 3934 | Serial range includes T-6 and TD-6 |
1941 | 4435 | 8189 | 3755 | Numbers built calculated |
1942 | 8190 | 9296 | 1107 | |
1943 | 9297 | 9580 | 284 | |
1944 | 9581 | 10827 | 1247 | |
1945 | 10828 | 12055 | 1228 | |
1946 | 12056 | 14515 | 2460 | |
1947 | 14516 | 17348 | 2833 | |
1948 | 17349 | 21144 | 3796 | |
1949 | 21145 | 24859 | 3715 | |
1950 | 24860 | 27535 | 2676 | |
1951 | 27536 | 31055 | 3520 | |
1952 | 31056 | 33156 | 2101 | |
1953 | 33157 | 35745 | 2589 | |
1954 | 35746 | 37469 | 1724 | |
1955 | 37470 | 38705 | 1236 | |
1956 | 38706 | 38950 | 245 | |
Total built to date | 38450[2] | |||
1956 | T61 or TD61-38951 | 39816 | 866 | Includes T-6 and TD-6 Series 61 |
1957 | 39817 | 40821 | 1005 | |
1958 | 40822 | 41447 | 626 | |
1959 | 41448 | |||
Total built to date | 2500[2] | |||
1959 | T62 or TD62-501 | 1059 | 559 | Includes T-6 and TD-6 Series 62 |
1960 | 1060 | 1629 | 570 | |
1961 | 1630 | 2055 | 426 | |
1962 | 2056 | 2403 | 348 | |
1963 | 2404 | 2757 | 354 | |
1964 | 2758 | 3176 | 419 | |
1965 | 3177 | 3630 | 454 | |
1966 | 3631 | 3990 | 360 | |
1967 | 3991 | 4220 | 230 | |
1968 | 4221 | 4423 | 203 | |
1969 | 4424 | |||
Total built | 3920[2] |
Preservation[]
No information on any individual examples of these tractors in preservation is currently available on here.
- Do you know of any examples to list ? Yes I own a 1967 year diesel international in extremely good shape TD-6 and operational you can contact me at childrenbychoice@earthlink.net if you want pictures or additional information
Gallery[]
Add extra photos here please.
See also[]
- Collection related info
- Shows and Meets - events featuring tractors and other machinery
- Clubs Listing - List of clubs including various tractor marques
- Collections - list of private collections with tractors (add yours)
- Museums - includes museums featuring tractors (please add missing ones)
References / Sources[]
- Please supply some relevant references or sources for information for verification of data.
External Links[]
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