TRACTOR TALK

1950 INTERNATIONAL TD-9 CRAWLER

n the 1920s tracked agricultural tractors were all the rage, and the big tractor companies were getting into them. International Harvester had begun experimenting with tracked versions of several of its popular wheeled tractor models in 1926 and finally began production of the Mccormick-deering 10-20 “Tractractor” in October of 1928. From that moment, International Harvester was a player in the track-laying market

In late 1938 the TD-18 crawler was introduced with a big 691-cubic-inch diesel six, featuring the new-styled sheetmetal that would soon appear on all IH tractors. It would become the first of a modernized line of crawlers, and some 600 would be built through 1939. On January 29, 1940, the rest of the new Tractractors were introduced, the TD-6, TD-9, and TD14. The new IH products were intended to compete directly with the company best known for crawlers:

Caterpillar. “Caterpillar” was a name not uttered loudly in the halls of International Harvester because of a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Cat against IH in 1931. Initially Cat won, but the judgment was stayed on appeal and Cat and IH finally settled in 1946.

Through about 1956, many of the early Tractractors were offered with a gasoline engine (a T-9 versus a TD-9, for example), but many in IH management knew diesels were a perfect fit in crawlers. In fact, IH raced Cat in an effort to field the first production diesel crawler. As Maxwell Smart was fond of saying, they “missed it by that much.” Their TD-40 diesel-powered crawler appeared in April of 1932, about nine months after the Cat 60 diesel. From there, IH developed new models, improved the products, and reacted to market changes as the crawler market boomed.

The new T and TD series saw extensive service in military service in World War II. In the postwar ag

realm, the TD-6 and TD-9 were the units most chosen by farmers preferring tracks to wheels. The TD-9, which roughly matched the capability of the Cat D4, could be compared to the Mccormick-deering WD-9 wheeled tractor, with which it shared many parts, including a 334.5-cubic-inch, gas-start, fourcylinder diesel. Five pre-production TD-9S were built in 1939 for testing, and regular production started January 19, 1940.

The TD-9 came in standard (44-inch) or wide (60-inch) track gauges and had several options for track shoe widths. Typically, the narrow-gauge tractor used 13-inch-wide track shoes and the wide track used 15-inch shoes, with options up to 18 inches. The TD-9 was advertised as a 4-5 plow tractor. In 1949 IH listed it with 9,014 pounds of drawbar pull, but the Nebraska Test lab rated it higher, at 9,909 pounds, in 1951. Though they did not separate crawlers by industry, one destined for construction or earthmoving was differently equipped than one for ag use. IH offered a wide variety of equipment to suit nearly every need, though some of those products were not made by Mccormick or IH.

The TD-9 came in four distinct evolutions. The first generation ranged from 1940 to through 1955 and was powered by a 335-

cubic-inch diesel. For 1956, like its wheeled brother, the engine was upgraded to 350 cubic inches via a 0.100-inch bore increase. This unit became the TD-9 91 series. For 1960 the TD-9 92 series debuted with a turbocharged version of the new IH D282 six-cylinder diesel. The TD-9 B-series debuted in 1962 and ran to 1974, but it was no longer marketed in the agricultural realm after about ’65 or so.

It’s been said the TD-9 was the most popular and versatile of the IH crawlers in the farming landscape of the ’40s and ’50s—big enough, but not too big. From 1940 to 1956 some 48,618 were built, not including almost 10,000 T-9 gassers. The ’56-59 TD-9-91 was built to the tune of 7,318 units and the ’59-62 TD-9-92 saw 6,000 built. The final evolution, the ’62-74 TD-9 B-series (a.k.a. the Model 150 starting in ’69) only saw 4,442 units constructed. IH held its own in the ag crawler markets of the ’40s and ’50s and got by in the construction markets. When the ag market for crawlers faded, IH struggled to bolster its presence in the construction market, which had grown to include many competitors. As their internal financial struggles escalated, they left the crawler market altogether in the mid-1970s.

Mike Ramey’s 1950 TD-9 is a wide-track model currently mounting 18-inch track shoes. It was used on a farm in Indiana. With the Mccormick Combination Carrier Farm Dozer-tool Bar, that farmer had a versatile machine. The booms on each side are reversible. To use it as a dozer, they are faced forward and the dozer blade is attached. To switch to the rear-mounted toolbar, you disconnect the trunnions where the booms attach to the crawler and the hydraulic cylinder at the boom sides. You then backed out, turned the tractor, backed in, and reconnected the trunnions and hydraulics. From there you would disconnect the blade from the booms, pull away, and back into a separate toolbar assembly, which could mount chisels, cultivators, subsoilers, and so on. In the ’60s an angled bade attachment was added to the options for the toolbar. Normally, a brush guard is also used with the dozer attachment to prevent grille and radiator damage.

 This TD-9 was ordered with the optional rear PTO. The drawbar is extra burly. Three-point hydraulic lifts were not available on the IH crawlers.

 The D335 four-cylinder diesel was shared with the WD-9 wheeled tractor and also saw extensive use as a stationary powerplant. It was rated for a maximum of 53 flywheel horsepower at 1,500 rpm and 230 lb-ft of torque at 1,200 rpm. It has five main bearings and uses wet sleeves. Typical of many IH diesels going as far back as 1930, it started on gasoline, and when it warmed up it was switched over to diesel operation. There were a number of disadvantages to that setup, but the chief advantage, one that kept them around until 1959, was their cold-weather starting. In this era, the biggest issues operators had with diesels was cold weather. The IH gas-start diesels were generally among the easiest to start when temperatures dropped. The later 350-cubic-inch version of this engine was significantly more powerful, making 75 flywheel horsepower at 1,800 rpm and 260 lb-ft of torque.

 The operator’s station is typical of a crawler. One option was a higher seating position for construction applications. Steering is accomplished with the two clutch levers and the two brake pedals. The lever to the left of the air cleaner is the speed control, and the one to the left of that is the switching valve used to switch the engine from gas to diesel. The lever farthest to the left is the hand clutch.

 Ramey isn’t afraid to work his TD-9. He’s in the construction industry, so he knows well how to operate it. It’s shown here at the annual Tri-state Gas Engine and Tractor Association Show in Portland, Indiana, where they have an area set aside for vintage construction equipment to work.

 Because Ramey didn’t have a toolbar for us to shoot, Louie Figone kindly supplied an image of his ’63 TD-9 B-series working the same type of toolbar, this one mounting a trio of rippers. These rippers dig deep and take a lot of drawbar power. You can see how the booms are now used in trail of the tractor and the implements are bolted to the toolbar.