The Farmall F-12 is a small two-plow

row crop tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commonly, ...

produced by

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated IH or International) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more. It wa ...

under the

Farmall Farmall was a model name and later a brand name for tractors manufactured by International Harvester (IH), an American truck, tractor, and construction equipment company. The Farmall name was usually presented as McCormick-Deering Farmall and l ...

brand from 1932 to 1938, with approximately 123,000 produced. An improved model, the two-plow F-14, was produced beginning in 1938 and ending in 1939, when the Farmall letter series tractors were introduced.

Description and production

The F-12 was a smaller, modernized version of the earlier

Farmall Regular The Farmall Regular, or just the Farmall, was the first in the Farmall line of general-use row-crop tractors manufactured by International Harvester. The Regular was the first affordable tractor that could be used for plowing, stationary threshin ...

, developed from a prototype designated the F-10. To reduce mechanical complexity and to improve transmission efficiency, the Regular's

portal axle A portal axle (or portal gear lift) is an off-road vehicle suspension and drive technology where the axle tube or the half-shaft is offset from – usually above – the center of the wheel hub and where driving power is transferred to each wheel ...

rear wheel arrangement was changed to a straight axle, with larger wheels to provide ground clearance. This had the additional benefit of allowing a broader range of wheel adjustment to accommodate different row-crop row widths. Versions were available for gasoline or

distillate Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

. A wide front axle was available as an option. F-12s were delivered with steel wheels, with optional rubber tires. Early-year F-12s were painted gray, like the Regular. Beginning in 1936 the F-12 was painted bright red, to increase visibility. This quickly became a trademark of the Farmall line. The F-12 cost about $600 when introduced, rising to about $700.Pripps, p. 155 Early W-12s were equipped with a

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

, which was superseded by a similar engine produced in house by International Harvester, The sliding-gear transmission offered three gears. More than 120,000 F-12s were produced through the model's production run.

Variants

A McCormick W-12 version with a wide front axle was produced as well. The F-12-G4 was produced in an International Harvester plant in

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

, Germany. I-12 industrial tractors, and O-12 orchard tractors with fairings and underside exhaust routing were also produced. The Fairway 12 was produced for golf course and mowing use. All of these variants except the Fairway had rubber tires.Klancher, pp. 104-106

Farmall F-14

The Farmall F-14 replaced the F-12 in 1938, with a engine of the same displacement, running at higher RPMs, which allowed a two-plow rating. A hydraulic lift was a popular option on the F-14. O-14, W-14 and I-14 models were produced as well. The F-14 was produced in 1938 and 1939, with a run of about 32,000 units.Pripps, pp. 52-55Klancher, pp. 101-104 The

Farmall A The Farmall A is a small one-plow row crop tractor produced by International Harvester under the Farmall brand from 1939 to 1947. The tractor was popular for its set of innovative features in a small, affordable implement. It succeeded the Farm ...

and B replaced the F-14 in the Farmall small tractor line-up beginning in 1939. Cost was between $800 and $850.Pripps, p. 55

Comparable product

The

John Deere Deere & Company, Trade name, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, Transmission (mechanical device), transmi ...

H was a comparable product from John Deere.Pripps, p. 52

References

External links

NTTL Test #212 - Farmall F-12
at the

Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory The Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL) is a program operated by the University of Nebraska in accordance with Nebraska law to test the performance of agricultural equipment that is to be sold in the United States for compliance with OECD stand ...

archive
NTTL Test #297 - Farmall F-14
at the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory archive {{commons category, Farmall F-12 Farmall tractors Vehicles introduced in 1931