Why were British Farmalls behind the times?

[mkirsch]

Why did IH hold back technology on British Farmalls?

Take the B-450 for example. It was nothing more than a diesel M with a 3pt hitch... AFAIK, it didn't even have a TA. Yet, it was built from 1958 to 1970???

In 1958, the M was obsolete in the USA. We had modern styling, 6-cylinder engines, sophisticated hydraulics, and the TA.

By 1970 the USA had big sophisticated 140HP tractors, but it appears the British farmer was still stuck with something that even LOOKED like an M. IH didn't even bother to update the styling.

So, why was that? Were the British farmers THAT averse to new technology? What was IH's justification in "sticking" British farmers with backwards obsolete equipment?
 

[Nebraska Cowman]

I never thought the B450 was "behind the times" It
was a direct start diesel and had integral 3 point.
This might be an interesting topic to see others
views. Kinda like the kid in 3rd grade that was 20
pounds bigger and a year older? I never thought he
was "ahead" of me.
 

[Earl Gray]

From what I understand IH kind of got ahead of themselves with their technology, like the TA's being a chronic problem in higher horsepower tractors. I think the Brits wanted something fuel efficient and reliable. We had a B275 and if it was cloudy out it started hard, but once it was started it would work all day on 5 gal. of fuel!
 

[GP Hansen]

I think one factor is that British farm acreages were and still a lot smaller then US farms. It seemed to survive in farming in the US farmers had to greatly increase their acres thus requiring bigger tractors.
 

[dhermesc]

I agree with the idea that the acreages stayed small in the UK. The other "issue" is that the economy in the UK stayed stagnant for years after WW2 while the US's grew. If I recall correctly they were still rationing food well into the 1950s (just like when the Germans were sinking transports during WW2) and their standard of living fell far behind the US's.

Basically they had to make do with less, something we will probably learn to do in the US in the next 4 years.....
 

[Dblair]

I never thought the b450 was behind with the diesel
which was an advanced diesel . I was just taken
aback that it didn't get more gears to make it work
more efficient .
 

[Janicholson]

Tas are not a cronic problem they are a wear factor like any component. If used correctly they were fine!! Jim
 

[MJ in the UK]

Thanks Howard, The B450 also had diff lock. Here in the UK we did not grow corn so we did not need a Farmall type rowcrop tractor. If you read my reply from last Fridays post you will see that most of them were exported. Here in the UK IH got behind with tractor designs in the 1960s but that all changed when the 454 and 574 tractors appeared. I sold IH tractors in the 1970s and in 1977 I sold 52 new tractors in a 15 mile radius taking mostley MF tractors in exchange. I still think the MF 100 series tractors were the bibbest heap of junk ever offerd to the british farmer. MJ
 

[thetractorfreak]

Always thought the british md was better than our md and
they had a super c deisel (french, fcd) unlike us
 

[sflem849]

[mkirsch]

Funny you mention the 454 and 574, because even those were backward compared to US-built tractors from 10 years previous...

As I understand it, hydraulics on UK-spec 454's and 574's were typically a single one-way remote, if the tractor had auxiliary hydraulics at all. In the USA, that kind of hydraulic system was obsolete by 1955.

Here again, these tractors did not have a TA, or powershift of any sort, in a 1970's era tractor.

There was a lot of technology that revolutionized farming in the USA during that period. It just seems funny that IH didn't even *TRY* to introduce it in the UK.

What was the difference? Did IH just not care? Were there cultural differences? Were there political issues (i.e. tariffs, patents)?
 

[495man]

I think you will find Euro spec IH stuff much more advanced. US IH hung onto H and M based tractors right until the 06 series...

B450 was certainly more advanced with integral 3pt, direct start diesel and differential lock. IH even imported B450's for the US market.

What did US IH plants build in the 50's that had direct start diesel, 3pt hitch, diff lock, live PTO, multirange transmission that they didn't borrow a skid unit from the UK? B-414 anyone? that tractor made 1950's US stuff look obsolete.

The 74 series could be had with double acting hydraulics, TA and even in a hydrostatic version.

Funny that the 54/74 series of tractors was made well into the 2000's while every US built design was LONG gone.
 

[Fritz Maurer]

Wasn't the B-275 the first I.H. tractor to have a
differential lock?
 

[MJ in the UK]

As i stated in the other post, we did NOT want rowcrop tractors. What the British farmer wanted a handy to get on and off utility tractor so in 1955 they intrduced the B250 tractor. Did you lads have a handy utility tractor with built in 3 point lift and diff lock in 1955?. I am the proud owner of the 49th B250 built. MJ
 

[MJ in the UK]

When i sold the 454 and 574 tractors we allways had them come from the factory with one single acting valve and one double acting valve. MJ