The Roar of Dust and Diesel-A Story of International Harvester Doncaster

Hardback Book

In the twentieth century, the name of International Harvester was known throughout the world as the most prodigious manufacturer and supplier of some of the finest farm machinery money could buy, along with sales and service that were second to none.

The company’s bright red livery and distinctive logo remain today instantly recognisable the world over, and many of these fine products were designed and built in Britain within its three Yorkshire factory sites.

The Roar of Dust and Diesel is Mike Teanby’s account of the activities of IHGB in Doncaster, highlighting the crucial role played by this factory in shaping one of the most formidable farm machinery makers of all time. Any reader with an interest in International Harvester or the history of farm mechanization will find it a remarkable story.

Mike describes Doncaster factory life in greater detail than ever before along with the “nuts and bolts” of many excellent products built here: Farmall BMD, B450, 885XL and Maxxum, giant industrial PAY-loaders, crawlers, balers, combines, even some of the high horsepower farm tractors imported from Europe and North America. Product development, mass production methods and dealer support are meticulously explained, with a racy account of Mike’s own experiences working at IHGB Doncaster and IH Hinsdale USA together with the IHGB and Case IH UK dealer network since he joined the industry in 1965.

His intensive research has also unearthed a rich seam of archive information, production statistics, technical specification and candid interviews, all enhanced by a superb collection of photographs – many unique to this book – covering every significant machine, model and type built and sold onto British farms. The origin of IH and the formation of IH GB are fully explained, as is the rationale behind the Tenneco acquisition of the IH Farm Equipment Division in 1985, the CNH merger in 1999 and the arrival of McCormick Tractors International in Doncaster during January 2001. Each is regarded as a cataclysmic event in the parent company fortunes.

At its core the story remains a celebration of 50 glorious years building farm tractors and implements in Doncaster, during the period 1949-1999: Farmall model M to MX170, and everything in between.

• Published – October 2004
• 204 Pages
• Well illustrated in black/white & colour
• 210mm x 290mm
• Hardback