International Harvesterintroduced the Farmall 1206 in August of 1965. It featured a new heavy-duty power train and specially developed, 361 cubic inch, turbocharged, six-cylinder, diesel engine. The 1206 was the first turbocharged Farmall and the first row crop tractor in the industry to produce over 100+ PTO horsepower. This was truly a tractor ahead of its time. Production was delayed for over two years because the tires of the day could not stand up to the power of the 1206. The tread and sidewalls would fail or buckle and some tires even spun off the rims when tested. IH engineers worked with tire manufacturers for two years to develop the 18.4-38, a completely new type of tire that could put the power of the 1206 to work. This tractor soon became popular with the tractor pullers and hundreds were used on the farm during the week and at the tractor pull on the weekends.

 This art image and history are Copyright by Edward C. Schaefer, 2005, 2008, All Rights Reserved.