International Harvester Formel-S-Serie
1 model in this series
International Harvester 553 (Formel-S Line) – three-cylinder diesel rated at 38.1 kW, 2,615 kg weight and a 28 km/h top speed, built from 1972 to 1974.
International Harvester, formed in 1902 in Chicago from the merger of McCormick and Deering, built its own model lines for the European market alongside its North American programme. The Formel-S line with the 553 was, in the early 1970s, among the more compact standard tractors of that European programme and was built only briefly, from 1972 to 1974.
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The 553 has a water-cooled three-cylinder diesel engine of 2,934 cm3 displacement, producing 38.1 kW (52 hp) at 2,180 rpm. At 2,615 kg unladen weight, 3,430 mm long and 1,788 mm wide, it counts among the lighter general-purpose tractors of its day. The short 2,000 mm wheelbase and 2,419 mm overall height make it manoeuvrable for work on smaller and medium-sized plots. Top speed is 28 km/h.
A three-cylinder engine of just under three litres and under 40 kW is a typical example of the general-purpose tractors that motorised medium-sized family farms in the 1970s: light enough for grassland work, strong enough for a plough and a trailer. At 28 km/h the 553 falls, in Germany, into driving licence class L, capped at 40 km/h. The power take-off and three-point linkage of such tractors followed the standard figures of 540 or 1,000 rpm and ISO 730.
On a used three-cylinder of these model years, it is worth checking the injection pump and the compression of each cylinder, since uneven wear shows up more often on three-cylinder engines than on larger units. Steering knuckles and the steering box should be checked for play, along with the condition of the brake drums. Body panels and wings tend to rust first at the mounting points.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells International Harvester 553
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