International Harvester Holzgas
2 models in this series
International Harvester Holzgas HG and HS – wartime tractors from Neuss with a wood-gas generator instead of fuel, four-cylinder engine of 2,043 cm³ and 11 kW
During the war years fuel shortages forced even International Harvester to convert tractors to wood gas: a generator gasifies wood or charcoal into a combustible gas that drives the petrol engine in place of liquid fuel. The HG and HS types from the Neuss plant represent these wartime versions, with a four-cylinder engine of 2,043 cm³ and 11 kW at 1,650 rpm. The switch to wood gas was not an IH peculiarity but affected numerous German makers of cars, trucks and tractors alike during the war, since liquid fuel was reserved mainly for the armed forces. After the merger with Case in 1985, the Neuss site remained a plant for combine harvesters.
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The register lists 2 versions of 11 kW each from a four-cylinder engine of 2,043 cm³ at 1,650 rpm, a length of 3,500 mm, a width of 2,000 mm and a height of 1,900 mm.
Wood-gas tractors such as the HG and HS kept farming running during fuel rationing, but lost markedly in power and responsiveness compared with running on liquid fuel, and disappeared from the market quickly once the war ended.
Surviving examples are museum rarities today; on a used example what counts is the originality of the wood-gas generator and its filters, the condition of the converted carburettor and rust on the bodywork and chassis, with parts available in practice only through collectors and reproduction.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: International Harvester Holzgas
Models
Tractor in 3D section
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