From the 1880s Until 1902, the two giants McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. and the Deering Harvester Co., as well as their smaller rivals, were involved in what is now known as the “Harvester Wars.” Production of harvesting machines far outweighed demand, creating fierce competition between manufacturers. Salesmen tried everything they could to sell their equipment. There are stories of bribery, sabotage, and violence.
As the Harvester Wars dragged on, equipment prices fell drastically, and selling expenses grew to more than 40 percent of total sales. In 1902 a merger with the five most significant companies was brokered by the J.P. Morgan banking firm. The McCormick, Deering, and Milwaukee Harvester companies, Plano Mfg. Co. and Warder, Bushnell & Glessner merged to become International Harvester Co.
For many years following the merger, IHC sold two slightly different lines of equipment, one named McCormick and the other Deering. The two lines of equipment were consolidated, and McCormick Deering became the name of a line of tractors and farm machinery manufactured by the International Harvester Co from 1922 until 1947.
International Harvester's first harvester-thresher combine was the McCormick Deering No. 1, built in 1914. Pictured is a McCormick-Deering No. 22 harvester-thresher, manufactured from 1925-1956.
